A common over-the-counter (OTC) non-opioid antitussive drug, clobutinol, was recently withdrawn from the market due to its potential to induce cardiac arrhythmias by a blockade of the potassium ...channel coded by the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG). In this study, we investigated the effects of a number of antitussive compounds on the hERG ion channel current using patch-clamp electrophysiology, and compared the effects to that of clobutinol. The compounds clobutinol, pentoxyverine, dextromethorphan, and codeine inhibited the outward current in hERG transfected cells with half-maximal inhibition concentrations (IC50) of 1.9 μM, 3.0 μM, 5.1 μM, and 97 μM, respectively. For theobromine, no significant effect on the hERG current at a concentration up to 100 μM was detected. Safety margins between the effects of the drugs on the hERG ion channel current and their calculated maximal free therapeutic plasma concentration were calculated. These results were compared to assess potential risks of the compounds to induce torsade de pointes-type arrhythmias.
Though acute renal failure among cardiac surgery patients is associated with increased mortality, diagnosis of renal failure is often delayed due to the late detectability of laboratory markers for ...kidney failure. Recently, a number of clinical studies have shown that glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be estimated by measuring the serum concentration of cystatin C (CysC). However, comparisons between the diagnostic effectiveness of CysC and serum creatinine have been inconsistent. The present study compares the diagnostic effectiveness of both serum markers in cardiac surgery patients.
In 50 cardiac surgery patients, GFR was quantified by measuring creatinine clearance and estimated from serum concentrations of both creatinine and CysC. The sensitivity and specificity of serum creatinine and CysC for detection of reduced GFR values were compared as well as correlation between estimated GFR values and creatinine clearance.
GFR values <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) were detected with equal effectiveness using creatinine or CysC, whereas for the detection of GFR <90 ml/min/1.73 m(2) the area under the curve of serum creatinine was significantly higher. Correlation between estimated GFR values and creatinine clearance was higher when creatinine-based formulae were used.
In patients after cardiac surgery, CysC is not superior to serum creatinine for assessment of GFR.
Outdoor School is a cherished educational tradition in the Portland, OR region. This program’s success is attributed to its presumed ability to positively impact affective and cognitive student ...outcomes. Residential programs such as Outdoor School are considered to be an important supplement to the classroom model of learning because they offer an authentic, contextually rich learning environment. References to relevant literature support the idea that student gains in affective and cognitive domains occur as a result of the multi-sensory, enjoyable, hands-on nature of outdoor learning. The sample population for this study was 115 sixth graders from a demographically diverse Portland, OR school district. This study used an instrument developed by the Common Measures System that was administered to students as part of Outdoor School’s professional and program development project. The affective student outcome data measured by the Common Measures instrument was complemented by a formative assessment probe ascertaining prior knowledge of the definition of plants and field notes detailing Field Study instructor lesson content. This first part of this study examined the changes that take place in students’ attitudes toward science as a result of attending Outdoor School. The second part took a look at how Outdoor School instruction in the Plants field study aligned with NGSS MS-LS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices. The third section of the study compared how Outdoor School instruction in the Plants Field Study and students’ prior knowledge of what defines a plant aligned with NGSS MS-LS DCIs. The intent of the research was to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of how students’ attitudes toward science are influenced by participating in an outdoor education program and contribute to the development of a continuum between classroom and outdoor school learning using Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices as a framework. Results of this study were intended to inform outdoor education program development, add to the existing body of research, and inform future research projects.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) is estimated to be only 33% for cereal production in the world. Providing producers with efficient methods to increase the effectiveness of their Nitrogen (N) ...applications is integral to agricultural sustainability and environmental quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect various subsurface placement depths of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) has on grain yield, plant N uptake and NUE in winter wheat. Liquid UAN was applied in bands at depths of 5 and 10 cm, along with surface applications, all at various N rates at Feekes growth stage 5. Fields under conservation tillage at low N rates benefited from subsurface applications. No-till soils experience a shift in the active microbial zone compared to conventionally tilled fields, resulting in greater rates of N immobilization from N applied in the upper 6-7 cm of the soil profile. Conventional tillage generally benefits from subsurface applications, specifically when weather and environmental conditions are present that promote ammonia volatilization following fertilizer application. Nitrogen rates that provide the greatest economic returns are dependent on the environment, as yearly environmental variability is difficult to predict. Subsurface application depths of 10 cm provided notable increases in NUE compared to surface applications. Treatments at depths of 5 cm provided several instances of increased grain N. With a few instances of exception, UAN subsurface application depths had limited impact on grain yield, and were similar to that of surface applied N. Application depths of 10 cm had the greatest impact on grain yield in no-till cropping systems at low N rates.
Background: Medication errors pose a significant risk to patients, resulting in morbidity, mortality, and unnecessary health care utilization. Pharmacists, using their professional judgment, have an ...important role as a final check for identifying and resolving these problems. Little is known, however, about pharmacist perspectives and experiences with dispensing or withholding potentially dangerous prescriptions. Objectives: To (a) evaluate the extent to which pharmacists would not dispense a likely harmful prescription which has been confirmed by the prescriber and (b) assess pharmacist attitudes and experiences with dispensing likely harmful prescriptions. Methods: An anonymous, self-administered, 25-item survey was emailed to members of a state pharmacy association and a pharmacy college alumni list. A series of static prescription vignettes (1 reasonable and 4 likely dangerous doses) were presented and asked if they would fill each prescriber-confirmed prescription. Pharmacists also were asked a series of Likert-type, open-ended, multiple choice, and demographic items regarding their professional experiences and role perceptions. Results: There were 497 usable responses. Three of the 4 dangerous prescriptions were withheld by the majority of pharmacists (sumatriptan as the exception). No demographic variable was universally associated with filling dangerous vignette prescriptions; rather, there were vignette-specific differences. The majority of pharmacists reported refusing to fill a potentially harmful prescription during their career. Conclusions: There appears to be meaningful variation in how pharmacists react when presented with likely harmful prescriptions. More research is needed to better understand this role, its determinants, and the potential effects on patient safety.
This paper gives an overview of four measurement techniques that allow to extensively characterize the status of a worn turbine blade. In addition to the measurement of geometry and surface ...properties, the condition of the two protective coatings needs to be monitored. Fringe projection was used to detect and quantify geometric variances. The technique was improved using newly developed algorithms like inverse fringe projection. A Michelson interferometer was employed to further analyze areas with geometric defects and characterize the surface morphology of the blade. Pulsed high frequency induction thermography enabled the scanning of the blade for small cracks at or close to the surface. High frequency eddy current testing was used to determine the protective layers status and their thickness.
We present the first DØ search for neutral Higgs bosons in the channel pp¯ → hb → τ eτhadb. One of the taus is required to decay to an electron and the other decays hadronically. The data used are ...3.7 fb−1 of RunIIa and RunIIb data. We set limits on the cross section times branching ratio for the hb production for Higgs masses between 90 and 320 GeV, and interpret the results within supersymmetric models.
PDF
