potassium-bromide and sodium-bromide

Topical over-the-counter remedies exist to aid in the control of seborrheic dermatitis and chronic dandruff on a superficial level. Low-dose systemic oral nickel and bromide therapy has shown promise in providing improvement and eventual clearing of the disease.. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate the effect of an orally administered low-dose, homeopathic mineral therapy (Potassium bromide 1X, Sodium bromide 2X, Nickel sulfate 3X, Sodium chloride 6X) on seborrheic dermatitis and chronic dandruff.. Forty-one patients with seborrheic dermatitis and/or chronic dandruff were assigned to one of two treatment groups: Active (containing the medication) or placebo (vehicle). Study medication was administered in a placebo-controlled, randomly-selected, double-blind study for 10 weeks. At the end of 10 weeks all patients crossed over to the active medication, under a different label for an additional 10 weeks in an open study format.. Twenty-nine patients completed the 10-week blinded portion of the study. After 10 weeks of treatment, the disease state of the active patients improved significantly over that of the placebo patients (p<0.04). The placebo patients' condition before and after crossover to active treatment was also evaluated, showing significant improvement (p<0.01) 10 weeks after crossing over to active medication.. Oral therapy using a low-dose homeopathic preparation combining Potassium bromide 1X, Sodium bromide 2X, Nickel sulfate 3X, and Sodium chloride 6X, provides significant improvement in seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff after 10 weeks of dosing.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Bromides; Dermatitis, Seborrheic; Double-Blind Method; Drug Combinations; Female; Homeopathy; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nickel; Patient Selection; Potassium Compounds; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Compounds

A seminal study recently demonstrated that bromide (Br-) has a critical function in the assembly of type IV collagen in basement membrane (BM), and suggested that Br- supplementation has therapeutic potential for BM diseases. Because salts of bromide (KBr and NaBr) have been used as antiepileptic drugs for several decades, repositioning of Br- for BM diseases is probable. However, the effects of Br- on glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease such as Alport syndrome (AS) and its impact on the kidney are still unknown. In this study, we administered daily for 16 weeks 75 mg/kg or 250 mg/kg (within clinical dosage) NaBr or NaCl (control) via drinking water to 6-week-old AS mice (mouse model of X-linked AS). Treatment with 75 mg/kg NaBr had no effect on AS progression. Surprisingly, compared with 250 mg/kg NaCl, 250 mg/kg NaBr exacerbated the progressive proteinuria and increased the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in AS mice. Histological analysis revealed that glomerular injury, renal inflammation and fibrosis were exacerbated in mice treated with 250 mg/kg NaBr compared with NaCl. The expressions of renal injury markers (Lcn2, Lysozyme), matrix metalloproteinase (Mmp-12), pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-6, Il-8, Tnf-α, Il-1β) and pro-fibrotic genes (Tgf-β, Col1a1, α-Sma) were also exacerbated by 250 mg/kg NaBr treatment. Notably, the exacerbating effects of Br- were not observed in wild-type mice. These findings suggest that Br- supplementation needs to be carefully evaluated for real positive health benefits and for the absence of adverse side effects especially in GBM diseases such as AS.

Topics: Animals; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Bromides; Creatinine; Disease Models, Animal; Glomerular Basement Membrane; Kidney; Kidney Diseases; Liver Cirrhosis; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nephritis; Nephritis, Hereditary; Nitrogen; Potassium Compounds; Proteinuria; Sodium Compounds

Biogeochemical cycles of bromine (Br) and its quantitative requirements for different plant species are still studied poorly. There is a need to examine Br pathways in plants and evaluate the factors important for Br accumulation in a plant. In the present work, the effects of different Br compounds on an uptake of Br by two plant species (wheat and pea) that tolerate Br differently (pea is more sensitive to Br compared with wheat) have been studied. The growth medium was spiked with either KBr or NaBr at concentrations 0, 10, 50 and 100 mg/L. Elemental analysis of the plants was performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ICP-MS analytical techniques after leaching of the samples with tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide at mild temperature (60 °C). The experimental results have shown that wheat and pea seedlings can accumulate rather large amounts of Br. An increase of Br concentration in a plant was not always directly proportional to the variations in the Br concentration in the growth medium. In wheat, the greater part of Br was accumulated during first 7 days. In pea, the uptake of Br lasted until the end of the experiment. Certain differences in the ability of plants to accumulate Br were observed when the plants were grown in a medium spiked with different Br compounds. In most cases, Br accumulation was higher in the leaves of the plants grown in the medium spiked with KBr. The same tendency was observed for another halogen, chlorine (Cl).

