Verhandelingen - Koninklijke Academie voor Geneeskunde van België
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Destructive operations are the oldest type of bloody operation in obstetrics and possibly in the (written) history of Medicine. The name "embryotomy" is already mentioned in the hippocratic literature. The indication and technique of this "two-tempi" operation (embryotomy or reduction of the fetus and embryulcia or extraction of the reduced foetus) were thoroughly mentioned, described and coded for the first time by Soranos of Ephesos. ⋯ The author elucidates the many--medical and ethical--aspects relating to embryotomy, which has been practised till after W. W. II.
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Verh. K. Acad. Geneeskd. Belg. · Jan 1993
Pharmacological influences on cardiopulmonary arrest-related brain damage in the rat.
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the protective properties of the calcium-entry blocker nimodipine against brain damage induced by cardiopulmonary arrest in a rat model. We studied first the effect of nimodipine administered in a blind and randomized fashion and started 5 min after the restoration of spontaneous circulation. Our experiments showed no improvement of survival, and nimodipine did not improve the neurological outcome in the animals surviving after 7 days. ⋯ Our results could, however, not confirm this beneficial effect. We conclude that in the rat there is no cerebroprotective effect of the calcium-entry blocker nimodipine on global brain ischemia as present during cardiopulmonary arrest. On the contrary, we even observed adverse effects, especially when high doses are used and/or when the drug is given during resuscitation attempts.