The efficacy of N,N'-bis-(3-picolyl)-methoxyisophthalamide (picotamide) as an in vitro thromboxane synthetase inhibitor and its effect on endotoxin (LPS)-induced lethality in rats were assessed. Picotamide at 0.5 and 1.0 mM concentrations significantly ( P < 0.05) inhibited basal and LPS-stimulated synthesis of TxA2 measured by its stable immunoreactive (i) metabolite TxB2 in rat peritoneal macrophages. This compound did not inhibit synthesis of i6-keto-PGFI,, the stable metabolite of PG12, and produced significant shunting to i6-keto-PGF,,. For lethality studies rats were pretreated, by gavage with picotamide, at either 75, 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg 2 hr prior to iv S. enteritidis (LPS, 20 mg/kg). Both 150 and 300 mg/kg doses of picotamide significantly ( P < 0.05) improved survival in endotoxin shock at 48 hr. These studies demonstrate that picotamide is a selective thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, and that it may be useful during disease states characterized by increased TxA2 synthesis. o 1988 society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

Post-mortem microbiology is an important tool in legal medicine and forensic pathology; this case report shows the importance of microbiological testing to establish the cause of death in infection suspected death. We refer a case of fatal Influenza A (H1N1) diagnosed only after dead with post-mortem microbiology tool.