Topics: Bromides; Culture Media; Pisum sativum; Plant Leaves; Potassium Compounds; Seedlings; Sodium Compounds; Triticum

The molar electric conductivities Lambda of NaBr, KBr, and CsBr were measured in liquid ethanol at temperatures from 60 to 220 degrees C along the liquid-vapor coexistence curve. The limiting molar electrolyte conductivities Lambda(o) and the molar association constants K(A) were determined by the analysis of the concentration dependence of Lambda. The friction coefficients zeta for the Na(+), K(+), Cs(+), and Br(-) ions were estimated from Lambda(o) by an assumption that the cationic transference number of KBr is independent of temperature and density. The density dependences of zeta thus obtained together with literature values at higher densities (lower temperatures) were examined. zeta increases with decreasing density at densities above 2.0rho(c), where rho(c)=0.276 g cm(-3) is the critical density. At lower densities, the density dependences of zeta depend on ion. The relative contribution of the nonviscous effect in zeta was estimated by Deltazeta/zeta, where Deltazeta was the difference between zeta and the Stokes friction coefficient. At densities above 2.7rho(c), Deltazeta/zeta slightly decreases with decreasing density except for the Cs(+) ion. At densities below 2.7rho(c), Deltazeta/zeta increases with decreasing density and the density dependence is larger for larger ion. The results at densities above 2.2rho(c) were well explained by the Hubbard-Onsager (HO) dielectric friction theory [J. Hubbard, J. Chem. Phys. 68, 1649 (1978)] based on the sphere-in-continuum model. Below 2.2rho(c), however, experimental Deltazeta/zeta tends to be larger than the prediction of the HO theory. The lower limit density of the validity range of the HO theory is slightly higher in ethanol than in methanol.

Topics: Bromides; Cesium; Electric Conductivity; Electrolytes; Ethanol; Phase Transition; Potassium Compounds; Sodium Compounds; Temperature

Here we report on the polarization dependent nonresonant second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement of the interfacial water molecules at the aqueous solution of the following salts: NaF, NaCl, NaBr, KF, KCl, and KBr. Through quantitative polarization analysis of the SHG data, the orientational parameter D (D = /) value and the relative surface density of the interfacial water molecules at these aqueous solution surfaces were determined. From these results, we found that addition of each of the six salts caused an increase in the thickness of the interfacial water layer at the surfaces to a certain extent. Noticeably, both the cations and the anions contributed to the changes, and the abilities to increase the thickness of the interfacial water layer were in the following order: KBr > NaBr > KCl > NaCl approximately NaF > KF. Since these changes cannot be factorized into individual anion and cation contributions, there are possible ion pairing or association effects, especially for the NaF case. We also found that the orientational parameter D values of the interfacial water molecules changed to opposite directions for the aqueous solutions of the three sodium salts versus the aqueous solutions of the three potassium salts. These findings clearly indicated unexpected specific Na(+) and K(+) cation effects at the aqueous solution surface. These effects were not anticipated from the recent molecular dynamics simulation results, which concluded that the Na(+) and K(+) cations can be treated as small nonpolarizable hard ions and they are repelled from the aqueous interfaces. These results suggest that the electrolyte aqueous solution surfaces are more complex than the currently prevalent theoretical and experimental understandings.

Topics: Air; Bromides; Fluorides; Potassium Chloride; Potassium Compounds; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Compounds; Sodium Fluoride; Water

To evaluate clinical signs, risk factors, and outcomes associated with bromide toxicosis (bromism) in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy treated with potassium or sodium bromide.. Retrospective case-control study.. 83 clinically ill epileptic dogs with (cases; n = 31) and without (controls; 52) bromism.. Medical records were reviewed for information regarding signalment, epilepsy history, treatment, diet, clinicopathologic test results, concurrent diseases, clinical signs, and outcome. Case and control dogs were matched by the veterinary hospitals from which they were referred and by month of admission. A presumptive diagnosis of bromism was made in case dogs when treatment for primary clinical signs was limited to induction of diuresis or reduction in the dose of bromide administered, and this diagnosis was supported by serum bromide concentrations. Potential risk factors for bromism were identified via univariate and subsequent multivariate logistic regression analyses.. Common clinical signs of bromism included alterations in consciousness, ataxia, and upper and lower motor neuron tetraparesis and paraparesis. The multivariate analysis identified bromide dose at admission to the hospital as the only factor significantly associated with bromism. In all dogs with bromism, treatment via dose reduction or facilitated renal excretion of bromide resulted in rapid clinical improvement, although breakthrough seizures happened during treatment in 8 of 31 (26%) dogs.. Bromism is a clinically heterogeneous, dose-dependent neurotoxicosis that is largely reversible with treatment. Regular serial monitoring of serum bromide concentrations is recommended to optimize anticonvulsant treatment in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Topics: Animals; Anticonvulsants; Bromides; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Epilepsy; Potassium Compounds; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sodium Compounds

