Beliefs and practices of Iranian pregnant mothers regarding vitamins and minerals.

The objective of this descriptive study was to examine the vitamin and mineral supplements safety beliefs and practices of Iranian pregnant women. Data were collected from 400 randomly chosen women. More than 50% of the participants believed that taking vitamins and minerals during pregnancy was safe; 87% reported taking iron during pregnancy, of which 71.7 % reported their doctor as the main recommender; 21.8% reported first trimester as the most beneficial time for iron supplementation, 13.0% second trimester and 3.0% third trimester. Although an appropriate intake of vitamins and minerals can assure health in pregnancy, excess can be harmful. Educational programmes for women of childbearing age are necessary.

Patients' report of statins use and side-effects in a sample of hospitalized cardiac patients in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

We aim to study the prevalence of the side-effects of statins among Iranians patients admitted to a cardiac-specialized hospital and had taken statins prior to hospitalization. Data was collected between September 2007 and March 2008 and 200 patients were enrolled. A questionnaire was completed using the patients' records and by interviewing the patients. The mean age of the participants was 61.5 (SD 12.3) years and 63% were males. The most commonly used statins was atrovastatin (99% of the patients). In all, 63.5% of the participants reported experiencing side-effects due to statins. The reported side-effects were respiratory (18.5%), headache (16.5%), rash (0.5%) and allergic reactions (5%); 9.5% reported (4%) and gastrointestinal effect muscle-related side-effects such as myalgia. Although, the clinical benefits outweigh the small risk of liver failure and myopathy, clinicians should be aware of the side-effects of statins.

Patients' report of statins use and side-effects in a sample of hospitalized cardiac patients in the Islamic Republic of Iran

We aimed to study the prevalence of the side-effects of statins among Iranians patients admitted to a cardiac-specialized hospital and had taken statins prior to hospitalization. Data was collected between September 2007 and March 2008 and 200 patients were enrolled. A questionnaire was completed using the patients' records and by interviewing the patients. The mean age of the participants was 61.5 [SD 12.3] years and 63% were males. The most commonly used statins was atrovastatin [99% of the patients]. In all, 63.5% of the participants reported experiencing side-effects due to statins. The reported side-effects were respiratory [4%)] and gastrointestinal effect [18.5%], headache [16.5%], rash [0.5%] and allergic reactions [5%]; 9.5% reported muscle-related side-effects such as myalgia. Although, the clinical benefits outweigh the small risk of liver failure and myopathy, clinicians should be aware of the side-effects of statins

Beliefs and practices of Iranian pregnant mothers regarding vitamins and minerals

The objective of this descriptive study was to examine the vitamin and mineral supplements safety beliefs and practices of Iranian pregnant women. Data were collected from 400 randomly chosen women. More than 50% of the participants believed that taking vitamins and minerals during pregnancy was safe; 87% reported taking iron during pregnancy; of which 71.7% reported their doctor as the main recommender; 21.8% reported first trimester as the most beneficial time for iron supplementation, 13.0% second trimester and 3.0% third trimester. Although an appropriate intake of vitamins and minerals can assure health in pregnancy, excess can be harmful. Educational programmes for women of childbearing age are necessary

Impact of anti-cancer drugs and other determinants on serum protein binding of morphine 6-glucuronide.

BACKGROUND AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study was to examine factors that may influence the protein binding of morphine 6-glucuronide (M6G), the most active metabolite of morphine. METHODS: An enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay technique was used to measure the M6G concentration in serum of 18 healthy adults, 18 neonatal and 7 children with cancer. Total and free M6G concentrations were measured following equilibrium dialysis for 3 hrs and at physiological pH at 37°C. The influence of vincristine, methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, morphine, human albumin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, palmitic acid, oleic acid and pH on M6G protein binding was examined. RESULTS: M6G was 66.87±0.73 percent free in human serum at physiological pH and temperature. The percentage free (unbound) was increased significantly by vincristine (4.33%) and methotrexate (9.68%), but 6- mercaptopurine and morphine had no significant effect on it. Free percentages of M6G was reduced by decreasing serum albumin concentration but was unaffected by the presence of alpa-1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) or changes in serum pH. Similar results were obtained in human serum albumin (HAS) solutions. Addition of palmitic acid and oleic acid reduced protein binding significantly by 6.3% and 7.4%, respectively. MAJOR CONCLUSION: Although M6G in this study was not highly bounded, but because of its high analgesic potency, any change in its free concentration due to concurrent medication or disease caused significant changes in its effects. This dearth of evidence has been implicated in the reluctance of professionals to be cautious in prescribing them to children, particularly in the neonatal period.

Rapid and sensitive quantitation of morphine using HPLC with electrochemical detection.

BACKGROUND: Morphine is one of the most widely used opioid analgesics for controlling pain in cancer and post-operative patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at finding a sensitive method for measuring morphine. METHOD: A one-step solid phase extraction was developed for extracting morphine from various samples, and morphine concentration was measured using a high-performance liquid chromatographic system with electrochemical detection. The sensitivity of the assay was 1.53 ng/mL with a recovery of 93.4% +/- 0.01. The mean intra-assay and inter-assay test for three concentrations was 10.54 and 7.47, respectively. The assay showed no cross-reaction with a wide range of compounds. CONCLUSION: This method for morphine in small biological samples is easy, sensitive and reproducible with low cross-reactivity.