scholarly journals Pharmaceutical drugs and other substances with pharmacological activity in the environment: a threat to biodiversity?

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Exposure ◽  
Pharmacological Activity ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Human Origin ◽  
The Future ◽  
Other Substances

Drugs of human origin are now dispersed in all ecosystems, and non-target exposed biota are likely to be impacted in the future by a large number of substances with unpredictable consequences. One of the potential effects of drugs (and other substances with pharmacological activity) is the exertion of selective pressure, favouring an artificial process of selection, in which sensitive organisms may be favoured. We bring to discussion the consequences expected from chronic environmental exposure of biota to two major classes of chemicals that are nowadays released thoroughly into the environment: stimulants and neuroendocrine drugs.Conservation Science Vol.2(1) 2014: 12-16

FAILURE OF THE METHOD OF PARALLEL BIOASSAY TO IDENTIFY ACETYLCHOLINE IN MIXTURES OF SUBSTANCES WITH ACETYLCHOLINE-LIKE ACTIVITY

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Hosein ◽  
Teow Yan Koh
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Guinea Pig ◽  
Pharmacological Activity ◽  
Active Substance ◽  
Guinea Pig Ileum ◽  
Dorsal Muscle ◽  
Other Substances

The method of parallel bioassay used on the sensitized frog rectus, the dorsal muscle of the leech, the guinea pig ileum, and the cat's blood pressure has been studied to determine whether this method permits the identification of acetylcholine in mixtures of substances which possess acetylcholine-like activity. It was found that the method cannot identify acetylcholine in such mixtures, and in addition, the data obtained indicated that the method also failed to identify other substances with similar pharmacological activity, which were present in the mixtures. It was concluded that the method of parallel bioassay cannot be used to identify acetylcholine in extracts unless it is shown by other means that acetylcholine is the only active substance present in the material being assayed.

Prelinguistic evolution and motherese: A hypothesis on the neural substrates

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Aboitiz ◽  
Carolina G Schröter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
The Future ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Language Areas

In early hominins, there possibly was high selective pressure for the development of reciprocal mother and child vocalizations such as proposed by Falk. In this context, temporoparietal-prefrontal networks that participate in tasks such as working memory and imitation may have been strongly selected for. These networks may have become the precursors of the future language areas of the human brain.

scholarly journals Silver Resistance Genes Are Overrepresented among Escherichia coli Isolates with CTX-M Production

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (22) ◽  
pp. 6863-6869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Sütterlin ◽  
Petra Edquist ◽  
Linus Sandegren ◽  
Marlen Adler ◽  
Thomas Tängdén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Human Origin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Beta Lactamases ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases ◽  
M 14

ABSTRACTMembers of theEnterobacteriaceaewith extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) of the CTX-M type have disseminated rapidly in recent years and have become a threat to public health. In parallel with the CTX-M type expansion, the consumption and widespread use of silver-containing products has increased. To determine the carriage rates of silver resistance genes in differentEscherichia colipopulations, the presence of three silver resistance genes (silE,silP, andsilS) and genes encoding CTX-M-, TEM-, and SHV-type enzymes were explored inE. coliisolates of human (n= 105) and avian (n= 111) origin. The antibiotic profiles were also determined. Isolates harboring CTX-M genes were further characterized, and phenotypic silver resistance was examined. ThesilEgene was present in 13 of the isolates. All of them were of human origin. Eleven of these isolates harbored ESBLs of the CTX-M type (P= 0.007), and eight of them were typed as CTX-M-15 and three as CTX-M-14. None of thesilE-positive isolates was related to the O25b-ST131 clone, but 10 out of 13 belonged to the ST10 or ST58 complexes. Phenotypic silver resistance (silver nitrate MIC > 512 mg/liter) was observed after silver exposure in 12 of them, and a concomitant reduced susceptibility to piperacillin-tazobactam developed in three. In conclusion, 12% of the humanE. coliisolates but none of the avian isolates harbored silver resistance genes. This indicates another route for or level of silver exposure for humans than that caused by common environmental contamination. SincesilE-positive isolates were significantly more often found in CTX-M-positive isolates, it is possible that silver may exert a selective pressure on CTX-M-producingE. coliisolates.

Qualitative Review of Serotonin Syndrome, Ecstasy (MDMA) and the use of Other Serotonergic Substances: Hierarchy of Risk

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 649-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmund Silins ◽  
Jan Copeland ◽  
Paul Dillon
Keyword(s):  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Serotonin Syndrome ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Antidepressant Drugs ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
High Doses

Growth of the antidepressant market and widespread use of the illicit drug ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) creates a need to delineate the potential harms associated with the concomitant use of ecstasy and serotonergic pharmaceutical drugs. One such harm is serotonin syndrome. The study aimed to synthesize the risk of serotonin syndrome associated with the concomitant use of ecstasy and other serotonergic substances in a clinically relevant hierarchy for psychiatrists and other medical practitioners. An extensive online database search was carried out of the literature on serotonin syndrome, in relation to illicit drugs and simultaneous use of other substances. Numerous licit and illicit substances implicated in serotonin syndrome, when used with ecstasy, have potential for increased toxicity and are presented in a resulting hierarchy of risk. Substances that inhibit serotonin re-uptake are less likely to lead to life-threatening elevations in serotonin when used with ecstasy. High doses or repeated use of stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine with ecstasy increase the risk of serotonin syndrome; as does the use of pharmaceutical amphetamine and ecstasy. Serotonin precursors also influence the course of serotonin syndrome when used with ecstasy. Substances that inhibit monoamine oxidase are most likely to lead to serious increases in serotonin when used with ecstasy. Findings highlight the importance of screening for the use of ecstasy and other serotonergic substances when prescribing antidepressant drugs.

