Implementation of electronic scripts in South Africa.

The legal framework in South Africa (SA) provides for strict requirements regarding prescriptions. However, pharmacists are still confronted daily with illegible handwritten scripts, increasing the risk of medication errors. E-prescribing is being implemented in SA to overcome these disadvantages.

Disposal of medical waste: a legal perspective.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being. The illegal dumping of hazardous waste poses a danger to the environment when pollutants migrate into water sources and ultimately cause widespread infection or toxicity, endangering the health of humans who might become exposed to infection and toxins. To give effect to the Constitution, the safe disposal of hazardous waste is governed by legislation in South Africa.

3-Bromo-chroman-4-one.

The heterocyclic ring of the title compound, C9H7BrO2, obtained by bromination of 4-chromanone with copper bromide, adopts a half-chair conformation. The supramol-ecular structure is governed by a weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bond. There is also π-π stacking between symmetry-related benzene rings; the centroid-centroid distance is 3.

The cytotoxic effects of Scilla nervosa (Burch.) Jessop (Hyacinthaceae) aqueous extract on cultured HepG2 cells.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Bulbs of Scilla nervosa, a medicinal plant indigenous to Southern Africa, are traditionally used in aqueous decoctions to treat a diverse range of illnesses. The bulbs contain homoisoflavanones and stilbenoids. Little information is known about the plant's toxicity on the liver, a major detoxifying organ.

An investigation of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of crocodile oil.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Crocodile oil has been used by traditional practitioners world-wide to treat microbial infections and inflammatory conditions. However, the scientific rationale behind its use is not completely understood. This study provides an updated fatty acid profile and novel scientific evidence of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of crocodile oil, obtained from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), justifying its use by traditional healers.

Anti-inflammatory activities of selected synthetic homoisoflavanones.

Four homoisoflavanones of the 3-benzylidene-4-chromanone type, some of which were previously isolated from Caesalpinia pulcherrima, were synthesised to determine their anti-inflammatory activity and cytotoxicity. A range of four different homoisoflavanones (compounds 4a-4d) were synthesised from the corresponding substituted phenols. ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR data together with high-resolution mass spectroscopy data were employed to elucidate the structures.

The chemical structures, plant origins, ethnobotany and biological activities of homoisoflavanones.

This work reviews the four basic structural types of homoisoflavanones. The relationships between the various structures of homoisoflavanones and their plant origins, ethnobotany and biological activities are put into perspective.

N-terminal residues control proteasomal degradation of RGS2, RGS4, and RGS5 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells.

Regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins modulate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. The N termini of some RGS4-family proteins provide receptor specificity and also contain an N-end rule determinant that results in ubiquitylation and decreased protein expression. The relevance of these mechanisms to other RGS proteins is not fully understood.

Phenoxybenzamine and benextramine, but not 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-[2-chloroethyl]piperidine hydrochloride, display irreversible noncompetitive antagonism at G protein-coupled receptors.

Many irreversible antagonists have been shown to inactivate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and used to study agonists and spare receptors. Presumably, they bind to primary (agonist) binding sites on the GPCR, although noncompetitive mechanisms of antagonism have been demonstrated but not thoroughly investigated. We studied noncompetitive antagonism by phenoxybenzamine and benextramine at alpha(2A)-adrenoceptors in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, benextramine and 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-[2-chloroethyl]piperidine hydrochloride (4-DAMP mustard) at endogenous muscarinic acetylcholine (mACh) receptors in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and benextramine at serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors in stably transfected SH-SY5Y cells.

Recent advances in drug action and therapeutics: relevance of novel concepts in G-protein-coupled receptor and signal transduction pharmacology.

Problem Statement: During especially the past two decades many discoveries in biological sciences, and in particular at the molecular and genetic level, have greatly impacted on our knowledge and understanding of drug action and have helped to develop new drugs and therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, many exciting new drugs acting via novel pharmacological mechanisms are expected to be in clinical use in the not too distant future.

Scope And Contents Of Review: In this educational review, these concepts are explained and their relevance illustrated by examples of drugs used commonly in the clinical setting, with special reference to the pharmacology of G-protein-coupled receptors.

Characterization of two thioredoxins in pig heart including a new mitochondrial protein.

Heart tissue contains two different thioredoxins. One is a specific mitochondrial protein and is best prepared from pre-isolated, intact heart mitochondria (mt-thioredoxin) whereas mitochondria-depleted tissue homogenates contain the major cellular thioredoxin of cytoplasmic origin (c-thioredoxin). Both heat-stable proteins are clearly differentiated chromatographically.

[A test for early detection of hypertonias conditioned by pregnancy (gestosis selection test - GST) (author's transl)].

72 patients were subjected to the gestosis selection test (= GST) during the 28th (+/- 3 weeks) week of pregnancy in the sense of a "screening" with regard to potential risk of gestosis. A detailed description of GST, which consists of the injection of a bolus of fenoterol is given. Depending upon the possibility of reducing the diastolic blood pressure, 2 groups of pregnant women can be distinguished with regard to the prospective assessment of the course of pregnancy: GST Group I: The diastolic blood pressure can be reduced by 30 mmHg and more - Development of gestosis is hardly probable.