ABSTRACT
Morphine is one of the most potent alkaloid in opium, which has substantial medical uses and needs and it is the first active principle purified from herbal source. Morphine has commonly been used for relief of moderate to severe pain as it acts directly on the central nervous system; nonetheless, its chronic abuse increases tolerance and physical dependence, which is commonly known as opiate addiction. Morphine withdrawal syndrome is physiological and behavioral symptoms that stem from prolonged exposure to morphine. A majority of brain regions are hypofunctional over prolonged abstinence and acute morphine withdrawal. Furthermore, several neural mechanisms are likely to contribute to morphine withdrawal. The present review summarizes the literature pertaining to neural mechanisms underlying morphine withdrawal. Despite the fact that morphine withdrawal is a complex process, it is suggested that neural mechanisms play key roles in morphine withdrawal
ABSTRACT
It is believed that paraoxonase-2 gene polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes. This study is aimed to investigate the association between paraoxonase-2 gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes in an Iranian population. This study was performed on 200 individuals including 100 diabetics and 100 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and PCR-RFLP was carried out. Palindromic sequence in PON2 gene was recognized by Dde1 restriction endonuclease. In order to visualize restriction products, electrophoresis was carried out using polyacrylamide gel [8%] and ethidium bromide staining. The expected PCR product of 331 bp was obtained. Digestion of this product with DdeI showed four Ser homozygotes, three Cys homozygotes, and five Ser311 Cys heterozygotes. The gene frequency of Cys [C] in diabetic subjects was significantly higher than in healthy subjects. This study suggests that an association exists between Ser311 Cys polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus