Synthesis and evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activity of novel 2,3-disubstituted-4-thiazolidinones from fatty acid hydrazides

The efficient cyclocondensation reaction of fatty acid hydrazides with thioglycolic acid (TGA)/mercapto acetic acid and Thio lactic acid under anhydrous condition in the presence of catalyst anhydrous ZnCl₂ in dimethyl formamide solvent is described. The synthesis provides the product, substituted thiazolidinone, in appropriate yield. The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectra and these compounds were tested for in vitro antibacterial activity against the representative group of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC-27853), Escherichia coli (ATCC-25922), Streptococcus pyogenes, and Klebsiella pneumonia (Clinical isolate), Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA +ve), and also tested for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Penicillium marneffei, Candida albicans. Minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bacterial concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration were determined for the test compounds along with the reference standards used.     

High-dose humanized anti-IL-2 receptor alpha antibody (daclizumab) for the treatment of active, non-infectious uveitis

PURPOSE: This study was designed to provide preliminary data regarding the safety and efficacy of high-dose humanized anti-IL-2 receptor (daclizumab) therapy for the treatment of active intermediate, posterior or panuveitis. METHODS: Five patients were recruited into this non-randomized, prospective pilot study of high-dose intravenous induction daclizumab therapy given at doses of 8mg/kg at day 0 and 4mg/kg at day 14. Patients who did not meet a safety endpoint at the 3-week follow-up evaluation were given the option of continuing therapy with subcutaneous daclizumab at 2mg/kg every 4weeks for 52weeks. The primary outcome assessed was a two-step decrease in vitreous haze at day 21. Secondary outcomes evaluated included best-corrected visual acuity, retinal thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography, retinal vascular leakage assessed by fluorescein angiography, anterior chamber and vitreous cellular inflammation. RESULTS: Four male patients and one female patient were enrolled. Diagnoses included birdshot retinochoroidopathy (two patients), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's disease, bilateral idiopathic panuveitis and bilateral idiopathic intermediate uveitis. By the 4th week, four of five patients demonstrated a two-step decrease in vitreous haze. The other participant did not meet this criterion until week 20, but all five patients maintained stability in vitreous haze grade throughout their follow-up periods. At enrollment, mean visual acuity (10 eyes in 5 patients) was 69.2 ETDRS letters and following treatment was 78.2 letters (p<0.12). Anterior chamber cell, vitreous cell, and vitreous haze also improved in the majority of eyes. Adverse events were generally mild except for one episode of left-lower lobe pneumonia requiring hospitalization and treatment. CONCLUSION: This is the first demonstration that high-dose daclizumab can reduce inflammation in active uveitis. Daclizumab was well tolerated but there may be a potential increased risk of infection associated with immunosuppression. All five patients demonstrated a decrease in vitreous haze and measures of intraocular inflammation at final follow-up. The results of this small, non-randomized pilot study support the consideration of high-dose daclizumab therapy in cases of active posterior uveitis.     

The Nurses Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI): assessment of psychometric properties for Australian domestic and international student nurses

BackgroundProfessional self-concept is a critical driver of job satisfaction. In Australia, as international nursing enrolments rise, nursing is increasingly characterised by a professional body of international nurses who may differ from domestic Australian nurses in their nursing self-concept. At present, no psychometrically sound instrument for assessing nursing self-concept for Australian domestic and international nursing students is available.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to: (1) develop an instrument (the Nurses’ Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI)) to measure the professional self-concept of domestic and international nursing students in Australia, and (2) test the psychometric properties of this newly developed instrument.MethodA literature review was conducted to generate the initial dimension and item pools to measure nurses’ professional self-concept (NSCI). Two stakeholders examined the content and face validity of dimensions and items. Analysis was performed on data collected from 253 undergraduate nursing students in a large public university in Sydney, Australia, and consisted of domestic (n = 218) and international (n = 35) nursing students. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the NSCI.ResultsThe resulting NSCI consisted of 14 items across four self-concept domains: care, leadership, staff relations, and knowledge. The CFA supported the hypothesised factor structure of the self-concept model. All reliabilities were acceptable for both domestic and international students (ranging from r = .78 to .93).ConclusionsThe NSCI was shown to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing Australian domestic and international student nurses’ professional self-concept. This instrument may also enable those responsible for recruitment of students into nursing courses to assess students’ professional self-concept and implement appropriate strategies to foster the growth of lifelong career development.     

Sleep disorders in Behçet's disease, and their relationship with fatigue and quality of life

Behçet’s disease, a systemic vasculitis, can cause varying degrees of activity limitation, fatigue and quality of life impairment. To date, there have been no studies regarding sleep disturbance and its relationship with fatigue and life quality in Behçet’s disease. We aimed to evaluate sleep disorders and polysomnographic parameters, and to determine their relationship with fatigue and quality of life in Behçet’s disease. Fifty‐one patients with Behçet’s disease without any neurological involvement were interviewed regarding sleep disorders. Twenty‐one subjects with no sleep complaints were included as the control group. Sleep‐related complaints were evaluated in a face‐to‐face interview. Sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, disease activity/severity, and quality of life questionnaires and an overnight polysomnography were performed. Prevalences of restless legs syndrome (35.3%) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with/without other sleep disorders (32.5%) were higher than in the control group and the general population. Fatigue was higher in patients with restless legs syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and in those with lower minimum oxygen saturation; hence, only patients with restless legs syndrome had quality of life impairment. Sleep efficiency index and sleep continuity index were lower, and wake after sleep onset, respiratory disturbance index and apnea–hypopnea index were higher than in controls (P < 0.01). Neither sleep disorders nor polysomnographic parameters were related to disease activity and severity. In conclusion, it is important to question sleep disorder followed by a polysomnography, if necessary, in order to improve quality of life and fatigue in Behçet’s disease.     

A facile, one-pot synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of o-hydroxy anilide derivatives and 1-substituted-1,3-dicyclohexylurea analogs of long chain carboxylic acids

A series of novel o-hydroxy anilide derivatives and 1-substituted-1,3-dicyclohexylurea analogs of long chain carboxylic acids have been synthesized. The structures of the synthesized compounds were elucidated by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectral data. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity by disk diffusion assay with slight modifications against Gram-positive, Gram-negative strains of bacteria as well as fungal strains. After that minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) of all the synthesized compounds were determined. The investigation of antimicrobial screening data revealed that all the tested compounds showed moderate to good microbial inhibitions. Compounds 3e, 4e, 3f and 4f were found to be the most potent antimicrobial agents.     

A regional health collaborative formed By NewYork-Presbyterian aims to improve the health of a largely Hispanic community

Communities of poor, low-income immigrants with limited English proficiency and disproportionate health burdens pose unique challenges to health providers and policy makers. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital developed the Regional Health Collaborative, a population-based health care model to improve the health of the residents of Washington Heights-Inwood. This area is a predominantly Hispanic community in New York City with high rates of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and depression. NewYork-Presbyterian created an integrated network of patient-centered medical homes to form a "medical village" linked to other providers and community-based resources. The initiative set out to document the priority health needs of the community, target high-prevalence conditions, improve cultural competence among providers, and introduce integrated information systems across care sites. The first six months of the program demonstrated a significant 9.2?percent decline in emergency department visits for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions and a 5.8?percent decrease in hospitalizations that was not statistically significant. This initiative offers a model for other urban academic medical centers to better serve populations facing social and cultural barriers to care.