Effect of domperidone on the QTc interval in premature infants

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of domperidone use on corrected QT interval in premature infants.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective study of premature infants receiving domperidone was included in this study. A baseline electrocardiogram was obtained just before and 3, 7 and 14 days after initiation of domperidone. Corrected QT was considered prolonged if it exceeded the upper limit for age.

RESULT

A total of 40 premature infants were enrolled in this study. The mean birth weight of 1109+/-332 g, mean gestational age of 28.8+/-2.4 years and mean age at the onset of domperidone were 32.8+/-2 days. No difference in corrected QT interval was observed between just before and 3, 7 and 14 days after the start of the treatment. Two infants had corrected QT interval prolongation without any clinical side effect that resolved spontaneously.

CONCLUSION

Our experience suggests that domperidone administered cautiously in modest doses does not result in arrhythmias or conduction defects in premature infants statistically. Additional data are needed to give optimal advice regarding the safety of domperidone treatment in premature infants.

Production of monoclonal antibodies against a 19-kD recombinant Plasmodium vivax MSP1 for detection of P. vivax malaria in Turkey

Plasmodium vivax malaria, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, is one of the most important parasitic diseases in Turkey. The major protein on the surface of asexual erythrocytic stage merozoites of P. vivax (Pv) is 200 kD and called major merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP1). Polyclonal antibodies against the 19-kD C-terminal fragment of PvMSP1 (PvMSP1(19)) are protective in monkey models of P. vivax and associated with protection in field studies. In this research, monoclonal antibodies were produced against PvMSP1(19). A total of 214 IgG(1) antibody-releasing hybridomas were obtained and three monoclonal antibodies were produced (PvMSP1(19).1, PvMSP1(19).2, and PvMSP1(19).3) and selected for further study. They have now been purified from ascitic fluid on a Staphylococcus protein A affinity column. These are the first monoclonal antibodies produced against P. vivax in Turkey and the first monoclonal antibodies produced against this recombinant PvMSP1(19) in the world. The monoclonal antibodies will be used to study the epidemiology of P. vivax in patients with malaria in Turkey, and to develop better strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease in our population.