ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF PROPOFOL ON SOMATIC AND VISCERAL PAIN IN SUBHYPNOTIC DOSES

In this study we examined the effect of propofol on somatic and visceral pain in mice. A thermal method (tail immersion) and a chemical method (acetic-acid-induced writhing) were used to determine the antinociceptive effect of propofol. First we determined the dose-response relationships of propofol with a preliminary study. Then propofol was administered according to the results of the preliminary experiment. We used the subhypnotic and nonsedative doses of propofol in the experiments. This dose was lower than 10 mg/kg for mice according to our findings, and ED50 sedation for propofol was 33 mg/kg. Propofol retarded tail withdrawal latencies and decreased writhing numbers of mice in a dose-dependent manner in dosages of 10 and 5 mg/kg (P 0.05). These results suggest that propofol has an antinociceptive effect on visceral as well as on somatic pain when given in subhypnotic doses

EPHEDRINE ENHANCES ANALGESIC EFFECT OF MORPHINE

Morphine-ephedrine interaction on analgesia was studied in mice (n = 240) and in post-operative patients (n = 32). It was found that combining morphine and ephedrine enhances analgesia which is not significantly different from the effect of morphine given alone at double dose

Interaction between venlafaxine and caffeine on antinociception in mice

This study was conducted in order to evaluate whether or not caffeine has any effect on venlafaxine antinociception in mice in acute application. Swiss albino mice, both male and female, were tested with hot plate analgesiameter set at 52.5 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The mice were divided into four groups receiving saline + saline, caffeine (5 mg/kg) + saline, saline + venlafaxine (70 mg/kg) and caffeine (5 mg/kg) + venlafaxine (70 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Each animal was tested on hot plate before treatment and 30, 45, 60 min after injections. Venlafaxine produced a significant antinociceptive effect at 30 and 45 min and the effect decreased at 60 min. Caffeine alone showed no significant antinociceptive effect at the applied dose however, it significantly antagonized the antinociceptive effect of venlafaxine at 30 min. As a result, caffeine inhibits the antinociceptive effect of venlafaxine in acute application in mice and this observation provides new evidence that the adenosinergic system may play a significant role in the mechanism of antinociceptive action of venlafaxine. This study raises the possibility that caffeine consumption might influence the effectiveness of venlafaxine in the treatment of pain in humans

HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF ZIZYPHUS-JUJUBA LEAVES

Zizyphus jujuba leaves have been widely used as a hypoglycaemic agent by diabetics in some regions of Turkey. In this study, the effects of Z. jujuba leaves on plasma glucose levels in normo- and hyperglycaemic rats were investigated. In addition, the chronic toxicity of Z. jujuba leaves was investigated in normoglycaemic rats

Risks for Hypertension Among Undiagnosed African American Mothers and Daughters

Abstract available at publisher's website.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2008.08.00