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BackgroundSpinal Cord Injury (SCI) is one of the leading causes of severe neurological deficits worldwide. The pathophysiology of SCI includes a primary injury followed by a cascade of secondary biochemical and cellular changes. Current pharmacological options are limited for significant recovery from SCI. The β-lactam antibiotic ceftriaxone (CEF) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) have shown to induce neuroprotection in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of CEF, NAC, and their combination on the functional recovery and histological damage in experimental SCI.MethodsRats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7): Saline, CEF, NAC, and CEF + NAC. Then, SCI was performed on rats under general anesthesia using the Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) impactor. Locomotor recovery following SCI was monitored using the locomotor rating scale of Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB). At the end of the study, all rats were sacrificed, and spinal cord cross-sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological evaluation.ResultsThe CEF and NAC administration, either alone or in combination (CEF + NAC), significantly improved locomotor recovery following SCI in rats when compared to the saline group. The histological analysis showed that the severity of histopathological lesion in the spinal cord of rats was significantly lower in the CEF, NAC, and CEF + NAC groups than in the saline group.ConclusionsTreatment with CEF and NAC, either separately or in combination, promotes locomotor recovery following SCI, which is associated with the effective reduction of the histopathological lesion.

Introduction: Chronic opiate exposure induces tolerance to opiate analgesic effects. Glutamate system is believed to play a major role in morphine induced tolerance. The inhibitory effects of magnesium sulfate and bupropion on this system are well-studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of magnesium sulfate and bupropion on the prevention of morphine induced tolerance in mice. Materials and Methods: Animals were divided into the nine groups which received drugs intraperitoneally for four consecutive days according to the following protocol: saline (10 ml/kg) + saline (10 ml/kg), morphine (50 mg/kg) + saline (10 ml/kg), morphine (50 mg/kg) + magnesium sulfate (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg), morphine (50 mg/kg) + bupropion (2, 4 and 8 mg/kg) and morphine (50 mg/kg) + magnesium sulfate (20 mg/kg) + bupropion (2 mg/kg). To evaluate the effects of mentioned drugs on morphine tolerance, a test dose of morphine (9 mg/kg) was administered on the fifth day in all groups. In the hot-plate test, thermal stimulation was measured at time intervals of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Results: Administration of magnesium sulfate, bupropion and their combination before daily injection of morphine, significantly attenuated tolerance to morphine. Also, the highest tolerance reduction was observed at the 30th minute of the study (P

Purpose: Prescription of ketotifen as an effective antihistamine in asthma and allergic conditions is associated with side effect of weight gain. Caffeine is an agent which increases thermogenesis and improves energy expenditure and also effective in asthma. The aim of current study was to evaluate caffeine impact in reducing weight gain side effect of ketotifen. Methods: Male mice at the weight limit of 20-30 gr in 8 groups were randomly chosen and injected following drug dosages for 45 days intraperitoneally: control group (normal saline 10 ml/kg), three groups of ketotifen (4, 8, 16 mg/kg), three groups of caffeine (4, 8, 16 mg/kg) and one group of ketotifen (4 mg/kg) in combination with caffeine (4 mg/kg). Weight changes have been recorded and assessed every 3 days for 45 days. Results: The results showed that in all dosages of the two drugs, significant weight loss occurred in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: The effect of caffeine on weight loss according to our results, matches with human studies, while ketotifen contradictory to our assumption, resulted in weight loss which probably was related to the difference in metabolic pathways in mice and humans, or maybe the used doses of ketotifen in this study were insufficient to reduce TNF-α production or influence in serotonin release and be effective on appetite or weight gain., Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin; eISSN 2251-7308

Background. Dextromethorphan is a noncompetitive N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antagonist that is clinically feasible for relieving the opioid withdrawal symptoms. This study compares the efficacy of a combination therapy with dextromethorphan and clonidine to treatment with clonidine alone. Methods and Materials. In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, patients were selected from inpatients of detox and rehabilitation ward of Razi Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. They were randomly allocated to two groups receiving either clonidine (0.4–1.2 mg/day) or clonidine and dextromethorphan (300 mg/day). Withdrawal symptoms were evaluated in the first day of admission and again 24, 48, and 72 hours later. Results. Thirty male patients completed the trial in each group. Withdrawal symptoms began to decrease in the second day in patients receiving dextromethorphan and clonidine while patients receiving clonidine experienced the more severe symptoms in 72 hours. Analysis of variance of the symptom severity score revealed a significant group × time interaction (F=14.25; P<0.001), so that patients receiving dextromethorphan plus clonidine had milder symptoms during three days in all of the measurements compared to clonidine group. Conclusion. Combination therapy of dextromethorphan and clonidine would result in milder opioid withdrawal symptoms compared to clonidine alone with a reduction beginning at the second day.