Alkaloid-modified, voltage-dependent sodium channels from lobster walking leg nerves were studied in planar neutral lipid bilayers. In symmetrical 0.5 M NaCl the single channel conductance of veratridine (VTD) (10 pS) was less than that of batrachotoxin (BTX) (16 pS) modified channels. At positive potentials, VTD- but not BTX-modified channels remained open at a flickery substate. VTD-modified ...

INTRODUCTION Despite multiple studies reporting marked benefit of botulinum toxin (BTX) for treatment of cricopharyngeal dysphagia, little is known about its safety for this indication. We examined the safety of cricopharyngeal BTX for dysphagia in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). METHODS We reviewed records of patients with OPMD who received cricopharyngeal BTX. RESULTS Twenty-fo...

279 D r. Justinus Kerner first studied the effects of botulinum toxin during the Napoleonic Wars when increased deaths attributed to food poisoning were observed in individuals consuming blood sausages. 1 Its first therapeutic use was as a treatment for strabis-mus and blepharospasm, which was explored in the 1960s and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1989. Since then, botu...

Botulinum toxin A (Btx) injections and supervised exercise are often used concurrently to treat calf muscle spasticity in children. This study has analyzed the early effects of Btx-induced paralysis and increased activity by voluntary wheel running on cell growth-related processes in juvenile rat gastrocnemius muscle. Btx injection at 29 days of age prevented the normal increases in wet mass (5...

The regulation of a putative neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Btx)-binding protein, was investigated in primary cultures of chick embryo retina. Depolarization of the cells by veratrum alkaloids, or by a high K+ concentration of the culture medium, reduced the accumulation of cell surface alpha-Btx receptors in these cultures. In contrast, the addition of...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A; Botox) in reducing saliva in patients with Parkinsonism. METHODS Fifteen patients with clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy were enrolled in this open clinical trial. A total of 40-unit dose of Botox was injected into the bilateral parotid and submandibula...

BACKGROUND Zero valent iron and copper oxide nanoparticles (30-60 nm) were coated on a bed of natural zeolite (Clinoptilolite) with 1-2 mm grains and arranged as a dual filter in a stainless steel cylindrical reactor (I.D 4.5 cm and L = 30 cm) to investigating the coated bed removal efficiency for BTX. The experiments were conducted in three steps. First, with an air flow of 1.5 L/min and tempe...

Alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) is a highly toxic snake neurotoxin that binds to acetylcholine receptor (AChR) at the neuromuscular junction, and is a potent inhibitor of this receptor. In the following we review multi-phase research of the design, synthesis and structure analysis of peptides that bind alpha-BTX and inhibit its binding to AChR. Structure-based design concomitant with biological ...

The botulinum toxins (BTX), type A and type B by blocking vesicle acetylcholine release at neuro-muscular and neuro-secretory junctions can result efficacious therapeutic agents for the treatment of numerous disorders in patients requiring neuro-rehabilitative intervention. Its use for the reduction of focal spasticity following stroke, brain injury, and cerebral palsy is provided. Although the...