No abstract

Methamphetamine (METH) is a sympathomimetic amine that belongs to phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs, which are widely abused for their stimulant, euphoric, empathogenic, and hallucinogenic properties. Many of these effects result from acute increases in dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission. Subsequent to these acute effects, METH produces persistent damage to dopamine and serotonin release in nerve terminals, gliosis, and apoptosis. This review summarized the numerous interdependent mechanisms including excessive dopamine, ubiquitin-proteasome system dysfunction, protein nitration, endoplasmic reticulum stress, p53 expression, inflammatory molecular, D3 receptor, microtubule deacetylation, and HIV-1 Tat protein that have been demonstrated to contribute to this damage. In addition, the feasible therapeutic strategies according to recent studies were also summarized ranging from drug and protein to gene level.

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB)-bentonite was produced by the exchange of cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) cations for inorganic ions on the internal and external surfaces of bentonite. CTMAB-bentonite was used to remove organic contaminants of varying polar character from water. The properties and mechanisms for CTMABbentonite to sorb benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, nitrobenzene, aniline, phenol, and p-nitrophenol in water were investigated in some detail. Benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene sorption to CTMAB-bentonite was characterized by linear isotherms, indicating solute partition between water and the organic phase composed of the large alkyl functional groups of the CTMA cations. Phenol and p-nitrophenol sorption to CTMAB-bentonite was caused primarily by adsorption with relatively strong solute uptake. Their isotherms were nonlinear. Nitrobenzene and aniline sorption to CTMAB-bentonite was weak, and the isotherms were approximately linear. Their sorption was caused by both partition and solute uptake. The sorption data were also evaluated in terms of the octanol-water partition coefficients of the organic compounds.

The paper represents the first attempt to investigate the etiology and epidemiology of AKI following SAP under the AKIN criteria among critically ill patients. Several independent risk factors were found to be associated with ICU mortality for AKI patients. The findings may pinpoint crucial therapeutic measures for preventing AKI among a vulnerable population and for more effective management of SAP-induced AKI to improve the quality of intensive care.