Direct HPLC enantioseparation of omeprazole and its chiral impurities: Application to the determination of enantiomeric purity of esomeprazole magnesium trihydrate

Analytical and semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) enantioseparation of the proton-pump inhibitor omeprazole (OME) and its potential organic chiral impurities were accomplished on the immobilised-type Chiralpak IA chiral stationary phase (CSP) under both polar organic and normal-phase conditions. The (S)-enantiomers were isolated with a purity of >99% ee and their absolute configuration was empirically assigned by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. A chemo- and enantioselective HPLC method was validated to control the enantiomeric purity of the (S)-enantiomer of OME (ESO), an active ingredient contained in drug products, in the presence of chiral and achiral related substances. The precision, linearity and accuracy of the determination of the (R)-impurity as well as the recovery of ESO from a pharmaceutical preparation were determined.     

Accuracy of anti–ribosomal P protein antibody testing for the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus: An international meta‐analysis

Objective

To quantitatively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of antibodies to ribosomal P proteins (anti‐P) for neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) in general, for psychosis, mood disorder, or both, and for other diffuse manifestations.

Methods

This international meta‐analysis combined standardized data from 1,537 lupus patients contributed by 14 research teams. Weighted estimation of sensitivity and specificity with fixed‐effects and random‐effects models, as well as summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis, was used to summarize test performance. The robustness of the overall estimates was examined in sensitivity analyses that included additional studies published up to November 1, 2004 in the Medline, EMBase, and Cochrane databases.

Results

Combining the data from the 14 teams, the weighted sensitivity and specificity estimates for the diagnosis of NPSLE were 26% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 15–42%) and 80% (95% CI 74–85%), respectively. For psychosis, mood disorder, or both, the sensitivity and specificity were 27% (95% CI 14–47%) and 80% (95% CI 74–85%), respectively. For other diffuse manifestations, the sensitivity was 24% (95% CI 12–42%), and the specificity was 80% (95% CI 73–85%). The proportion of patients with anti‐P antibodies did not vary markedly across different presentations of NPSLE. Between‐study heterogeneity was substantial, but the SROC curves were consistent with the weighted estimates. In further analyses that included another 24 published studies, only the sensitivity for psychosis and/or mood disorder was slightly improved, but it was still suboptimal (42% [95% CI 30–53%]); the specificity remained essentially the same (81% [95% CI 76–85%]).

Conclusion

Anti‐P antibody testing has limited diagnostic value for NPSLE, and it is not helpful in differentiating among various disease phenotypes.

     

Determinants of obesity in the Ulm Research on Metabolism, Exercise and Lifestyle in Children (URMEL-ICE)

We investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity in German schoolchildren and analyzed determinants of overweight. In the context of a randomized intervention study, a baseline cross-sectional assessment was carried out in 2006. During a physical examination, height, weight, skin fold thickness, and upper arm and waist circumferences were measured according to a standardized protocol among 1.079 children aged 6–9 years. Overweight and obesity were classified according to the definitions of the International Obesity Task Force. Parents completed a questionnaire on potential determinants of overweight. Logistic regression models were calculated for determinants of overweight and obesity. The prevalence of overweight was 16.5% in boys and 17.3% in girls and of obesity 3.5% and 3.6%, respectively. Migration (29.4 %) was correlated with overweight and obesity. In particular, among boys with migration background, overweight (24.0%) and obesity (6.6%) were highly prevalent. Higher obesity prevalence was associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy, parental overweight, and low parental education. Indicators for physical inactivity such as watching television more than 1 h per weekday, participation in club sports less than once a week, consumption of sweetened drinks (≥3 times per week), and skipping breakfast before school were associated with childhood obesity. Our results provide further evidence that parental factors such as migration background and education are strongly associated with body mass of the offspring. Physically inactive children with regular consumption of sweetened drinks and no breakfast were prone to be overweight or obese. Changes of these lifestyle factors as targets of interventions are promising to prevent childhood obesity. Stephan K. Weiland (deceased).     

利用组织工程化骨进行撕脱指骨的置换

数十年以来,人们利用许多方法来替代由于创伤和疾病所造成的骨缺失。１９０８年Lexer报道利用新鲜的截肢或尸体骨与关节来重建关节。近年来自体移植和同种异体移植已被广泛应用于骨组织的再生和重建。一些天然或合成的骨替代物也得到了应用,它们或者单独使用,或者和脱钙骨、异体骨结合使用。同时还有大量使用肽、脱钙骨粉末加速间充质组织向骨组织分化的报道。最近开始了采用组织工程方法将活细胞与生物材料进行结合以修复骨缺失的研究,即将活细胞接种于具有一定形状的支持物上,种植于受体内以引导骨组织再生。支持物被设计和制备以成…     

Immunogenetic heterogeneity of multiple sclerosis in Sardinia

Multiple sclerosis (MS) predisposition is thought to be influenced by a complex, yet unclear interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Studying ethnically selected populations may reduce genetic and environmental heterogeneities and help clarify the underlying mechanisms of MS susceptibility. Sardinians kept a homogeneous genetic structure and have among the highest MS frequency rates worldwide. Interestingly, MS in Sardinia is linked to otherwise rare HLA alleles. In this light, recent findings from epidemiological and immunogenetic studies of Sardinian MS are presented. Results confirm that, likely due to significant genetic differences at a microgeographic level, even in this homogeneous population MS is immunogenetically heterogeneous and tends to preferentially cluster in some more archaic areas of the island.     

35例脑转移瘤MRI分析

目的回顾性分析经临床、手术及病理证实的35例脑转移瘤的MRI表现.方法35例病人,男27例,女8例,年龄29～77岁.均采用横轴位、矢状位、冠状位及增强扫描.结果35例病人125个病灶,瘤周水肿89个.增强前发现病灶86个.增强后发现病灶125例.脑转移实质性病灶84个,部分囊变坏死19个,完全囊变22个.原发恶性肿瘤肺癌22例,脑内胶质瘤5例,肾癌、结肠癌、鼻咽癌及淋巴肉瘤各2例.结论脑转移瘤中肺癌转移最多见;多发性脑转移瘤可有多种形态;小脑出现占位性病变应考虑到转移瘤的可能.