Biomedical subjects

A L Lukes

Publications and source records attributed to A L Lukes.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin.

Potential and documented interactions between alternative therapy agents and warfarin are discussed. An estimated one third of adults in the United States use alternative therapies, including herbs. A major safety concern is potential interactions of alternative medicine products with prescription medications. This issue is especially important with respect to drugs with narrow therapeutic indexes, such as warfarin. Herbal products that may potentially increase the risk of bleeding or potentiate the effects of warfarin therapy include angelica root, arnica flower, anise, asafoetida, bogbean, borage seed oil, bromelain, capsicum, celery, chamomile, clove, fenugreek, feverfew, garlic, ginger ginkgo, horse chestnut, licorice root, lovage root, meadowsweet, onion, parsley, passionflower herb, poplar, quassia, red clover, rue, sweet clover, turmeric, and willow bark. Products that have been associated with documented reports of potential interactions with warfarin include coenzyme Q10, danshen, devil's claw, dong quai, ginseng, green tea, papain, and vitamin E. Interpretation of the available information on herb-warfarin interactions is difficult because nearly all of it is based on in vitro data, animal studies, or individual case reports. More study is needed to confirm and assess the clinical significance of these potential interactions. There is evidence that a wide range of alternative therapy products have the potential to interact with warfarin. Pharmacists and other health care professionals should question all patients about use of alternative therapies and report documented interactions to FDA's MedWatch program.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Effect of nitroglycerin-soluble additives on the stability of molded nitroglycerin tablets.

Nitroglycerin vapor pressures at 25 degrees C were determined for additive-nitroglycerin systems over the additive-nitroglycerin weight ratio range of 0.5 to 3.0 for 16 additives exhibiting solubility in nitroglycerin. The effects of the additives on nitroglycerin chemical stability at 25 degrees C and 50 degrees C were also studied. Tablet stability characteristics, i.e., content uniformity, open-dish stability, and chemical decomposition were evaluated for selected tablet formulations. Most additives lowered the vapor pressure of nitroglycerin sufficiently to stabilize content uniformity when used at additive-nitroglycerin weight ratios near 1. Higher additive levels are needed for significant potency stabilization in open-dish stability tests, but these levels normally decrease the chemical stability of nitroglycerin. However, stabilization of content uniformity, a twofold reduction of potency loss in an open-dish stability test, and chemical stability are possible with at least three of the additives studied.

Absorption↗

PubMed1978

Quantitative crystallinity determinations for beta-lactam antibiotics by solution calorimetry: correlations with stability.

The solution calorimetry method is based on the observation that amorphous forms are normally significantly higher in energy than are crystalline forms. The utility and validity of the calorimetric method were investigated for cephalothin sodium, cefazolin sodium, cefamandole nafate, and cefamandole sodium. Amorphous, partially crystalline, and crystalline forms were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (powder), by solution calorimetry, and, for cephalothin sodium, by the thermal decomposition rate at 50 degrees. Qualitatively, there was a good correlation between calorimetric crystallinity and the (less precise) crystallinity derived from X-ray data. The energy and structure of the amorphous state depend on the history of the sample; even samples of the same crystalline polymorph, containing no amorphous phase, may differ in energy. Thus, the absolute value of the crystallinity (X-ray or calorimetric) depends on the choice of amorphous and crystalline standards. The heat of solution is a precise (+/- 1%) and unambiguous measure of the relative crystallinity; and provided amorphous and crystalline standards are appropriately chosen, the calorimetric crystallinity correlates well with chemical stability.

Absorption↗

PubMed1977

Thermal decomposition of amorphous beta-lactam antibacterials.

Thermal decomposition rates for amorphous samples of penicillin G potassium, cephalothin sodium, cefamandole sodium, and cefamandole nafate were determined as a function of water content and temperature. Even when rigorously dry, amorphous cephalosporins were at least one order of magnitude less stable than the corresponding unsolvated crystalline form. Absorbed water generally increased both the number of decomposition products and the net decomposition rate. Reaction kinetics were usually apparent first order, but an anomalously high effective reaction order was observed in several systems. Nonlinear Arrhenius plots were observed, and a qualitative model based on molecular relaxation in glayses is proposed. Although decomposition rates at 25 degrees were small for dry samples, even slight decomposition produced visually detectable changes. Thus, the unsolvated crystalline form was noticeably more stable, even at 25 degrees.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1976

Vapor pressure of nitroglycerin in sublingual molded tablets: implications for stability.

To understand nitroglycerin intertablet migration, vapor pressures of nitroglycerin in tablets were measured using a modified gravimetric Knudsen effusion technique. To supplement the vapor pressure data, adsorption isotherms at 296 degrees K were determined, and tablets were studied by scanning electron microscopy. For conventional tablets (i.e., tablets without stabilizing additives such as polyethylene glycol 400), the nitroglycerin vapor pressure in a tablet is within about 10% of that for pure liquid nitroglycerin, provided the potency is greater than 0.3 mg. Significant capillary condensation in tablets at relative vapor pressures close to unity is demonstrated. Stabilizing additives lower the vapor pressure of nitroglycerin, the magnitude of the effect depending on both the nature of the additive and the additive-nitroglycerin weight ratio. The mechanism of intertablet migration involves capillary condensation. Vapor pressure reduction of about 15%, achieved through the use of an additive, appears sufficient to prevent significant intertablet migration.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1976

Knudsen vapor pressure measurements on pure materials and solutions dispersed in porous media: molded nitroglycerin tablets.

The gravimetric Knudsen method for vapor pressure measurement may be subject to serious systematic errors when the sample: (a) consists of the volatile component dispersed in an inert porous matrix and/or (b) contains a dissolved polymeric solute. Vaporization of water present as an impurity in the matrix may result in an appreciable "background" mass loss, and "nonequilibrium effects" may be present; i.e., The vapor of interest may be unable to escape from the sample rapidly enough to maintain the equilibrium vapor pressure in the Knudsen cell. Methods for eliminating the interference due to background effects are described, and a theoretical analysis of nonequilibrium effects is presented. The essential validity of the theories for nonequilibrium effects and the effectiveness of the methods for circumventing background effects were verified by experimental studies with molded nitroglycerin tablets. With nitroglycerin tablets, accurate Knudsen vapor pressure data may be obtained using the modified procedures and data analysis presented in this report.

Chemical Phenomena↗