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Original Work (original + work)
Selected AbstractsDrug/substance reversal effects of a novel tri-substituted benzoflavone moiety (BZF) isolated from Passiflora incarnata Linn.,a brief perspectiveADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Kamaldeep Dhawan The present work is a mini-review of the author's original work on the plant Passiflora incarnata Linn., which is used in several parts of the world as a traditional medicine for the management of anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and morphine addiction. A tri-substituted benzoflavone moiety (BZF) has been isolated from the bioactive methanol extract of this plant, which has been proposed in the author's earlier work to be responsible for the biological activities of this plant. The BZF moiety has exhibited significantly encouraging results in the reversal of tolerance and dependence of several addiction-prone psychotropic drugs, including morphine, nicotine, ethanol, diazepam and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, during earlier pharmacological studies conducted by the author. In addition to this, the BZF moiety has exhibited aphrodisiac, libido-enhancing and virility-enhancing properties in 2-year-old male rats. When administered concomitantly with nicotine, ethanol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for 30 days in male rats, the BZF also prevented the drug-induced decline in sexuality in male rats. Because the BZF moiety isolated from P. incarnata is a tri-substituted derivative of alpha-naphthoflavone (7,8-benzoflavone), a well-known aromatase-enzyme inhibitor, the mode of action of BZF has been postulated to be a neurosteroidal mechanism vide in which the BZF moiety prevents the metabolic degradation of testosterone and upregulates blood-testosterone levels in the body. As several flavonoids (e.g. chrysin, apigenin) and other phytoconstituents also possess aromatase-inhibiting properties, and the IC 50 value of such phytomoieties is the main factor determining their biochemical efficacy, by altering their chemical structures to attain a desirable IC 50 value new insights in medical therapeutics can be attained, keeping in view the menace of drug abuse worldwide. [source] The Hill equation: a review of its capabilities in pharmacological modellingFUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Sylvain Goutelle Abstract The Hill equation was first introduced by A.V. Hill to describe the equilibrium relationship between oxygen tension and the saturation of haemoglobin. In pharmacology, the Hill equation has been extensively used to analyse quantitative drug,receptor relationships. Many pharmacokinetic,pharmacodynamic models have used the Hill equation to describe nonlinear drug dose,response relationships. Although the Hill equation is widely used, its many properties are not all well known. This article aims at reviewing the various properties of the Hill equation. The descriptive aspects of the Hill equation, in particular mathematical and graphical properties, are examined, and related to Hill's original work. The mechanistic aspect of the Hill equation, involving a strong connection with the Guldberg and Waage law of mass action, is also described. Finally, a probabilistic view of the Hill equation is examined. Here, we provide some new calculation results, such as Fisher information and Shannon entropy, and we introduce multivariate probabilistic Hill equations. The main features and potential applications of this probabilistic approach are also discussed. Thus, within the same formalism, the Hill equation has many different properties which can be of great interest for those interested in mathematical modelling in pharmacology and biosciences. [source] Stages of Change , Continuous Measure (URICA-E2): psychometrics of a Norwegian versionJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2009Anners Lerdal Abstract Title.,Stages of Change , Continuous Measure (URICA-E2): psychometrics of a Norwegian version. Aim., This paper is a report of research to translate the English version of the Stages of Change continuous measure questionnaire (URICA-E2) into Norwegian and to test the validity of the questionnaire and its usefulness in predicting behavioural change. Background., While the psychometric properties of the Stages of Change categorical measure have been tested extensively, evaluation of the psychometric properties of the continuous questionnaire has not been described elsewhere in the literature. Method., Cross-sectional data were collected with a convenience sample of 198 undergraduate nursing students in 2005 and 2006. The English version of URICA-E2 was translated into Norwegian according to standardized procedures. Findings., Principal components analysis clearly confirmed five of the dimensions of readiness to change (Precontemplation Non-Believers, Precontemplation Believers, Contemplation, Preparation and Maintenance), while the sixth dimension, Action, showed the lowest Eigenvalue (0·93). Findings from the cluster analysis indicate distinct profiles among the respondents in terms of readiness to change their exercise behaviour. Conclusion., The URICA-E2 was for the most part replicated from Reed's original work. The result of the cluster analysis of the items associated with the factor ,Action' suggests that these do not adequately measure the factor. [source] Geriatric Oncology and Primary Care: Promoting Partnerships in Practice and ResearchJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2009Julia Hannum Rose PhD This supplement is a compilation of original work that was presented at an interdisciplinary conference on "Geriatric Oncology and Primary Care: Promoting Partnerships in Practice and Research" held in Cleveland, Ohio, April 3 to 4, 2008. An audience of 77 clinicians and researchers attended this conference, primarily coming from Ohio and adjacent states. Articles are organized around a conceptual framework to consider primary and shared care roles of primary care physicians (PCPs) and oncologists in the care of