Can GABAkines Quiet the Noise? The GABA < sub > A < /sub > Receptor Neurobiology and Pharmacology of Tinnitus
Biochem Pharmacol. 2022 Apr 30:115067. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115067. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTinnitus is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder in which sound is perceived in the absence of an external auditory energy source. The disorder is complex and can arise from multiple etiologies. Co-morbid symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep loss are prevalent. There are no approved medications and the treatments that have been studied produce marginal improvements in symptoms. A major hypothesis of the etiology and maintenance of tinnitus is that inhibitory input mechanisms become compromised where impairedγ-am...
Source: Biochemical Pharmacology - May 3, 2022 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Jeffrey M Witkin Arnold Lippa Jodi L Smith James M Cook Rok Cerne Source Type: research
Interpretation of the Urine Drug Screen
Dr. Cunningham
Case A 40-year-old male with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain presents with somnolence and a respiratory rate of 10 breaths per minute that responded to naloxone in the field. The patient’s outpatient prescriptions include sertraline, prazosin, and as-needed hydrocodone. The urine drug screen (UDS) is positive for opiates and benzodiazepines.
Dr. Gillespie
Brief overview Although UDS is commonly ordered and easy to perform, interpretation isn’t straightforward and misinterpretation is common.1 Toxicology literature cites significant limitations to the UDS, both diagnostic...
Source: The Hospitalist - May 2, 2022 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Addiction Medicine Diagnostic Interpreting Diagnostic Tests Source Type: research
Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes After Exposure to Alprazolam in Pregnancy
Alprazolam is a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine for anxiety or panic disorder, even in pregnant women. Information on the safety of alprazolam during pregnancy is insufficient. We aimed to evaluate pregnancy and neonatal outcomes after exposure to alprazolam during pregnancy. A prospective study was conducted on 725 pregnancies from January 2000 to December 2019. Participants were recruited through the Korean Mother-Safe Program, a service providing information on drug-induced teratogenic risk during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Exposed (N = 96) and non-exposed (N = 629) women to alprazolam during pregnancy were selecte...
Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology - April 25, 2022 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research
Portable Raman spectroscopy applied to the study of drugs of abuse
J Forensic Sci. 2022 Apr 16. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15011. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe use of drugs of abuse has grown significantly in recent decades. In forensic chemistry, methods of identifying and characterizing illicit drugs contribute to the interests of researchers, experts, and public security authorities. Among existing methods, portable Raman spectroscopy is notable for performing rapid, non-destructive, and highly selective analysis in the laboratory or on-site. When the resulting spectral data are paired with chemometric tools, methods of exploratory analysis and multivariate calibration can be developed...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - April 17, 2022 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Layla P Santos Marcia H C Nascimento Iago H A S Barros Nayara A Santos Valdemar Lacerda Paulo R Filgueiras Wanderson Rom ão Source Type: research
Portable Raman spectroscopy applied to the study of drugs of abuse
J Forensic Sci. 2022 Apr 16. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15011. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe use of drugs of abuse has grown significantly in recent decades. In forensic chemistry, methods of identifying and characterizing illicit drugs contribute to the interests of researchers, experts, and public security authorities. Among existing methods, portable Raman spectroscopy is notable for performing rapid, non-destructive, and highly selective analysis in the laboratory or on-site. When the resulting spectral data are paired with chemometric tools, methods of exploratory analysis and multivariate calibration can be developed...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - April 17, 2022 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Layla P Santos Marcia H C Nascimento Iago H A S Barros Nayara A Santos Valdemar Lacerda Paulo R Filgueiras Wanderson Rom ão Source Type: research
Portable Raman spectroscopy applied to the study of drugs of abuse
J Forensic Sci. 2022 Apr 16. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15011. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe use of drugs of abuse has grown significantly in recent decades. In forensic chemistry, methods of identifying and characterizing illicit drugs contribute to the interests of researchers, experts, and public security authorities. Among existing methods, portable Raman spectroscopy is notable for performing rapid, non-destructive, and highly selective analysis in the laboratory or on-site. When the resulting spectral data are paired with chemometric tools, methods of exploratory analysis and multivariate calibration can be developed...
