The concise guide to pharmacology 2019/20: Ion channels

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20 is the fourth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews of the key properties of nearly 1800 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide represents approximately 400 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point‐in‐time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.14749. Ion channels are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: G protein‐coupled receptors, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid‐2019, and supersedes data presented in the 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC‐IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate

Sex differences in the pharmacological activity of venom from the white-tailed spider (Lampona cylindrata)

This study compared the pharmacological activity of venom from male and female white-tailed spiders (L. cylindrata). In guinea-pig ileum, male L. cylindrata venom (1-10 mu g/ml) caused dose-dependent contractions. The response to venom (5 mu g/ml) was significantly inhibited by mepyramine (0.5 mu M). Venom (550 mu g/ml) from female L. cylindrata had no contractile activity in this tissue. However, female L. cylindrata venom (50 mu g/ml) inhibited electrically-evoked twitches of guinea-pig ileum. This inhibitory effect was attenuated by 8-phenyltheophylline (10 mu M) or by prior exposure of venom to adenosine deaminase. In the rat vas deferens, male (5 mu g/ml) and female (50 mu g/ml) L. cylindrata venom inhibited electrically-evoked twitches. 8-Phenyltheophylline (20 mu M) significantly attenuated the response to female L. cylindrata venom, while the histamine H-2- and H-3-receptor antagonists ranitidine (10 mu M) and thioperamide (0.2 mu M) significantly attenuated the response to male L. cylindrata venom. Male L. cylindrata venom (5-20 mu g/ml) caused dose-dependent contractions in the epididymal segment of the rat vas deferens. The response to male L. cylindrata venom (10 mu g/ml) was significantly inhibited by prazosin (0.3 mu M) but was unaffected by depleting monoamine stores with reserpine. Male L. cylindrata venom (5-15 mu g/ml) caused dose-dependent increases in rate and force of rat atria which were significantly inhibited by propranolol (5 mu M) but not by reserpine. Female L. cylindrata venom (50 mu g/ml) had no effect in atria. In the anaesthetised (pentobarbitone, 100 mg/kg, i.p.) rat, male L. cylindrata venom (10-300 mu g/kg, i.v.) caused dose-dependent depressor responses while venom (up to 1 mg/kg, i.v.) from female L. cylindrata had no effect on arterial pressure. A histamine content of 5 and 0.01% (dry weight) was detected in venom from male and female L. cylindrata, respectively. Venom from male L. cylindrata was found to contain 56 pg noradrenaline/mu g whereas venom from the female contained negligible noradrenaline. The results of this study show the presence of histamine and noradrenaline in venom from male L. cylindrata. Although devoid of significant quantities of these amines, female L. cylindrata venom has activity at adenosine receptors. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

The Effects of State Psychiatric Hospital Waitlist Policies on Length of Stay and Time to Readmission

This study examined the effects of a waitlist policy for state psychiatric hospitals on length of stay and time to readmission using data from North Carolina for 2004–2010. Cox proportional hazards models tested the hypothesis that patients were discharged “quicker-but-sicker” post-waitlist, as hospitals struggled to manage admission delays and quickly admit waitlisted patients. Results refute this hypothesis, indicating that waitlists were associated with increased length of stay and time to readmission. Further research is needed to evaluate patients’ clinical outcomes directly and to examine the impact of state hospital waitlists in other areas, such as state hospital case mix, local emergency departments, and outpatient mental health agencies