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Satureja hortensis L. (summer savory) is an annual herb belonging to the family Lamiaceae. It is used as a condiment and as a plant in traditional folk medicine to treat infectious diseases and disorders. A number of studies have suggested that the activity of Satureja hortensis may relate to the antioxidant properties of its secondary metabolites. Therefore, this study attempts to characterise the antioxidant properties of an acidified aqueous methanol extract from commercially available material using Fe(III) reductive and DPPH , ABTS + and hydroxyl free radical-scavenging assays. The crude extract demonstrated promising in vitro activity and thus was further fractionated, by liquid–liquid partitioning against water, to determine which fraction possessed the most potent activity. The ethyl acetate-soluble fraction was the most effective fraction, with reductive activity of 2648 ± 41.4 μmol ascorbic acid/g extract, and DPPH and hydroxyl radical-scavenging IC 50 concentrations of 138 ± 6.0 and 45.0 ± 7.0 μg/ml, respectively. The TEAC value for this fraction was 2.59 ± 0.06 mM Trolox. The experimental results are discussed and potential applications are explored.

De-odourised aqueous extracts of four commonly consumed herbs belonging to the Lamiaceae family, i.e. oregano (Origanum vulgaris L.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), were investigated for their antioxidant properties. Various experimental models were used for the characterisation of the activity, including iron reduction capacity, DPPH·, ABTS·+ and ·OH radical-scavenging activities and the capacity of the extracts to inhibit copper-induced oxidation of human low-density lipoproteins (LDL) ex vivo. The extracts showed varying degrees of reductive and radical scavenging capacity, and were capable of a marked prolongation of the lag-time in the LDL oxidation assay. The hierarchy of the observed antioxidant activity of the extracts was dependent on the type of assay used. The observed antioxidant characteristics were not fully related to the total phenolic contents of the extracts in any of the assays, but were presumably strongly dependent on rosmarinic acid, the major phenolic component present in this type of Lamiaceae extract.

Management of chronic peritoneal ascites by transfer of the fluid to the right atrium via peritoneovenous shunt (PVS) is often complicated by occlusion of the peritoneal catheter by one, or a combination, of the following: 1) omental plugging of drain holes, 2) fibrin obstruction of the lumen, and 3) encapsulation of the peritoneal segment by a cocoon. A PVS design that includes an access port facilitates the reversal of fibrin obstruction by urokinase. Eight dogs with implanted PVS were tested weekly for patency (indicated by the flow rate of saline into the peritoneum via the access port) and performance (indicated by the percent transfer of saline from the peritoneum to the vasculature). In 256 test sessions performed to date, 15 catheter occlusions occurred. Nine of these were reversed by one or two flushes with 5,000 units of urokinase via the access port. The remaining six were found to be occluded by cocoons (two), omentum (three), and fibrin (one). Although it is an effective treatment for ascites, the PVS is not in common use, because it has a relatively high occlusion rate. The access port and other features of the authors' PVS are designed to reduce the incidence of PVS occlusion.

Now that implantable drug infusion pumps are well established clinically, methods for diagnosing suspected pump failures are needed. The authors previously constructed a benchtop data acquisition and control apparatus to assist our work in developing new pump technology. Although this device is technically capable of in vivo pump monitoring, it is cumbersome. Thus, they recently created a portable interrogation unit with more limited features. This portable pump interrogation apparatus consists of a 32 bit MS-DOS labtop computer, data acquisition software, an analog/ASCII interface, a pressure transducer, and appropriate fluid conduits. Communication between the device and the implanted pump is via a percutaneous needle puncture of the drug reservoir refill septum. This procedure is identical to that employed in a standard pump refill. Pump performance is evaluated by incrementally filling the pump reservoir while simultaneously measuring reservoir pressure. The resulting data are presented on the computer screen as a plot of pressure versus volume that quickly and simply either eliminates or confirms the reservoir pressure source as a failure mode. Diagnostic runs are saved on file for archival purposes. Their benchtop apparatus has been a valuable and reliable tool over many years of use. The authors believe that their portable apparatus will be equally beneficial.

The volatile oils of black pepper [Piper nigrum L. (Piperaceae)], clove [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry (Myrtaceae)], geranium [Pelargonium graveolens L'Herit (Geraniaceae)], nutmeg [Myristica fragrans Houtt. (Myristicaceae), oregano [Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Letsw. (Lamiaceae)] and thyme [Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae)] were assessed for antibacterial activity against 25 different genera of bacteria. These included animal and plant pathogens, food poisoning and spoilage bacteria. The volatile oils exhibited considerable inhibitory effects against all the organisms under test while their major components demonstrated various degrees of growth inhibition.

In the current era of cost containment in medicine, manufacturing economics have become increasingly important. The authors devised an implantable pump powered by spring force from an elastomeric Belleville washer, which is also the outer flexible wall of the drug reservoir. Use of formed and injection molded parts provides for low-cost manufacturing, in contrast to the precision welded alternative designs. Additional advantages include insensitivity to changes in ambient temperature and pressure. Finite element modeling of the elastomer spring allows prediction of the effects of parameter changes on performance, so that expansions and reductions of scale can be made without compromising the uniform spring rate of the device. A concern that subcutaneous fibrous encapsulation might markedly alter reservoir pressure was not supported by experimental data. In a unit implanted subcutaneously in a dog, reservoir pressures measured over a 4 year period were stable. This new, simple, implantable infusion pump can serve as an economical vehicle for prolonged parenteral drug treatment of ambulatory subjects in circumstances where continuous single-rate infusion is appropriate.

