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Inverse Proportion (inverse + proportion)
Selected AbstractsThe Global Diversion of Pharmaceutical DrugsADDICTION, Issue 9 2010Opiate treatment, the diversion of pharmaceutical opiates: a clinician's perspective ABSTRACT Aim To provide a clinician's perspective on the problem of diversion of prescribed pharmaceuticals. Methods The paper provides a personal account of working in a treatment context where diversion from opioid substitution treatment (OST) became a political issue potentially compromising the continued delivery of OST. It summarizes evidence on the impact of diversion, and measures to contain it, from the United Kingdom 1986,2006, Australia 1996,2008 and the United States and France from the mid-1990s. Results Opioid diversion to the black market occurs in proportion to the amount of opioids prescribed to be taken without supervision, and in inverse proportion to the availability of heroin. Diversion for OST programmes using supervision of dosing is less than diversion of opioids prescribed for pain, which is now a growing public health problem. Adverse consequences of diversion include opioid overdose fatalities, an increased incidence of addiction (particularly in jurisdictions where heroin is scarce) and compromising the public acceptance of long-term opioid prescribing. All long-term opioid prescribing requires monitoring of risk and appropriate dispensing arrangements,including dilution of methadone take-aways, supervision of administration for high-risk patients and random urine testing. Clinical guidelines influence practice, although prescribing often deviates from guidelines. Conclusion Clinical guidelines and clinical audit to enhance compliance with guidelines are helpful in maintaining the quality and integrity of the treatment system, and can contribute to keeping diversion within acceptable levels. [source] Opioid agonist pharmacotherapy in New South Wales from 1985 to 2006: patient characteristics and patterns and predictors of treatment retentionADDICTION, Issue 8 2009Lucy Burns ABSTRACT Aims The aims of this study were to: examine the number and characteristics of patients entering and re-entering opioid replacement treatment between 1985 and 2006, to examine select demographic and treatment correlates of leaving treatment between 1985 and 2000, and to compare retention rates in methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment from 2001 to 2006. Design A retrospective cohort study using register data from the Pharmaceutical Drugs of Addiction System. Setting Opioid substitution treatment in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Participants A total of n = 42 690 individuals prescribed opioid replacement treatment between 1985 and 2006 in NSW. Measurements Client characteristics over time, retention in days in first treatment episode, number of episodes of treatment and proportion switching medication. Findings Overall, younger individuals were significantly more likely to leave their first treatment episode than older individuals. In 2001,06, after controlling for age, sex and first administration point, the hazard of leaving treatment was 1.9 times for those on buprenorphine relative to those on methadone. Retention in treatment varied somewhat across historical time, with those entering during 1995,2000 more likely to leave at an earlier stage than those who entered before that time. Conclusions Retention in treatment appears to fluctuate in inverse proportion to the availability of heroin. Individuals in contemporary treatment are older users with a lengthy treatment history. This study has provided population-level evidence to suggest that retention in methadone and buprenorphine differ in routine clinical practice. Future work might investigate ways in which patient adherence and retention may be improved. [source] Semianalytical Solutions for Stream Depletion in Partially Penetrating StreamsGROUND WATER, Issue 1 2004Xunhong Chen In the analysis of streamflow depletion, the Hunt (1999) solution has an important advantage because it considers a partially penetrating stream. By extending the Hunt drawdown solution, this paper presents semianalytical solutions for gaining streams that evaluate the induced stream infiltration and base flow reduction separately. Simulation results show that for a given ,h (the initial hydraulic head difference between stream and aquifer beneath the channel), the base flow reduction is in direct proportion to the product of streambed leakage (,) and the distance between pumping well and stream (L), and the induced stream infiltration is in inverse proportion to ,L. ,h has a significant effect on the ratio of stream infiltration to base flow reduction. The results from the semianalytical solutions agree well with those from MODFLOW simulations. The semianalytical solutions are useful in the verification of numerical simulations and in the analysis of stream-aquifer interactions where water quantity or quality is