Cases of Kava Impairment in Iowa Drivers.

Kava is an Oceanic plant in which the root is consumed as a beverage and is becoming increasingly popular. The effects of kava consumption may include sedation, euphoria, and impairment of motor coordination. This article demonstrates kava impairment through four cases of self-reported kava use supported with Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluations of each subject.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship of botanical sesquiterpenes: spatial and contact repellency to the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

The plant terpenoids encompass a diversity of structures and have many functional roles in nature, including protection against pest arthropods. Previous studies in this laboratory have identified naturally occurring sesquiterpenes contained in essential oils from two plants, amyris (Amyris balsamifera) and Siam-wood (Fokienia hodginsii), that are significantly repellent to a spectrum of arthropod pests. In efforts to further examine the biological activity of this class of compounds 12 of these plant-derived sesquiterpenes have been isolated, purified, and assayed for spatial and contact repellency against the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti .

Dimerization of the class A G protein-coupled neurotensin receptor NTS1 alters G protein interaction.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been found as monomers but also as dimers or higher-order oligomers in cells. The relevance of the monomeric or dimeric receptor state for G protein activation is currently under debate for class A rhodopsin-like GPCRs. Clarification of this issue requires the availability of well defined receptor preparations as monomers or dimers and an assessment of their ligand-binding and G protein-coupling properties.

Somatostatin receptors signal through EFA6A-ARF6 to activate phospholipase D in clonal beta-cells.

Somatostatin (SS) is a peptide hormone that inhibits insulin secretion in beta-cells by activating its G(i/o)-coupled receptors. Our previous work indicated that a betagamma-dimer of G(i/o) coupled to SS receptors can activate phospholipase D1 (PLD1) (Cheng, H., Grodnitzky, J.

Somatostatin increases phospholipase D activity and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate synthesis in clonal beta cells HIT-T15.

In the presence of arginine vasopressin (AVP), somatostatin increases [Ca(2+)](i), leading to a transient increase in insulin release from clonal beta cells HIT-T15 via G(i/o) and phospholipase C (PLC) pathway (Cheng et al., 2002a). The present study was to elucidate the mechanisms underlying somatostatin-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase in the presence of AVP.

QSAR evaluation of cyanohydrins' fumigation toxicity to house fly (Musca domestica) and lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica).

Using fumigation toxicity data of 11 natural and synthetic cyanohydrins to house fly (Musca domestica) and a stored-product pest, the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica), the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of cyanohydrins were examined by Oxford Molecular CAChe 3.2 and Microsoft Excel. This analysis used eight physicochemical parameters.

QSAR evaluation of monoterpenoids' insecticidal activity.

Monoterpenoids are naturally occurring compounds that are found in higher-order plants. These compounds are secondary metabolites that seem to play no major role in the metabolic functioning of the plants. One role of monoterpenoids in the plants is to defend against plant-directed pathogens, herbivores, or competing plant species.