Pharmacogenetics of opioids: a narrative review.

Advances in the field of pharmacogenomics have resulted in the discovery of some important single-nucleotide polymorphisms which are found to be associated with opioid dose variability. This, to a large extent, explains genetic variability in the analgesic dose of opioids. These polymorphisms are found in various areas relevant to pain perception, including the nociceptive and antinociceptive pathways, drug receptors, drug-metabolising enzymes and drug efflux molecules.

Speciation of Arsenic in Ground Water Samples by Ion Exchange Chromatography with Improved Sample Preparation Technique.

Arsenic exists in the form of various chemical species differing in their physicochemical behavior, toxicity, bioavailability and biotransformation. The determination of arsenic species is an important issue for environmental, clinical and food chemistry. However, differentiation of these species is a quite complex analytical task.

Genetic variation and haplotype structure of the gene Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 in the Tamilian population.

Objective: To study the genetic variation and haplotype structure of Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 (VKORC1) gene in the Tamilian population.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed on 210 unrelated, healthy volunteers of the Tamilian population, of either sex between the age group of 18-60 years. Five ml of venous blood sample was collected using sodium ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) as anticoagulant.

Medication error - Inadvertent high dose intradermal cloxacillin induced skin necrosis.

Medication error is one of the important causes of preventable adverse drug reactions. It can occur in the form of administration of a wrong drug, in the wrong dose, to the wrong patient, in an unsuitable dosage form, for the wrong duration or by using an inappropriate route of administration. Intradermal skin testing for cloxacillin hypersensitivity is done at low doses to check for drug allergy.

A study of adverse drug reactions in pediatric patients.

Aim: To study the adverse drug reaction (ADR) pattern in a pediatric population in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials And Methods: An observational study was done in the department of pediatrics in a tertiary care hospital. The ADRs occurring in the inpatient wards and outpatient department of pediatrics were actively monitored.

Influence of CYP2C9 gene polymorphisms on response to glibenclamide in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Purpose: The antidiabetic drug glibenclamide is metabolized by the enzyme cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) encoded by the polymorphic gene CYP2C9. Previous studies involving healthy volunteers have shown a significant influence of variant CYP2C9 genotypes on glibenclamide metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C9 on the response to glibenclamide and on glibenclamide plasma levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Genetic polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing phase I enzymes CYP2E1, CYP2A6 and CYP3A5 in South Indian population.

CYP2E1, CYP2A6 and CYP3A5 enzymes belong to phase I group of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which are involved in the metabolism of various compounds and xenobiotics. Presence of polymorphisms in the genes coding for these enzymes results in interindividual variations in drug metabolism, therapeutic response and susceptibility towards various diseases. The frequencies of these variants in genes differ considerably between ethnic groups.

Adverse drug reaction profile of cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimen in a tertiary care hospital in India: An evaluative study.

Aims: This prospective study was designed to monitor and analyze the pattern of occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimen in the cancer ward of a tertiary care hospital.

Materials And Methods: Cancer patients who received cisplatin-based cancer chemotherapy were monitored for adverse reactions. The collected reports were analyzed for demographic and drug details, causality, preventability and severity of adverse effects.

Novel applications of nanotechnology in medicine.

Current modalities of diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, especially cancer have major limitations such as poor sensitivity or specificity and drug toxicities respectively. Newer and improved methods of cancer detection based on nanoparticles are being developed. They are used as contrast agents, fluorescent materials, molecular research tools and drugs with targeting antibodies.

Emerging trends of nanomedicine--an overview.

Nanotechnology is an emerging branch of science for designing tools and devices of size 1 to 100 nm with unique function at the cellular, atomic and molecular levels. The concept of using nanotechnology in medical research and clinical practice is known as nanomedicine. Nanoparticles possess some novel properties not seen with the macro molecules and they can be manipulated by attaching therapeutic components to help in diagnosis and treatment.

Role of pharmacogenomics in drug discovery and development.

Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics are two major emerging trends in medical sciences, which influence the success of drug development and therapeutics. In current times, though pharmacogenetic studies are being done extensively for research, its application for drug development needs to get started on a large scale. The major determinants of success of a new drug compound, viz safety and efficacy, have become more predictable, with the advent of pharmacogenetic studies.

Influence of the CYP2C9 AND CYP2C19 polymorphisms on phenytoin hydroxylation in healthy individuals from south India.

Background And Objectives: Phenytoin, a widely used anti-epileptic drug, is metabolized mainly by CYP2C9 (90%) and partly by CYP2C19 (10%) to its major metabolite 5-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-5- phenylhydantoin (p-HPPH). The CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 genes encoding these enzymes are polymorphically expressed and most of the variants result in decreased metabolism of the respective substrates. The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence of the CYP2C9*2 and *3 as well as CYP2C19*2 and *3 variant genotypes on phenytoin hydroxylation in healthy subjects from south India.

Effect of slow and fast pranayams on reaction time and cardiorespiratory variables.

We planned to undertake a comparative study of the effect of short term (three weeks) training in savitri (slow breathing) and bhastrika (fast breathing) pranayams on respiratory pressures and endurance, reaction time, blood pressure, heart rate, rate-pressure product and double product. Thirty student volunteers were divided into two groups of fifteen each. Group I was given training in savitri pranayam that involves slow, rhythmic, and deep breathing.