Passive absorption of fentanyl from the fentanyl HCl iontophoretic transdermal system

ABSTRACT

Background: The fentanyl HCl iontophoretic transdermal system (ITS) is a patient-controlled analgesic delivery system that actively administers bolus doses of fentanyl transdermally upon patient activation.

Objective: To determine the amount of fentanyl absorbed from fentanyl ITS via passive absorption over a 24.5-h period.

Methods: Serial blood samples for pharmacokinetic analyses were obtained from healthy adults who received fentanyl ITS for 24?h.

?Findings: The average absorption rate was 2.3?µg/h. An average total of 57.4?µg fentanyl was absorbed during the study. The mean maximum observed serum fentanyl concentration was 0.06?ng/mL.

Conclusions: Results indicate that the average amount of fentanyl absorbed passively or via passive delivery from fentanyl ITS is minimal. Maximum serum fentanyl concentrations fell below the range associated with analgesia and respiratory depression. The variability in fentanyl exposure was likely exaggerated by the low amounts of drug absorption resulting in overall fairly low fentanyl concentrations.     

Increased prevalence and altered species composition of filamentous fungi in respiratory specimens from cystic fibrosis patients

Filamentous fungi cultured from respiratory tract specimens submitted to the department of clinical microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, during 2010 were identified by morphology and by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Of 343 fungal isolates, discrepancies between identification methods were observed for four isolates (1.2%), while identification to species was achieved only with ITS sequencing for 16 isolates (4.7%). Filamentous fungi were isolated from 15% of cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory samples in contrast to 2% of non‐CF samples. From CF patients, a total of nine different species were found in 188 samples from 48 patients, whereas from non‐CF patients, 24 different species were found in 155 samples from 111 patients. CF was associated with a significant overrepresentation of Aspergillus fumigatus and Scedosporium species; in contrast, the frequency of Penicillium spp. and other putative contaminants were significantly increased in non‐CF patients. The altered species variation of filamentous fungi in CF respiratory specimens is contradictory to a scenario of incidentally inhaled spores, trapped in the viscous airway mucus of these patients and subsequently expectorated; rather, our data most likely reflect both an increased prevalence and an increased proportion of truly colonizing fungi in this patient group.     

不同地理居群新塔花的ITS2和psbA-trnH序列及聚类分析

目的:分析18个不同地理居群新塔花的内转录间隔区(ITS)2和psbA-trnH序列,为其种质资源评价和基原药用植物遗传多样性分析提供参考。方法:试剂盒法提取新塔花基因组DNA,聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增ITS2和psbA-trnH间隔区序列,双向测序,拼接,基于Kimura两参数模型(K2P)构建邻接法(NJ)系统发育树。结果:不同地理居群新塔花ITS2和psbA-trnH序列均有种内差异。ITS2序列长度平均为236 bp,检测有9个单倍型,遗传距离为0～0. 022,不同地理居群新塔花聚为两支,XTH3,XTH6,XTH9等10个地理居群聚为一支,XTH4,XTH5,XTH10等8个地理居群聚为另一支。除XTH6的psbAtrnH序列存在6 bp缺失外,其他地理居群的psbA-trnH序列长度均为355 bp,检测有4个单倍型,遗传距离为0～0. 023,不同地理居群新塔花聚为两支,XTH1,XTH3,XTH4等12个地理居群聚为一支,XTH14,XTH17,XTH18聚为另一支。基于ITS2+psbA-trnH组合序列的系统发育(NJ)树显示,不同地理居群的新塔花可分为两支,XTH11,XTH12,XTH16等12个地理居群聚为一支,XTH14,XTH17,XTH18聚为另一支。结论:不同地理居群的新塔花地理位置接近或相似,相对遗传距离较小,亲缘关系较为接近,说明不同地理居群新塔花的亲缘关系及其遗传多样性与地理位置相关。     

山东玫瑰花核糖体rDNA ITS序列分析初步探究

[目的]分析不同种质玫瑰花(Rosae Rugosae Flos)核糖体DNA的ITS序列,为其种质资源分子鉴别提供依据。[方法]采用聚合酶链反应(PCR)技术获得ITS基因,进行测序,经CLUSTALX(2.0)软件进行统计分析,计算各样本间的遗传距离。[结果]各样品间遗传距离范围为0.000~0.011,各样本不仅在非编码区的转录间隔区ITS1和ITS2存在多个变异位点,而且在保守的5.8S编码区也存在变异位点。[结论]ITS序列的测定为玫瑰花品种鉴别和种质资源优化提供分子生物学依据。     

Trichostrongylus colubriformis: Possible Most Common Cause of Human Infection in Mazandaran Province,North of Iran

Background:

Infection with Trichostrongylus spp. is common among human and herbivorous in most parts of Iran, especially in southern and northern areas. The aim of present study was to identify Trichostrongylus spp. among human population using excreted egg specimens, by the molecular method, in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran.

