Medium inhibition concentrations (IC₅₀) of disinfectants against activated sludge are in the order of cresol< alkyl di (aminoethyl) glycine hydrochloride< povidone iodine< benzethonium chloride<20% chlorhexidine<5% chlorhexidine<4% chlorhexidine< hexachlorophene< trichlosan. These disinfectants except for trichlosan and hexachlorophene are between organic and inorganic nature according to the Fujita's organic conceptional diagram, and are easily decomposed and removed by activated sludge. In spite of many advantages of cresol asa disinfectant, it tends to be disliked because of its stink. Alkyl di (aminoethyl) glycine hydrochloride showed the lowest inhibition against activated sludge except for cresol, and was estimated as an economical disinfectant.

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The bactericidal activities of 4 disinfectants (chlorhexidine gluconate, benzethonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride and povidone iodine) and 2 antibiotics (polymyxin B and amphotericin B) were evaluated for organisms isolated clinically from urine (S. aureus, E. faecalis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, S. marcescens, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans), using E. Coli NIHJ JC-2 as a standard strain. Povidone-iodine was remarkably effective for all strains, but chlorhexidine gluconate was slightly effective.
The bactericidal activities of potassium permanganate, benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine gluconate, alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride, acrinol, povidone iodine and polymyxin B against E. coli NIHJ JC-2 were also investigated in the presence of human blood albumin. Povidoneiodine, potassium permanganate, benzalkonium chloride, alkyldiaminoethylglycine hydrochloride, acrinol and polymyxin B had a tendency for decreasing in the bactericidal activity. On the other hand, the bactericidal activities of benzethonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate were not changed. Relating to histopathological changes of the rat urinary bladder, interstitial edema was observed when the rat was treated with chlorhexidine gluconate, povidoneiodine or alkyldiaminoethylglycin hydrochloride, but there was little change in the case of treatment with benzalkonium chloride.

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Apoenzyme reactivation immunoassay system with Seralyzer reflectance photometer for the determination of serum phenytoin (PHT) and phenobarbital (PB) concentration (Seralyzer method) was evaluated. Each coefficient of variation of within-run and between-run precision for 3 concentrations of PHT or PB in serum was less than 4.0%. The serum PHT (33 samples) or PB (31 samples) concentrations were determined by Seralyzer method and compared with those determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA method). There were good agreements between HPLC and Seralyzer method results and FPIA method and Seralyzer method results, where all correlation coefficients were more than 0.992. The cross-reactivities of p-hydroxyphenylphenylhydantoin in PHT reagent strips, and p-hydroxyphenobarbital and several barbiturates in PB reagent strips were found. However, these cross-reactivities are not serious problems in clinical condition. Therefore, the Seralyzer method may be useful for serum drug-level monitoring of patients under PHT or PB therapy.

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Polyethylene glycol (PEG) ointment for rectal application containing thiamylal sodium was prepared for premedication of anesthesia and first-aid of pediatric spasmodic disease. The rate of release of thiamylal sodium ointment base was determined by JP X dissolution test and cylindrical method, and showed the increase in parallel with the mixing ratio of PEG 400. Thiamylal sodium in PEG ointment base stored at 4±1°C was stable for 3 months.
As a results of the test on spreadability, penetration, rate of release from base and stability, it was suggested that the suitable mixing ratio of PEG 4000 and PEG 400 was 1: 5. Plasma peak level of thiamylal sodium following rectal administration of ointment appeared more rapidly than that of suppository. It has become feasible to have more rapid anesthetic action of ointment than that of suppository.

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Rifampicin (RFP) was originally developed for the use in oral form. Recently it is used also in solution form in topical therapy for the disease such as tuberculous pyothorax. As RFP is slightly soluble in water, surfactants have been used in order to dissolve RFP in water. Here we report the effects of surfactants on the solubility of RFP in water and the stability of its aqueous solution. Esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid (Tween series) and hydrogenated castor oil polyoxyethylene ester (HCO-series) were used as non-ionic surfactants. The following results were obtained:
The solubility of RFP in water was increased in the presence of surfactants, and was highest in the presence of 10% Tween 80. The solution was sufficiently stable at 4°C. The aqueous solution containing 10% Tween 80 was found to be the best solvent for RFP.

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Rifampicin (RFP) gels were prepared by using polymer, surfactant and water, and their pharmaceutical characteristics were evaluated. Sodium polyacrylate (PAA-Na) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) were used as polymers, and polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) and hydrogenated castor oil-polyoxyethylene castor oil (HCO-60) were used as surfactants. The release of RFP from the gel was measured through a cellulose membrane (Millipore Co.) using a dissolution test instrument (Toyama Sangyo Co.). Furthermore, the gel's characteristics in viscosity were evaluated with a viscometer.
The following results were obtained:
1. As the viscosity of the gel base is increased, the release of RFP from the gel base decreases. 2. The RFP release rate from gel base containing PAA-Na was higher than that containing CMC-Na. 3. No significant effect of surfactant concentration on the release of RFP from the gel base was found. 4. The pharmaceutical design of RFP gel including a polymer may be possible by further studies of stability, rheology and bioavailability.

