Animals ; Biopharmaceutics ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Chromatography ; methods ; Intestinal Absorption ; Membranes, Artificial ; Pharmacokinetics ; Skin Absorption ; Tissue Distribution

We are presenting the first documented case of lithium toxicity after vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery in an 18 year-old female with psychiatric history of bipolar disorder who was treated with lithium. This case illustrates the need for closer monitoring of lithium levels following bariatric surgery. Both psychiatrists and surgeons should be aware of the potential risk of lithium toxicity following bariatric surgery, as well as the need to judiciously monitor lithium level and possibly adjust the dose of some medications.
Bariatric Surgery ; Bipolar Disorder ; Female ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Bypass ; Humans ; Intestinal Absorption ; Lithium* ; Psychiatry ; Surgeons

With the development of drug discovery, more and more candidate compounds need to be studied. Methods that can screen compound rapidly received significant attention. Parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) as a powerful tool has been applied to drug studies. It uses an artificial lipid membrane to mimic the barrier for drug permeability studies. This article introduces the establishment and characteristics of PAMPA, as well as its applications in screening compounds. It can be used as models (e.g. predicting the ability of compound in gastro-intestinal absorption, blood-brain barrier transportation and skin penetration) by changing the component of artificial lipid membrane. PAMPA has advantages in high throughput selection of valuable compound with low cost, versatile, low dose, and good reproducibility.
Absorption ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Cell Membrane Permeability ; Humans ; Intestinal Absorption ; Membranes, Artificial ; Permeability ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption ; Stomach ; metabolism

Intestinal Absorption ; Schistosomicides/*metabolism ; Solubility

Pharmacokinetics describes the processes of absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs and pharmacodynamics describes the effect of drugs on the body. Sedation can be performed by various classes of drugs each with its own mechanism of action and using varying routes of administration: oral, rectal, or parenteral. The course of sedation over time is a reflection of the relationship between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The safety and efficacy of sedation is mainly dependant on understanding pharmacologic principles. This review will focus on the general concepts of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs used for sedation.
Absorption

OBJECTIVES: We compared the effects of two different nano-sized calcium supplements (synthesized by wet-chemical method or the dry-grinding method of calcium carbonate) and one micro-sized calcium supplement (calcium carbonate) on intestinal absorption and bone turnover in 20 young women. MATERIALS & METHODS: This study was carried out with a three week cross-over design. The subjects ingested one of three different calcium supplements (1 dose of 500 mg Ca++) at 8 AM, which was repeated three times weekly. Serum and urine samples were collected before and after the calcium load using a time table (serum sampling 0, 2 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr after loading; urine sampling 0, 4 hr, 8 hr after loading). RESULTS: Serum ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations significantly changed in response to all calcium supplements loading, the difference among calcium supplements was not significant. However, the postload urinary excretion of calcium and the N-telopeptide/creatinine ratio were significantly different among three calcium supplement over time by repeated measured ANOVA. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest the effect of nano-sized calcium supplements synthesized by the wet-chemical method is superior to the other calcium supplements in intestinal calcium absorption and bone turn-over.
Absorption ; Calcium ; Cross-Over Studies ; Intestinal Absorption ; Parathyroid Hormone

Following gastric surgery, 25~50% of patients experience dumping symptoms. Early dumping usually involves both gastro-intestinal and vasomotor complaints, while late dumping involves mainly the latter. Management is mainly achieved by dietary modification. Drug therapy has been investigated without consistent success. However, the somatostatin analogue octreotide alleviates dumping by slowing gastric emptying, inhibiting insulin release, decreasing enteric peptide secretion and intestinal absorption of water and sodium, slowing monosaccharide absorption, increasing gut transit time and preventing hemodynamic changes. We report a case with the place of octreotide in the medical management of the dumping syndrome. The patient was 71-year-old male who had taken total gastrectomy for gastric cancer in 1987. He had been well except intermittent abdominal pain for 8 years after total gastrectomy. But he had suffered from sudden symptoms such as hypoglycemic shock and fainting, which start 2~3 hours after ingesting of a meal for recent 5 years. Studies for diagnosing insulinoma were all negative. We start diet modification and medication such as acarbose to him with impression of dumping syndrome, but there were no improvement of his symptoms. Then we start octreotide, 50 g, given subcutaneously, three-times per day, 30 min prior to each meal. His symptom was dramatically improved.
Abdominal Pain ; Absorption ; Acarbose ; Aged ; Drug Therapy ; Dumping Syndrome* ; Food Habits ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Emptying ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin ; Insulinoma ; Intestinal Absorption ; Male ; Meals ; Octreotide* ; Shock* ; Sodium ; Somatostatin ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Syncope ; Water

OBJECTIVETo prepare berberine microemulsion, and to investigate its properities and the absorption character in rat intestine in situ.

