Dose Determination of Activated Charcoal in Management of Amitriptyline-Induced Poisoning by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Purpose: To assess the doses of activated charcoal currently used in the management of acute amitriptyline-induced drug poisoning and explore the possibility of using lower doses.Methods: Albino male Wistar rats, weighing 200 ± 20 g, were used for the study. The animals were divided into four groups of eight animals each. The concentration of amitriptyline in rat plasma was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for dose determination of activated charcoal. Chromatograms were established with acetonitrile: 70 mM KH2PO4 buffer (60: 40, v/v) solvent system on an Xterna® ms C18 SUM column (5 μm, 3.9 × 150 mm) and pH was adjusted to 4.5 with ortho-phosphoric acid. Mobile phase flow rate was 1 ml/min and ultraviolet (UV) detection was at 293 nm. Validation of the method was performed to determine its selectivity, linearity, precision, as well as limits of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ).Results: Standard curves were linear, r2 = 0.996, for amitriptyline over the concentration range 10 - 60 ng/ml. Recovery (98.3 to 100.85 %) was in the selected concentration range of 10 - 60 ng/ml. The LOD and LOQ of the method for amitriptyline were 0.109 and 0.332 μg/ml, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to measure plasma concentrations of amitriptyline and to measure the doses of activated charcoal currently used in the management of acute amitriptyline drug poisoning.Conclusion: The proposed RP-HPLC method enables determination of amitriptyline with good separation and resolution of the chromatographic peaks. Validation revealed that the method is sensitive, accurate and selective. Using half of the standard dose of the activated charcoal gave a comparable effect to the standard dose in reducing drug concentration in the blood. While, using quarter of the standard dose of activated charcoal does not have a cleared effect.Keywords: Amitriptyline, Activated charcoal, Drug poisoning, Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatograph

Association between Self-Reported Bruxism and Sleeping Patterns among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify sleeping patterns among dental students and their association with self-reported bruxism in Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy (RCsDP). Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed including 549 students (67 men and 482 women). A structured questionnaire was adopted from The PSQI (The Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Index) used for data collection. It included questions which are categorized into sleeping habits, sleep-related symptoms, and additional questions concerning bruxism. This questionnaire was randomly distributed among all college preclinical and postclinical students. Sleep bruxism diagnosis was based on self-reported data. The data were analyzed using Chi-square tests through SPSS software for Windows. Results. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations between self-reported bruxism and sleeping habits including sleep initiation (χ2=22.6, p=0.000), continuous sleep until morning (χ2=19.2, p=0.001), nighttime sleep duration (χ2=20.2, p=0.000), and length of daytime naps (χ2=28.35, p=0.000). There was an association between self-reported bruxism and sleeping-related symptoms including awakening early in the morning before the usual time without a cause (χ2=16.52, p=0.000) and increased nightmares (χ2=13.7, p=0.001). Conclusions. Poor sleeping pattern was an important factor among dental students, who reported sleep bruxism

Effects of medical plants on alleviating the effects of heat stress on chickens

ABSTRACT: Over the past decades, global climate change has led to a significant increase in the average ambient temperature causing heat stress (HS) waves. This increase has resulted in more frequent heat waves during the summer periods. HS can have detrimental effects on poultry, including growth retardation, imbalance in immune/antioxidant pathways, inflammation, intestinal dysfunction, and economic losses in the poultry industry. Therefore, it is crucial to find an effective, safe, applicable, and economically efficient method for reducing these negative influences. Medicinal plants (MPs) contain various bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Due to the biological activities of MPs, it could be used as promising thermotolerance agents in poultry diets during HS conditions. Nutritional supplementation with MPs has been shown to improve growth performance, antioxidant status, immunity, and intestinal health in heat-exposed chickens. As a result, several types of herbs have been supplemented to mitigate the harmful effects of heat stress in chickens. Therefore, several types of herbs have been supplemented to mitigate the harmful effects of heat stress in chickens. This review aims to discuss the negative consequences of HS in poultry and explore the use of different traditional MPs to enhance the health status of chickens

Association between Self-Reported Bruxism and Sleeping Patterns among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify sleeping patterns among dental students and their association with self-reported bruxism in Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy (RCsDP). Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed including 549 students (67 men and 482 women). A structured questionnaire was adopted from The PSQI (The Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Index) used for data collection. It included questions which are categorized into sleeping habits, sleep-related symptoms, and additional questions concerning bruxism. This questionnaire was randomly distributed among all college preclinical and postclinical students. Sleep bruxism diagnosis was based on self-reported data. The data were analyzed using Chi-square tests through SPSS software for Windows. Results. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations between self-reported bruxism and sleeping habits including sleep initiation ( 2 = 22.6, = 0.000), continuous sleep until morning ( 2 = 19.2, = 0.001), nighttime sleep duration ( 2 = 20.2, = 0.000), and length of daytime naps ( 2 = 28.35, = 0.000). There was an association between self-reported bruxism and sleeping-related symptoms including awakening early in the morning before the usual time without a cause ( 2 = 16.52, = 0.000) and increased nightmares ( 2 = 13.7, = 0.001). Conclusions. Poor sleeping pattern was an important factor among dental students, who reported sleep bruxism