Prominent experts explain the pharmacology and metabolism of benzodiazepines (LDB) and g-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and offer powerful and effective methodologies that will enable better detection of these drugs in various body fluids, as well as in hair. The techniques include highly sensitive immunoassay detection of LDBs, the detection of Rohypnol® and other LDBs by mass spectrometry, and the ultrasensitive detection of GHB. State-of-the-art and highly practical, Benzodiazepines and GHB: Detection and Pharmacology offers toxicologists, forensic scientists, and clinical chemists today's most effective methods for detecting these widely abused drugs that are sometimes found associated with criminal acts.

As the publisher's cover notes on this volume point out, the low dose benzodiazepines and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) escape detection in many laboratories because of their low effective doses and rapid metabolism. This is an important shortcoming because of the forensic consequences of the use and misuse of these drugs. Edited by Dr. Salvatore Salamone, the book is a collection of seven papers, any of which would be at home in the pages of this Journal, and it will be a useful addition to the library of any laboratory looking to improve its performance in the areas discussed. Its focus, however, is on a few of the low dose benzodiazepines, (a fact not clear from the title), and includes only a single chapter on GHB.

Comprehensive coverage of the theory, practical understanding and management of the psychiatric aspects of drug and alcohol use and dependence.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

A concise compilation of the known interactions of the most commonly prescribed drugs, as well as their interaction with nonprescription compounds. The agents covered include CNS drugs, cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics, and NSAIDs. For each class of drugs the authors review the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, chemistry, metabolism, epidemiological occurrences, adverse reactions, and significant interactions. Environmental and social pharmacological issues are also addressed in chapters on food and alcohol drug interactions, nicotine and tobacco, and anabolic doping agents. Comprehensive and easy-to-use, Handbook of Drug Interactions: A Clinical and Forensic Guide provides physicians with all the information needed to avoid prescribing drugs with undesirable interactions, and toxicologists with all the data necessary to interpret possible interactions between drugs found simultaneously in patient samples.

An essential reference for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, trainees, and specialist nurses, as well as primary care physicians/GPs with a special interest in mental health conditions and other healthcare professionals.