Protection from poisons.An Alzheimer's disease drug could protect against the deadly effects of two nerve agents, researchers report. Exposure to organophosphorus compounds, including the nerve agents satin and soman soman, colorless liquid used as a nerve gas. It boils at 167°C;, evolving an odorless vapor. It is rapidly absorbed through the skin; death may result within 15 min of exposure. In nonfatal concentrations it is hazardous to the eyes. , can cause seizures, breathing difficulty, and death. Edson X. Albuquerque of the University of Maryland University of Maryland can refer to:
The researchers treated some of the animals with galantamine, exposed them to sarin sarin (zärēn`), volatile liquid used as a nerve gas. It boils at 147°C; but evaporates quickly at room temperature; its vapor is colorless and odorless. or soman, and then gave them atropine atropine (ăt`rəpēn, –pĭn), alkaloid drug derived from belladonna and other plants of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family). , a drug that's used to reduce some symptoms of organophosphorus exposure. Other animals received atropine only. All the guinea pigs that received galantamine and atropine were alive 24 hours later, while only 11 percent of those treated with just atropine survived. The researchers also investigated the window of time in which galantamine could be administered and remain effective. They report in an upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences. that all animals survived when treated with galantamine up to 3 hours before or 5 minutes after exposure to soman. The protective doses of galantamine against organophosphorus poisoning are similar to those already used for Alzheimer's treatment, notes Albuquerque. |
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