Evaluation of the changes induced by tramadol and the possible protective effect of vitamin C on the kidney.

OBJECTIVE: Addiction is a widespread public health problem despite all efforts to prevent and treat it. Over the past few years, tramadol abuse has been sharply increasing in Middle Eastern countries. This research aims to identify the tramadol-induced histological changes in rat kidneys and any potential protective effects of vitamin C on these changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an experimental study conducted at Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz University. Thirty-three adult albino rats were randomly divided into three groups. Control, Tramadol, and vitamin C groups. The Tramadol group received 25 mg/ Kg a day of tramadol orally via gastric gavage for three weeks. In the vitamin C + tramadol treated group, 100 mg/Kg/b.wt of vitamin C was administered intravenously to the animals 30 minutes before receiving the same dose of tramadol RESULTS: Specimens from the kidney of every rat were excised for histological examination by the light and electron microscope. Tramadol damage to the kidney's glomeruli and proximal and distal convoluted tubule hypertrophy were among its long-term harmful consequences. When vitamin C was added to tramadol, the distal and proximal convoluted tubules, and the renal glomeruli, improved. CONCLUSIONS: When vitamin C was given to the tramadol group, the drug's harmful effects on the kidney were reduced.

A Fokker-Planck Framework for Parameter Estimation and Sensitivity Analysis in Colon Cancer.

A new stochastic framework for parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification in colon cancer-induced immune response is presented. The dynamics of colon cancer is given by a stochastic process that captures the inherent randomness in the system. The stochastic framework is based on the Fokker-Planck equation that represents the evolution of the probability density function corresponding to the stochastic process. An optimization problem is formulated that takes input individual patient data with randomness present, and is solved to obtain the unknown parameters corresponding to the individual tumor characteristics. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis of the optimal parameter set is performed to determine the parameters that need to be controlled, thus, providing information of the type of drugs that can be used for treatment.

Pharmacological studies on Myrica rubra Sieb et zucc. Effects on the cardiovascular system and platelets.

UNLABELLED: The effects of 50% Drink of Myrica rubra (MRD) on the cardiovascular system of the rat and on the platelets aggregation of rats and guinea pigs were studied. METHOD: Different groups of male Wistar rats were treated either with 50% Myrica rubra drink as drinking vehicle (4 weeks) or water. The animals were then prepared for the measurement of arterial blood pressure and heart rate, ECG, sensitivity of the baroreceptors, platelets' aggregation, blood clotting time and cardiac parasympathetic ganglia. The mechanism of action of any induced effect was elucidated using different receptor blockers. RESULTS: Treatment induced a significant decrease in the arterial blood pressure and heart rate on Wistar rats, but no significant changes in the ECG were observed. Pretreatment of rats with MRD 10 or 20 ml/kg (i. p.) significantly suppressed vagal electrical stimulation to the heart and nicotine-induced bradycardia, via decreasing phenylephrine-induced rise in the arterial blood pressure and the reflexly-induced bradycardia. It significantly suppressed the Baroreceptor Sensitivity Index (BSI). The treatment also significantly suppressed ADP-induced platelets aggregation in rats and arachidonic acid-induced aggregation in guinea pigs.All these actions seemed to be mediated by the MRD constituents such as proanthocyanidins, polyphenols and flavonoids. The decreases in the heart rate and BSI were probably caused by an inherent ability to block the parasympathetic ganglia. CONCLUSION: The results of this study regarding the effects of MRD actions on the cardiovascular system and platelets qualify the drink to be classified as a functional food.

Mycophenolate mofetil as a maintenance therapy for lupus-related diffuse alveolar hemorrhage: a case report.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Cases complicated with DAH often have active SLE with multi-organ involvement, especially lupus nephritis. We describe a rare case of DAH as the first presenting manifestation of SLE in the absence of lupus nephritis. Remission was induced by IV methylprednisolone, IV cyclophosphamide, and plasmapheresis. Further cycles of cyclophosphamide were prevented by recurrent infections. Maintenance of remission was successfully achieved with oral mycophenolate mofetil 1 g twice daily, with a good control of SLE and without further DAH episodes.

Impact of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH) are predisposed to developing hypertension, and therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may reduce blood pressure (BP). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of CPAP therapy on BP in patients with OSAH. We performed a comprehensive literature search up to July 2006 [Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane controlled trials register (CCTR), and Database of Abstract and Reviews of Effect (DARE)] to identify clinical studies and systemic reviews that examined the impact of CPAP on BP. Studies were included if they (1) were randomized controlled trials with an appropriate control group, (2) included systolic and diastolic BP measurements before and after CPAP/control in patients with OSAH, and (3) contained adequate data to perform a meta-analysis. To calculate pooled results, studies were weighted by inverse variances, with either a fixed or a random effects model used depending on the presence of heterogeneity (assessed with Q test). Ten studies met our inclusion criteria (587 patients): three studies were crossover (149 patients) and seven were parallel in design. Seven studies (421 patients) used 24-h ambulatory BP and three used one-time measurements. Two studies were of patients with heart failure (41 patients). Overall, the effects of CPAP were modest and not statistically significant; CPAP (compared to control) reduced systolic BP (SBP) by 1.38 mmHg (95% CI: 3.6 to -0.88, p = 0.23) and diastolic BP (DBP) by 1.52 mmHg (CI: 3.1 to -0.07; p = 0.06). Six of the trials studied more severe OSAH (mean AHI > 30/h, 313 patients); in these six trials, CPAP reduced SBP by 3.03 mmHg (CI 6.7 to -0.61; p = 0.10) and DBP by 2.03 mmHg (CI: 4.1 to -0.002; p = 0.05). There was a trend for SBP reduction to be associated with CPAP compliance. In unselected patients with sleep apnea, CPAP has very modest effects on BP. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that certain subgroups of patients may have more robust responses-this may include patients with more severe OSAH or difficult-to-control hypertension. Future randomized controlled trials in this area should potentially concentrate on these subgroups of patients.