Once-yearly zoledronic acid in the prevention of osteoporotic bone fractures in postmenopausal women

Zoledronic acid is a nitrogen-containing, third-generation bisphosphonate that has recently been approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis as an annual intravenous infusion. Zoledronic acid is an antiresorptive agent which has a high affinity for mineralized bone and especially for sites of high bone turnover. Zoledronic acid is excreted by the kidney without further metabolism. Zoledronic acid administered as a 5 mg intravenous infusion annually increases bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and femoral neck by 6.7% and 5.1% respectively and reduces the incidence of new vertebral and hip fractures by 70% and 41% respectively in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Most common side effects are post-dose fever, flu-like symptoms, myalgia, arthralgia, and headache which usually occur in the first 3 days after infusion and are self-limited. Rare adverse effects include renal dysfunction, hypocalcemia, atrial fibrillation, and osteonecrosis of the jaw.     

Main pulmonary artery diameter from attenuation correction CT scans in cardiac SPECT accurately predicts pulmonary hypertension

Objectives  

To establish the value of the main pulmonary artery (MPA) diameter assessed from unenhanced computer tomography (CT) scans used for attenuation correction (AC) of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) to predict pulmonary hypertension (PHT).     

The Influence of Bovine Serum Albumin Modified Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Myoblast Cytotoxicity

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal - Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are utilised as a key constituent in many biopharmaceuticals and food products. This is mainly attributed to their...     

Patient‐reported outcome of pediatric epilepsy surgery: Social inclusion or exclusion as young adults?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the social relationships and participation in educational, vocational, and community life in young adults who had undergone epilepsy surgery during childhood or adolescence. Methods: This was a retrospective, cross‐sectional, case‐controlled, and multisite design study. Findings were compared between young adults who had undergone epilepsy surgery and were seizure‐free in the previous 12 months (n = 38), those who had undergone epilepsy surgery and were not seizure‐free (n = 33), and a group of individuals with epilepsy who had not undergone surgery (n = 31). Results: The surgical seizure‐free group had significantly better general social well‐being than the other two groups. Specifically, these participants were employed for more months over the past year, were less likely to report that epilepsy had affected their employment, and were more likely to belong to at least one community organization. However, these participants were not any more likely to be involved in a relationship than those in the other two groups. In addition, there were no group differences in the reported number of friends or the frequency of visits with friends, or in what participants described as their principal activity (i.e., student, employed or unemployed). Discussion: There are a number of benefits to social functioning associated with having had epilepsy surgery and being seizure‐free in the past year. Further research is recommended to increase our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the social and personal challenges that these individuals face.     

Alterations of the dopamine transporter in resting lymphocytes of patients with different psychotic disorders

The aim of our study was to investigate and compare the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) in resting lymphocytes of 20 psychotic patients and 20 healthy control subjects, by means of both the binding parameters (Bmax and Kd) of ³H-WIN 35,428, and the reuptake parameters (Vmax and Km) of ³H-DA. The results showed that both the Bmax of ³H-WIN 35,428 binding and the Vmax of ³H-DA reuptake of the patients were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects, while the Kd or Km did not show any change. These findings, while indicating a reduced density of the lymphocyte DAT proteins, provide further support of the role of DA in psychoses and suggest that DA alterations may not be limited to brain structures.