Anticholinergic activity of antihistamines
This report is very interesting because authors mention that the effects were due to their anticholinergic activity. To date, the effects of the anticholinergic activity of antihistamines have not been sufficiently elucidated. The drugs used in this study – loratadine and promethazine – have been widely used as remedies for allergy. The loratadine package insert does not contain an instruction that patients taking the drug should exercise caution when driving a car. However, as indicated by this study, while loratadine does not induce self-perceived drowsiness, it may have a significant effect on objective indices such as reaction time and tremor. (Source: Clinical Neurophysiology)
Carotenoidsrsquo; Production from Halophilic Bacteria
Carotenoids have received considerable attention due to their interesting industrial applications and, more importantly, their potential beneficial effects on human health. Halophiles comprise a heterogeneous group of microorganisms that need salts for optimal growth. The pigments produced by these halophilic organisms comprise phytoene, beta;-carotene, lycopene, derivatives of bacterioruberin, and salinixanthin. Here, we describe the procedure to obtain salinixanthin from the extremely halophilic bacterium Salinibacter ruber. Additionally, we describe the expression of the beta;-carotene biosynthetic genes crtE, crtY, crtI, and crtB from Pantoea agglomerans in the moderately halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata obtaining a strain able to produce practically pure beta;-carotene. Thus...
