Synthetic cathinones and cardiotoxicity risks.

Abstract: Recently, there has been a worldwide rise in the popularity and abuse of synthetic cathinones. The spectrum of side effects caused by the intake of these drugs of abuse is very wide since they act on different systems with various mechanisms of action, they appear to be involved in different cardiac events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death due to fatal arrhythmias. Overall, khat users have a higher risk of death, recurrent myocardial ischemia, cardiogenic shock, ventricular arrhythmia, and stroke compared with non-khat user.

Is the issue of Chemsex changing?

In this letter, which is meant as a response to the letter titled "Sex enhancers: challenges, threats and the need for targeted measures", the Authors discuss the evolution of Chemsex phenomenon towards at least two directions: firstly, the use of psychoactive and non-psychoactive substances usually implicated in Chemsex, such as GHB/GBL, ketamine, mephedrone and other synthetic cathinones and erectile dysfunction medications, is currently accompanied by the use of illicit opioids, which have recently been indicated as a new serious health threat for consumers. In addition, as reported by the last European Drug report, the simultaneous use of illicit benzodiazepines with non-medical opioids misuse has also been observed. Secondly, strictly linked to the rising use of non-medical opioids is the risk of transition towards heroine followed by the adoption of risky injection practices frequently accompanied by high-risk sexual behaviors. In this sense, the current definition of the phenomenon as "the voluntary intake of certain psychoactive and non- psychoactive drugs in the context of sex parties and sexual intercourses with the intention of facilitating and/or enhancing the sexual encounter mostly among men who have sex with other men (MSM)" has been expanded to "heterosexual chemsex".

Enzyme activities in perikaryal and synaptic mitochondrial fractions from rat hippocampus during development.

When pharmacological or basic neurochemical systematic characterization of mitochondrial enzymatic systems correlated to energy transduction processes is attempted, studies must be based on subcellular fractions with a high degree of purity from specific brain areas and from individual animals. Distinct populations of mitochondria heterogenous with respect to biochemical enzyme characteristics from rat brain hippocampus are described. Two mitochondrial populations were derived from synaptosomes by lysis and a third consists of free non-synaptic mitochondria. The maximum rate of some cerebral enzyme activities which are part of energy transduction (citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase; total NADH-cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxidase) and amino acid metabolism (glutamate dehydrogenase) were tested on these mitochondrial populations of 8- and 16-week-old rats. A comprehensive analysis of the data suggests that extensive but highly diversified catalytic expressions of the enzymes studied occur in the hippocampus. This is true even when a short period of the rat life span is studied. Hence the varying pattern of evolution of the differing cerebral mitochondria, probably a consequence of different metabolic functions, should be taken into account in any pharmacological study on these systems.

A critique on the preparation and enzymatic characterization of synaptic and nonsynaptic mitochondria from hippocampus.

1. In literature two interesting methods are described to obtain from whole pooled brains or areas three types of mitochondria, namely, those of perikaryal origin and those contained in synaptosomes. 2. However, for many types of studies, such "preparative" preparations are not useful; for example, in pharmacological studies only data from a single n number of animals may be of statistical usefulness and may be correctly analyzed by statistical tests. 3. Thus a method is described by which it was possible to characterize by enzyme activities three populations from single rat brain hippocampus. 4. During preparative "analytical" procedure, it was noted that the 10% Ficoll gradients previously used in the literature were unable to separate purified mitochondria-free mitochondria. This gradient should be 12% Ficoll for single areas. 5. In addition, when results are compared using the more appropriate omega 2t for calculations of gravity forces to be applied instead of the maximum or average g for different rotors, enzymatic characterization differed considerably among the various mitochondrial populations. 6. The above considerations are also true when different pestle clearances and/or pestle rotations speeds are used during omogenizations; also lysis conditions are essential. 7. Results showed that selected experimental conditions are to be used when subcellular fractions are to be analyzed biochemically.

[Platelet aggregation and resistance to osmotic shock of platelet concentrates obtained by discontinuous-flow cell separation with the surge pump technic]. / Aggregazione piastrinica e resistenza allo shock osmotico di concentrati piastrinici ottenuti mediante separatore cellulare a flusso discontinuo con la tecnica "surge pump".

We studied the ultrastructural morphology and function of platelets collected by apheresis procedure with discontinuous flow using the Surge Pump Technique. The platelet concentrates obtained by this technique are free of erythrocyte and lymphocyte contamination. The platelet morphology as well as the platelet aggregation induced by ADP, adrenaline and collagen of platelet concentrates were similar to those observed in PRP before the apheresis. The response to the hypotonic shock of platelet concentrates was also normal, indicating membrane integrity and good platelet metabolism. These results show that platelet concentrates obtained by the Surge Pump Technique maintain their haemostatic effects and may be infused in thrombocitopenic patients, reducing the risk of alloimmunization related to the presence of erythrocytes and lymphocytes.