Smoking Cessation Counseling Program: A Pilot Study on College Smokers

Smoking is one of the major problems of public health in Indonesia, but the effort from the government, especially in the light of health-related aspect, for smoking cessation program is still lacking. Pharmacists have a role in facilitating smoking cessation intervention through counseling and pharmacotherapy. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether counseling can reduce the number of the cigarette smoked and nicotine dependence (based on Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score), also improve the quality of life (based on Smoking Cessation Quality of Life (SCQOL)) on college smokers. There were 12 pharmacy students trained as counselors using Rx for Change training module. After the training, there weresignificant increases in counseling skills and confidence aspects (p<0.01), but not in the perceived-role. From 188 respondents who are a current cigarette smoker, 17 agreed to participate and finished all four counseling sessions (30 days point-prevalence). By the end of the program, 3 (17.65%) had abstinence, 11 (64.70%) reduced their smoking consumption per day by ≥ 50%, while three others (17.65%) relapsed. Counseling had a positive impact on reducing nicotine dependence based on FTND score improvement (p<0.01), but not on the quality of life. Counseling as a method to reduce smoking is considered effective and applicable to be adapted by pharmacy students and pharmacists. For long-term cessation and its impact, participants’ progress should befollowed-up at longer point-prevalence and verified biochemically to prevent bias. Keywords: counseling, pharmacy students, smoking cessation, nicotine dependence, quality of lif

Studi Efek Teratogenik Ekstrak Buah Mengkudu (Morinda Citrifolia) Pada Tikus Wistar Putih

Pengembangan sediaan fitofarmaka yang berasal dari bahan alam, khususnya tanaman telah banyak dilakukan. Pemakaian luas sediaan fitofarmaka tidak menutup kemungkinan akan penggunaannya oleh wanita hamil. Oleh karenanya perlu dilakukan uji efek teratogenik yang akan memeriksa kemungkinan kelainan morfologik pada fetus. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan uji efek teratogenik ekstrak buah mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia), salah satu tanaman yang banyak digunakan oleh masyarakat dan berasal dari suatu sediaan kapsul ekstrak buah mengkudu pada tikus Wistar. Suspensi ekstrak (dalam pembawa tragakan 2%) pada dosis 27, 500, dan 1000 mg/kg bobot badan diberikan secara oral pada hari ke 8,9 dan 10 kehamilan. Pada hari ke-19 kehamilan, tikus dibedah untuk pengambilan fetus. Pemeriksaan terhadap jaringan lunak maupun kerangka fetus tidak menunjukkan adanya kelainan morfologik akibat pemberian ekstrak buah mengkudu. Hasil ini mengindikasikan bahwa ekstrak buah mengkudu aman untuk digunakan oleh wanita hamil

Food-associated cues alter forebrain functional connectivity as assessed with immediate early gene and proenkephalin expression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cues predictive of food availability are powerful modulators of appetite as well as food-seeking and ingestive behaviors. The neurobiological underpinnings of these conditioned responses are not well understood. Monitoring regional immediate early gene expression is a method used to assess alterations in neuronal metabolism resulting from upstream intracellular and extracellular signaling. Furthermore, assessing the expression of multiple immediate early genes offers a window onto the possible sequelae of exposure to food cues, since the function of each gene differs. We used immediate early gene and proenkephalin expression as a means of assessing food cue-elicited regional activation and alterations in functional connectivity within the forebrain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Contextual cues associated with palatable food elicited conditioned motor activation and corticosterone release in rats. This motivational state was associated with increased transcription of the activity-regulated genes <it>homer1a</it>, <it>arc</it>, <it>zif268</it>, <it>ngfi-b </it>and c-<it>fos </it>in corticolimbic, thalamic and hypothalamic areas and of proenkephalin within striatal regions. Furthermore, the functional connectivity elicited by food cues, as assessed by an inter-regional multigene-expression correlation method, differed substantially from that elicited by neutral cues. Specifically, food cues increased cortical engagement of the striatum, and within the nucleus accumbens, shifted correlations away from the shell towards the core. Exposure to the food-associated context also induced correlated gene expression between corticostriatal networks and the basolateral amygdala, an area critical for learning and responding to the incentive value of sensory stimuli. This increased corticostriatal-amygdalar functional connectivity was absent in the control group exposed to innocuous cues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results implicate correlated activity between the cortex and the striatum, especially the nucleus accumbens core and the basolateral amygdala, in the generation of a conditioned motivated state that may promote excessive food intake. The upregulation of a number of genes in unique patterns within corticostriatal, thalamic, and hypothalamic networks suggests that food cues are capable of powerfully altering neuronal processing in areas mediating the integration of emotion, cognition, arousal, and the regulation of energy balance. As many of these genes play a role in plasticity, their upregulation within these circuits may also indicate the neuroanatomic and transcriptional correlates of extinction learning.</p

Evaluation of Adverse Effects of Mutein Forms of Recombinant Human Interferon Alpha-2b in Female Swiss Webster Mice

Purpose. We successfully developed recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (rhIFN-α2b) and mutein forms through the site-directed mutagenesis technique. The mutein forms were developed by substituting cysteins at positions 2 and 99 with aspartic acids. The potential adverse effects of these rhIFN-α2bs were assessed by acute and subchronic studies. Methods. In the acute study, rhIFN-α2bs were subcutaneously administered to mice at a single dose of 97.5 μg/kg, 975 μg/kg, and 9.75 mg/kg BW and were observed for 14 days. In the subchronic study, single dose of 1.95 μg/kg and 19.5 μg/kg, respectively, was given subcutaneously every 3 days for 45 days. Results. No death as well as abnormality in body weight, behavior, presentation of main organs, and value of plasma SGPT and SGOT was observed. Wild type and mutein rhIFN-α2bs did not show significant adverse effects at dose up to 9.75 mg/kg BW. Administration of these rhIFN-α2bs given repeatedly did not induce any adverse effect. Conclusion. These results suggest that our rhIFN-α2bs are safe. However, further study is still needed to clarify the safety issue before use in clinical trial

Suppression of methamphetamine-seeking behavior by nicotinic agonists

To understand the mechanism of methamphetamine (MAP) craving from the viewpoint of nicotinic acetylcholinergic transmission, we examined the responsible site of the brain for anticraving effects produced by nicotinic agonists by using a MAP self-administration paradigm in rats. Systemic nicotine and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil, attenuated the reinstatement of MAP-seeking behavior by means of the activation of nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors, but not muscarinic acetylcholinergic receptors, in the nucleus accumbens core, prelimbic cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. Among these regions, with the exception of the hippocampus, we also found functional differences in this reinstatement. The nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine alone did not reinstate MAP-seeking behavior. These results suggest that the inactivation of nicotinic acetylcholinergic transmission may be an essential factor in the appearance of MAP-seeking behavior, and, thus, the normalization of the inactivated state may result in the suppression of the reinstatement. Our findings also indicate that there are functional differences in the responsible brain subregions. Extending this view to the treatment of MAP dependence, our results suggest that activators of nicotinic acetylcholinergic transmission are possible anticraving agents