HIGH DOSAGE SIBUTRAMINE DETECTED IN CHINESE HERBAL DRUG

WOS: 000303558300017Traditional herbal remedies are being used as alternative medicine by a large proportion of people worldwide. Herbs are generally considered as safe and free of side effects, because of their natural origin. The presented case, a 36 years old woman, had used a herbal medicine, called "Lida Dai Hua Jiao Nang" via internet for weight reduction. Although, she developed severe headache, vertigo, dyspnea, arythmia and sleeplessness on the second day, she kept on taking the product for ten days. However; due to worsening in symptoms, she was admitted to our hospital. A urine sample of the case and a capsule of "LiDa" were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sibutramine was detected in urine, which was also detected as major ingredient of "LiDa". It was quantified as at least 22 mg in each capsule of "LiDa". There are lots of herbal products used for the purpose of weight loss. Due to convincing numbers reports dealing with adverse effects, sales of these hinds of products are forbidden in most of the countries. However, they are still available to consumers over the internet

Detection of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in formalin fixed rat tissues

WOS: 000270456100006PubMed ID: 19778243The stability of drugs in formalin solution is an important factor in forensic investigation. Tissues (liver, lung, kidney, brain) taken from rats, which have been poisoned acutely with cocaine, were preserved in two different conditions, analyzed by GC-MS, and then compared. Organs of the first group were preserved and stored at - 20 degrees C without adding formalin, whereas the organs of the second group were preserved and stored in formalin solution at room temperature (25 degrees C). Serum samples were taken immediately after poisoning and studied as well. In specimens stored at - 20 degrees C, cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine were detected in the tissues. Only benzoylecgonine was detected both in tissues and their formalin solution. It was observed that the distribution of cocaine in tissues had differed depending on the preservation conditions. The formalin solution in which benzoylecgonine was mostly detected was from liver. As a result, cocaine was detected in tissues stored at - 20 degrees C. It is recommended that both the formalin-fixed tissues and formalin solution should be analyzed concurrently to assure the accurate results (LOD = 3 ng/ml).Cukurova University Research FoundationCukurova University [TF 2005 BAP 33]Cukurova University Research Foundation provided the financial support for this work ( grant No: TF 2005 BAP 33)

Mescaline abuse via peyote cactus: the first case report in Turkey

WOS: 000391568700020Mescaline is a psychoactive hallucinogenic alkaloid that resemble the natural neurotransmitters epinephrine and dopamine. It is extracted from peyote cactus. Peyote cactus cannot be detected via blood or urine samples in routine toxicology laboratories, and it can be easily reachable over the Internet. In this report, we presented the first case of mescaline abuse via peyote cactus in Turkey. The case is an 18-year-old male patient. He was subjected to probation service due to use of cannabis for three months by the court decision, and being treated in our forensic outpatient clinic. He was admitted to the emergency service with symptoms such as intense anxiety, panic attacks and visual hallucinations. Patient told that he consumed peyote cactus instead using cannabis not to get caught in urine analyze

Distribution of Postmortem Tissue in Acute Endosulfan Poisoining: Case Report

In this study, we aimed to determine the distribution of endosulfan in the two postmortem cases, who died due to accidental poisoning. The blood, liver, kidney, brain and stomach content samples obtained from cases were studied with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). In the biologic samples, endosulfan isomer (α-Endosulfan and β- Endosulfan) and metabolites (endosulfan sulfate and endosulfan ether) levels were examined. The endosulfan concentrations in the blood were determined as: α- endosulfan was 0.47 mg/l and β-endosulfan was 0.05 mg/l in the first case; α-endofulsan was 0.24 mg/l and β-endosulfan was 0.03 mg/l in the second case. The highest levels of endosulfan were found in the stomach contents. The endosulfan concentrations in the stomach contents were determined as: α-endofulsan was 2.4 mg/kg and β-endosulfan was 1.1 mg/kg in the first case, α- endosulfan was 3.4 mg/kg and β-endosulfan was 2.65 mg/kg in the second case. The liver, brain and the kidney; α- endosulfan, β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate and endosulfan ether levels of both cases were examined in our studies as well. [Cukurova Med J 2013; 38(3.000): 515-519

The Effect of Garlic Powder on Human Urinary Cytokine Excretion

WOS: 000332683000019PubMed ID: 24595942Purpose: To evaluate the effects of orally administered dehydrated garlic powder on cytokine excretion in the urinary tract. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 healthy volunteers, randomized into 3 groups, were given a single oral dose of 1 g or 3 g of dehydrated garlic powder or placebo. Urine samples were obtained 6.0 and 24.0 h after garlic intake and assayed for interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-12 (IL-12), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl sulfide (DAS). Results: Significant increases in IL-12 levels over baseline were noted in urine samples obtained after oral intake of 1 g and 3 g of garlic powder (P .017). DADS and DAS were not detected in the urine samples at any time after garlic powder intake. Conclusion: Oral intake of doses of garlic traditionally used for daily supplementation increases urinary levels of IL-12, which is a potent stimulator of T helper cell 1 (Th-1) immune responses. This observation encourages further studies investigating the immunostimulatory role of garlic in the urinary tract

