Naproxen ion-selective electrode and its application to pharmaceutical analysis

An ion-selective membrane electrode was prepared based on ion-pair complex of naproxen with methyltrioctylammonium. Its basic analytical parameters such as: slope characteristics, measuring range, detection limit, response time, life time were determined. The electrode showed Nernstian response from the 10(-1) to 10(-4) mol l(-1) concentration range and 5.5-8.5 pH range, low limit of detection 5 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) and short response time--20s. Selectivity was good over a number of organic and inorganic anions. The electrode was applied for the determination of naproxen tablets in aqueous solutions by the calibration curve method and standard addition method.     

Visual sensitivity to temporal modulations of temporal noise

The present endeavor is meant (a) to provide a direct comparison between first- and second-order temporal modulation and, by so doing, (b) to eliminate all spatial clues that might have contaminated previous assessments of the second-order temporal modulation transfer function (TMTF). The second aim was achieved by means of the temporal modulation of a purely temporal white noise, a stimulus used frequently in psychoacoustics but not used as yet in visual stimulation. Luminance and contrast temporal modulation thresholds were measured with a 2AFC staircase procedure. In the first case, the mean luminance of a spatially homogeneous, 30 degrees field was modulated sinusoidally over time (first-order modulation). In the second case, the luminance of the same or of a 60 degrees field was randomized over time at a rate of 150 Hz and this temporal white noise (the carrier) was modulated sinusoidally over time (second-order modulation). First-order thresholds reproduce the classical (large field) flicker sensitivity. Second-order thresholds (measured for the first time with purely temporal stimuli) are at least 100 times higher than first-order ones, display a low-pass characteristic (at least up to 0.5 Hz) and yield a critical fusion frequency (measured at 100% modulation) of approximately 10 Hz. The data are in accord with other estimates of the TMTF of the second-order system and thus confirm the effective neutralization of the spatial cues present in these previous studies.     

Antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli clinical isolates from Poland

We tested 102 Campylobacter jejuni and 6 Campylobacter coli clinical isolates from Poland. All were susceptible to erythromycin. Among the tested C. jejuni isolates 55.9% and 13.7% were resistant to ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, respectively. Replacement of Thr86 with Ile in GyrA and a plasmid-borne tet(O) gene were the main resistance mechanisms for fluoroquinolones and tetracycline, respectively.     

Extracorporeal photopheresis as an antirejection prophylaxis in kidney transplant recipients: preliminary results

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is considered a promising immunomodulatory therapy of acute allograft rejection in organ transplantation and graft-versus-host disease. Our aim was to investigate the biological responses of 10 patients who underwent kidney transplantation with ECP as prophylactic treatment. They received conventional immunosuppressive therapy plus ECP immediately after transplantation: 12 to 16 applications over the course of 2.5 months. ECP procedures were performed using an automated system for leukocyte separation and photoactivation with methoxsalen. All recipients were followed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and peripheral T, B, natural killer, T-regulatory (Treg) and dendritic cells (DC) counts and phenotypes. An acute rejection episode appeared in one control group recipient. The ECP group showed a positive trend to an higher GFR at months 3 (53 ± 11 vs 47.1 ± 9; P = .17) and 6 (67.5 ± 10 vs 53.6 ± 3; P = .03, Wilcoxon test). An increased percentage of Treg (CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CD25⁺) among the total CD3 cell count (4.9% ± 1% to 9.4% ± 15%) as well as inducible Treg (CD3⁺ CD8⁺ CD28⁻) was observed among CD3 cells (3.3% ± 3% to 11.8% ± 8%, P = .025) within 3 months of ECP treatment. A significant difference in the percentage of Treg was noted at month 3 (completed ECP) between the ECP and the control groups (9.4% ± 15% vs 3% ± 1%; P = .01). Addition of ECP to standard immunosuppression was associated with a significantly higher GFR at 6 months and with a significant increase in natural Treg among CD3 cells.     

