ANALYSIS OF INFORMATIVE AND PERSUASIVE CONTENT IN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY BROCHURES IN LIBYA

Objective: To examine the patterns of promoted drugs, the quality of information provided, the references cited, and the persuasive techniques used in pharmaceutical brochures in Libya.Method: Cross-sectional analysis of pharmaceutical brochures collected between August and November 2010 from doctors’ offices in three cities: Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha.Result: From 300 collected brochures, we took190 promotional materials for 132 promoted products. Antibiotics (n=52; 27%) made up the largest proportion. Cardiovascular products (n=39; 20.5%) came next, with antihypertensive agents (n=23) approximately six-tenths (58.9%) and statins (n=9) nearly a quarter (23%) of that class. Twenty seven products (14.2%) were gastrointestinal tract agents (GITs) and 10 of the GITs were proton pump inhibiters (PPIs). Over 90% of brochures provided the generic name, indications, dosage regimen and brief pharmacological effects of the drugs they advertised. However, information on contraindications, precautions, pregnancy and lactation, and adverse effects appeared in only 70.5% of advertisements. Drug Overdose information appeared in only 33% of brochures, and out of the 134 (70%) of brochures that cited references, only 28 (20.8%) of these brochures cited their references appropriately. Only four of the advertisements displayed the generic name as prominently as the brand name and most (n=136; 71.5%) used only the trade name in the prescribing information section. Graphical presentations, emotional texts and pictorial content appeared in 60%, 88.9%, and 96.3%of brochures respectively.Conclusion: Almost all brochures did not adhere to WHO ethical criteria for drug promotion and mostly relied on persuasive techniques .

A SELECTION OF TRANSGENIC ANIMAL MODELS USED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

The term transgenic animal refers to an animal whose genetic composition has been altered by an addition of foreign DNA. The introduced DNA is called a transgene and the overall process is called transgenic technology. These terms now include the use of living organisms or their parts to make or modify products, to change the characteristics of plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms forspecific uses that currently include several plants and a number of animal species. During the last two decades, transgenic animal model has been an essential mainstay tool in refining our understanding to gene regulation and function of both biological systems and human diseases. The aims of this review article are 1) to elaborate on how transgenic technology is being used to develop the next genera-tion of animal models and 2) to provide an update of the recent advances and a possible structure design for future studies. This review covers the most used animal models of some human disease and specifically discusses two studies conducted on a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) that reproduced specific features of the histopathology and neurobiology ofMultiple Sclerosis (MS). This report is presented with the hope to provide both educational and practical basis for the use of these informative animal models.

CHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF PERILLA FRUTESCENS SEED OIL

Perilla frutescens seeds contain saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids which include the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These seeds contain approximately 35-40% oil. The oil of Perilla frutescens contains ω-3 fatty acids (54-64%), ω-6 fatty acids (≈14%) and the ω-9 fatty acids (small amount). In comparing to other plant oils, Perilla oil contains one of the highest proportions of ω-3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fatty acids are the most beneficial to human health in prevention and control of various diseases like cardiovascular disorders, cancer, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis etc. This review article describes briefly the benefits and the medicinal uses of Perilla frutescens seeds.

ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE OLD AND CONTINUOUS CHALLENGE TO DRUG THERAPY AND DEVELOPMENT

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) represent a major health problem worldwide and constitute a big challengeto drug therapy and the drug development process. ADRs are responsible for 3% of total hospital admissions and occur in 10 to 20% of hospitalized patients. It has been estimated that ADRs account for at least 100,000 deaths annually in the United States alone ranking them as the fifth leading cause of death. According to the World Health Organization definition an ADR is a noxious and unintended response to a drug that occurs at a dose normally used in man for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy. This commonly used definition, however, excludes other drug therapy consequences such as drug abuse, accidental and inadvertent drug overdose and therapeutic failure. ADRs are classified into two main groups: Type A, which are predictable from the drugs’ normal pharmacological actions and are dose dependent and Type B, which are unpredictable, unrelated to the drugs’ pharmacology and do not have clear dose dependency. This is an overview of the currently used definitions and classifications of ADRs in clinical pharmacology and toxicology. Specific relevant examples are cited and some important points are discussed in the light of current knowledge. A special emphasis is made on the importance of ADRs in clinical drug therapy and drug development, which are the areas where ADRs play the most significant role.

