study of verapamil on morphive dependent animals

The effects of verapamil on naloxone precipitated effects of morphine-dependent guinea pigs ileum were studied in vitro. Dependence was produced in experimental animals by repeated administration of morphine for 15 days. Non-dependent animals given saline for the same period were taken as controls. Verapamil effectively blocked the naloxone induced contractions in ileal strips of morphine-dependent animals. These observations on animal tissues are significant and may suggest clinical usefulness of verapamil in the management of morphine-dependent patients

Effects of diltiazem on catecholamines in hypertensive patients

The in vivo effects of calcium channel blocker, diltiazem, on reflex sympathetic activity [assessed indirectly by 24 hour urinary VMA] were determined in this study. Twenty four hour urinary vinyl mandelic acid [VMA] was estimated before and two weeks after the administration of diltiazem in hypternsive patients and control normotenisve subjects. The urinary VMA concentration though somewhat increased remained within the normal range, showing that reflex sympathetic activity was neither too high to interfere with antihypertensive effect of the drug nor too low to cause postural hypotension

effect of serotonin on basal gastric acid secretion in pylorus ligated rats of different age groups

The effect of serotonin on gastric acid secretion and its acidity have been examined by using four hour pylorus ligated rats of different age groups. Serotonin alone decreased the volume of gastric secretion and, free and total acidity in both younger and older animals, while methylsergide alone increased these parameters. Each of these drugs produced a significantly higher response in older animals. Methylsergide when given with serotonin abolished the inhibitory effect of serotonin and the observed secretions were similar to those of basal state. This indicates that serotonin as gastric inhibitor acts in accordance with parietal cell mass which increases with age

Prescribing patterns of consultants and general practitioners in Hyderabad, Pakistan

One hundred randomly selected prescriptions [50 from specialists and 50 from general practitioners] from localities in Hyderabad were analysed for average number of drugs per prescription and the percentage of antibiotics, injections, analgesics, vitamins, and drugs by generic name and from the National Essential Drugs List of Pakistan [NEDLP] prescribed in the total analysed prescriptions. An average of 3.98 drugs per prescription were prescribed by specialists and 4.12 by general practitioners [GPs]. More vitamins and analgesics were prescribed by GPs and more injections by specialists. Antibiotics were present in about the same number in the prescriptions of both specialists and GPs. The GPs prescribed more drugs by generic name and also slightly more from the NEDLP

effect of gastric secretagogues during ontogenesis in rats

The effects of histamine, bethanechol and pentagastrin on gastric acid secretion were studied in rats of younger and older age groups. After 48 hours starvation, the pylorus was ligated and each of the secretagogues was administered subcutaneously to individual groups. Four hours later the animals were sacrified by chloroform-induced asphyxia and the stomach was removed after ligating the cardiac end. The stomach contents, obtained by flushing with 3 ml of distilled water, were used to determine the volume of gastric juice and its free and total acidity. Histamine and bethanechol produced a greater increase in the volume and acidity of gastric juice in older animals as compared to younger ones. Pentagastrin also produced greater increase in these parameters in older animals but it was not statistically significant. Possible explanation of these results include variable size of parietal cell mass and/or difference in the sensitivity of parietal cells to individual secretagogues in animals of different age groups