A case of migraine is presented with visual aura triggered on two separate occasions by glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). Positron emission tomography was carried out during the second triggering session. Activation in the primary visual area of the occipital cortex was demonstrated during the aura. This is the first published case of migraine aura triggered reproducibly by GTN.

Background Literature on treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) in the paediatric age group is scarce, and practice varies. We completed a retrospective analysis of patients with RP treated by paediatric rheumatologists at Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital to assess clinical response to medical treatments including calcium channel blockers (nifedipine and amlodipine) and Glyceryl trinitrate (...

An objective response to topical glyceryl trinitrate was shown by digital plethysmography in a study of 17 patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. Improvement was significant (P less than 0.005) in those in whom the disease was secondary to an underlying connective tissue disorder. The response suggests that the effect of this drug is mediated locally.

Because of the high efficacy of existing nitrates, alternative dosage formulations have been developed rather than new compounds. These new formulations challenge the analyst to develop analytical methods with lower sensitivity and higher precision. Isosorbide dinitrate is analysed in the presence of its major metabolites isosorbide 2-mononitrate and isosorbide 5-mononitrate. The present method...

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is a mammalian enzyme that possesses a series of redox centers, which use either NAD(+) or molecular oxygen for oxidation of the purines xanthine and hypoxanthine to uric acid. The ability of XOR to act as an NADH oxidase is a less well recognized function of the enzyme, and it is this function that we used to explore the metabolism of glyceryl trinitrate. The anti...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the impact of transradial catheterization with hydrophilic-coated catheter sheaths versus uncoated sheaths on NO-mediated endothelial-dependent and -independent vasodilator function. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty-five subjects undergoing transradial catheterization were recruited and assessed before and the day after catheterization. A subgroup was...

BACKGROUND Herpesvirus infection is a possible risk factor for atherogenesis, and diabetics may be at particular risk. Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker for atherosclerosis, and the present study tests the hypotheses that (1) prior infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) is associated with endothelial dysfunction and (2) this may be more marked in diabetics....