Mean Estimates (mean + estimate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Increasing hospital-wide delivery of smoking cessation care for nicotine-dependent in-patients: a multi-strategic intervention trial

ADDICTION, Issue 5 2009
Megan Freund
ABSTRACT Aims, design and intervention Smoking care provision to in-patients is important in assisting smoking cessation and for management of nicotine withdrawal. Limited studies have reported the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase the hospital-wide provision of such care. A quasi-experimental matched-pair trial, involving two intervention and two control hospitals in NSW, Australia, investigated whether a multi-strategic intervention increased hospital-wide smoking care provision. Participants and measurements Patient surveys (n = 274,347 per experimental condition), medical notes audits (n = 181,228) and health professional surveys (n = 229,302) were used to collect outcome data at baseline and follow-up. Findings Significantly greater increases in intervention hospitals compared to control hospitals were found for patient-reported offer of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (intervention 34% versus control 12%), provision of NRT (16% versus 4%) and provision of written resources (11% versus 2%), and for the recording in medical notes of smoking management discussion (13% versus 3%), offer of NRT (24% versus 3%) and provision of NRT (21% versus 5%). Intervention group health professionals reported significantly greater increases in the mean estimate of patients who: had their smoking management discussed (30% versus 17%); were offered or provided with NRT (30% versus 18%); were asked their intention to smoke post-discharge (22% versus 10%); and were provided with discharge NRT (21% versus 4%). Conclusions Implementation of a multi-strategic intervention is effective in increasing hospital smoking care delivery, particularly the provision of NRT. Research is required to identify methods to increase further the delivery of this and other forms of smoking care. [source]


Establishment of the 1st World Health Organization international standards for human papillomavirus type 16 DNA and type 18 DNA

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 12 2010
Dianna E. Wilkinson
Abstract A World Health Organization collaborative study was conducted to evaluate candidate international standards for human papillomavirus (HPV) Type 16 DNA (NIBSC code 06/202) and HPV Type 18 DNA (NIBSC code 06/206) for use in the amplification and detection steps of nucleic acid-based assays. The freeze-dried candidate international standards were prepared from bulk preparations of cloned plasmid containing full-length HPV-16 or HPV-18 genomic DNA. Nineteen laboratories from 13 countries participated in the study using a variety of commercial and in-house quantitative and qualitative assays. The data presented here indicate that, upon freeze-drying, there is no significant loss in potency for the candidate HPV-18 DNA and a slight loss in potency for the candidate HPV-16 DNA; although this is likely not scientifically relevant when assay precision is considered. In general, the individual laboratory mean estimates for each study sample were grouped ±,2 log10 around the theoretical HPV DNA concentration of the reconstituted ampoule (1 × 107 HPV genome equivalents/mL). The agreement between laboratories is improved when potencies are made relative to the candidate international standards, demonstrating their utility in harmonizing amplification and detection steps of HPV-16 and ,18 DNA assays. Degradation studies indicate that the candidate international standards are extremely stable and suitable for long-term use. Based on these findings, the candidate standards were established as the 1st WHO international standards for HPV-16 DNA and HPV-18 DNA, each with a potency of 5 × 106 international units (IU) per ampoule or 1 × 107 IU mL,1 when reconstituted as directed. [source]


Cyclosporine exposure and calcineurin phosphatase activity in living-donor liver transplant patients: Twice daily vs. once daily dosing

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2006
Masahide Fukudo
We have compared the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cyclosporine between once- and twice-daily dosing regimens in de novo patients of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A total of 14 patients were enrolled in this study, who had received cyclosporine microemulsion (Neoral) twice a day (BID, n = 5) or once daily in the morning (QD, n = 9) after transplantation. On postoperative day (POD) 6, the QD regimen significantly increased cyclosporine exposure; the blood concentration at 2 hours postdose (C2) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for 4 hours (AUC0,4), compared with the BID regimen. Moreover, the area under the calcineurin (CaN) activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells time-curve (AUA) for 12 hours (AUA0,12) and 24 hours (AUA0,24) were decreased by approximately 42 and 25% with the QD regimen relative to the BID regimen, respectively. The C2 level was significantly correlated with the AUC0,4 (r2 = 0.95), which was negatively related to the AUA0,12 with a large interindividual variability (r2 = 0.59). However, a significant correlation was found between the AUA0,12 or AUA0,24 and CaN activity at trough time points. According to a maximum inhibitory effect attributable to the drug (Emax) model, the mean estimates of Emax and the Cb value that gives a half-maximal effect (EC50) for CaN inhibition were not significantly different between the 2 groups, respectively. These findings suggest that a once daily morning administration of cyclosporine may improve oral absorption and help to provide an effective CaN inhibition early after LDLT. Furthermore, CaN activity at trough time points would be a single surrogate predictor for the overall CaN activity throughout dosing intervals following cyclosporine administration. Liver Transpl 12:292,300, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source]


Population pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid in children and young people undergoing blood or marrow and solid organ transplantation

BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
Lihua Zeng
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROJECT? , Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressant drug used for the treatment and prevention of graft vs. host disease in blood or marrow transplantation and acute graft rejection in solid organ transplantation. , Mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacokinetics have not been thoroughly studied in paediatric blood or marrow transplant recipients and guidance for optimal dosing of mycophenolic acid in children is lacking. , Mycophenolic acid exhibits considerable inter- and intra-patient pharmacokinetic variability in adults and paediatric transplant recipients. , The AUC of mycophenolic acid over a 12 h dose interval at steady-state is generally agreed to be the most reliable metric associated with the risk of acute rejection. , Population pharmacokinetic analysis can utilize concentration information from both intensive sampling and sparse sampling to provide pharmacokinetic parameter estimates, estimates of inter- individual and intra-individual variability in these parameters and allows patient characteristics explaining inter-individual variability to be quantified. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS , This study is one of the first investigations in which a population pharmacokinetic modelling approach was applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of both intravenous and oral MMF in children and young people undergoing blood or marrow and solid organ transplantation. , Bodyweight and concomitant ciclosporin were found to influence MPA pharmacokinetics. , This study evaluated current dosing strategies and found that they may be suboptimal for children weighing less than 10 kg. AIMS To characterize the population pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and evaluate dose regimens using a simulation approach and accepted therapeutic drug monitoring targets in children and young people undergoing blood or marrow, kidney and liver transplantation. METHODS MPA concentration,time data were collected using an age specific sampling protocol over 12 h. Some patients provided randomly timed but accurately recorded blood samples. Total and unbound MPA were measured by HPLC. NONMEM was employed to analyze MPA pharmacokinetic data. Simulations (n= 1000) were conducted to assess the suitability of the MPA dose regimens to maintain total MPA AUC(0,12 h) within the range 30 and 60 mg l,1 h associated with optimal outcome. RESULTS A two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order elimination best described MPA concentration,time data. Population mean estimates of MPA clearance, inter-compartmental clearance, volumes of distribution in the central and peripheral compartments, absorption rate constant and bioavailability were 6.42 l h,1, 3.74 l h,1, 7.24 l, 16.8 l, 0.39 h,1 and 0.48, respectively. Inclusion of bodyweight and concomitant ciclosporin reduced the inter-individual variability in CL from 54.3% to 31.6%. Children with a bodyweight of 10 kg receiving standard MPA dose regimens achieve an MPA AUC below the target range suggesting they may be at a greater risk of acute rejection. CONCLUSIONS The population pharmacokinetic model for MPA can be used to explore dosing guidelines for safe and effective immunotherapy in children and young people undergoing transplantation. [source]