Essays on Ergot

Introduction

Migraine is a common type of headache disorder which is characterized by moderate to severe recurrent headache. Migraine headaches are generally severe and could last up to 3 days, wherein the pain affects half of the head but the pain is pulsating in nature. People with acute migraine headache may have suffer from sensitivity to light, vomiting, nausea, and sensitivity to smell and sound. In some cases, the pain may become severe and worsen after physical activity. In 1/3rd of patients with migraine, a short period of visual disturbance or aura occurs which is an indication that the pain ...

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Dr. Albert Hofmann, a Swiss synthetic chemist, was born on January 11, 1906 (Luke, 2006). He was not from an economically stable family, and sometimes, due to the illness of his father, he was forced to work. He graduated from University of Zürich, and in 1929, he got his doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry (Pallardy, n.d.). After completion of graduation, he started working with Sandoz as a Director Pharmaceutical-Chemical Research Laboratories Basel (Fusar-Poli & Borgwardt, 2008). During his work in the company, he was associated with the synthesis of compounds that are commonly found in medicinal ...

Introduction

Studies have shown that fescue toxicosis is caused by low levels of ergot alkaloids which are highly toxic in endophyte-infected tall fescue grass. It is believed that a number of the ergot alkaloids are involved in the modulation of physiological mechanisms in animals and man. One of the best approaches that can be used to solve the problem of fescue toxicosis from the body system is by adopting the process used by animals to remove the ergot alkaloids toxins from circulation. This can be achieved through understanding of the role played by the cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4) in the elimination of ...