scholarly journals The Progression of Life: Before, Now, and In the Future; Here and Elsewhere

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Evolution Understanding ◽  
The Relationship

Evolution and abiogenesis are usually considered two different topics in biology. However, recent work on the relationship between thermodynamics and life, as well as complexity and evolution, suggest that these topics may all be intimately related. Leveraging novel research on thermodynamics and complexity theory, I attempt to show that thermodynamics seems to exert a universal selective pressure (entropic pressure). This pressure seems to exist on the atomic and molecular level, biological level, and even societal level, and results in a number of interesting consequences. There is still much work to do in order to increase our understanding of the relationship between thermodynamics, complexity theory, abiogenesis, and evolution. Understanding entropic pressure may allow for robust predictions about life in the past and the potential nature of life in the future, and help us better predict the nature and scarcity of life beyond this world.

scholarly journals Benzodiazepines: Drugs with Chemical Skeletons Suitable for the Preparation of Metallacycles with Potential Pharmacological Activity

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2796
Author(s):  
Artur V. da Silva ◽  
Simoni M. P. Meneghetti ◽  
Mario R. Meneghetti
Keyword(s):  
Metal Complexes ◽  
Pharmacological Activity ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Organometallic Compounds ◽  
Psychoactive Drugs ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
Benzodiazepine Drugs

The synthesis of organometallic compounds with potential pharmacological activity has attracted the attention of many research groups, aiming to take advantage of aspects that the presence of the metal-carbon bond can bring to the design of new pharmaceutical drugs. In this context, we have gathered studies reported in the literature in which psychoactive benzodiazepine drugs were used as ligands in the preparation of organometallic and metal complexes and provide details on some of their biological effects. We also highlight that most commonly known benzodiazepine-based drugs display molecular features that allow the preparation of metallacycles via C-H activation. These organometallic compounds merit further attention regarding their potential biological effects, not only in terms of psychoactive drugs but also in the search for drug replacements, for example, for cancer treatments.

Experiments on the Autoöxidation of Rubber and the Catalytic Phenomena Which Are Associated with It

1932 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-317
Author(s):  
Charles Dufraisse ◽  
Nicolas Drisch
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Future ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Industrial Use ◽  
Remarkable Progress ◽  
Made In

Abstract This first series of experiments was aimed to establish the value of the method of study which is described, and to indicate its applications. Furthermore, we were less interested in going deeply into the various problems considered than to show by the various examples the convenience and the precision of our method. There still remains the problem of determining the relation between autcöxidation observed in this way and true aging by ordinary methods. This will be a task for the future. However, as far as we have gone in this work, a satisfactory parallelism has often been found between our data and that already obtained by the usual methods. Although we have not made a detailed study of some of the results, we have been led to a certain number of concrete conclusions in the course of the study. Two of them are worthy of being mentioned. One concerns the variation of the action of every catalyst of autoöxidation, the other the future of methods of protection. Moureu and Dufraisse have already emphasized the sensitivity of autoöxidation catalysts to the slightest influences, and this is again confirmed in the case of rubber. Consequently, a catalyst, whatever may be its properties, should not be classified as a good antioxygen in general. It should receive this qualification only for precise conditions where its efficacy has been effectively controlled, because its influence is subject to variations which may extend as far as a change in the sign, oxidation then being accelerated instead of retarded. In regard to the future of the protection of rubber, it is easy to predict from what has been found for other oxidizable substances. Remarkable progress has already been made in the industrial use of antioxygens. Instead of continuing to evaluate them by certain units, the coefficient of protection should be calculated by powers of 10, as with so many other substances. In that case, rubber, at last really stabilized, would find vast markets opened up in which it cannot be used at present on account of its instability.

International determination of the total motion of the pole

1961 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 29-41
Author(s):  
Wm. Markowitz
Keyword(s):  
Secular Motion ◽  
The Future

A symposium on the future of the International Latitude Service (I. L. S.) is to be held in Helsinki in July 1960. My report for the symposium consists of two parts. Part I, denoded (Mk I) was published [1] earlier in 1960 under the title “Latitude and Longitude, and the Secular Motion of the Pole”. Part II is the present paper, denoded (Mk II).

Status of the Lick Proper Motion Program

1978 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 387-388
Author(s):  
A. R. Klemola
Keyword(s):  
Proper Motion ◽  
The Future

Second-epoch photographs have now been obtained for nearly 850 of the 1246 fields of the proper motion program with centers at declination -20° and northwards. For the sky at 0° and northward only 130 fields remain to be taken in the next year or two. The 270 southern fields with centers at -5° to -20° remain for the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document