Monitoring of volatile anesthetics in operating room personnel using GC-MS

To estimate individual occupational exposure of operating room personnel to nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane during regular working hours. Volatile anesthetics in urine and breathing area air samples were measured in forty subjects. Passive samplers were collected after continuous five-to-seven hours of exposure. Further, thirty air samples, using passive samplers, were collected from 14 operating rooms of the Jordan University Hospital. All air and urine samples were analyzed using static headspace sampler coupled to capillary column GC-MS system. The monitored anesthetic volatile agents values of breathing area air samples were as the following [mean +/- SEM, ppm]: 43.2 +/- 6.29, 4.16 +/- 2.38, 0.19 +/- 0.05 And 0.15 +/- 0.10 for nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane, respectively. Whereas, values of the post- shift urine samples [mean +/- SEM, micro g/1] were: 1234 +/- 209, 4.3 +/- 0.82, 3.75 +/- 0.7 and 9.9 +/- 1.2 for nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane, respectively. Concerning operating rooms contaminations, the median and the [range] values for N[2] O were 90.4 ppm [12.2 - 327], for sevoflurane they were 16.4 ppm [2.14-53.7], for isoflurane 10.7 ppm [0.41-24.9] and for halothane 0.71 ppm [0.00 8-6.05]. Based on the results of this study, it is obvious that operating rooms personnel were exposed to high level of anesthetic agents and therefore, it is recommended to install efficient scavenging systems inside the operating rooms beside the regular maintenance of anesthetic machines. Moreover, the awareness of operating room personnel should be increased in order to minimize possible health risk. MS= Mass Spectrometry; GC= Gas liquid Chromatography; NIOSH= United States Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; JUH: Jordan University Hospital; MeOH= Methanol; ug= microgram; v/v= Volume to volume; SIM; Single Ion Monitoring; ppm- one part per million parts; TWA= Time Weighted Average: r[2]. Correlation coefficient: SEM= Standard Error of the Mean

Effects of Meloxicam on Implantation and Parturition of Rat

Meloxicam, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 preferential inhibitor, was studied for its anti-implantation and parturition effects on pregnant rats. Regarding the effect of meloxicam on implantation, rats were dosed orally by 7.5 and 10 mg/kg/day from day 1 through 3 or from day 3 through 5 of gestation, respectively. While for the parturition effect, rats were dosed orally by the above doses from day 20 through 22 of gestation. The results of implantation experiments showed that the number of implantation sites was significantly decreased in all treated groups in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Whereas the number of resorption sites were significantly increased in all meloxicam treated groups. On the other hand, the results of parturition experiments indicated that meloxicam significantly prolonged the duration time of delivery in a dose-dependent manner. Further, significantly less viable fetuses and pups were delivered per female treated with meloxicam. In conclusion, the results indicate that meloxicam exhibited potential effect on implantation and parturition processes of pregnant rats

Effects of volatile oil of teurcium polium[Al-Ja'adeh] on vascular smooth muscle

The effects of the volatile oil of Teucrium polium on the isometric contraction of the vascular smooth muscles of rabbits and guinea pigs was determined in vitro using aortic ring preparations. The volatile oil of Al-Ja'adeh [VOJ] did not inhibit the contraction of the vascular smooth muscle induced by norepinephrine [NE]

Crystalline isolation and physicochemical characterization of guaiacol as a major constituent of an active spasmolytic fraction of the essential oil of teucrium polium L

Following the earlier demonstration of potent spasmolytic effect on Isolated intestinal rabbit preparations by the essential oil of Teucrium polium L., the oil [obtained by steam distillation] was fractionated on thin layer chromatographic plates to 15 fractions. The spasmolytic effect of the fractions were tested on the spontaneous motility of the isolated jejunum of the rabbit. The fraction with R f0.52 was the most potent in this regard, consisting of 20% of the essential oil. Upon subjection of the active fraction to GC analysis, the sesquiterpene alcohol guaiol [constituting 33% of the fraction] and other terpenes were separated. Guaiol, in a crystalline form, was Isolated for the first time from the essential oil of Teucrium polium. The identity of guaiol was confirmed from its physicochemical properties. Guaiol was found to Inhibit the intestinal motility of isolated rabbit jejunum. The extent of inhibition was dose dependent with an ED 50 of 60 Micro M