Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Volume:4 Issue: 4, Autumn 2008

The goal of this study is to identify the types of potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed by the medical specialists of Isfahan province to elderly patients. A number of 31,254 randomly selected prescriptions from medical specialists of Isfahan province were reviewed for elderly patients who were insured by the Social Security Organization. Three thousand and seven prescriptions were identified and Beers' Criteria was applied to figure out the type of inappropriate medications. The study concluded 49% males and 51% females. Sixty one percent of patients were 65-74 years old and 39% older than 74 years old. Of all the prescriptions reviewed, 24.4% contained inappropriate medications. The ten most common medications detected in the prescriptions were: Naproxen (18.4%), fluoxetine (8.3%), clidinium C (7.2%), indomethacin (7.2%), chlordiazepoxide (5.8%), doxepin (4.76%), dipyridamole (4.4%), amitriptyline (4.27%), methocarbamol (4.15%) and piroxicam (3.88%). The results are comparable to what has been reported in the literature. This is also in accordance with the national drug consumption as NSAIDs are heavily used throughout Iran. Due to the extent of inappropriateness of medicine use in the elderly population, we need to define a strategy to curtail this problem including educational classes for physicians and launching national geriatrics residency programs.

Osteoporosis is a silent epidemy of today's world, and is also a prevalent problem of health in Iran. The role of nutrients such as ascorbic acid, a key antioxidant vitamin, in this disease has recently attracted researchers' attention. In this study, we studied the relation between plasma ascorbic acid concentration and bone mineral density (BMD) in women referring to Jami clinic, Tehran, Iran. The study was performed in 200 participants who underwent a fasting blood withdrawal. The control group (n=76; 39.6%) were normal in both lumbar spine (L1-L4) and femoral neck (T-score -1). Femur T-score was considered as criterion in selection of the patient group. Seventy six subjects (39.6%) with T-score>-1 were known as total patient group (TP). TP were divided into mild patients (M; -1>T-score -1.7), and severe patients (S; -1.7>T-score). Plasma ascorbic acid levels were analyzed by ferric reducing ascorbic acid concentration, a spectrophotometric assay. Mean SD plasma level of ascorbic acid was 74.55±67.60 mM in control group, 54.73±46.65 M in TP (T- scoreT-score > -1.7), resectively. Our results support an association between plasma levels of ascorbic acid and BMD. The results showed that: 1) plasma levels of ascorbic acid were lower in patients with osteoporosis than in control; 2) the difference was higher between control and group S (T-score -1.7) who had more acute disease than group M (-1.7<T-score <-1) who had milder disease; and finally 3) femoral neck T-score showed a positive and significant correlation with plasma levels of ascorbic acid in all participants.

Long-term exposure to opiates induces physical dependence and tolerance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of dextromethorphan and midazolam and their combination on morphine tolerance and dependence in mice. Different groups of mice were rendered randomly and received morphine (50 mg/kg, sc), morphine (50 mg/kg, sc) + dextromethorphan (25,50 or 75 mg/kg, ip), morphine (50 mg/kg, sc) + midazolam (0.5, 1, 2 mg/kg, ip), morphine (50 mg/kg, sc) + dextromethorphan (25 mg/kg, ip) + midazolam (0.5 mg/kg, ip) once a day for four days. Tolerance was assessed by administration of morphine (9 mg/kg, ip) on the fifth day. Withdrawal symptoms (markers for dependence) was assessed by administration of naloxone (4 mg/kg, ip) two hours after co-administration of morphine with either dextromethorphan or midazolam or their combination groups. Results showed that pretreatment with dextromethorphan or midazolam decreased the degree of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms significantly. Additionally, co-administration of dextromethorphan and midazolam before morphine administration decreased the tolerance and dependence but it was not significant. From these results, it may be concluded that dextromethorphan and midazolam alone or in combination could prevent the development of tolerance and dependence to the analgesic effects of morphine. These effects can be related to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist behavior of dextromethorphan and GABA-receptor agonist behavior of midazolam.