Methods:

Overall, 33 positive fecal specimens were randomly sampled and examined. PCR amplification of ITS2-rDNA region was performed on the isolated egg and then a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profile was considered to discriminate of Trichostrongylus spp.

Results:

A total of 33 positive fecal specimens, 29(78.9%), 4(12.1%) were found T. colubriformis and T. axei respectively. Our data appear the molecular evidence of both human T. colubriformis and T. axei infections in North of Iran.

Conclusion:

T. colubriformis was the probable most common zoonotic species causing human trichostrongylosis infection in the area     

Phylogenetic Study of Haemonchus Species from Iran Based On Morpho-Molecular Characterization

Background:

Haemonchosis has a negative effect on the farming industry throughout the world, especially in the tropic and sub-tropic countries. The present study was carried out to differentiate Haemonchus species from its main hosts in Iran, including sheep, goat and camel.

Methods:

The identification took place based on the morphometrics of the spicules and molecular characters. Two hundred seventy adult male nematodes were collected from the abomasums of different ruminants (90 samples from each animal) at the slaughterhouses from different localities in Iran. Samples were morphologically identified according to the spicules’ morphometric measurements. In the section on molecular study, 10 samples of each Haemonchus isolates were genetically examined. A simple PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay of the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA (ITS2-rDNA) were described to confirm the PCR results.

Results:

PCR-RFLP profile obtained from the restriction enzyme HPa1 in H. contortus and H. longistipes indicated 1 (278 bp) and 2 (113 and 135 bp) different fragments, respectively. The morphological parameters clearly distinguish H. contortus from H. longistipes. Moreover, regarding the ITS2-rDNA, sequences of 295 bp and 314 bp were obtained from H. contortus and H. longistipes, respectively.

Conclusion:

The genotypic results are in agreement with the phenotypic findings of both species.     

The recent emergence of Leishmania tropica in Jericho (A'riha) and its environs, a classical focus of L. major

Between 1997 and 2002, 49 strains of Leishmania were isolated from the cutaneous lesions of Palestinians living in and around Jericho. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1-PCR) was applied to their cultured promastigotes and to 207 individuals' skin scrapings spotted on filter-papers, 107 of which proved positive for leishmanial DNA. Species identification was performed by restricting the ITS1-PCR amplification products from the cultured promastigotes and the amastigotes in the scrapings with the endonuclease HaeIII. Of the 49 cultures, 28 (57%) were L. major and 21 (43%) were L. tropica. Of the 107 dermal samples tested directly, 53 (49.5%) were infected with L. major, 52 (48.5%) with L. tropica and two remained unidentified. This is the first time L. tropica has been exposed in the population of the Jericho area and on such a large scale. The itinerant behaviour of some of this population precludes categorically declaring that L. tropica has recently become established in this classical focus of L. major. For this and although 88.2% of the cases of L. tropica claimed not to have travelled out of the vicinity of Jericho, local infected sand fly vectors of L. tropica must be caught, identified and, if possible, shown to harbour infections, and, if one exists, an animal reservoir host should also be exposed to endorse whether the cases caused by L. tropica were imported or autochthonous.     

Detection of Leishmania donovani and L. tropica in Ethiopian wild rodents

Human visceral (VL, also known as Kala-azar) and cutaneous (CL) leishmaniasis are important infectious diseases affecting countries in East Africa that remain endemic in several regions of Ethiopia. The transmission and epidemiology of the disease is complicated due to the complex life cycle of the parasites and the involvement of various Leishmania spp., sand fly vectors, and reservoir animals besides human hosts. Particularly in East Africa, the role of animals as reservoirs for human VL remains unclear. Isolation of Leishmania donovani parasites from naturally infected rodents has been reported in several endemic countries; however, the status of rodents as reservoirs in Ethiopia remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated natural Leishmania infections in rodents. Animals were trapped in 41 localities of endemic and non-endemic areas in eight geographical regions of Ethiopia and DNA was isolated from spleens of 586 rodents belonging to 21 genera and 38 species. Leishmania infection was evaluated by real-time PCR of kinetoplast (k)DNA and confirmed by sequencing of the PCR products. Subsequently, parasite species identification was confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer one (ITS1) gene. Out of fifty (8.2%) rodent specimens positive for Leishmania kDNA-PCR and sequencing, 10 were subsequently identified by sequencing of the ITS1 showing that five belonged to the L. donovani complex and five to L. tropica. Forty nine kDNA-positive rodents were found in the endemic localities of southern and eastern Ethiopia while only one was identified from northwestern Ethiopia. Moreover, all the ten ITS1-positive rodents were captured in areas where human leishmaniasis cases have been reported and potential sand fly vectors occur. Our findings suggest the eco-epidemiological importance of rodents in these foci of leishmaniasis and indicate that rodents are likely to play a role in the transmission of leishmaniasis in Ethiopia, possibly as reservoir hosts.