concerned. [source] Entomopathogenic potential of Metarhizium anisopliae isolated from engorged females and tested in eggs and larvae of Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)JOURNAL OF BASIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Éverton Kort Kamp Fernandes The purpose of this work was to evaluate the in vitro virulence of three isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae to eggs and larvae of the tick Boophilus microplus. The fungus tested was isolated from engorged females of B. microplus collected in the field, and identified as Ma01, Ma02 e Ma04. These isolates were evaluated by immersion of eggs and larvae in suspension with different conidial concentrations: 105, 106, 107 e 108 conidia/ml. In each isolate there was a treatment group for each spore concentration and a control group with 10 repetitions. It was observed in the treated egg groups that there was a hatching percentage that was much less than that observed in the control groups. This was in inverse proportion to the conidia concentration/ml. Larval bioassays of all the tested isolates resulted in a high mortality of larvae in direct proportion to the spore concentration/ml, 10 days after the conidia suspensions were inoculated. To consolidate the infection, the fungus used in bioassays was re-isolated. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Preparation, characterization and taste-masking properties of polyvinylacetal diethylaminoacetate microspheres containing trimebutineJOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 10 2002Yoshimi Hashimoto The objectives of this study were to produce acid soluble, polyvinylacetal diethylaminoacetate (AEA) microspheres containing trimebutine (as maleate), using a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method, to characterize their in-vitro release properties, and to evaluate the taste-masking potential of this formulation in human volunteers. The pH of the external aqueous phase was the critical factor in achieving a high loading efficiency for trimebutine in the microencapsulation process; nearly 90% (w/w) loading efficiency was obtained at above pH 10. Trimebutine was completely released from AEA microspheres within 10 min in a dissolution test at pH 1.2, simulating conditions in the stomach, whereas at pH 6.8, the pH in the mouth, only small quantities of trimebutine were released in the initial 1,2 min. The results of a gustatory sensation test in healthy volunteers confirmed the taste-masking effects of the AEA microspheres. Finally, an attempt was made to encapsulate the salts of other basic drugs (lidocaine, imipramine, desipramine, amitriptyline, promethazine and chlorpheniramine) into AEA microspheres using the w/o/w emulsion evaporation method. The loading efficiencies were ranked in almost inverse proportion with the solubility of the drugs in the external aqueous phase. This study demonstrated the possibility of masking the taste of salts of basic drugs by microencapsulation with AEA using a w/o/w emulsion solvent evaporation method. [source] Virtuous Viragos: Female Heroism and Ethical Action in Shakespearean DramaLITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2010Unhae Langis Virtue, from the Latin vir for manly courage and strength, was the mark of male excellence in Renaissance culture. Embodying both physical and moral strength through the famous figure of Hercules, virtue took on other values of courtly gentility and political prudence as the medieval warrior society was gradually transformed into the modern state. In inverse proportion to the expansion of male virtue, the conception of the virago underwent a corresponding constriction and decline from a manlike, heroic woman to a scold. Encompassing both physical and moral excellence (OED 2a, 7), male virtue came to appropriate the heroic definition of virago, and female virtue, by Shakespeare's time, became confined to chastity (OED 2c). Challenging the traditions of male virtue and female monstrosity in Renaissance drama, this essay examines the virtuous viragos populating the Shakespearean canon, who present themselves as better models of ethical action than men, with whom virtue is etymologically and historically associated. This study examines two nuanced conceptions of female heroism and ethical action centering on the erotic and politic Cleopatra and the chaste, self-affirming Desdemona as virtuous viragos. Moreover, the notion of heroism, traditionally associated with tragedy, translates to the less exalted but more prudentially successful ethical action of viragos in Shakespeare's comedies such as The Taming of the Shrew. I argue that virtuous viragos attain their ethical stature against this male-inflected standard of tragic heroism even while calling for its dismantling and replacement with the more discerning framework of neo-Aristotelian virtue grounded on practical wisdom. [source] Flavonoids from the leaves of Litsea japonica and their anti-complement activityPHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005Sun-Young