Current therapies for breast cancer are often limited by short-term efficacy due to the emergence of drug resistance. There has been increased interest in the use of naturally occurring compounds with chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects in the treatment of cancers. Saffron, dry stigmas Crocus sativus L., used in Iran as a spice, is known for its anticancer properties. In this study, the cytotoxic and apoptogenic effects of saffron in MCF-7 cells as an in vitro model for breast cancer study were investigated. Meanwhile role of caspases were studied in its toxicity. MCF-7 and L929 cell lines were cultured in DMEM medium and incubated with different concentrations of saffron extract (100 to 2000 μg/ml). Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Apoptotic cells were determined using PI staining of DNA fragmentation by flow cytometry (sub-G1 peak). Role of caspase were studied using the pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk. Saffron extract decreased cell viability in MCF-7 cells as a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Doses of saffron inhibited 50% cell growth (IC50) against MCF-7 was 400 μg/ml after 48 h of incubation. Saffron could induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells in which apoptosis was dependent on caspase activation. It might be concluded that saffron could cause MCF-7 cell death, in which apoptosis or programmed cell death play an important role. Saffron could be also considered as a promising chemotherapeutic agent in breast cancer treatment.

In the present study, four carbon sources were tested for the polyester synthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 which is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium and is one of the top three causes of opportunistic human infections. These included linear C8 to C11 carboxylic acids. Octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid and undecanoic acid were added to M1 minimal medium to final concentrations of 60, 40, 30 and 20 mM, respectively. When P. aeruginosa was cultivated in M1 minimal medium with decanoate and nonanoate as the sole carbon sources, polyhydroxyalka-noate (PHA) was achieved up to 55.75% (w/w) and 24.53% (w/w), respectively. The maximum PHA yield at 30 ºC was obtained when decanoic acid was used as sole carbon source. Use of nonanoic acid as carbon source was resulted in a minimum PHA yield at 30 ºC. An increase in the cultivation temperature from 30 ºC to 37 ºC resulted in decrease of PHA content and cell dried weight as well. Based on the type of carbon source different monomers at the level higher than 1 mol% to 62 mol% were detected which included 3-hydroxyoheptanoic acid (C7), 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid (C8), 3-hydroxynonanoic acid (C9), 3-hydroxydecanoic acid (C10), and 3-hydroxyundecanoic acid (C11).

In this research, hydrogels based on poly vinyl alcohol and poly acrylic acid blend were prepared which were cross-linked by applied thermal conditions. Afterward, effects of time and heating on water uptake were investigated. The highest water uptake value exhibited by the sample that was heated for 20 min. at 110 ºC was about 2129% after 4 days at equilibrium state. Hydrogels exhibited pH-sensitive behaviors in a way that decreasing pH values down to 4.8 did not have any effect on the hydrogels size, whereas with increasing pH upto 8, the hydrogels were expanded. These synthetic hydrogels were evaluated as a controlled drug delivery systems and theophylline released concentration was measured by UV-spectrophotometeric method at different pH values. In vitro biocompatibility experiments were undertaken using L-929 mouse fibroblast cell lines where the results showed appropriate cell attachment and cell spreading with spindle like morphologies.

In order to prepare polyurethane elastomers with acceptable physical properties and good biocompatibility, novel polyurethane networks were synthesized via curing reaction of epoxy-terminated polyurethane prepolymers (EUPs) with hexamethylene diamine. EUPs were prepared from reaction of glycidol with NCO-terminated polyurethanes (ITPs). ITPs were also synthesized from reaction of one equivalent of either poly(tetramethylene ether)glycol or poly(ethylene glycol) with hexamethylene diisocyanate. Cytotoxcicity and blood compatibility were evaluated. All of the prepared polymers via this novel and simple method showed nontoxic behavior and acceptable blood compatibility.

From hexanic extract of aerial parts of Peucedanum ruthenicum M. Bieb (Apiaceae) collected from Mazandaran province of Iran, four triterpenoids namely taraxasterol, y-taraxasterol, poriferasterol and b-sitosterol have been isolated by column chromatography, thin layer chromatography, and crystallization. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, MS, 1H and 13C-NMR).