Source: Journal of Forensic Sciences - April 17, 2022 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Layla P Santos Marcia H C Nascimento Iago H A S Barros Nayara A Santos Valdemar Lacerda Paulo R Filgueiras Wanderson Rom ão Source Type: research
Asthma Therapies on Pulmonary Tuberculosis Pneumonia in Predominant Bronchiectasis –Asthma Combination
Conclusion: The current use of LAMAs/SAMAs is relatively safe with respect to PTB or pneumonia risks, but LABAs/SABAs, steroids, and BZDs could be used after evaluation of the benefit for the BCAS cohort. However, we must take the possible protopathic bias into account. (Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology)
Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology - March 30, 2022 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research
Differential effects of the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) ligand etifoxine and the benzodiazepine alprazolam on startle response to predictable threat in a NPU-threat task after acute and short-term treatment
ConclusionsNone of the anxiolytic substances had an impact on startle potentiation to U-threat even after several days of intake. The effects of the anxiolytics on startle responsivity to P-threat as well as implications for future studies are discussed. (Source: Psychopharmacology)
Source: Psychopharmacology - March 12, 2022 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Challenges of Diagnosing and Managing Designer Benzodiazepine Dependence and Withdrawal: A Case Report
Discussion:
Despite the increasing prevalence of DBZD use, the usage of DBZDs is likely under-recognized because these compounds are generally not included on standard in-office urine drug immunoassay tests. Initial studies suggest that DBZDs have high potencies, shorter half-lives, are more addictive, and can result in more severe withdrawal symptoms compared to known benzodiazepines. However, there remains a lack of information about the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DBZDs, making clinical management for DBZD related sedative-hypnotic use disorders challenging to treat. (Source: Journal of Addiction Medicine)
Source: Journal of Addiction Medicine - March 1, 2022 Category: Addiction Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research
Outpatient Treatment of Chronic Designer Benzodiazepine Use: A Case Report
We describe the difficulty in detecting these substances and the development of a use disorder including adverse outcomes such as seizures when stopped. The evidence for management is anecdotal.
Case:
We describe the case of a male of approximately 25 years of age with alcohol and sedative-hypnotic use disorder related to illicit “Xanax bars,” whose point of care urinalysis did not identify benzodiazepines and whose broad-spectrum urinalysis identified the presence of flualprazolam, a novel designer benzodiazepine. He suffered a subacute withdrawal seizure and responded to treatment with loading doses of diaze...
Source: Journal of Addiction Medicine - March 1, 2022 Category: Addiction Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research
Rationalizing the Binding and α Subtype Selectivity of Synthesized Imidazodiazepines and Benzodiazepines at GABAA Receptors by Using Molecular Docking Studies
Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2022 Feb 23:128637. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128637. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe pharmacological actions exerted by benzodiazepines are dependent on the discrete α protein subunits of the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAA R). Recent developments via a cryo-EM structure of the α1β3γ2L GABAA R ion channel provide crucial insights into ligand efficacy and binding affinity at this subtype. We investigated the molecular interactions of diazepam and alprazolam bound GABAA R structures (6HUP and 6HUO) to determine key binding interaction domains. A halogen bond between the chlorine atoms ...
Source: Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters - February 26, 2022 Category: Chemistry Authors: Lalit K Golani Md Yeunus Mian Taukir Ahmed Kamal P Pandey Prithu Mondal Dishary Sharmin Sepideh Rezvanian Jeffrey M Witkin James M Cook Source Type: research
Clonidine Use for the Treatment of Nightmares in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
CONCLUSION: Our patient's nightmare symptoms had been controlled for years after beginning clonidine as an outpatient, but off clonidine, she had a return of her nightmare symptoms. Her nightmares again resolved once clonidine was resumed. Given this pattern in the patient's response to clonidine, this case may serve as additional evidence in the literature that clonidine has a role in treating nightmares in PTSD. Current proposed mechanisms of action for clonidine's ability to control nightmare symptoms in PTSD include that clonidine may alter the proportions of REM and non-REM sleep in a dose-dependent manner or that clo...
Source: Case Reports in Psychiatry - January 27, 2022 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jill S Bange Kelly E Melvin Source Type: research
