Purified laccase from the soil ascomycete, Paraconiothyrium variabile was employed in the degradation of 7 benzodiazepine substances in the absence and presence of the enzyme mediators, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS), 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP), and vanillic acid (VA). In the absence of a laccase mediator, the original concentrations of 10...

A 54-year-old man presents for his routine follow-up appointment at the office where I recently started working. I inherited him as part of a panel of patients who had belonged to one of the founding physicians, who recently retired after 38 years in practice. At the visit, the patient states that he is experiencing low energy and poor sleep, both of which have been ongoing for more than a year...

Sildenafil (Viagra) has been introduced recently in market to correct male impotency and has gained immense popularity for its dramatic effects all over the world. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of sildenafil on learning and memory in mice using elevated plus maze. A total of XV groups of animals were employed in the present study. Central cholinergic pathways play a c...

The cyclodextrin solubilization of three benzodiazepines, i.e. alprazolam, midazolam and triazolam, was investigated. The cyclodextrin solubilization was enhanced through ring-opening of the benzodiazepine rings and ionization of the ring-open forms. Additional enhancement was obtained through interaction of a water-soluble polymer with the cyclodextrin complexes. The ring-opening was pH-depend...

Mice overexpressing CB2r (CB2xP) were exposed to open field (OF), light-dark box (LDB) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA were measured in paraventricular (PVN) and arcuate (ARC) nuclei of the hypothalamus after 30 minutes of restraint stress (RS). Anxiolytic effects of alprazolam (45 or 70 µg/kg, ip) were evaluated. GAB...

Cryopreserved human hepatocytes and other in vitro systems often underpredict in vivo intrinsic clearance (CL(int)). The aim of this study was to explore the potential utility of HepG2 cells transduced with adenovirus vectors expressing a single cytochrome P450 enzyme (Ad-CYP1A2, Ad-CYP2C9, or Ad-CYP3A4) for metabolic clearance predictions. The kinetics of metabolite formation from phenacetin, ...

Clonazepam is long-acting benzodiazepine agonist used in short-acting benzodiazepine withdrawal; however, recent observations suggest the existence of its abuse. We demonstrate a 40-year-old man with a 20-year history of psychiatric care with recently benzodiazepine dependence (daily intake of 60 mg of clonazepam and 10 mg of alprazolam). High serum levels of both drugs were analyzed 3 weeks be...

Widespread use of pharmaceuticals such as benzodiazepines has been resulting over the last decades in the dissemination of residues of these compounds in the environment, and such fact has been raising increasing concern. The generally low efficiencies of conventional wastewater treatment processes for the removal of this type of pollutants demands for the development of alternative or compleme...