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

Effect of some antidepressants on glycaemia and insulin levels of normoglycaemic and alloxan-induced hyperglycaemic mice

Depression is an important problem among diabetic patients. We have investigated the effect of some antidepressant drugs on plasma glucose and insulin levels in normoglycaemic and alloxan-induced diabetic mice. For this purpose the effects of nortryptiline (as an example of a tricyclic antidepressant) and fluoxetine and sertraline (as examples of selective 5-HT re-uptake inhibitors) were examined on plasma glucose and insulin levels

SISTER-CHROMATID EXCHANGE INDUCING EFFECT OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO USING ON T-LYMPHOCYTE CHROMOSOMES

A kind of a smokeless tobacco (Maras powder) is widely used instead of cigarettes in the South Eastern region of Turkey. In this study we investigated the sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) inducing effect of this powder on the chromosomes of its users compared with smokers and nonsmokers using standard cell culture methods and SCE staining techniques. Average SCE per metaphase and total SCEs increased significantly among both smokeless tobacco users and smokers compared to nonsmokers (p < 0.01). However, the effect is significantly lower in smokeless tobacco users than in smokers (p < 0.05)

Do non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs induce sister chromatid exchanges in T lymphocytes?

The genetic toxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was investigated using the sister chromatid exchange technique in cultured human lymphocytes. A total of 48 patients were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, indomethacin, diclofenac or acetylsalicylic acid) for 2 weeks, The average numbers of sister chromatid exchanges in cultured lymphocytes from the patients, before and after treatment with these drugs, did not differ significantly (P > 0.05), These results indicate that treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for 2 weeks does not induce sister chromatid exchanges in T lymphocytes

Induction of micronuclei by smokeless tobacco on buccal mucosa cells of habitual users

Maras Powder is a kind of smokeless tobacco widely used in lieu of cigarettes in the South-Eastern region of Turkey, In this study, we have evaluated micronuclei in buccal mucosa cells of habitual Maras Powder users, Therefore, we divided our subjects into three groups-smokeless tobacco users, smokers and non-smokers/non-users. The mean percentage of micronucleated (MN) cells was significantly higher in non-smokers/non-users (P < 0.01), The mean percentage of MN cells was 1.86 +/- 0.26 in users and 1.99 +/- 0.30 in smokers, There was no difference between the mean percentage of MN cells in these two groups, In conclusion, the genotoxic effect of smokeless tobacco should be considered in addition to other known hazards