In an Oriental patient with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, six weeks of therapy with reserpine alone returned the pulse rate to normal and reduced nervousness but did not prevent the attacks of periodic paralysis. These observations imply that hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is not an essential feature of the mechanism by which hyperthyroidism predisposes certain patients to hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Prior to antithyroid treatment, aldosterone secretion and metabolic clearance rates were prominently elevated; after propylthiouracil therapy, both returned to normal. An intravenous glucose and insulin provocation test prior to antithyroid therapy produced striking hypokalemia and paralysis, but after antithyroid treatment an identical challenge failed to do so. The periodic paralysis disappeared on therapy with propylthiouracil and baseline muscle strength rose remarkably.

We treated five patients with Type II diabetes by means of a subcutaneously implanted intravenous insulin pump and compared their metabolic response with that observed during conventional insulin therapy. The use of the pump improved control of glycemia, as manifested by reductions in mean plasma glucose (from 188 +/- 46 to 106 +/- 12 mg per deciliter [mean +/- S.D.]), fasting glucose (from 187 +/- 42 to 80 +/- 13 mg per deciliter), and postprandial glucose (from 287 +/- 74 to 182 +/- 29 mg per deciliter), together with a diminution of glycemic excursion and normalization of glycosylated hemoglobin A1 (from 12.1 +/- 2 to 8.0 +/- 1 per cent). At the end of the study the pumps had been in place for a mean of 7.0 months (range, 5.5 to 9.7 months) without mishap and with good patient acceptance. Our data suggest that improved blood glucose control can be achieved by means of a permanently implanted continuous insulin-infusion device in ambulatory patients with Type II diabetes who require insulin, and that the need for daily insulin injections can thereby be eliminated.

To the Editor.— The article, "Leishmaniasis in the United States," (226:872, 1973) was of interest to me as I had leishmaniasias of the Mediterranean type at the age of ten in Beirut, Lebanon. My case was cured by the application of carbon dioxide snow (dry ice) to each lesion on my right wrist, dorsum of left hand, center forehead, and right lower jaw. Application lasted 30 to 90 seconds. A blister developed within a few hours after application and dried; later, the scab fell off, leaving a faint scar. An American dermatologist, Dr. Adams, developed the successful treatment. The treatment has no systemic reaction (as is sometimes found with chemotherapy) and can be administered on an outpatient basis. I think this procedure should not be lost to our armamentarium.

During 1961 nearly 4½ million persons were injured in automobile accidents in the United States. It is important to diminish this carnage and mend the broken bodies and lives it has caused. Seat belts, originally recommended by the American Medical Association, have reduced serious accidents and will reduce them further, but in spite of this, better repair of broken bodies must also be developed. How can this job be done best, both medically and financially? One reinsurance company president has been carrying on a campaign to have the automobile liability insurance business re-examine its usefulness. It is not filling a maximum need. Too much emphasis has been placed on protection of the driver, in shielding him against the financial consequences of his acts. A plan should be designed to serve legitimate interests as effectively and economically as possible. Getting the driver "off the hook" and the victim back on his

To the Editor:— In the Jan 13, 1969, issue ofThe Journala MEDICAL NEWS report (p 249) appeared entitled, "Drug May Arrest or Slow ALS," in which it is claimed that amitriptyline (Elavil) hydrochloride beneficially modifies the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although this report claims amelioration in the clinical course of ALS, no acceptable evidence is presented to support this assertion. Although weight gain might indicate a real increase in muscle bulk and arrest of the disease, it might also represent increased fatty tissue or fluid. A true decrease in fasciculations could indicate change in the course of the disease, but one requires a quantitative technique to demonstrate that the fasciculation rate has indeed changed. In the presence of weight gain a thicker mantle of fatty tissue may obscure the observation of fasciculations. It was not mentioned in the report whether objective measurements of strength, functional performance

As physicians, all of us are well aware and justifiably proud of the advantages of being members of our profession. The conscientious physician probably gets more downright satisfaction out of his work than members of any other field. He also receives more respect and admiration from his fellowman. The reason for both—his personal satisfaction and the honor in which he is held—is that no calling more deeply involves any man with his fellow human beings than medicine. He cares for the organic problems of his neighbors, which is basic to his purpose. In addition, he often is trusted with a view of his patient's heart and soul that is denied to all others. It is not unusual for a physician to know more than a man's wife about his ambition and his fear, his confidence in himself and his secret doubts. A wife will tell her physician things about her

It has been reported that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are deficient in exocrine secretion of the pancreas, and that treatment of ALS with large dosages of pancreatic extract and DL-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) given with a diet high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrate beneficially modifies the course of the disease.1-3This brief report summarizes our experience with such a treatment program given to patients with ALS who have participated in an ongoing series of drug trials over the past three years and demonstrates the merit of serial quantitative muscle testing (QMT) to evaluate the course of the patients. Methods The diagnosis of ALS was based upon the following clinical observations, which are applicable to these patients but not intended to be general criteria for diagnosing every case of ALS: (1) onset during middle-age or later of a sub-acutely progressive disorder characterized by (2) "anterior

Today is the last time a President of the AMA will address this House of Delegates in the 1960's. The next time we convene, the world, this nation and our profession will have passed a new decade. This is a good time to reassess ourselves and consider the future challenges and opportunities of the next decade. It seems to me we are in a unique position in our history and that the seventies may be important enough to be dubbed the significant seventies. This is not sentimental optimism. It is based on my contacts this year throughout our country, where I have seen progress in many areas and have met thousands of persons who are concerned about the future of medicine. We who are gathered here this week represent those thousands as we work on the programs, policies, activities, and direction of the medical profession, and its allies. The seventies