COMPARATIVE EFFECT OF FLAXSEED OIL AND FISH OIL IN ACETIC ACID- INDUCED COLITIS IN RATS

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible protective effect of flaxseed oil and to compare this effect with fish oil in experimental ulcerative colitis (UC).Methods: Rats were equally divided into five groups of six animals each. Sham control group (corn oil, 1 ml), acetic acid group (normal saline, 1 ml), flaxseed oil group (FSO, 1 ml), fish oil group (FO, 1 ml) and mesalamine-treated group (3 ml ) as a positive control. All drugs were administered intrarectally (IR). One hour following treatment in the acetic acid group, FSO group, FO group and mesalamine group, 1 ml of 4% acetic acid was introduced as an enema. Rats were sacrificed after 24 hrs and histopathological scores of the all colonic specimens were assessed by microscope. Colonic weight/length ratio was also evaluated.Results: Microscopical improvement as manifested by the reduction in the inflammatory score and normalization of intestinal mucosal architecture was observed in fish oil pretreated rats compared to acetic acid group but there was no significant difference in flaxseed oil pretreated group. The decrease in weight/length ratio was statistically significant in fish oil-treated group compared with acetic acid group, but there was no significant difference between flaxseed oil-treated and acetic acid group.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that fish oil but not flaxseed oil could ameliorate the mucosal damage in experimentally induced ulcerative colitis in rats when given in the form of an enema.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND NANOMECHANICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF MAGNEVIST NANO-ENCAPSULATED DENDRIMERS BY ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

Objectives: This research aims at investigating the effect of nano-encapsulating the MagnevistTM, a magnetic resonance imaging agent, within generation four, 1, 4- diaminobutane core polyamidoamine dendrimers on their molecular morphology and their nano-mechanical properties in liquid.Methods: Atomic force microscopy was applied in its imaging and force measuring modes to investigate, on the molecular scale, the morphological and nano-mechanical changes in generation four, 1, 4-diaminobutane core polyamidoamine dendrimers due to the nano-encapsulation of Magnevist in liquid.Results: The weight gain of dendrimers indicates the loading of ~ 30 Magnevist molecules. This has increased the rigidity of the dendrimer molecules, compared to unloaded dendrimers. Atomic force microscopy showed individual well-defined nano-spherical particles with nanoscopic dimensions of (40±13 nm in diameter and 4.38±0.54 nm in height). In contrast, imaging of non encapsulated dendrimers revealed loose aggregates of 15±3.5 nm in diameter and 0.9±0.2 nm in height.Conclusions: The atomic force microscopy, in liquid, was successfully applied to differentiate between Magnevist nano-encapsulated and non-encapsulated dendrimers, in their morphology and in their nano-mechanical properties. The results confirm the nano-encapsulation of Magnevist within generation four, 1,4-diaminobutane core polyamidoamine dendrimers. This loading increased the rigidity of the nanoencapsulated dendrimer, packed ~ 9 Magnevist-G 4 molecules together and may probably enhance the magnetic resonance images and increase their duration of time in the bloodstream when compared with Magnevist alone. Thus elongating the imaging sessions without the need for additional contrast agent doses.

P-GLYCOPROTEIN EFFECTS ON DRUGS PHARMACOKINETICS AND DRUG-DRUG- INTERACTIONS AND THEIR CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

During the last couple of decades, efflux transporters have received considerable attention due to their ability to alter, either beneficially or detrimentally the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic for an administered drug. The expression of the energy dependent transporter, member of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters superfamily, is not only limited to cancerous tissues, but is also expressed in different normal tissues and barriers such as the blood brain barrier and placenta. Furthermore, its unique distribution at the sites of absorption such as small intestine has been shown to greatly affect the bioavailability of the drug-substrates, and thus altering their effect. In addition, the striking overlap of substrates between P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and the phase I enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) in addition to their coexistence at the same site has been shown to act synergistically to decrease oral drug bioavailability. Interestingly, the co-administration of a drug-substrate and an inhibitor of P-gp have been shown to increase the plasma concentration of the drug-substrates causing lethal toxicities that warrants critical evaluation of drugs as whether or not they could be substrates or inhibitors to P-gp. The availability of various in vitro cell culture models and in vivo knockout models of P-gp are currently serving the pharmaceutical sciences community to deliver safer drug use and lower risks of drug-drug interactions based on P-gp interactions. Therefore, the purpose of the current review is to summarize the current knowledge about the role of P-gp in determining drug ADME profile, and its role in drug-drug-interactions and their clinical implications.