Contraception with Chlormadinone Acetate in Woman with Previous Contraceptive Jaundice

The oral contraceptive chlormadinone acetate has been given for eight months to a woman who had developed jaundice during four pregnancies, and twice while taking a combined contraceptive pill. No side-effects or changes in liver function were observed. This is further evidence that progestogens used for contraception, and in particular those derived from hydroxyprogesterone, are less hepatotoxic than the oestrogenic components.     

Jaundice after Repeated Exposure to Halothane: An Analysis of Reports to the Committee on Safety of Medicines

Analysis of data derived from 130 reports of jaundice occurring after anaesthesia with halothane showed a significant relation between the number of exposures to this anaesthetic and the rapidity with which jaundice develops after exposure. This is considered to provide strong evidence of a cause-effect relationship between the use of halothane and jaundice. Out of 114 patients with complete anaesthetic histories 94 (82%) had been exposed more than once; of those so exposed 80% had been anaesthetized with halothane more than once within 28 days. Altogether 66 (51%) of the 130 patients died.     

Influence of Previous Oral Contraception and Maternal Oxytocin Infusion on Neonatal Jaundice

A prospective study of serum bilirubin levels on the first and sixth days of life in a series of 181 infants has failed to provide evidence to suggest that previous maternal oral contraception, maternal oxytocin infusion, epidural anaesthesia, or breast-feeding are factors influencing neonatal jaundice.     

Redistribution of Manganese in Maturing Lupin us angustifolius cv. Illyarrie in Relation to Levels of Previous Accumulation

The retranslocation of Mn from pools of pre-accumulation todeveloping seed of Lupinus angustifolius was examined in growthchamber and field experiments. In the growth chamber experiment, plants (cv. Illyarrie) weregrown in sand containing Mn at 18 levels of supply from low(15 fig Mn kg"1) to luxury (12800 fig Mn kg{small tilde}l).At 90 d, sand was washed from the roots and the plants weregrown to maturity in nutrient solution in the absence of Mn.At sequential harvests, the plants were divided into a numberof fractions and were analysed for Mn to determine changes inthe amount of Mn contained in each component. Plants (cv. Marri)were also grown in the field at a Mn deficient site with andwithout added Mn, and similar harvests and observations weremade. Manganese moved readily from roots, stems and petioles to developingsinks, including seeds via pods. Retranslocation of Mn preventedthe appearance of Mn deficient seed (‘split seed’)in plants which had accumulated sufficient Mn prior to the omissionof Mn supply. The mode of Mn transport is discussed, and itsconveyance to seed in phloem, mediated by transfer cells, issuggested. The identification of pools of Mn accumulation fromwhich Mn may retranslocate presents a basis on which tests prognosticof impending Mn deficiency in maturing lupins may be developed.Stem is favoured as the tissue on which to base such tests. No Mn translocated to developing seed sinks from mature, oreven senescing lupin leaves. The cause appears to be that Mnis poorly loaded into the phloem of leaves although much wasfound to be leachable. About 40 per cent of leaf Mn was extractablewith water, more (approx. 70 per cent) with dilute ethylenediamine tetraacen’c acid but little (approx. 14 per cent)with N7>Jdimethyl formamide along with other cell contents.The form of Mn in leaves is discussed.