British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2012
Long term use of drugs affecting the renin-angiotensin system and the risk of cancer: a population-based case-control study.
• A recent meta-analysis has suggested an increased risk of cancer among users of angiotensin receptor blockers. ⋯ The indication or possibly threshold for prescribing antihypertensives appears to be related to a small increase in cancer risk. The ARB-cancer association is probably too weak to be addressed in observational studies, given their limitations.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2012
Changes of blood endocannabinoids during anaesthesia: a special case for fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition by propofol?
• Available data from animal studies suggest that the narcotic drug propofol interacts with the endocannabinoid system. Inhibition of enzymatic degradation of anandamide could explain some of the characteristics of propofol. Direct measurements have not been reported yet in humans. ⋯ Our findings challenge the idea that propofol anaesthesia and also propofol addiction are directly mediated by FAAH inhibition, but we cannot exclude other indirect actions on cannabinoid receptors.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialNovel Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol formulation Namisol® has beneficial pharmacokinetics and promising pharmacodynamic effects.
• Cannabis based medicines are registered as a treatment for various indications, such as pain and spasms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and anorexia and nausea in patients with HIV or receiving cancer treatment. • the pharmacokinetics of the various administration routes of cannabis and cannabis based medicines are variable and dosing is hard to regulate. ⋯ Oral Namisol® showed promising PK and PD characteristics. Variability and t(max) of THC plasma concentrations were smaller for Namisol® than reported for studies using oral dronabinol and nabilone. This study was performed in a limited number of healthy volunteers. Therefore, future research on Namisol® should study clinical effects in patient populations.
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When pain is refractory to systemic opioid and non-opioid analgesic therapy and palliative chemoradiation or ablative or stimulant neurosurgical procedures are not possible, palliative treatment becomes limited, particularly if the patient wishes to be at home at the end of life. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of morphine in the home setting might be presented as an option. The present article reviews the basic and clinical evidence of the efficacy and safety of ICV administration of opioids. ⋯ Good efficacy has been achieved for the vast majority of patients, without serious development of analgesic tolerance. There have also been a low incidence of adverse effects, such as constipation and respiratory depression, and a significant retention of alertness associated with this route of administration. Intracerebroventricular infusion of opioid analgesics thus appears to be a safe and effective therapy for the palliative treatment of refractory pain.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2012
Correlation of paired toxic plasma and saliva paracetamol concentrations following deliberate self-poisoning with paracetamol.
• Paracetamol is commonly used in deliberate self poisoning (DSP) and this requires blood sampling to refine risk assessment. If saliva concentrations agreed with plasma concentrations, then this could support the development of non-invasive testing. Our pilot work supports this hypothesis, but was largely confined to nontoxic concentrations. ⋯ The agreement between the indications for treatment of paracetamol DSP based on plasma and saliva paracetamol concentrations extends into the toxic range, but with slightly lower agreement. Saliva may hold promise as a non-invasive method to risk stratify paracetamol poisoning.