Quality control and optimization of therapeutic activity with the use of thermoanalytic methods

Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomicroscopy, transparency measure permit drug quality control: knowledge of solvated or unsolvated mole, thermal stability, identification of crystalline form (polymorphism) quick determination of total impurity with graphs. These methods can be used for therapeutic activity optimization of very weakly soluble drugs: research of the polymorph showing the best kinetic dissolution, establishment of phase diagram drug/inert substance by example for determination invariant composition particularly eutectic for which the drug solubility is increased.     

Early disruptive behavior, poor school achievement, delinquent behavior, and delinquent personality: longitudinal analyses.

Three alternative models concerning the causal links between early disruptive behavior, poor school achievement, and delinquent behavior or antisocial personality were tested with linear structural equation modeling. Subjects were boys and girls followed from first grade to age 14. Disruptive behavior was assessed in Grade 1; school achievement was assessed in Grades 1 and 4; delinquent behavior and antisocial personality were assessed at age 14. With regard to self-reported delinquent behavior at age 14, results indicate that the best model for boys was a direct causal link between Grade 1 disruptive behavior and delinquent behavior. Poor school achievement was not a necessary causal factor. For girls, none of the tested models were a good fit to the delinquent behavior data. As for delinquent personality, results indicate that, for both boys and girls, poor school achievement was a necessary component of the causal path between Grade 1 disruptive behavior and age 14 delinquent personality.     

Sex Differences in Response to Deception Across Mate-Value Traits of Attractiveness,Job Status,and Altruism in Online Dating

Sex differences in mate preferences are well established. It is also well understood that humans often seek to manipulate their standing on important mate-value traits. Yet, there is a paucity of work examining potential sex differences in response to deception along these important dimensions. In Study 1, a sample of 280 undergraduates (123 females) responded to a hypothetical online dating scenario asking participants to rank how upset they would be if deceived about a date’s attractiveness, occupation, or volunteerism. Women ranked occupation deception as more upsetting than men did, and men ranked attractiveness deception as more upsetting than women did. Given potential measurement differences between forced-choice and continuous response options, Study 2 randomly assigned 364 undergraduates (188 females) to one of the deceptions conditions and asked them to report their level of upset and willingness to go on the date using a continuous response scale. Women were more likely than men to cancel the date if the deception involved volunteerism or occupation. There was no significant sex difference in the attractiveness condition. Neither mate value nor sociosexuality moderated the sex difference in the levels of upset due to the deception. Together, these findings demonstrate that women and men exhibit differences in the degree to which they become upset by opposite sex deceptions in online dating, regardless of self-perceived mate value and sociosexuality, in alignment with evolved sex differences in mate preferences.

     

National French observatory of the quality of blood components for transfusion.

PURPOSE: Since 1998, prestorage leucoreduction of cellular blood components (BC) is mandatory in France. The French Blood Service needs to follow the data on the quality of the BC prepared by blood centers. This article gives an overview of the quality control (QC) data from 2001 to 2006. MATERIAL AND METHODS: QC data are submitted to a central data bank by each centre. The data are stratified according to preparation process for analysis of key performance criteria - residual leukocytes and haemoglobin or platelet content. BC preparation processes, methods for measuring haemoglobin and platelet content, and for counting residual leukocytes are those routinely employed by centers. RESULTS: The preparation process of red cell concentrates (RCC) influences the haemoglobin content: 57.6+/-6.8 g per unit versus 50.9+/-5.4 g per unit for whole blood or RCC filtration, respectively. Apheresis RCC exhibits a reduced variability (51.2+/-3.4 g per unit). For apheresis platelet concentrates, the median residual leukocyte count remains low for all separators (0.019-0.044 x 10(6)leukocytes per unit, in 2006). However, the percentage of units exceeding 1 x 10(6)leukocytes per unit is significantly higher with one separator (1.8% versus 0.8%, in 2006). For pooled buffy-coat derived platelets, we observed a significant increase in platelet recovery throughout the years (0.66-0.77 x 10(11)platelets per buffy-coat in 2001 and 2006, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our QC data show an overall compliance with the requirements for cellular BC. Our data bank is useful to inform on the performance of leucoreduced BC preparation processes carried out with market available devices.     

Occupational ingestion of P-32: the value of monitoring techniques to determine dose. A case report.