Baseline assessment of community knowledge and attitudes toward drug use and harm reduction in Kabul, Afghanistan

Introduction and Aims. Problem drug use has been identified as a significant public health problem in Afghanistan. The study aim was to assess community knowledge and attitude toward drug use and harm reduction in Kabul, Afghanistan. Design and Methods. A cross‐sectional convenience sample of community representatives of 10 possible professions were recruited, distributed between the 17 Kabul city districts in 2007. A questionnaire measured sociodemographic characteristics and awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward drug use and harm reduction. Logistic regression and cluster analysis were performed to test for associations with participant attitude. Results. Of 210 participants, mean age was 36.7 years. Most (98.6%) were Afghan and employed (87.6%). Most (88.6%) were aware of problem drug use in Afghanistan, primarily attributed to unemployment. The majority of participants agreed that addiction is a disease (88.6%) and believed more and better treatment and vocational training facilities were needed (90.5%). Use of only punitive measures in response to drug use was favoured by few (7.1%) participants. Only 33.3% of participants could correctly identify legal consequences of drug use. Discussion and Conclusions. Community acknowledgement of problem drug use and support for addiction treatment are present in Kabul, Afghanistan. However, knowledge gaps concerning drug laws and harm reduction should be addressed in efforts to introduce culturally appropriate harm reduction programming.[Stanekzai MR, Todd CS, Orr MG, Bayan S, Rasuli MZ, Wardak S‐R, Strathdee SA. Baseline assessment of community knowledge and attitudes toward drug use and harm reduction in Kabul, Afghanistan. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:451–460]     

Attention to baseline: does orienting visuospatial attention really facilitate target detection?

Standard protocols testing the orientation of visuospatial attention usually present spatial cues before targets and compare valid-cue trials with invalid-cue trials. The valid/invalid contrast results in a relative behavioral or physiological difference that is generally interpreted as a benefit of attention orientation. However, growing evidence suggests that inhibitory control of response is closely involved in this kind of protocol that requires the subjects to withhold automatic responses to cues, probably biasing behavioral and physiological baselines. Here, we used two experiments to disentangle the inhibitory control of automatic responses from orienting of visuospatial attention in a saccadic reaction time task in humans, a variant of the classical cue-target detection task and a sustained visuospatial attentional task. Surprisingly, when referring to a simple target detection task in which there is no need to refrain from reacting to avoid inappropriate responses, we found no consistent evidence of facilitation of target detection at the attended location. Instead, we observed a cost at the unattended location. Departing from the classical view, our results suggest that reaction time measures of visuospatial attention probably relie on the attenuation of elementary processes involved in visual target detection and saccade initiation away from the attended location rather than on facilitation at the attended location. This highlights the need to use proper control conditions in experimental designs to disambiguate relative from absolute cueing benefits on target detection reaction times, both in psychophysical and neurophysiological studies.     

Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Ischemic Heart Disease

Purpose of Review

Ischemic heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries, which can lead to the development of heart attacks and heart muscle damage. Despite the advent of medical and surgical therapy to prevent and treat atherosclerosis and its adverse clinical effects, ischemic heart disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have suggested that the immune system may play a greater role in the development of plaque rupture and adverse left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. Understanding the molecular processes by which inflammation contributes to the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease is, therefore, worthwhile. This review focuses on new molecular imaging techniques to visualize immune cells to study their contribution to ischemic heart disease.

Recent Findings

A common technique applied to imaging inflammation in ischemic heart disease is targeting the up-regulation and trafficking of immune cells, which may contribute to the adverse consequences associated with atherosclerosis. In the past 5 years, advances in cell labeling for imaging with PET and MRI, including radioisotopes and nanoparticles, have confirmed that inflammatory cells can be visualized in vivo and in greater abundance in unstable cardiovascular disease and in areas of ischemic damage. The major criticisms of these studies to date include their small sample size, lack of histological correlation, limited association with long-term outcomes, and bias toward macrophage imaging.

Summary

While much progress has been made in imaging inflammation in ischemic heart disease over the past 5 years, additional studies in larger cohorts with histological validation and outcome correlation are needed. Nevertheless, imaging inflammation using PET or MRI has the potential to become an important adjunct tool to improve the diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic monitoring of patients with ischemic heart disease.