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Gonyautoxin breaks the vicious circle of pain and spasm that leads to anal fissure. This study proposes gonyautoxin anal sphincter infiltration as safe and effective alternative therapeutic approach to conservative, surgical, and botulinum toxin therapies for anal fissures.

The therapeutic properties of gonyautoxin local infiltration in chronic tension-type headache patients are shown to be safe and effective. This report describes a new therapy for chronic tension-type headache involving local infiltrations of gonyautoxins. The immediate headache pain relief effect shown only minutes after toxin infiltrations were the most remarkable feature of this protocol. This is the first gonyautoxins testing report in the treatment of chronic tension-type headache.

This study reports the data recorded from four patients intoxicated with shellfish during the summer 2002, after consuming ribbed mussels (Aulacomya ater) with paralytic shellfish toxin contents of 8,066 ± 61.37 µg/ 100 gr of tissue. Data associated with clinical variables and paralytic shellfish toxins analysis in plasma and urine of the intoxicated patients are shown. For this purpose, the evolution of respiratory frequency, arterial blood pressure and heart rate of the poisoned patients were followed and recorded. The clinical treatment to reach a clinically stable condition and return to normal physiological parameters was a combination of hydration with saline solution supplemented with Dobutamine (vasoactive drug), Furosemide (diuretic) and Ranitidine (inhibitor of acid secretion). The physiological condition of patients began to improve after four hours of clinical treatment, and a stable condition was reached between 12 to 24 hours. The HPLC-FLD analysis showed only the GTX3/GTX2 epimers in the blood and urine samples. Also, these epimers were the only paralytic shellfish toxins found in the shellfish extract sample.

Background/Aims: The evidence regarding the utility of assessing first-trimester adiponectin (ApN) serum levels in early prediction of preeclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) is contradictory. This study aims to determine the role of maternal serum ApN levels as an early predictor of PE and FGR. Methods: A prospective case-control study among a pregnant population who attended their 11- to 14-week ultrasound scan at the University of Chile’s Clinical Hospital’s Fetal Medicine Unit. We included patients who developed PE or FGR (10 cases per group) and 35 healthy controls. We determined ApN levels in blood samples from these 55 patients using a commercial ELISA kit and assessed the relationship of ApN levels with variables like development of PE, FGR, weight at birth and maternal BMI. Results: There were no significant differences among first-trimester ApN serum levels in the groups. Average concentrations were 8, 6.8 and 10.8 ng/ml for the control, PE and FGR groups, respectively. Conclusion: In our study, maternal serum ApN levels were not useful in predicting subsequent development of PE and FGR. However, maternal serum ApN concentration adjusted by BMI was significantly higher during the first trimester in women who later developed FGR.

The primary clinical symptom of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning is acute paralytic illness produced by paralyzing toxins. Paralytic shellfish poison is formed by a mixture of phycotoxins and their toxicity is due to its reversible binding to a receptor site on the voltage-gated sodium channel on excitable cells, thus blocking neuronal transmission. We studied the effect of the gonyautoxin 2/3 epimers by local infiltration in the anal internal sphincter of healthy voluntary adults in order to reduce anal tone. The toxin was injected after prior clinical evaluation, anoscopy and anorectal manometry. Post injection clinical examination, electromyography and anorectal manometry were performed. Resting and voluntary contraction pressures were measured and the anorectal inhibitory and anocortical reflexes were tested by manometry. Blood and urine samples were obtained from each participant, and hemogram, basic metabolic panel, and urinalysis were done both before and one week after the injection. This study shows, for the first time, that gonyautoxin 2/3 reduces the anal tone by relaxing the anal sphincters in 100 % of the participants. Manometric recordings showed a significant decrease in anal maximal voluntary contraction pressure after the toxin injection, dropping to 55.2 ± 6.2 % and 47.0 ± 6.8 % (Mean Value ± Std.Dev.) of the baseline values at 2 minutes and at 24 hours respectively after the injection. Post-injection electromyography showed that activity of the muscle was abolished. We conclude that local administration of gonyautoxin 2/3 to the anal sphincter produces immediate relaxation and a statistically significant decrease in the anal tone (p <0.001).

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of nifedipine and fenoterol in the management of threatened preterm labor (TPL). Methods: A randomized and multicenter study assessing the tocolytic effect of nifedipine versus fenoterol in patients admitted to the participating maternity units with a diagnosis of TPL and a cost-savings study for economic assessment. For a power of 80% and an α error equal to 0.05, 132 consecutive patients were recruited during the study period; 66 patients were assigned to each group. A χ² analysis and a mean differences test were performed according to variable types and survival curves per intention-to-treat. Results: Demographics were similar in both groups. The latency period was similar in both groups (26.7 vs. 25.6; p = 0.3). There were no differences in the results obtained. Nifedipine failed more frequently to obtain tocolysis when used as a first-line agent (80 vs. 90%, p = 0.0001). The group treated with fenoterol showed more drug adverse events (57.8 vs. 19.0%, p = 0.0001). The economic assessment did not evidence a significant difference in terms of cost savings between groups treated with either drug. Conclusion: The present study failed to demonstrate either clinical or economic superiority of any of the two drugs used in TPL management. The highest failure percentage of nifedipine when used as a first-line agent should encourage further research.