The purpose of this article is to described the analytical methods used to assess the internal dose from a P-32-labeled compound that was inadvertently ingested. Bioassay data, using the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP)-30 model, enabled the calculation of internal dose. Whole body counting (WBC) and urinary measurement with liquid scintillation counting were utilized to estimate the amount of radioactive material deposited in body organs. This metabolic model assumes that 80% of the material ingested is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract because P-32 is soluble. The time of the intake, a critical variable in this method, was estimated on the basis of urine contamination of clothing. Twenty-four-hour urine sampling over a 6-week period, coupled with daily WBC over the same period, was performed. Because P-32 does not emit photons, WBC relied on measuring the bremsstrahlung radiation produced as a result of interaction of beta radiation with the body's tissues. A P-32-spiked phantom was used as a control. Over the 6-week monitoring period, urinary results indicated an ingestion of 560 microCi of P-32, whereas WBC estimated on intake of 580 microCi. An assessment of the laboratory where the accident occurred indicated that approximately 600 microCi of radioactive phosphorous was missing. The total effective dose equivalent was estimated at 4.8 rem (48 mSv). On the basis of this study, the ICRP model appears to fit the data obtained from urine measurements and WBC. No symptoms were noted from the ingestion of 580 microCi. The committed organ doses were well within the occupational nonstochastic limits of 50 (0.5 Sv) permitted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These results were confirmed by NUREG/CR-4884 and commercial software (CINDY). This report confirms the value of using the ICRP-30 model with urinary measurements and WBC to estimate the dose received as a result of ingestion of radioactive P-32.     

Wolfe's parenchymal pattern and percentage of the breast with mammographic densities: redundant or complementary classifications?

Mammographic breast densities are one of the strongest breast cancer risk factors. The two most frequently used classifications of breast densities are Wolfe's parenchymal pattern and the percentage of the breast with densities. In this analysis, associations of these two classifications with breast cancer risk were compared, and the dose response curve of risk with densities was examined. Three case-control studies were combined totaling 1060 cases with newly diagnosed breast cancer and 2352 controls. A single observer had assessed parenchymal pattern and percent density without any information on subjects. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated with logistic regression and spline functions adjusting for age and body weight. The two classifications were strongly correlated (r = 0.81, P = 0.0001). Breast cancer risk increased progressively with percent density reaching a 5-6-fold increase for women with 85% or more of the breast with densities compared with women with no density. In contrast, women with P2 or DY patterns had only a 2-3-fold increase in risk compared with women with N1 pattern. More importantly, among women with P2 or DY, RR varied substantially with percent density, whereas, among women with a given percent density, RR varied little with parenchymal pattern. Comparisons of multivariate models reveal that in the presence of parenchymal pattern, inclusion of percent density in the model improved the prediction of breast cancer risk (chi(2) = 35.5, P = 0.0082) but not the opposite (chi(2) = 1.1, P = 0.7662). These findings show that the percentage of the breast with densities provide more information on breast cancer risk than Wolfe's parenchymal patterns and that, once percent breast density is taken into account, no more information on breast cancer risk is given by assessing parenchymal pattern.     

Do osteotomies of the proximal femur still have a role?

Trochanteric valgus and varus correction osteotomies have been described with or without associated rotational correction. In the last decade, new techniques have been described, including femoral neck osteotomy, femoral head reorientation, relative neck lengthening, greater or lesser trochanter distalization, and femoral head reduction osteotomy. While the overall number of femoral osteotomies in the young patients has decreased because of the efficacy of primary total hip arthroplasties, those osteotomy techniques may expand the indications for femoral osteotomies in select patients who meet the indications.     

Dual-task as a predictor of falls in older people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease: a prospective cohort study

Background

A dual-task tool with a challenging and daily secondary task, which involves executive functions, could facilitate the screening for risk of falls in older people with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer's disease.

HIV incidence, retention rate, and baseline predictors of HIV incidence and retention in a prospective cohort study of injection drug users in Xinjiang, China.

OBJECTIVE: To determine HIV seroincidence, study participant retention rate, and baseline predictors of HIV incidence and study retention among high-risk injection drug users (IDUs) in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: A total of 508 eligible seronegative high-risk IDUs were enrolled. Study participants were tested for HIV-1 and counseled at the baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up visits. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were collected during each study visit. The HIV-1 incidence rate and the retention rate were analyzed as a function of sociodemographic, behavioral, and recruitment variables. RESULTS: At 12 months of follow-up, the HIV-1 incidence rate was 8.8 per 100 person-years (95% CI 6.3-12.0%) and the participant retention rate was 93%. Marital status at baseline was the only predictor of HIV incidence. No baseline variables were predictive of study retention. CONCLUSIONS: HIV incidence is high among IDUs in Xinjiang, China. Baseline predictors of incidence and retention were minimal. The participant retention rate in this study is promising for the undertaking of future HIV intervention studies.