Search results for "Narcotic"
showing 10 items of 106 documents
The future: critical knowledge about anti-itch therapy.
2005
: Itch is an extremely frequent and enervating symptom of many diseases. Current anti-itch therapy, which is based almost exclusively on an “immunocentric” viewpoint, is often unsatisfactory. Recent studies show that this symptom is in fact the result of a complex interplay among skin, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. This explains the frequent failure of therapeutic strategies focused only on a single factor and suggests the usefulness of a polypharmacologic symptomatic treatment, designed on a case-by-case basis as a result of a multidisciplinary approach. We discuss the perspectives of anti-itch therapy in light of the new pathogenetic and pharmacologic acquisitions.
Experiences of a Poison Center Network with Renal Insufficiency in Acetaminophen Overdose: An Analysis of 17 Cases
2005
Renal insufficiency is less common than liver failure in acetaminophen overdose but renal tubular damage occurs even in the absence of hepatotoxicity. Data published on this topic are rare consisting mostly of case reports or reports in a small number of patients. Presently, a larger number of patients with renal insufficiency associated with acetaminophen overdose should be analyzed using a multicenter approach.Retrospective analysis of patients with acetaminophen-related nephrotoxicity reported to a poison center network from 1995 to 2003. Renal insufficiency was defined as elevated serum creatinine of more than double of the normal range (2.4 mg/dL [212 micromol/L]). Patients were classi…
The use of pilocarpine in opioid-induced xerostomia
2001
Oral dryness can be a symptom of asystemic disease, an adverse effect of anticholin-ergic, antiadrenergic or cytotoxic drug treatment, orit can be due to local radiotherapy. Opioid use isstrongly associated with xerostomia, although themechanism for this remains unclear; in one studypatients receiving morphine were four times morelikely to have a dry mouth than patients taking otherdrugs known to cause xerostomia.
Memantine presents different effects from MK-801 in motivational and physical signs of morphine withdrawal
2003
Adaptive changes in neural systems due to chronic opiate exposure are related to the neural plasticity phenomenon, NMDA receptors being implicated in these processes, e.g. tolerance, dependence or withdrawal. In this work, we investigated the effect of two non-competitive NMDA antagonists, memantine and MK-801, in motivational (Conditioned Place Aversion paradigm, CPA) and physical aspects of morphine withdrawal. After the induction of morphine dependence, animals in which the CPA was studied, received memantine (5 and 10 mg/kg) or MK-801 (0.3-0.006 mg/kg) either during the acquisition (conditioning) or expression (test) phase of this procedure. Both drugs were capable of inhibiting conditi…
Effects of preemptive analgesia with intravenous acetaminophen on postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a prospective…
2020
Background The efficacy of preemptive analgesia in managing postoperative pain remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen administered before or immediately after the surgical extraction of an impacted mandibular third molar. Material and Methods This prospective randomized clinical trial included 120 patients. The patients were assigned to one of three groups: the preoperative-treatment group (pre-group), which received 1000 mg of IV acetaminophen 20 min before surgery; the postoperative-treatment group (post-group), which received 1000 mg of IV acetaminophen after surgery; the no-treatment group (control-group), which did not…
Sensitivity of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to the opiate antagonists naltrexone and naloxone: receptor blockade and up-regulation
2003
In HEK293 cells stably expressing alpha4beta2 nAChRs, naltrexone, but not naloxone, blocked alpha4beta2 nAChRs via an open-channel blocking mechanism. In primary hippocampal cultures, naltrexone inhibited alpha7 nAChRs up-regulated by nicotine, and in organotypic hippocampal cultures naltrexone caused a time-dependent up-regulation of functional alpha7 nAChRs that was detected after removal of the drug. These results indicate that naltrexone could be used as a smoking cessation aid.
A satisfaction survey of opioid-dependent clients at methadone treatment centres in Spain
2002
A survey was carried out to evaluate the satisfaction with methadone treatment centres of methadone-maintained opioid-dependent patients from Spain. Independent interviewers asked 505 consecutively arriving clients from 20 randomly selected centres (14 conventional centres, two bus units, and four prisons) to participate; 370 (73.3%) clients agreed to fill out the questionnaire, and 351 (69.5%) completed it. Satisfaction was assessed using the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale for methadone treatment (VSSS-MT). The prison sub-sample (n=43) was excluded from overall analysis because survey acceptance and satisfaction was very different in prisons than in the other centres. Mean overall satis…
Environment associated with morphine and experience of aggression modulate behaviors of postdependent mice
2002
Contexts associated with drug use can acquire secondary reinforcing properties. Furthermore, context-specific withdrawal has been observed to reflect a relatively long-lasting learned response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the environment paired with morphine after 15 days of abstinence. In the first experiment, isolated male mice received saline or morphine either in their home cage or in the distinctive environment, performing two agonistic encounters in the distinctive environment during spontaneous withdrawal. Similar groups were assigned but without aggression encounters during withdrawal. In the second experiment, animals received saline or morphine as previousl…
A Case of Cardiomyopathy Due to Premature Ductus Arteriosus Closure: The Flip Side of Paracetamol.
2017
Paracetamol (acetaminophen or N-acetyl-p-aminophenol) is considered a safe analgesic and antipyretic nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug commonly used during pediatric ages and during pregnancy. We report on a term neonate with closed ductus arteriosus, severe cardiomyopathy, right ventricular dysfunction, and functional stenosis of pulmonary arteries at birth after maternal self-medication with paracetamol and consumption of polyphenol-rich foods in late pregnancy. This drug, especially when associated with other vasoconstrictors (such as polyphenols), interferes with prostaglandin metabolism, which seriously accentuates the intrauterine ductus arteriosus constriction and leads to pharmacol…
Red Ear Syndrome
2016
The Red Ear syndrome (RES) is an intriguing syndrome originally described for the first time nearly 20 years ago. RES is characterized by unilateral/bilateral episodes of pain and burning sensation of the ear, associated with ipsilateral erythema. RES episodes are indeed isolated in some patients, but they can occur in association with primary headaches, including in particular migraine in the developmental age. Although the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are still uncertain, in the recent years the described comorbidities have aroused increasing interest because of possible clinical implications. Moreover, RES seems to be more often associated with clinical features of migraine p…