Determination of pharmaceutical active compounds in Ceyhan River, Turkey: Seasonal, spatial variations and environmental risk assessment

<p>Pharmaceutical pollution has gained attention with the development of analytical technology. The occurrence of 91 pharmaceutically active compounds from variety of drug groups including pain killers, antimicrobials, cardiovascular drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, central nervous system drugs, and stimulants was investigated in Ceyhan River, Turkey. Pharmaceutically active compounds were examined at 9 stations, seasonally during the periods of September 2013–August 2014. For the pharmaceutically active compound analysis, solid phase extraction (SPE) method was used and measured by using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Highest measured pharmaceutically active compound concentration was caffeine (4880.00 ng/L). Other high concentrated pharmaceuticals were diazepam (374.00 ng/L), gabapentin (355.00 ng/L), lidocaine (48.70 ng/L), etodolac (47.35 ng/L), metoprolol (43.60 ng/L), carbamazepine (24.25 ng/L), diclofenac (17.60 ng/L), and fluconazole (15.95 ng/L). Carbamazepine and lidocaine were the most frequently detected pharmaceutics in the river water. The results of risk assessment shows that risk quotient values (RQs) is lower than 0.01, except sertraline, which means that most of the detected pharmaceutically active compounds pose no environmental risk to aquatic environment in Ceyhan River. However, it is not possible to give precise information about the effects of all detected pharmaceutically active compounds when they behave together in the aquatic environment.</p

Effects of ethanol treatment on the neurogenic and endothelium-dependent relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle in the mouse

WOS: 000261363900016PubMed ID: 19066420The relaxation of cavernous smooth muscle is critical for inducing and maintaining a penile erection. The neurogenic- and endothelium-dependent relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle and the degenerative effect of subacute ethanol treatment on the endothelial cells of corpus cavernosum was investigated in mice. In the cavernous strips contracted with phenylephrine, electrical field Stimulation (EFS), acetylcholine and exogenous nitric oxide (NO) induced relaxations in the control group. Ethanol treatment abolished the endothelium-dependent relaxations induced by acetylcholine but failed to alter the relaxation to EFS and NO. L-nitroarginine, a NO synthase inhibitor, reduced relaxations induced by EFS and acetylcholine, but not those induced by NO in control and ethanol-treated mice. L-arginine prevented the response inhibited by L-nitroarginine. ODQ, a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, inhibited relaxations in response to EFS, NO and acetylcholine in control and ethanol-treated mice, Corpus cavernosum tissues were investigated using electron microscopy and endothelial damage was observed in ethanol-treated mice. These results suggest that ethanol impairs the endothelial function of corpus cavernosum, in mouse, and it may lead to erectile dysfunction through a reduced NO release via endothelial impairment.Cukurova University Research FoundationCukurova University [TF.2005YLS]This work was supported by the Cukurova University Research Foundation (TF.2005YLS)

Organochlorine Pesticide Level in Breast Milk

WOS: 000276284400015Objective: Mother's milk is the primary nutrition source for healthy development and growth of infants. Nutrients are transmitted to the infant through the breast milk along with other substances. The objective of this study was to determine the level of certain organochlorine pesticides (OCP's) in the milk of the mothers who have recently given birth and residing in Adana. Material and Methods: Between July and September 2006, milk was taken from 59 mothers who are within 1 to 30 postpartum clays. These samples were analyzed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (El) and gas chromatography (ECD) in the Toxicology Laboratory of the Department of Forensic Medicine. The collected data were evaluated by the SPSS 10 statistical program. Results: Out of these 59 women included in the study, mean age was 26.8 +/- 5.9. In 62.7% (37 samples) of the milk samples, OCP's were determined. There was no statistically significant relation between OCP positivity and residential place, profession, education level, agricultural activity and age groups. In the milk of 59 mothers, 13 types of OCP's were found. The most frequently observed types were alpha hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) with 14 women, dichlorophenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) in 9 women, alpha-Chlordane in 8 women, gamma hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH) in 7 women, beta hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) in 6 women. Conclusion: The finding that OCP was found in breast milk in 62.7% of the women included in the study, is very important from the perspective of public health. Our result that the OPC existence does not differ with age, profession and place of residency, shows that the whole population is under the risk. More comprehensive studies should be undertaken in this subject

Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in amniotic fluids of pregnant women in south-central Turkey

WOS: 000326309900008The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in amniotic fluid of 200 pregnant women from the Cukurova region of Turkey. The concentrations of OCPs [hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (p,p-DDT), and various metabolites], and different PCB congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection as follows: HCB 6.6 +/- 4.7, sigma HCH 21.6 +/- 14.2, sigma DDT 12.5 +/- 7.5, and sigma PCBs 74.0 +/- 54ng mL(-1). Correlations of maternal or gestational age and levels of OCPs and PCBs were not significant. The levels of these organochlorine compounds (OCs) were below detection limit for 5% of the samples, 80% contained more than one OC. This study illustrates that prenatal exposure of a fetus to OCs is prevalent in the Cukurova region.Cukurova University Research FoundationCukurova University [TF2011BAP6]Cukurova University Research Foundation provided the financial support for this work (Grant no: TF2011BAP6)