METHODThe optimum formulation of the blank microemulsion selected by pseudo tertiary phase diagrams and the berberine microemulsion was prepared based on the blank microemulsion. The viscosity, conductance, refraction rate and particle size of berberine microemulsion were surveyed. An in situ rat perfusion method was used to investigate the intestinal absorption of berberine microemulsion. A UV method for determination of berberine in the intestinal flux was established.

RESULTThe viscosity, conductance, refraction rate and particle size of berberine microemulsion were 2.11 cPas, 125.5 microomega, 1.363 and 24.0 nm, respectively. The absorption rate of berberine at the ileum was the best. The absorption of berberine microemulsion at the ileum was significantly higher than that of raw medicine (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe microemulsion system might improve the absorption of berberine in the intestinal tract.

Absorption ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Berberine ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Stability ; Female ; Ileum ; metabolism ; Intestinal Absorption ; drug effects ; Intestines ; metabolism ; Male ; Particle Size ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption ; drug effects ; physiology ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

Pernicious anemia is the frequent cause of megaloblastic anemia, and it is the result of a vitamin B12 deficiency due to the decrease or absence of intrinsic factor (IF) because of gastric mucosa atrophy or autoimmune destruction of IF-producing parietal cells. With the existence of a severe gastric atrophy, there is a decreased in acid and IF production and a further change in vitamin B12 absorption. Mercury is ubiquitous in nature and exists in 3 forms, elemental mercury, inorganic salts and organic compounds. Organic forms, specifically methyl mercury, are the most toxic of the 3 classes of mercurials. Methyl mercury exerts its most devastating effect on the central nervous system by causing psychiatric disturbances, ataxia, visual loss, hearing loss, and neuropathy. We report a case of mercury intoxication associated with pernicious anemia. The 77 years old patient was referred to Yeungnam University Hospital for tongue pain, somatitis, headache and aggressive behavior. He had taken an unevaluated medicine for a long time. After clinical evaluation, this case was diagnosed as a pernicious anemia and the unevaluated medicine was made up of mercury. After the administration of D-penicillamine and intramuscular injection of BAL and cobalamine, clinical symptoms and aggressive behavior were improved as well as laboratory findings.
Absorption ; Aged ; Anemia, Megaloblastic ; Anemia, Pernicious* ; Ataxia ; Atrophy ; Central Nervous System ; Gastric Mucosa ; Headache ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Intrinsic Factor ; Penicillamine ; Rabeprazole ; Salts ; Tongue ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome is a very rare syndrome. This non-familial hamartomatous polyposis syndrome is characterized by multiple polyps on the entire gastrointestinal tract, nail dystrophy, skin pigmentation and systemic alopecia. The courses of this syndrome could be classified into five types according to clinical symptoms; diarrhea, taste disturbance, xerostomia, abdominal pain and alopecia. Cronkhite-Canada syndrome has a high mortality rate up to 45~60% due to nutritional absorption disturbance, hypoalbuminemia, recurrent infection, sepsis, heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding. A pathogenesis of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome is still unknown, and only conservative treatment is available. We diagnosed a 55 years-old female with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome based on the clinical symptoms of nail change, taste disturbance and alopecia, and the histologic finding of polyps in the entire gastrointestinal tract; these polyps were found in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine via capsule endoscopy. We report on this case and we review the relevant medical literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Absorption ; Alopecia ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Heart Failure ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Intestinal Polyposis ; Intestine, Large ; Intestine, Small ; Nails ; Polyps ; Sepsis ; Skin Pigmentation ; Stomach ; Xerostomia