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Summary--Ru-Vert, a combination product, containing in each tablet, 25 mg of pentylenetetrazol, 12.5 mg of pheniramine maleate, and 50 mg of nictonic acid, was evaluated in the treatment of seventeen patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The study was double-blind with crossover. Ru-Vert at a dosage of two tablets t.i.d. was found to reduce significantly the nystagmus and the vertigo induced by Hallpike maneuvers in these patients.

During the past 4 years a number of tranquilizing agents have been used successfully in the treatment of neuroses and psychoses. The most important of these are: chlorpromazine, a phenothiazine derivative prepared as one of a series of antihistaminic and adrenolytic agents; reserpine, an alkaloid originally introduced as a hypotensive agent; benactyzine, a benzilic acid ester with potent anticholinergic action; and meprobamate, a simple propanediol dicarbamate derivative that is devoid of autonomic effects. I t is of interest that compounds so dissimilar in chemical structure and pharmacological action should all be effective as tranquilizers.Brodie and his associates have shown recently that the administration of reserpine markedly decreases the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) levels in the brain (Pletscher, Shore, and Brodie, 1956). They also observed that the excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), a metabolite of serotonin, was markedly increased following the administration of reserpine (Shore, Silver, and Brodie, 1 9 s ) . These investigators postulated a causal connection between the effectiveness of reserpine as a tranquilizer and the liberation of bound serotonin from the brain. I t was therefore of interest to see whether other tranquilizers would also affect serotonin metabolism.Certain tranquilizing agents are known to antagonize serotonin-induced contractions of smooth muscle (Costa, 1956). We have compared the actions of these 4 tranquilizing drugs in their effect on contractions of smooth muscle induced by serotonin and acetylcholine. Chlorpromazine, reserpine, and benactyzine potently antagonized the contractions produced by acetylcholine and serotonin, while meprobamate was ineffective against both stimulants.This report also includes a summary of our studies on the effects of the tranquilizers on the electrical activity of the brain. We have found, in the cat, that meprobamate in low doses synchronizes the electrical activity recorded from the thalamus without causing important changes in other areas of the brain (Hendley, Lynes, and Berger, 1954, 1956. In the present report we have compared meprobamate and other tranquilizers, especially chlorpromazine, in their effect on spontaneous electrical potentials recorded from the cortex and various subcortical structures. Ifffecl of Tranquilizers OPZ Excretioa of 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic AcidJlale rats weighing 200 to 300 gm. were used in this study. Urine samples from 10 animals were pooled in each experiment. Each animal was given 5 ml. of water per 100 gm. body weight to assure a sufficient excretion of urine. Drugs were administered intraperitoneally in the following doses: reserpine 686

BACKGROUND: Rejuvenation of stored red blood cells (RBCs) increases levels of adenosine 5 0 -triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) to those of fresh cells. This study aimed to optimize and validate the US-approved process to a UK setting for manufacture and issue of rejuvenated RBCs for a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial in cardiac surgery.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Rejuvenation of leukoreduced RBC units involved adding a solution containing pyruvate, inosine, phosphate, and adenine (Rejuvesol, Zimmer Biomet), warming at 37 C for 60 minutes, then "manual" washing with saline adenine glucose mannitol solution. A laboratory study was conducted on six pools of ABO/D-matched units made the day after donation. On Days 7, 21, and 28 of 4 AE 2 C storage, one unit per pool was rejuvenated and measured over 96 hours for volume, hematocrit, hemolysis, ATP, 2,3-DPG, supernatant potassium, lactate, and purines added (inosine) or produced (hypoxanthine) by rejuvenation. Subsequently, an operational validation (two phases of 32 units each) was undertaken, with results from the first informing a trial component specification applied to the second. Rejuvenation effects were also tested on crossmatch reactivity and RBC antigen profiles. RESULTS:Rejuvenation raised 2,3-DPG to, and ATP above, levels of fresh cells. The final component had potassium and hemolysis values below those of standard storage Days 7 and 21, respectively, containing 1.2% exogenous inosine and 500 to 1900 μmoles/unit of hypoxanthine. The second operational validation met compliance to the trial component specification. Rejuvenation did not adversely affect crossmatch reactivity or RBC antigen profiles. CONCLUSION:The validated rejuvenation process operates within defined quality limits, preserving RBC immunophenotypes, enabling manufacture for clinical trials. Abbreviations: AHG = anti-human globulin; 2,3-DPG = 2,3-diphosphoglycerate; ATP = adenosine 5 0 -triphosphate; Hb = hemoglobin; HCT = hematocrit; NHSBT = National Health Service Blood and Transplant; RCMV = RBC microvesicle; SAGM = saline adenine glucose mannitol solution; XM = serologic tube technique without anti-human globulin.