Alcohol abuse and dependence are highly prevalent in many cultures and contribute considerably to the global burden of health and social issues. The current inability to accurately characterise long-term drinking behaviours is a major obstacle to alcoholism diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop objective diagnostic tools to discern subjects with excessive alcohol use and alcoholism or to confirm abstinence. Research over past years has revealed several biochemical compounds with considerable potential for accurate reflection of alcohol intake. This review will address the issue of alcohol biomarker definition, the types of molecules used as so-called traditional biomarkers, and the compounds that can serve as novel biomarker candidates or components of biomarker panels.

Although the role of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels in neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission is still unclear, it is postulated that the HCN channels may be involved in seizure activity. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ivabradine (an HCN channel inhibitor) on the protective action of four classical antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin and valproate) against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice. Tonic seizures (maximal electroconvulsions) were evoked in adult male albino Swiss mice by an electric current (sine-wave, 25 mA, 0.2 s stimulus duration) delivered via auricular electrodes. Acute adverse-effect profiles of the combinations of ivabradine with classical antiepileptic drugs were measured in mice along with total brain antiepileptic drug concentrations. Results indicate that ivabradine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly enhanced the anticonvulsant activity of valproate and considerably reduced that of phenytoin in the mouse maximal electroshock-induced seizure model. Ivabradine (10 mg/kg) had no impact on the anticonvulsant potency of carbamazepine and phenobarbital in the maximal electroshock-induced seizure test in mice. Ivabradine (10 mg/kg) significantly diminished total brain concentration of phenytoin and had no effect on total brain valproate concentration in mice. In conclusion, the enhanced anticonvulsant action of valproate by ivabradine in the mouse maximal electroshock-induced seizure model was pharmacodynamic in nature. A special attention is required when combining ivabradine with phenytoin due to a pharmacokinetic interaction and reduction of the anticonvulsant action of phenytoin in mice. The combinations of ivabradine with carbamazepine and phenobarbital were neutral from a preclinical viewpoint.

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Increasing evidence indicates that some antiarrhythmic drugs play a pivotal role in seizures, not only in vivo studies on animals, but also in clinical trials. Some of these antiarrhythmic drugs potentiate or alleviate the anticonvulsant action of the classical antiepileptic drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of dronedarone (DRO—a multichannel blocker belonging to the class III of antiarrhythmic drugs) on the anticonvulsant effects of four standard antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin and valproate) in the tonic–clonic seizure model in mice. Potential acute adverse effects exerted by the antiepileptic drugs combined with DRO were evaluated in three behavioral tests (chimney, grip-strength and passive avoidance). To confirm the nature of interaction, total brain concentrations of antiepileptic drugs were measured. DRO (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduces the anticonvulsant potency of phenytoin ( P < 0.05), having no impact on that of carbamazepine, phenobarbital and valproate in the tonic–clonic seizure model in mice. DRO (50 mg/kg) neither changed total brain concentrations of phenytoin in mice, nor affected normal behavior in experimental animals subjected to the chimney, grip-strength and passive avoidance tests. In conclusion, DRO should not be combined with phenytoin because it reduced the anticonvulsant effects of the latter drug in experimental animals. The combined administration of DRO with carbamazepine, phenobarbital and valproate resulted in neutral interaction between these drugs in the tonic–clonic seizure model in mice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00702-018-1940-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases still remain at the forefront of society's most important health problem and are one of the leading causes of death.Purpose of research. The aim of this study is to assess the degree of coping with stress in a group of patients treated for unstable angina.Material and methods. The research was conducted on 01.09.2019 - 01.03.2020. The size of the study group was 100 people, 45% of whom were women, 55% were men. People with diagnosed unstable angina took part in the study. The following research tools were used in this work to gather the necessary information: • Self-study report - contains 12 questions in the area of sociodemographic information, current disease and available support. • Mini-COPE - Inventory for Measuring Coping With Stress. • PSS-10 - Perceived Stress Scale. The above research tools made it possible to collect information on the sociodemographic data of the respondents, the degree of coping with stress and the scale of perceived stress.Conclusions. Younger people more often than older people focused on actively coping with stress. People in relationships coped with stress to a greater extent than single people and focused on development. Patients who remain professionally active cope better with a stressful situation than those on disability or retirement. People after surgical procedures were more planning-oriented than those treated with pharmacological treatment. The support of family and friends has a positive effect on coping with stress in patients with unstable angina.