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Lowered Levels (lowered + level)
Selected AbstractsMorphine or its withdrawal affects plasma malondialdehyde, vitamin E levels and absence or presence of abstinence signs in ratsJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2009Professor Arnaldo Pinelli Abstract Objectives Various experimental observations show that morphine treatment generates reactive oxygen species, and that its discontinuation leads to signs of withdrawal. We therefore investigated plasma malondialdehyde and vitamin E levels under both conditions to verify the occurrence of any alterations in oxidative metabolism, and whether these are associated with behavioural changes. Methods We investigated the effects of morphine or morphine plus naloxone on plasma malondialdehyde, vitamin E levels and withdrawal signs such as jumping, wet dog shakes and faecal excretion in rats. Furthermore, isopropylnoradrenaline was injected in rabbits to verify its effects on plasma malondialdehyde levels. Key findings Morphine treatment increased free malondialdehyde and decreased vitamin E levels. The elevation in malondialdehyde levels were exacerbated by the abrupt removal of morphine by naloxone, which also led to the appearance of withdrawal signs. The increased malondialdehyde values can be attributed to the interactions of reactive oxygen species with unsaturated fatty acids, and the lowered levels of vitamin E to its interactions with reactive oxygen species. Conclusions A connection seems to exist between altered peroxide status and withdrawal signs in abstinent animals. [source] D- chiro -Inositol found in Cucurbita ficifolia (Cucurbitaceae) fruit extracts plays the hypoglycaemic role in streptozocin-diabetic ratsJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 11 2006Tao Xia Cucurbita ficifolia is commonly used as an antihyperglycaemic agent in Asia. However, the mechanism of its action is unknown. Chemically synthesized D- chiro -inositol (D-CI), a component of an insulin mediator, has been demonstrated to have antihyperglycaemic effects in rats. In this study, we found that C. ficifolia contained fairly high levels of D-CI, thus, C. ficifolia may be a natural source of D-CI for reducing blood glucose concentrations in diabetics. We evaluated C. ficifolia fruit extract, containing D-CI, for its antihyperglycaemic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of C. ficifolia fruit extract containing 10 or 20 mg D-CI kg,1 body weight for 30 days resulted in significantly lowered levels of blood glucose, and increased levels of hepatic glycogen, total haemoglobin and plasma insulin. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed in fasted diabetic and normal rats, in which there was a significant improvement in blood glucose tolerance in the diabetic rats treated with C. ficifolia fruit extract. The effects were compared with 20 mg kg,1 body weight chemically synthesized D-CI. Findings from this study demonstrated that C. ficifolia fruit extract was an effective source of D-CI for its hypoglycaemic effects in rats, and therefore may be useful in the treatment of diabetes. [source] Multiple metastases of thyroid cancer in the cranium and pituitary gland in two dogsJOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 4 2007S. Tamura Two dogs, a 14-year-old, female American Eskimo dog and a 14-year-old, male Maltese dog, were presented with thalamic syndromes, including lowered levels of consciousness, poor postural responses and presence of masses in the neck region. In both dogs, magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple masses inside the cranium, including the pituitary gland. One dog died from status epilepticus two days after magnetic resonance imaging and the other died two months after magnetic resonance imaging from respiratory failure. These dogs were histopathologically diagnosed with multiple metastases of thyroid cancer occurring inside the cranium, including the pituitary gland. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time this tumour pattern has been reported in dogs, but it is possible that it is not uncommon. [source] A Comparison of Biological Risk Factors in Two Populations: The United States and JapanPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2008Eileen M. Crimmins Life expectancy is higher in Japan than in the United States. We compared the prevalence of clinically recognized risk factors in the two countries to explore the possibility that differences in these likely precursors to disease and death are linked to the paths to higher mortality for Americans. We found that American men and women have higher levels of total biological risk than the Japanese, particularly for risk factors included in the metabolic syndrome. A significant difference between the two countries is the higher prevalence of overweight among Americans. On the other hand, measured blood pressure appears more favorable among Americans. A larger proportion of Americans use prescription drugs, which results in lowered levels of measured biological risk. There are large differences in the prevalence of a number of risk factors between American and Japanese women less than age 40; this could mean that Americans develop biological risk earlier in life or that the differences are growing larger in more recent cohorts. [source] | ||||||||||