Barbiturate

-
Barbiturate, any of an important group of drugs that depress brain function; they are derived from barbituric acid (C4H4N2O3), a combination of urea and malonic acid. Depending on the dosage or formulation, barbiturates have a sedative (tranquilizing), hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anticonvulsant, or anesthetic effect. Very short-acting barbiturates such as thiopental are injected intravenously to induce rapid anesthesia before surgery. Phenobarbital, a long-acting barbiturate, is prescribed with other medications to prevent epileptic seizures. Other barbituric-acid derivatives, such as secobarbital, were used as antianxiety medications until the development of the tranquilizer; they are still in use for the short-term treatment of insomnia, although tranquilizers are more suitable sleep inducers. Barbiturates are common drugs of abuse. Taken orally or intravenously, they produce symptoms similar to drunkenness: loss of inhibition, boisterous or violent behavior, muscle incoordination, depression, and sedation. They are physically addicting and produce severe withdrawal symptoms; overdoses can cause profound shock, coma, or death. See Drug Dependence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cream, Butter, and Ice Cream

-
. In order for a product to be labeled as cream, it must contain 18 percent milk fat or more. Light whipping cream must contain at least 30 percent fat, and 36 percent fat is the minimum fat content for heavy whipping cream. Half-and-half, an equal mixture of both milk and cream, must have at least 10.5 percent fat. The various grades of cream are valued for their smooth, thick texture. They are often used in cooking instead of milk, because they are less likely to form a skin when heated and can be whipped into a stiff foam. When chilled cream is churned gently, the fat globules gather together to form butter, leaving buttermilk as the by-product. Butter contains at least 82.5 percent fat. In the past, before the advent of widespread refrigeration, salt was added to butter to retard bacterial spoilage; now salt is added mainly for flavor. Ice cream, a popular frozen dessert, is made of milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring. The mixture is slowly beaten while chilled until it is partially ...
Read more

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

-
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), genetic material of all cellular organisms and most viruses. DNA carries the information needed to direct protein synthesis and replication. Protein synthesis is the production of the proteins needed by the cell or virus for its activities and development. Replication is the process by which DNA copies itself for each descendant cell or virus, passing on the information needed for protein synthesis. In most cellular organisms, DNA is organized on chromosomes located in the nucleus of the cell .
Read more

Bacteria

-
Bacteria is a one-celled organisms visible only through a microscope. Bacteria live all around us and within us. The air is filled with bacteria, and they have even entered outer space in spacecraft. Bacteria live in the deepest parts of the ocean and deep within Earth. They are in the soil, in our food, and on plants and animals. Even our bodies are home to many different kinds of bacteria. Our lives are closely intertwined with theirs, and the health of our planet depends very much on their activities. Bacterial cells are so small that scientists measure them in units called micrometers (µm). One micrometer equals a millionth of a meter (0.0000001 m or about 0.000039 in), and an average bacterium is about one micrometer long. Hundreds of thousands of bacteria would fit on a rounded dot made by a pencil. Bacteria lack a true nucleus, a feature that distinguishes them from plant and animal cells. In plants and animals the saclike nucleus carries genetic material in the form of deoxyrib...
Read more