A NEW VASOCONSTRICTOR—A Preliminary Report

Otrivin,® a compound of the hydrochloride salt of phenyl-aminomethylimidazoline, was administered to 74 patients for varying periods as a nasal vasoconstrictor. Seventy-three had relief of nasal congestion for from five to six hours—longer periods than had been obtained with other vasoconstrictors they had used. No pressor effect was noted.     

A NEW “NATIVE LIGATION” PROCEDURE FOR PEPTIDE-OLIGONUCLEOTIDE CONJUGATION

“Native ligation”, a powerful method of joining peptide fragments, has been applied successfully to peptide-oligonucleotide conjugation. Novel reagents are described for the solid-phase synthesis of peptide N-terminal thioesters and 5′-cysteinyl oligonucleotides suitable for ligation reactions.     

PROSPECTS FOR “GENETIC THERAPY” - CAN A PERSON BENEFIT FROM BEING ALTERED?

Mapping the human genome is an immense project with numerous objectives. Indeed, it is likely that some of its most important ramifications and applications remain as yet unglimpsed. All we can presently attempt is to focus on some of the more obvious possibilities and prepare for the problems already looming on our horizon. One such possibility is that of Prenatal Genetic Intervention (PGI), which might be said to be a therapeutic intervention on behalf of the embryonic child. In this paper, I argue that "genetic therapy" is likely to be a misnomer, and that if PGI becomes possible, we should generally resist its inclusion under the special moral duty of providing health care. "Therapy" necessarily means helping a person, while PGI -- though effecting improvements from an impersonal perspective -- will frequently not consist in directly helping any person. This is due not to the embryo not being a person, but rather to the basic philosophical problem of personal identity persisting through significant alterations -- especially the alteration of genotype. The decisive moral question then hinges on the definition of "significant" alteration. I shall examine the feasibility of drawing analogies from criteria for personal identity proposed in discussions of how persons maintain their identity across time and through physical and psychological change. Certain metaphysical aspects of human identity and individuality will be also touched upon, partly in terms derived from classical Judaism. In conclusion I argue that, regarding embryos in particular, persistence of genotype must generally be deemed a necessary condition for maintaining personal identity. Therefore, many proposals for PGI should be excluded from the notion of therapeutic intervention and thus denied the special moral status of requests for therapy.     

GRADED ABRASION—A TREATMENT FOR ACNE

Long term continuous superficial abrasion with abrasive compounds of various degrees of roughness was used over an 11-year period in over 1,500 patients with acne of all types. The following observations were made:• That when a material with a specific abrasive quality is used for a period, desquamation stops despite continued use of the material, and then use of material of the next higher degree of roughness is indicated until the patient''s skin is blackhead-free and minutely flaky.• When long term continuous superficial graded abrasion is used alone or with other treatment, it permits the young patients to outgrow the disease with little or no scarring.• The routine of abrasive washing seems in a large measure to replace the constant fingering of lesions by the patient.• No untoward effects were observed clinically. There was no hyperpigmentation of Negro or Caucasian skins.     

ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY IN HEART DISEASE—A Summary of the Literature

Considerable experience by many independent workers with the use of anticoagulants in the treatment of certain types of heart disease has shown that such therapy reduces significantly the incidence of thromboembolic complications and, largely through this effect, the morbidity and mortality rate from heart disease of these types.This is certainly established in acute coronary occlusion with myocardial infarction and in those instances of rheumatic heart disease with auricular fibrillation in which repeated embolic phenomena have occurred. The case for the administration of the anticoagulants in congestive heart failure is less secure, although there is no doubt that the number of thromboembolic complications is reduced by use of them.The administration of the anticoagulants requires considerably more exacting attention than does the administration of the majority of therapeutic agents in use commonly today. Hence, it is suggested that the use of anticoagulants in heart disease be restricted to those instances in which the indications are clear and facilities are compatible with the efficient and safe use of the drug, whether Dicumarol or heparin.     

OLIGONUCLEOTIDES WITH ISOPOLAR PHOSPHONATE INTERNUCLEOTIDE LINKAGE: A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR ANTISENSE COMPOUNDS?

Several types of isopolar modified oligothymidylates and oligoadenylates (15 mers) with the phosphonate -O-P-CH ₂-O- internucleotide linkage were prepared. The modified oligonucleotides were subjected to the study of their hybridization properties, resistance against nucleases, and the ability to elicit RNase H activity.