Analysis of thyrostatic heteroaromatic thioamides (review)

This review discusses methods widely used in pharmaceutical and clinical practice for the identification and assay of the thyrostatic agents imidazoline-2-thione and uracil-2-thiones. Sample preparation stages (solid-phase and liquid extraction from biological materials) are discussed, along with chemical modification of drug molecules. Ascheme for a hypothetical model of the inhibitory action of thyrostatic agents on thyroid hormone biosynthesis is presented. The analytical characteristics of individual methods for assaying thyrostatic agents discussed in this review can be used in manufacturing at the quality control stage.     

Structure and Spectral Luminescence Properties of (ZrO2)0.909(Y2O3)0.09(Eu2O3)0.001 Ceramics Synthesized by Uniaxial Compaction and Slip Casting

The structure, phase composition and spectral luminescence properties of single crystal and ceramic specimens of (ZrO₂)_0.909(Y₂O₃)_0.09(Eu₂O₃)_0.001 solid solutions synthesized using uniaxial compaction and slip casting techniques have been compared. The ceramic specimens have been synthesized from crushed single crystal specimens of similar composition. It has been shown that the crystalline structures of the ceramic and single crystal specimens are identical and cubic. The ceramic specimens synthesized using different methods prove to have close microstructure patterns. The spectral luminescence properties of Eu³⁺ ions in the (ZrO₂)_0.909(Y₂O₃)_0.09(Eu₂O₃)_0.001 ceramic specimens are similar to those of the single crystals with similar composition. The (ZrO₂)_0.909(Y₂O₃)_0.09(Eu₂O₃)_0.001 ceramic specimens prove to have uncontrolled Cr³⁺:Al₂O₃ impurities due to the synthesis conditions.     

Integrated Practice Improvement Solutions—Practical Steps to Operating Room Management

Perioperative productivity is a vital concern for surgeons, anesthesiologists, and administrators as the OR is a major source of hospital elective admissions and revenue. Based on elements of existing Practice Improvement Methodologies (PIMs), “Integrated Practice Improvement Solutions” (IPIS) is a practical and simple solution incorporating aspects of multiple management approaches into a single open source framework to increase OR efficiency and productivity by better utilization of existing resources. Materials and Methods: OR efficiency was measured both before and after IPIS implementation using the total number of cases versus room utilization, OR/anesthesia revenue and staff overtime (OT) costs. Other parameters of efficiency, such as the first case on-time start and the turnover time (TOT) were measured in parallel. Results: IPIS implementation resulted in increased numbers of surgical procedures performed by an average of 10.7%, and OR and anesthesia revenue increases of 18.5% and 6.9%, respectively, with a simultaneous decrease in TOT (15%) and OT for anesthesia staff (26%). The number of perioperative adverse events was stable during the two-year study period which involved a total of 20,378 patients. Conclusion: IPIS, an effective and flexible practice improvement model, was designed to quickly, significantly, and sustainably improve OR efficiency by better utilization of existing resources. Success of its implementation directly correlates with the involvement of and acceptance by the entire OR team and hospital administration.     

Omics of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance

Introduction: The development of new antimicrobials has become an urgent priority because of a global challenge emerging from the rise of antimicrobial resistant pathogens.

Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss the opportunities offered by modern omics approaches to address the challenge and the use of this approach in antimicrobial development. Specifically, the authors focus on the role of omics technologies and bioinformatics for the revelation of the effects of antimicrobials in a variety of microbial cellular processes, as well as the identification of potential cellular targets, the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, and the development of new antimicrobials.

Expert opinion: Prevention of antimicrobial resistance does not only depend on rational drug design such as narrow-spectrum antimicrobials but on several factors. It is the opinion of the authors that the use of a multi-omics bioinformatics approach should become an integral part of antimicrobial drug discovery as well as in the prevention of antimicrobial resistance.