Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0043352 (xerostomia)
 4,250 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Jimson weed (Datura stramonium, a member of the Belladonna alkyloid family) is a plant growing naturally in West Virginia and has been used as a home remedy since colonial times. Due to its easy availability and strong anticholinergic properties, teens are using Jimson weed as a drug. Plant parts can be brewed as a tea or chewed, and seed pods, commonly known as "pods" or "thorn apples," can be eaten. Side effects from ingesting jimson weed include tachycardia, dry mouth, dilated pupils, blurred vision, hallucinations, confusion, combative behavior, and difficulty urinating. Severe toxicity has been associated with coma and seizures, although death is rare. Treatment consists of activated charcoal and gastric lavage. Esmolol or other beta-blocker may be indicated to reduce severe sinus tachycardia. Seizures, severe hypertension, severe hallucinations, and life-threatening arrhythmias are indicators for the use of the anticholinesterase inhibitor, Physostigmine. This article reviews the cases of nine teenagers who were treated in hospitals in the Kanawha Valley after ingesting jimson weed. We hope this article will help alert primary care physicians about the abuse of jimson weed and inform health officials about the need to educate teens about the dangers of this plant.
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PMID:The dangers of jimson weed and its abuse by teenagers in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. 927 42

Parasympathomimetics or cholinesterase inhibitors taken orally may relieve dry-mouth symptoms, but this route of administration is often associated with adverse systemic reactions. In the present study, an animal model was worked out aimed at stimulating the submucosal glands and avoiding systemic effects. In the anesthetized ferret, saliva from the parotid, sublingual and submandibular glands was prevented from reaching the mouth. Vehicle or physostigmine was applied topically for 10 min on the buccal and labial mucosa on one side, while the other side served as a control. Fluid from each side was collected every 5 min Mean basal secretion was 0.17 mg 5 min(-1). The response to physostigmine 0.1% did not exceed that of the vehicle. At higher concentrations the responses lasted 80-120 min. Peak secretion was nine (0.25% physostigmine), 13 (0.5% physostigmine) and 40 (1% physostigmine) times higher than baseline. At 1% physostigmine, the secretion from the control side was elevated, and a small flow from the duct-cannulated parotid gland occurred, indicating systemic effects. Arterial blood pressure was well maintained. Additional observations on the duct-cannulated zygomatic gland showed that secretion from this gland increased already within the 10-min period of application of physostigmine to the overlying mucosa. The distance between the mucosa and the zygomatic gland was only about 1 mm. Physostigmine-induced secretion was abolished by atropine. Local gland stimulation may be an attractive alternative for the treatment of dry mouth.
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PMID:Secretion from submucosal salivary glands of the ferret in response to a cholinesterase inhibitor applied onto the oral mucosa. 1212 Jul 9

A 34-year-old man was admitted in a coma after a nightlong abuse of cocaine and alcohol, whereupon he fell and convulsed at home. There was a fracture of the nose, hyperpyrexia, tachycardia and hypertension. Dry mouth and mydriasis were suggestive of anticholinergic poisoning. Physostigmine 3 mg were slowly administered intravenously, followed by complete neurological recovery and normalisation of the body temperature. There was no brain damage. Cocaine and atropine were found in the patient's urine. Several users of cocaine in various European countries have recently developed a central anticholinergic syndrome due to adulteration of cocaine with atropine. In the presence of indications for such an intoxication, physostigmine is the antidote of first choice.
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PMID:[Physostigmine for the immediate treatment of a patient with the central anticholinergic syndrome induced by cocaine cut with atropine]. 1610 18

Application of physostigmine to the oromucosal surface with the aim of stimulating underlying mucin-producing glands while reducing cholinergic systemic effects might be a strategy for treating dry mouth. Subjects suffering from dry mouth and with hyposalivation participated in a crossover, double-blind, randomized study. A gel containing physostigmine (0.9, 1.8, 3.6, and 7.2 mg) or placebo was applied to the inside of the lips and distributed with the tongue. The feeling of dryness was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS) (where a score of 100 = extremely dry) and systemic effects were registered. Based on assessments of efficacy and safety, the dose of 1.8 mg of physostigmine was selected for use in the second part of the study to make objective measurements of saliva volumes. Physostigmine (1.8 mg) produced long-lasting (120 min) relief (evident as a score reduction of 25 on the VAS) in the feeling of dryness. Judging from AUC values related to baseline over 180 min, the improvement for both mouth and lips in response to physostigmine was six times greater than that to placebo. At higher doses of physostigmine, gastrointestinal discomfort predominantly occurred. The volume of saliva collected in response to physostigmine was five times higher over 180 min than that collected in response to placebo. Physostigmine, applied locally, therefore appears to be a promising modality for dry-mouth treatment.
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PMID:The cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine for the local treatment of dry mouth: a randomized study. 1958 46