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What is Isoflurane and explain in detail?
Isoflurane, sold under the brand name Forane among others, is a general anesthetic. It can be used to start or maintain anesthesia; however, other medications are often used to start anesthesia rather than isoflurane, due to airway irritation with isoflurane. Isoflurane is given via inhalation.Side effects of isoflurane include a decreased ability to breathe (respiratory depression), low blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat. Serious side effects can include malignant hyperthermia or high blood potassium. It should not be used in patients with a history of malignant hyperthermia in either themselves or their family members. It is unknown if its use during pregnancy is safe for the fetus, but use during a cesarean section appears to be safe. Isoflurane is a halogenated ether.Isoflurane was approved for medical use in the United States in 1979. It is on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines.

Medical uses
Isoflurane is always administered in conjunction with air or pure oxygen. Often, nitrous oxide is also used. Although its physical properties imply that anaesthesia can be induced more rapidly than with halothane, its pungency can irritate the respiratory system, negating any possible advantage conferred by its physical properties. It is used in general anesthesia in tandem with or alternatively to other anesthetic drugs, such as thiopentone or propofol.

Adverse effects
Animal studies have raised safety concerns of certain general anesthetics, in particular ketamine and isoflurane, in young children. The risk of neurodegeneration was increased in combination of these agents with nitrous oxide and benzodiazepines such as midazolam. Whether these concerns occur in humans is unclear.

Elderly
Biophysical studies using NMR spectroscopy has provided molecular details of how inhaled anesthetics interact with three amino acid residues (G29, A30 and I31) of amyloid beta peptide and induce aggregation. This area is important as "some of the commonly used inhaled anesthetics may cause brain damage that accelerates the onset of Alzheimers disease".

Physical properties
It is administered as a racemic mixture of (R)- and (S)-optical isomers. Isoflurane has a melting point of 48 - 48.5°Celsius (118 - 119°Fahrenheit) and a boiling point of 48.5 - 49 °C (119 - 120 °F). It is non-combustible but can give off irritable and toxic fumes when exposed to flame.

Mechanism of action
Similar to many general anesthetics, the exact mechanism of the action has not been clearly delineated. Isoflurane reduces pain sensitivity (analgesia) and relaxes muscles. Isoflurane likely binds to GABA, glutamate and glycine receptors, but has different effects on each receptor. Isoflurane acts as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor in electrophysiology studies of neurons and recombinant receptors. It potentiates glycine receptor activity, which decreases motor function. It inhibits receptor activity in the NMDA glutamate receptor subtypes