older patients with cancer and their families. Articles in Section One focus on evidence-based clinical practice and recommendations. Section Two includes articles on original psychosocial and health services research that inform this topic. Papers in this conference were developed in recognition of the greater prevalence and growing incidence of cancer in older adults; the unique geriatric expertise and practice considerations essential to the prevention and control of cancer in older adults; the important and effective roles that PCPs may play in such care; and the need to develop shared care models that foster collaboration between PCPs and oncologists, from cancer prevention through long-term survivorship and end-of-life care of older adults. Models of shared care between oncologists and PCPs should be tested and compared for optimal care of older patients with cancer and their families. Potential implications of ideally shared care include more-informed patient-centered decision-making, better adherence to treatment, improved match between older patient goals and treatments, and thus better outcomes. [source] From W. N. Hohfeld to J. R. Commons, and Beyond?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010A "Law, Economics" Enquiry on Jural Relations In this article we try to reformulate the approaches of Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld and John Rogers Commons on jural relations speculating on the concept of positionality as introduced by Fred Hirsch in his original work on positional good and competition. Furthermore, by placing Hohfeld's jural lowest common denominator within the Commonsian transaction, we propose a more structured economic description of the jural relations theory. [source] Latest news and product developmentsPRESCRIBER, Issue 12 2008Article first published online: 14 JUL 200 Patients want to stop ,Z' drugs more than benzos A study from Lincolnshire has revealed that patients prescribed a ,Z' drug - zaleplon (Sonata), zolpidem or zopiclone - for insomnia are more likely to want to stop treatment than those prescribed a benzodiazepine (Br J Gen Pract 2008;58:417-22). The cross-sectional survey of 705 patients prescribed a hypnotic for insomnia found that more patients taking a Z drug wanted to stop (23 vs 12 per cent prescribed a benzodiazepine) and tried to stop treatment (52 vs 41 per cent). New NICE guidance NICE has published an updated clinical guideline for the management of type 2 diabetes, covering: the control of blood glucose with lifestyle modification, oral hypoglycaemic drugs and insulin; reducing blood pressure and lipids, antithrombotic therapy and estimating cardiovascular risk; and screening and treatment for long-term complications. There is also a new clinical guideline on cardiovascular risk assessment and the modification of blood lipids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. New technology appraisals include the use of erythropoietin analogues for cancer-associated anaemia, and adalimumab (Humira) and etanercept (Enbrel) for ankylosing spondylitis; infliximab (Remicade) is not recommended. See New from NICE (pages 13-14) for further details. Prescriber consultant editor wins award Professor Tony Avery, professor of primary care at Nottingham University and consultant editor for Prescriber, has won the John Fry Award for his work in promoting the discipline of general practice through research and publishing as a practising GP. The citation acknowledges Professor Avery as ,quite simply one of the best researchers we have had in general practice,' describing his output of original work and research as impressive. The award commemorates the work of the late Dr John Fry, perhaps the most prominent GP of his generation involved in research. Antihypertensive dose ignores adherence Clinicians take no account of poor adherence when they increase the dose of antihypertensive therapy due to apparent lack of effect, US researchers say (Circulation 2008; published online May 27; doi 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.724104). Their retrospective analysis included reimbursement records for 38 327 patients with hypertension who presented with elevated BP (140-200/>90mmHg) in one year (mean 1.8 events per patient). After adjusting for potential confounders, they found that antihypertensive medications were added or the dose of medication increased in about one-third of patients regardless of the degree of nonadherence in the previous year. LABAs improve COPD Inhaled long-acting beta2-agonists (LABAs) improve COPD and do not increase the risk of death, a new safety review has concluded (Chest 2008;133:1079-87). The meta-analysis of 27 RCTs in patients with moderate to severe stable COPD found that LABAs reduced exacerbations by 22 per cent, improved lung function, reduced use of rescue medication and improved quality of life. There was no effect on respiratory deaths, though a combination of a LABA with an inhaled steroid reduced the risk by two-thirds compared with LABA monotherapy. Tiotropium (Spiriva) was associated with a 50 per cent lower risk of exacerbations than LABAs. These findings follow the MHRA's review of LABAs in the treatment of asthma, which found no increase in mortality provided they are used with an inhaled steroid (Drug Safety Update 2008;1:9). Naproxen as effective in acute gouty arthritis Naproxen is as effective as prednisolone in the treatment of acute gouty arthritis, say researchers from The Netherlands (Lancet 2008;371:1854-60). Their study in 118 primary care patients showed that five days' treatment with naproxen 500mg twice daily or prednisolone 35mg daily reduced pain scores to a similar extent with a comparable incidence of adverse effects. