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Addiction â€" You know you want to"¦ THE BIOCHEMIST October 2002 issue
October 01, 2002The illicit manufacture of drugs
It is estimated that around 180 million people around the world consume illicit drugs. The manufacture of these drugs is big business and depends on the regular supply of raw materials. Professor Hamid Ghodse (Chair of Addictive Behaviour, St George's Hospital Medical School) describes some of the International efforts used to deny access to the necessary precursors. This includes 'drug-tracing' (a highly sophisticated chemical analysis) which can establish whether samples have a common source. (p.10)
Contact: Hamid Ghodse, Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Psychological Medicine, St. George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE; e-mail: hghodse@sghms.ac.uk
Alcoholic myopathy - Your legs go before your liver
The consumption of alcohol has been a part of the cultural heritage of humans for thousands of years. It is a common misconception, say the authors of this article, that the brain and liver are the two most affected organs in chronic alcohol misuse. Studies have shown that 60% of patients with a history of alcohol misuse have evidence of skeletal muscle damage, or alcoholic myopathy. This makes it the most common pathology involved in alcoholism. Your legs really are the first to go! (p.11)
Contact: Victor Preedy, Room 4.13 (4th Floor); Dept. Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Life Sciences, King`s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NN; tel.: +44 (0)20 7848 4255; fax (44) 020 7848 4185; e-mail: victor.preedy@kcl.ac.uk
The deadly weed - Nicotine and tobacco dependence
Nicotine's effects on the body arise because of its binding to a certain receptor in the brain. These nicotinic receptors influence the rate and pattern of firing in neurones, and the release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, ß-endorphin and glutamate. Tolerance to the toxic effects of nicotine can develop in days, and persistent smokers can begin to experience the effects of nicotine known as 'positive reinforcement'. The nicotine 'hit' sends a 'teaching signal' to the brain and the behaviour is repeated. And repeated (p. 15)
Contact: Robert West, c/o Gary Burd, The Biochemist, 59 Portland Place, London W1B 1QW; tel.: +44 (0)20 7580 5530; fax: +44 (0)20 7323 1136; e-mail: gary.burd@biochemistry.org
Adrenaline junkies - Addicted to the rush?
As early as 1895 experiments demonstrated the effect of crude adrenal gland extract on heart function and blood pressure. The many groups of people who crave the excitement of dangerous sports thrive on adrenaline. The use of the term addiction is common but inappropriate argues Adolfo Garc'a-S'¡inz - 'compulsion' is a more suitable word. In this article, the author identifies the role adrenaline, and its derivatives, plays in stimulation, memory and addictive drug misuse. Both adrenaline and noradrenaline have key roles in addiction to cocaine, caffeine and amphetamines. (p. 19)
Contact: J. Adolfo Garc'a S'¡inz, Instituto de Fisiolog'a Celular, Universidad Nacional Aut'³noma de México, Apartado Postal 70-248, México D.F. 04510; e-mail: agarcia@ifisiol.unam.mx
Product focus
A cut above the rest - A new tool for microengineering cell and tissue cultures
The culmination of more that 20 years has resulted in the development of a new microscope-based laser processing system, introduced commercially by Bio-Rad as Clonis™. The unique functionality of this technology introduces new methods for sorting living cells, modifying cell organization and interactions in proliferating tissue cultures, and microdissecting living, fixed, or frozen tissue sections or explants. Clonis™ has been designed specifically for work with viable biological material, and since the patented method was originally developed to isolate cells in aqueous media, it is not adversely affected by either atmospheric moisture or liquid contained within the sample. (p. 25)
Contact: Carole Staniford, Catalyst Communications International, 9 Irving Street, Leicester Square,
London, WC2H 7AT; tel.:+44 (0) 20 7932 2500; fax:+44 (0) 20 7932 2519; e-mail: carole.staniford@btopenworld.com
Other articles
>> Meeting reports - Biochemical Society Meeting 677, University of Cardiff (colloquia on intervertebral disc, complement, allergens, and fatty acid synthesis ); Research Colloquium for young researchers on Connective Tissue; Regulation of B Lymphocytes (p. 29)
>> Imperial College Meeting Preview (16-18 December 2002) (p. 37)
>> Policy matters - Short term academic contracts - is anything being done? (p. 39)
>> Learning curve - Careers advice. Review of the Careers Advice Workshop (p. 41)
>> Cyberbiochemist - Internet addiction (p. 46)
>> News - New Editor-in-Chief for Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry (p. 51)
ALL ARTICLES NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE: http://www.biochemist.org/bio
Strathclyde, University of
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