No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

This study was carried out to investigate whether minute quantities of maternal drugs ingested over an extended period of time by a breast-feeding infant can alter the activity pattern of the infant's hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme (HDME). The HDME activity patterns of 12 breast-fed infants whose mothers were not on drug therapy were compared with those of 11 infants whose mothers had been taking 30 micrograms levo-norgesterel daily for 90 to 195 days (oral contraceptives group) and of 10 infants whose mothers had been taking ethambutol and isoniazid daily since pregnancy (tuberculosis group). As 6 beta hydroxycortisol in urine is considered to be a good and acceptable reflector of HDME activity, it was estimated from the infants' urine using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. A comparison of the patterns between 90 days of age and 195 days of age of the infants in the control group and the two study groups indicated an increase from 36.6 ng/mL to 58.4 ng/mL at 195 days in the control group. An initial decrease from 36.6 ng/mL to 26.2 ng/mL was noted with commencement of maternal levo-norgesterel therapy, followed by a slow and steady rise to 47.8 ng/mL at 195 days of age, with a shift in the peak from 120 to 135 days of infants age in the oral contraceptive group. A suppressed pattern with decreased levels of 6 beta hydroxycortisol ranging from 19.3 ng/mL to 26.5 ng/mL at 195 days was found in the tuberculosis group. The data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) coupled with Duncan's Multiple range test. Both treatment group showed significant differences from the control group at the 0.050 level. The HDME plays an important role in determining the final outcome of any drug in humans, as it controls the metabolism of drugs. Hence, alterations in its activity caused by the transfer of maternal drugs over a prolonged period of time could pose a serious problem to nurslings when they require drugs for their own benefit.

A prospective study of adverse drug reactions was recently completed at the Clinical Pharmacology Unit of J. J. Group of Hospitals. 338 patients were included in this study, and adverse reactions were noted by a team of workers including a nurse and a physician. World Health Organization definitions were used to describe adverse reactions. A total of 20 per cent of the patients showed adverse reactions to drugs. There was no difference with regard to age, occupation, or religion of the patients. Reaction was more common in the undernourished and also with a larger number of drugs or longer duration of stay in the hospital. The common reactions were neurologic, gastrointestinal, and allergic. Significant information is obtained by analysis of the percentage reaction in patients receiving drugs and the percentage of reactions per doses administered. It is confirmed that short-term intense surveillance programs are capable of providing useful data on incidence and types of adverse drug reactions.