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd [source] New ways of looking at experimental phasingACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 11 2003Randy J. Read In the original work by Blow and Crick, experimental phasing was formulated as a least-squares problem. For good data on good derivatives this approach works reasonably well, but we now attempt to extract more information from poorer data than in the past. As in many other crystallographic problems, the assumptions underlying the use of least squares for phasing are not satisfied, particularly for poor derivatives. The introduction of maximum likelihood (and more powerful computers) has led to substantial improvements. For computational convenience, these new methods still make many assumptions about the independence of different measurements and sources of error. A more general formulation for the probability distributions underlying likelihood-based methods for both experimental phasing and molecular-replacement phasing is reviewed. In the new formulation, all the structure factors associated with a particular hkl are considered to be related by a complex multivariate normal distribution. When it is assumed that certain errors are independent, the general formulation reduces to current likelihood targets. However, the new formulation makes the necessary assumptions more explicit and points the way to improving phasing using both isomorphous and anomalous differences. [source] Revisiting Fayol: Anticipating Contemporary ManagementBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2005Lee D. Parker This study argues that in classifying Fayol as a founding father of the Classical Management School, we have to some extent misrepresented this still important management theorist. The received Fayol portrayed in contemporary texts invariably emerges as a caricature of a much more insightful, complex, visionary and rounded management thinker. This study re-examines Fayol's personal and career history, as well as the arguments presented in his original work, General and Industrial Management. It finds that he was a much more complex and multidimensional figure than his conventional stereotype today, and that his management theories embraced a wider spectrum of approaches and concepts than traditionally identified with the classical management school of thought. In marked contrast to his traditional portrayal, this study uncovers traces of ideas and concepts that anticipated aspects of the human relations movement, systems-based contingency theory, the movement towards greater employee involvement in decision-making and elements of knowledge management. [source] Filmmaker to Filmmaker: Robert Gardner and the Cinematic ProcessAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 3 2007RODERICK COOVER Choices made in the reissue of many of Robert Gardner's groundbreaking films,including Dead Birds (1964), Rivers of Sand (1973), and Forest of Bliss (1986),on DVD demonstrate how new media tools can reinvigorate questions generated by the original works and how they can provide new insight into a filmmaker's praxis. The juxtaposition of differing media and the integration of commentary track conversations in many of these works with media makers and scholars such as Stan Brakhage, Robert Fenz, Ross McElwee, Akos Ostor, and Lucien Taylor provide unique vantage points from which to view the original documentaries and reconsider the lessons they yield. Gardner's concurrent publication of his diary and production notes in the book Impulse to Preserve (2006) contextualizes and personalizes these works, showing how they fit together in a career of innovative ethnographic production that has spanned over 50 years. [source] Sir Humphry Davy; his researches in respiratory physiology and his debt to Antoine LavoisierANAESTHESIA, Issue 4 2002J. S. Sprigge Summary This article shows how the original works of the French scientist Antoine Lavoisier were developed by Humphry Davy, a trainee surgeon from Cornwall, while he was working as a physiologist. Antoine Lavoisier had worked out how oxidation involved the consumption of oxygen and the release of energy. Davy's book, Researches Chemical and Philosophical, Chiefly Concerning Nitrous Oxide, published in 1799, describes the measurement of his own lung volumes, including the first recorded measurement of the residual volume. He measured his own rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. He is famous for his investigations into nitrous oxide, but he also investigated the effects of breathing nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. He made these observations with a gasometer and analysis of his expired air, and his work anticipates the invention of blood gas analysis. [source] From Gauß to Biermann: Highlights from the first 117 years of publications in Astronomische Nachrichten/Astronomical NotesASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2009R. von Berlepsch Abstract We present facsimiles of some of the scientifically and historically most relevant papers published in Astronomische Nachrichten/Astronomical Notes (AN) between 1821 and 1938. Almost all of these papers were written and printed in German and it is sometimes not completely straightforward to find these original works and then to cite the historically correct version, e.g. in case of a series of articles or editorial letters. It was common during the early years that many contributions were made in form of letters to the editor. We present a summary for these original works with an English translation of their titles. Among the highlights are the originals of the discovery of stellar parallaxes by FriedrichWilhelm Bessel, the discovery of the solar cycle by Heinrich Schwabe, the discovery of the planet Neptune by Johann Gottfried Galle, the first ever measured stellar radial velocity by Hermann Vogel, the discovery of radio emission from the Sun by Wilsing and Scheiner, the first ever conducted photoelectric photometry of stars by Paul Guthnick and up to the pioneering work by Karl Schwarzschild, Ejnar Hertzsprung, Erwin Finlay Freundlich and others. As a particular gimmick we present the still world record holding shortest paper ever published; by Johannes Hartmann in AN 226, 63 (1926) on Nova Pictoris. Our focus is on contributions in the early years and published until 1938 near the verge of the second world war (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | |||||||||||||