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The stability of ritodrine hydrochloride (RTD) in infusion solution was studied by using highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in consideration of the practical condition in hospitals. RTD was stable in the case of the single addition into infusion solution (5% glucose solution). However, the decomposition of RTD in infusion solution was promoted by the concomitant addition of the following injections: 20mg riboflavin sodium phosphate (B₂), 20mg flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), 1M potassium chloride containing 3mg B₂ (KCl), Adelavin No.9. When the solution was exposed to scatterd light (2000 lux, 6hrs), the residual rate of RTD was 37.5%, 69.4%, 60.1% and 81.4% in the presence of B₂, FAD, KCl and Adelavin No.9 respectively, compared with 100.4% in the case of no addition. The decomposition of RTD, perhaps due to photooxidation sensitized by B₂, was obviously suppressed by shading the light or adding the antioxidant such as vitamin C.
As a main decomposed product of RTD, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (PHA) was identified by HPLC.

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When pantethine was orally administered to rats at a clinical dose (10mg/ kg of body weight), the blood and liver acetaldehyde levels were significantly lower than those in untreated rats. On the contrary, the ethanol levels were not changed. The low acetaldehyde concentration following the ethanol might be due to an accelerated oxidation of acetaldehyde by activation of low-Km aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which was previously observed by pantethine-related metabolites formed in the liver.
However, when pantethine was given intraperitoneally at a large dose (1.0g/ kg of body weight), elevation of blood and liver ethanol concentrations following ethanol loading to rats was rather inhibited. Ethanol absorption from the gastrointestinal tract might be decreased by pantethine-induced hypokinesia of the gastrointestine. When pantethine was administered intravenously (10mg/ kg of body weight) even at a clinical dose (20mg/ kg of body weight), acetaldehyde oxidation was severely inhibited. High acetaldehyde concentrations might be due to inhibition of low-Km ALDH by pantethine itself.

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Inquiries about drugs made by outpatients at the counter of hospital pharmacy were collected at the hospital of the Shiga University Medical Science for 21 months from October 1985 to June 1986 (Survey I) and at 30 hospitals of members of the Shiga Hospital Pharmacists Association for 2 weeks in September or October 1986 (Survey II). The proportions of the inquiries to the prescriptions were 0.97% and 1.22% in Survey I and II, respectively.
The classification and analysis of the inquiries have revealed the following facts: Actions of drugs were most frequently questioned (one third of all the inquiries). Many of these questions were made from the patient's motives of better understanding of the significance of the drug therapy. It was also shown that patients were concerned about adverse effects of drugs, pharmacists' errors in dispensation, and physicians' errors in prescription. These findings are useful for pharmacists and physicians when they give the instructions of taking drugs to patients.

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Patients who need long-term insulin treatment are instructed in injection way of the insulin in vials while they are in hospital. We investigated how such patients performed self-injection after leaving the hospital and whether bacterial contamination was caused during the injections.
As a result, no risk of bacterial contamination in self-injection was found, whereas some patients were found to need to improve their injection way.

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Prescriptions containing ophthalmic medications were investigated and actual use of them by outpatients was surveyed through questionnaire. Ophthalmic medications were prescribed in 88 percent of prescriptions for ophthalmic outpatients. And about half of them were under concomitant therapy more than two kinds of ophthalmic medications. There were a large number of prescriptions which did not state how often they should instill the drugs each day. There were 113 cases (more than 10 percent of prescriptions containing more than two kinds of ophthal mic medications) which were considered possibly incompatible when instilled at the same time.
A total of 255 questionnaires were recovered. Drop number instilled each application each eye was: 1 drop (40%), 2 drops (44%), 3 drops (15%). Most patients (85%) were directed how many times they should instill each day. More than a half of patients instill an ophthalmic medication right after the other kind of one. These findings indicate a great need of educating patients who received several concomitantly administered eye drops to have a proper time spacing of instillations.

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Compatibility of Berotec^® syrup (preparation of fenoterol hydrobromide) in combination with other liquids was studied in terms of changes in pH and appearance, together with high performance liquid chromatographic determination of fenoterol content.
In the combination with Pontal^® syrup, decrease of redistribution was observed, while in that with Brocin^® solution, appearance of a cotton-like substance was observed. Furthermore, in the combinations with Brocin^® solution and Brocin^®-Codeine Syr. Conc., decrease of fenoterol content was found. The results indicate that these three liquids are imcompatible with Berotec^® syrup.

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