Antidepressant drug imipramine hydrochloride (IMP) is amphiphilic which shows surfactant-like behavior in aqueous solutions. We have studied the effect of adding electrolytes and non-electrolytes on the micellar behavior of IMP by making cloud point (CP) and dye solubilization measurements. The CP of a 100mM IMP solution (prepared in 10mM sodium phosphate (SP) buffer) was found to decrease with increasing pH, both in the absence as well as presence of added salts. Increase in pH increased the visible absorbance of Sudan III dye solubilized in the drug micelles, implying micellar growth. Addition of increasing amounts of salts to 100mM IMP solutions (at pH 6.7) caused continuous increase in CP due to micellar growth. On the basis of these studies, the binding-effect orders of counter- and co-ions have been deduced, respectively, as: Br(-)>Cl(-)>F(-) and Li(+)

Topics: Azo Compounds; Bromides; Coloring Agents; Electrolytes; Emulsions; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Imipramine; Lithium Chloride; Lithium Compounds; Micelles; Potassium Chloride; Potassium Compounds; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Compounds; Sodium Fluoride; Solubility; Solutions; Thiourea; Urea

We have monitored the effects of salts and denaturants on the folding of the simple, two-state protein FynSH3. As predicted by Debye-Huckel limiting law, both the stability and (log) folding rate of FynSH3 increase nearly perfectly linearly (r(2)> 0.99) with the square root of ionic strength upon increasing concentrations of the relatively nonchaotropic salt sodium chloride. The stability of FynSH3 is also linear in square root ionic strength when the relatively nonchaotropic salts sodium bromide, potassium bromide, and potassium chloride are employed. Comparison of the kinetic and equilibrium effects of sodium chloride suggests that the electrostatic interactions formed in the folding transition state are approximately 50% as destabilizing as those formed in the native state, presumably reflecting the more compact nature of the latter. In contrast, the relationship between concentration and folding kinetics is more complex when the highly chaotropic salt guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) is employed. At moderate to high GuHCl concentrations the net effect of the linear, presumably chaotrope-induced deceleration and the presumed, square root-dependent ionic strength-induced acceleration is well approximated as linear, thus accounting for the observation of "chevron behavior" (log folding rate linear in denaturant concentration) typically reported for the folding of single domain proteins. At very low GuHCl concentrations, however, significant kinetic rollover is observed. This rollover is reasonably well fitted as a sum of a linear, presumably chaotropic effect and a square root-dependent, presumably electrostatic effect. These results thus not only provide insight into the nature of the folding transition state but also suggest that caution is in order when extrapolating GuHCl-based chevrons to estimate folding rates in the absence of denaturant and in interpreting deviations from chevron linearity as evidence for non-two-state kinetics.

Topics: Bromides; Guanidine; Kinetics; Osmolar Concentration; Potassium Chloride; Potassium Compounds; Protein Denaturation; Protein Folding; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fyn; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Compounds; Solvents; src Homology Domains; src-Family Kinases; Static Electricity; Thermodynamics; Urea

A 49-year-old woman who had noted increasing fatigue and found it difficult to concentrate became confused and uncoordinated with rapid speech. Anxious and suffering from insomnia she had for 6 weeks taken a prescription-free bromide-containing drug mixture (daily 0.09 g potassium bromide and 1.8 g sodium bromide), to a total bromide intake of 60 g. The admission diagnosis of chronic bromism was confirmed by a markedly increased serum bromide concentration (325 mg/l). Once she had stopped taking the drug and had increased her salt intake she became symptom-free within 8 days. The case demonstrates that, while chronic bromism has become rare, it should still be included in the differential diagnosis, even after intake of supposedly harmless medication.

Topics: Bromides; Chronic Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Combinations; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Poisoning; Potassium; Potassium Compounds; Sodium; Sodium Compounds

alpha-Chymotrypsin (alpha CT) was used as a model protein to study the effects of salt-induced precipitation on protein conformation. Process parameters investigated included the type and amount of salt used to induce precipitation. The salts studied included Na2SO4, NaCl, NaBr, KBr and KSCN. Precipitate secondary structure content was examined via laser Raman spectroscopy. Conventional and saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were employed to probe the tertiary structure of the active site in spin-labelled alpha CT precipitates. As the molal surface tension increment of the inducing salt increased, the beta-sheet content increased and the alpha-helix content decreased. There was no significant variation in secondary structure with the amount of salt used. The fraction of precipitate that recovered activity on redissolution was correlated with the change in secondary structure content. Spin-labelled precipitate spectra indicated that the active site remains unaltered during precipitation. Molecular modelling was employed to investigate how physical property of alpha CT were affected by these types of conformational change. Estimated physical property changes could not account entirely for observed deviations from current equilibrium theory for salt-induced precipitation. The spectroscopic observations were also combined with activity/solubility results to propose a mechanism for the salt-induced precipitation of globular proteins.

Topics: Animals; Bromides; Chemical Precipitation; Chymotrypsin; Crystallography; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; Models, Molecular; Potassium; Potassium Compounds; Protein Conformation; Salts; Sodium; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Compounds; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Structure-Activity Relationship; Sulfates; Thiocyanates