Stability of bendrofluazide in a low-dose extemporaneously prepared capsule

The stability of bendrofluazide 1.25 mg in capsules was studied. The formulation is intended to provide a unit dose powder for administration by dispersing the contents in liquid. The capsules were prepared from ground bendrofluazide tablets 5 mg from two different manufacturers, diluted with lactose and packed manually by weight into hard gelatin capsule shells. The capsules were stored at ambient temperature exposed to light or 75% relative humidity, and at 45 or 60C. The ambient temperature and 60C conditions were studied for up to 1 year. Bendrofluazide was determined by a stability-indicating HPLC method. The capsule contents remained easy to disperse in liquid by the end of the study. The weight of contents which could be extracted from the capsules also remained satisfactory. A 7-month storage life at ambient temperature would be feasible, based on the lower 95% confidence limits of the time to 5% degradation.     

Incontinence and troublesome behaviors predict institutionalization in dementia.

Factors predicting the early institutionalization of demented patients were studied in 143 outpatients using univariate and multivariate life-table methods. Four types of factors were evaluated for prognostic value: severity of functional impairment, behavioral disorders, individual patient characteristics, and type of caregiver. After follow-up of 19 +/- 12 months, 51 patients had been institutionalized. Increased global severity of dementia, the presence of troublesome and disruptive behaviors, and incontinence increased the likelihood of institutionalization. The best predictors of institutionalization were paranoia, aggressive behavior, and incontinence. Neither individual patient characteristics (age, education, and gender) nor caregiver relationship to the patient (male spouse, female spouse, and male or female child) influenced institutionalization. Since troublesome behavioral disorders are potentially treatable aspects of dementia leading to institutionalization, their management should be a major focus of therapy in dementia.     

The relationship between the Stiles–Crawford effect of the first kind (SCE-I) and myopia

The Stiles-Crawford effect of the first kind (SCE-I) was measured on both emmetropic and myopic subjects at six different retinal locations. The results revealed a number of significant discrepancies in receptor alignment between the groups of different refractive errors. In myopic subjects, the receptors in the nasal retina (i.e. between the fovea and the optic nerve head) were found to be aligned nasally towards the optic nerve head, whereas the receptors in the temporal retina were aligned towards the centre of the exit pupil. In emmetropic subjects, the receptors across the retina were finely tuned towards the centre of the exit pupil. The magnitude of the receptor displacement in myopic subjects was found to be directly associated with the length of the eyeball.     

Methods of Measuring Community Characteristics

There is increasing interest in the influence of community characteristics on child development and family functioning. In order to address questions on community influence, it is important to be aware of the measures available and their strengths and limitations. Useful strategies have been developed within a number of disciplines, including sociology, social and community psychology, and criminology. Methods include summarising information from existing administrative databases and census data, conducting observations, and using survey instruments with residents. The most commonly used methods are reviewed and their psychometric properties described .     

Activation of guinea pig eosinophil respiratory burst by leukotriene B4: role of protein kinase C

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and the protein kinase C activator, 4-beta-phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu), both induced a pronounced and concentration-dependent stimulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation by purified guinea pig peritoneal eosinophils in the concentration range 1 nM-1 microM. The LTB4 response was inhibited competitively by the specific LTB4 receptor antagonist, U-75302, with a KB of 25 nM, while the concentration-response curves for both stimuli were shifted rightwards (3.8-fold and 2.8-fold for LTB4 and PDBu, respectively) by the competitive protein kinase C inhibitor, 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methylglycerol at a concentration of 300 microM. LTB4 appears, therefore, to induce respiratory burst in eosinophils via a receptor-mediated mechanism involving protein kinase C.