Disposition kinetics of omeprazole in healthy female volunteers in Pakistan

Omeprazole [OMP] a proton pump inhibitor is widely used to suppress gastric acid secretions of parietal cells of stomach and metabolized predominantly by CYP2C19. The objective of the present study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and dosage regimen of OMP, after its single oral administration in eight healthy adult female subjects. Blood samples were collected at different time intervals after oral administration and their pH was measured. Plasma concentration of OMP was determined by high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] system equipped with UVvisible Detector. The concentration versus time data was used to compute the pharmacokinetic parameters with the help of computer software programme MW/PHRAM APO version 3.02.Peak plasma concentration was [Cmax] 0.38 +/- 0.04 microg/ml achieved at 2.07 +/- 0.22 hrs. The elimination half-life [t1/2beta] was1.82 +/- 0.42 hrs. Volume of distribution [Vd] in the present study was 0.40 +/- 0.07 l/kg with total body clearance [ClB] 0.19 +/- 0.02 l/hr/kg and area under the curve [AUC] 1.89 +/- 0.23 microg.hr/ml. The pharmacokinetic properties which are different from the literature after oral administration of 20 mg OMP in eight healthy female volunteers may be due to the variations of environment and genetic variation between Pakistan and drug manufacturing of foreign countries

Viral hepatitis in Pakistan: Challenges and priorities

Hepatitis B and C are big health issues worldwide as more than 400 million people are suffering from chronic hepatitis B and C which result in more than 1.4 million deaths each year. According to a study done by Pakistan Medical Research Council in 2007-08, 7.6% Pakistani population suffered with hepatitis B and C, with around 4.8% with hepatitis C only. Government of Pakistan has taken different initiatives like vaccination, patient safety, blood screening, education and awareness about disease but still there is high prevalence of hepatitis in Pakistan. According to some studies injecting drug users have the highest prevalence of hepatitis B and C in the country. The follow-up studies and documentation of hepatitis patients was not very good which need to be improved. There is no recent large scale study on risk factors and prevalence of hepatitis B and C in Pakistan so it should be done on an urgent basis. If government set up regional laboratories for prevalence study and also a central institute for hepatitis research and treatment, the disease could be prevented in better and proper way. The treatment of hepatitis is very costly and a developing country like Pakistan cannot afford such high costs. Therefore more focus should be on preventive measures.

Optogenetics Applications for Treating Spinal Cord Injury

Cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) are increasing all over the world; and in USA alone, there are 273,000 patients, which not only leads to morbidity and mortality but also results in a great economic burden. Many approaches are being used at the pre-clinical and clinical level to treat SCI including therapeutic agents, surgical decompression, stem cell therapy etc. Recently, a new approach called optogenetics has emerged in which light sensitive proteins are used to switch neurons on and off, and this approach has great potential to be used as therapy due to its specificity and rapid response in milliseconds. Few animal studies have been performed so far in which the respiratory and bladder function of rats was restored through the use of optogenetics. On the basis of promising results obtained, in the future, this approach can prove to be a valuable tool to treat patients with SCI.

Stem Cell Research in Pakistan; Past, Present and Future

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Stem cells have proved to have great therapeutic potential as stem cell treatment is replacing traditional ways of treatment in different disorders like cancer, aplastic anemia, stroke, heart disorders. The developed and developing countries are investing differently in this area of research so research output and clinical translation of research greatly vary among developed and developing countries. Present study was done to investigate the current status of stem cells research in Pakistan and ways to improve it. RESULTS: Many advanced countries (USA, UK and Canada etc.) are investing heavily in stem cell research and treatment. Different developing countries like Iran, Turkey and India are also following the developed countries and investing a lot in stem cells research. Pakistan is also making efforts in establishing this field to get desired benefits but unfortunately the progress is at very low pace. If Government plays an active role along with private sector, stem cell research in Pakistan can be boosted up. The numbers of publications from Pakistan are very less compared to developed and neighboring countries and Pakistan also has very less number of institutes working in this area of research. CONCLUSIONS: Stem cells research is at its initial stages in Pakistan and there is great need to bring Government, academia and industry together so they could make serious efforts to promote research in this very important field. This will help millions of patients suffering from incurable disorders and will also reduce economic loss.