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Thirty-six young, healthy, nonsmoking women have been selected to check the effect of low-dose oral contraceptives on hemostasis. Two identical groups were treated by Marvelon (a monophasic oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel) or Trigynon (a triphasic oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel) for a 6-month period. In the absence, previously controlled, of substantial differences between the effects of each treatment on hemostasis, all the results were pooled at the third and sixth month of the study. The effects of oral contraceptive treatment were as follows: (1) platelet number, platelet aggregating ratio, and plasma beta-thromboglobulin level were not significantly altered, and (2) antithrombin III activity was not reduced despite a slight decrease or antigen concentration. The von Willebrand factor parameters, factor VIII:C, factor VII:C, and clottable fibrinogen were significantly increased. Plasminogen (activity and antigen concentrates) and alpha 2-antiplasmin levels were also significantly increased. Activated partial thromboplastin time and euglobulin lysis time measured after venous occlusion were significantly shortened. Although statistical analysis did not show dramatic changes in all these parameters, some individual extreme values were substantially altered. Therefore we believe that these later values are worthy of cautious consideration for weighing the role that hemostasis factors might play in individual thrombotic risk.

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Case report of cystic lymphangioma of the pancreas. In this article, the authors report on case of cystic lymphangioma of the pancreas. This rare disease often mimics the clinical pattern of cystadenoma so that the diagnosis is rarely established prior to surgery.

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In a prospective double-blind study of the effects of two low-dose oral contraceptives (OCs) on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, two groups of eighteen young healthy women selected at random were submitted to a six months' use of either monophasic ethinylestradiol (EE) + desogestrel (DG) or triphasic EE + levonorgestrel (LNG). Total cholesterol (C), triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) together with apoproteins A-I, A-II, B and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase activity (LCAT) were determined in serial plasma samples collected before, at three and six months during, and one month after OC use. Cholesterol and apoproteins (A-I, A-II, B) composition of lipoproteins (HDL-2, HDL-3, LDL) isolated by ultracentrifugation were additionally determined. On Mono-EE + DG, plasma TG (+39.3%, +45.6%), PL (+21.9%, +16.8%) and apo A-I (+35.5%, +23.3%) levels were significantly increased at 3 and 6 months of use; plasma HDL-C (+24%) and Apo A-II (+21.4%) were transiently increased at 3 months. Lipid and apoprotein composition of HDL-2, HDL-3 and LDL were unchanged. On Tri-EE + LNG, a slight but not significant decrease in HDL-C was observed throughout the study while other plasma lipids and apoproteins were unchanged. Ultracentrifugation revealed a lower content of C (-44.2%) and apo A-I (-44.6%) in HDL-2. LCAT activity expressed as molar esterification rate (MER) rose in a more sustained way during EE + DG use than during EE + LNG treatment. Covariance analysis shows a further significant difference between results of both treated groups for the Apo AI/Apo B ratio that was increased by Mono-EE + DG.

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A well-known triphasic oral contraceptive (OC) containing ethinyl estradiol (EE) plus levonorgestrel (LNG) was compared with a triphasic containing the same dose of EE in combination with a 14% smaller dose of a new progestogen gestodene (GTD), in a prospective study of 24 and 20 healthy young women, respectively. Serial determinations of lipids, lipoproteins, and carrier proteins, and repeated standardized oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were conducted during 12 months of OC use. All lipid concentrations recorded before and during both treatments were strictly within the normal range. After 12 months, no significant fluctuations were observed in levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A1; concentrations of total triglycerides, phospholipids, and apolipoprotein B were slightly but significantly increased; the epidemiologically important ratios of HDL-cholesterol:total cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1:apolipoprotein B were not significantly changed, while the ratio of LDL-cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol was significantly decreased at 12 months of use of the GTD triphasic. SHBG levels (+ 100% over basal during use of the LNG-OC and + 200% with the GTD-OC) and transcortin (+ 100% over basal) increased early and remained stable. During use of the LNG-OC, glucose tolerance was strictly unchanged, while insulin response to a 75-g glucose load was transiently increased at 6 months (area under the curve [AUC] + 29%) before returning to normal at 12 months. During GTD-OC treatment, glucose tolerance was slightly impaired (AUC + 14%) at 6 months but back to normal at 12 months, while insulin response during OGTT was completely unaltered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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A semi-chronic model of cobalt-induced experimental epilepsy in the rat was used to investigate the action of two classic anticonvulsant drugs, phenytoin and ethosuximide. Single injections of ethosuximide lead to an inhibition of the epileptic discharges. We failed to demonstrate an inhibitory effect of phenytoin after preventive administration. The carbidopa-L-dopa association was investigated owing to the inhibitory effects of dopamine and its presence in the cortex. We showed that a dose of 100 mg/kg of L-dopa combined with 25 mg/kg of carbidopa is necessary and sufficient to produce an almost complete inhibition of the discharges.

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