From the dichloromethane/methanol extract of the crinoid Colobometra perspinosa, collected south east of Richards Island (Bedara), Family Islands, Central Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 3-(1'-hydroxypropyl)-1,6,8-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone [one of the two stereoisomers of rhodoptilometrin, (1)], 3-propyl-1,6,8-trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (3), 2-[(phenylacetyl)amino]ethanesulfonic acid (4),...

The use of illicit substances for the purpose of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) poses a significant problem. There has been an increase in public awareness of this problem, and a recent invention in the form of a drink coaster claims to detect whether or not a beverage has been spiked with a so-called date rape drug. A person is instructed to place a drop of the suspect beverage onto tw...

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) reduces (a) alcohol intake and alcohol motivational properties in alcohol-preferring rats and (b) alcohol drinking and craving for alcohol in human alcoholics. The present study was designed to extend to relapse-like drinking the capacity of GHB to suppress different alcohol-related behaviors in alcohol-preferring rats. The "alcohol deprivation effect," defined as th...

Glutaric aciduria type 1 is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of glutaryi-CoA dehydrogenase. This disorder is characterized by progressive dystonia and dyskinesia. Laboratory evaluation demonstrates excessive levels of glutaric acid urinary excretion as well as absence of demonstrable functional levels of glutaryi-CoA in fibroblast cultures. We present the CT and ...

Methylmalonic aciduria is an inborn error in the organic acids metabolism. Deficiency of methylmalonyl CoA mutase or its coenzyme, adenosylcobalamine, leads to accumulation of methymalonic acid in body fluids. The disease manifests with recurrent episodes of dehydration, metabolic acidosis, coma and death. We report a case of methylmalonic aciduria diagnosed in a female infant who presented wit...

GHB intoxication must be considered in children with coma and a suspicion of drug intoxication. Furthermore, mixed intoxication with several substances and the possibility of unpredictable symptom profiles should be anticipated to ensure optimal symptomatic treatment of patients.

Two individual globular head regions (ghA and ghB) of the heterotrimeric C1q molecule (containing A, B, and C chains) were expressed in a bacterial expression system using a coproduction with the bacterial chaperone GroESL. The purified proteins were soluble and monomeric, as shown by gel-filtration analysis. No association into homotrimers was seen, which indicates that the ability to form het...

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the absolute risk of having a congenital anomaly in relation to periconceptional GHb concentration among women with prepregnancy diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Two reviewers independently retrieved all cohort studies through a systematic literature search between January 1985 and May 2006. For each study, the absolute risk of having a pregnancy affected...

BACKGROUND Overdoses from so-called "club drugs" (GHB/GBL) have become a more frequent cause of overdoses attended by ambulance services. Given its availability, affordability, and lack of awareness of risks, there is a common misconception among users that the drug is relatively safe. METHODS This study reviewed ambulance records in Bergen, Norway between 2009 and 2015 for cases of acute poi...

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate / butyric acid, ambiguously called GHB, presents some unique challenges for analysis due in part to its acidity, high polarity, and high solubility in aqueous solution. Its chemistry is complicated by its conversion into the corresponding lactone compound, where the GHB molecule condenses to form a cyclic ester with a five-membered ring. This compound, gamma-butyrolactone ...