Lee Abstract Four flavonoids, epicatechin (1), afzelin (2), quercitrin (3), and tiliroside (4), were isolated from the leaves of Litsea japonica (Thunb.) Jussieu (Lauraceae). The structures of compounds were identified by comparing their chemical and spectral data with those previously reported. The flavonoids (1,4) were tested for their anti-complement activity against classical pathway of complement system. Compounds 2,4 showed inhibitory activity against complement system with IC50 values of 258, 440, and 101 µm, respectively, whereas 1 was inactive. For the evaluation of the structure-activity relationship of 5,7-dihydroxyflavones, myricitrin (5) from Juglans mandshurica also tested for it's anti-complement activity and is inactive in this assay system. Furthermore, compounds 2, 3, and 5 were hydrolyzed with naringinase to give kaempferol (2a), quercetin (3a), and myricetin (5a), and these were also tested for their activity. Of the three aglycones, 2a exhibited anti-complement activity with an IC50 value of 730 µM, while 3a and 5a were inactive. The inhibitory potencies of 2, 2a, 3, 3a, 5, and 5a against complement activity increased in inverse proportion to number of free hydroxyls on B-ring of 5,7-dihydroxyflavone. Of the compounds tested, 4 showed the most potent inhibitory activity against the complement system. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lower critical solution temperatures of thermo-responsive poly(N -isopropylacrylamide) copolymers with racemate or single enantiomer groupsPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2009Peng-Fei Li Abstract BACKGROUND: Thermo-responsive copolymers with racemate or single enantiomer groups are attracting increasing attention due to their fascinating functional properties and potential applications. However, there is a lack of systematic information about the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of poly(N -isopropylacrylamide)-based thermo-responsive chiral recognition systems. In this study, a series of thermo-responsive chiral recognition copolymers, poly[(N -isopropylacrylamide)- co -(N -(S)- sec -butylacrylamide)] (PN- S -B) and poly[(N -isopropylacrylamide)- co -(N -(R,S)- sec -butylacrylamide)] (PN- R,S -B), with different molar compositions, were prepared. The effects of heating and cooling processes, optical activity and amount of chiral recognition groups in the copolymers on the LCSTs of the prepared copolymers were systematically studied. RESULTS: LCST hysteresis phenomena are found in the phase transition processes of PN- S -B and PN- R,S -B copolymers in a heating and cooling cycle. The LCSTs of PN- S -B and PN- R,S -B during the heating process are higher than those during the cooling process. With similar molar ratios of N -isopropylacrylamide groups in the copolymers, the LCST of the copolymer containing a single enantiomer (PN- S -B) is lower than that of the copolymer containing racemate (PN- R,S -B) due to the steric structural difference. The LCSTs of PN- R,S -B copolymers are in inverse proportion to the molar contents of the hydrophobic R,S -B moieties in these copolymers. CONCLUSION: The results provide valuable guidance for designing and fabricating thermo-responsive chiral recognition systems with desired LCSTs. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Restoration of RUNX3 enhances transforming growth factor-,-dependent p21 expression in a biliary tract cancer cell lineCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2007Kazunori Hasegawa RUNX3 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene localized in 1p36, a region commonly inactivated by deletion and methylation in various human tumors. To elucidate the role of RUNX3 in transforming growth factor (TGF)-, signaling in biliary tract cancer, we transfected Mz-ChA-2 cells, which do not express RUNX3 but have intact TGF-, type II receptor and SMAD4 genes, with the RUNX3 expression plasmid pcDNA3.1/RUNX3 or with the vector pcDNA3.1 as a control. Four Mz-ChA-2/RUNX3 clones and one control clone were obtained. Although TGF-,1 only slightly inhibited growth of the control cells, growth inhibition and TGF-,-dependent G1 arrest were significantly enhanced in the RUNX3 -transfected clones. None of the clones, however, exhibited apoptosis. The slightly increased TGF-,1-induced p21 expression in the control clone was strongly enhanced in the RUNX3 -transfected clones, and was accompanied by augmented decreases in the expression of cyclins D1 and E. When RUNX3 small interfering RNA was added, TGF-,-dependent induction of p21 was reduced in the RUNX3 -transfected clones. Xenografts of the clones in nude mice demonstrated that tumorigenicity was significantly decreased in the RUNX3 -transfected clones in inverse proportion to the expression levels of RUNX3. Based on these results, RUNX3 is involved in TGF-,-induced expression of p21 and the resulting induction of TGF-,-dependent G1 arrest. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 838,843) [source] | ||||||||||