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The scalded skin syndrome, or toxic epidermal necrolysis of Lyell, is a nonspecific reaction pattern of the skin. In small children, the syndrome has been associated with group 2 staphylococcal infection, as has previously been described in Ritter's disease. We have observed this association in four children. Other cases of scalded skin syndrome are almost certainly due to drugs. Other infectious and toxic agents are also occasionally responsible for the syndrome.Although the scalded skin syndrome may be lethal to infants less than 1 year of age, children between 1 and 6 years of age usually recover rapidly, exhibiting a mortality of only 7%. In patients 6 or more years of age, the syndrome is fatal more than 40% of the time.

BILN 2061 ZW (4) is a new chemical entity which shows promising results against the Hepatitis C virus. The major issue in the synthetic route represents the scale-up of a ring closing metathesis reaction to form a 15-membered macrocycle. The parameters chosen for the macrocyclization are discussed, and the experience during large scale synthesis, trouble shooting, and possible improvements for future campaigns are described.

Vasodilatation following tissue ischemia is assumed to partially result from activation of ATP-dependent K+ channels (KATP). To assess the effect of cytosolic adenosine nucleotides, the balance of which depends on tissue pO2, on KATP, we have measured steady state outward currents (SSC) by the whole-cell clamp technique in smooth muscle cells of the guinea pig portal vein at different concentrations of ATP and ADP in the pipette solution. Glibenclamide, a selective inhibitor of KATP, was used as a pharmacological tool. — With no nucleotides in the pipette solution (Ca2+-free), the SSC determined at +20 mV was unaffected by glibenclamide, while with 0.1 mM ATP or with 0.1 mM ADP, the SSC exhibited a glibenclamide-sensitive component indicating activation of KATP. At 5 mM ATP and no ADP, hardly any effect of glibenclamide on the SSC was detected, suggesting inhibition of KATP by this high concentration of ATP. With 0.1 mM ADP at 5 mM ATP however, activation of KATP was achieved. — At 10-7 M Ca2+ in the pipette solution, an increased SSC was measured, but the responses to the nucleotides and/or glibenclamide were not modified. — These findings suggest that in vivo, ADP may be involved in the regulation of vascular KATP, linking tissue pO2 with vascular tone and tissue perfusion.

The occurrence of a ventral cystic lesion of the penis should alert the clinician to the diagnosis of a median raphe cyst. The lesions, which are most common near the glans penis, may occur anywhere from the urethral meatus to the anus. Cysts of the median raphe represent defects in the embryologic development of the genitalia and are usually lined by entodermal epithelium. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice.(Arch Dermatol 115:1084-1086, 1979)

First prototypes of bi-directional OLED microdisplay devices that combine both display and camera functionality on a single CMOS chip (OLED-on-CMOS) have been designed. The major goal of this integration is to provide capabilities for eye-tracking in see-through HMDs to achieve gaze-based human–display interaction, e.g., in augmented-reality applications. The development of the prototype was accompanied by user studies with a simulated bi-directional microdisplay consisting of a commercially available eye-tracker and a see-through HMD. These tests were aimed at providing basic minimum requirements in terms of temporal and spatial resolution of an eye-tracker to be implemented within the prototype, as well as to evaluate ergonomics of an appropriate user-interface design. A description of the current state of the hardware architecture and design aspects for bi-directional OLED microdisplays are also presented.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

Objective: The aryloxypropanolamine carvedilol is a multiple action cardiovascular drug with blocking effects on -receptors, β-receptors, Ca2+-channels, Na+-channels and various native cardiac K+ channels, thereby prolonging the cardiac action potential. In a number of clinical trials with patients suffering from congestive heart failure, carvedilol appeared to be superior to other β-blocking agents in reducing total mortality. Given the multiple pharmacological actions of carvedilol, this may be due to specific channel blockade rather than β-antagonistic activity. Since human ether-a-go-go related gene (HERG) K+channels play a critical role in the pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, the effects of carvedilol on HERG K+channels were investigated. Methods: Double-electrode voltage-clamp experiments were performed on HERG potassium channels which were expressed heterologously in Xenopus oocytes. Results: Carvedilol at a concentration of 10 µM blocked HERG potassium tail currents by 47%. The electrophysiological characteristics of HERG, i.e. activation, steady-state inactivation and recovery from inactivation were not affected by carvedilol. Inhibition of current gradually increased from 0% immediately after the test pulse to about 80% at 600 ms with subsequent marginal changes of current kinetics during the resting 29 s, indicating a very fast open channel block by carvedilol as the major blocking mechanism. Conclusion: This is the first study demonstrating that carvedilol blocks HERG potassium channels. The biophysical data presented in this study with a potentially antiarrhythmic effect may contribute to the positive outcome of clinical trials with carvedilol.

TO THE EDITOR.— We read with interest the article of Powell et al (Archives 113:1250-1251, 1977), entitled "Apocrine Cystadenoma of the Penile Shaft." In Fig 3, the authors describe columnar epithelium with decapitation secretion; however, their photomicrograph appears to show transitional epithelium. We are in the process of reporting our experience with seven cysts and one epitheliallined canal of the penis, which were seen during the past three years. The lesions were lined by transitional epithelium in six of our cases and by stratified squamous epithelium in two cases. We feel that these lesions correspond to what has previously been reported as "congenital canals and cysts of the genitoperineal raphe."1 These lesions, which are usually midline and ventral, may occur anywhere from the urethral meatus to the anus. Cysts and canals of the median raphe represent defects in the embryological development of the genitalia and may be lined by epithelium