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PubMed2004

[Influence of long-term fertilization on phosphorus fertility of calcareous soil I. Organic matter, total phosphorus and available phosphorus].

A 23 years-located experiment of wheat-corn rotation showed that long term application of animal manure combined with chemical fertilizer contributed greater to the contents of soil organic matter, total phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus and available phosphorus. Applying chemical fertilizer could increase soil organic matter, total phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus and available phosphorus contents, but the increment was lower than treatments animal manure and fallow. Compared with no fertilization, different fertilization treatment had its own distribution characteristics of soil organic matter, total phosphorus and available phosphorus in 0-100 cm soil layer.

Biomass↗

PubMed2004

Psychiatric emergencies and services availability: a comparison of two hospitals in Rome.

The development of Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) as an autonomous organization has allowed the registration of urgent request in different urban areas and their correlation with real clinical needs. Our aim was to investigate different patterns of psychiatric emergencies, considering that A) qualitative differences in diagnostic distribution could emerge in relation to the availability of local hospital services; B) gender differences could condition the type of demand. In particular, the availability of services appears to have a modulating effect on the demand: it's possible to deduce that socio-economic factors can influence demand and change over time the epidemiological features of patients availing of PES.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Quality of pharmaceutical items available from drugstores in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Drugstores and drug outlets are the main sources of care for the majority of Cambodian citizens because of the availability of drugs, short waiting time, and ability to control the cost of treatment. Unfortunately, no enforcement of pharmacy regulations and little consumer and drugstore personnel education contribute to a potential harmful unregulated drug market resulting in high costs and prolonged illness. No study has looked at the quality of over-the-counter drugs, which would have the highest impact on the people. In this study, we were interested in exploring the quality of commonly used pharmaceutical items available from drugstores in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, using uncoated aspirin tablets as a case study. Factors relating to quality of the drug were also examined. This study was conducted by means of drug fishing method to obtain uncoated aspirin tablet samples from 96 drugstores in Phnom Penh. The quality of the samples was examined in six aspects: percent label amount, weight variation, hardness, percent friability, disintegration time, and dissolution rate. We found that only seven (7.3%) of the total 96 samples passed all six quality criteria. Dissolution test appeared to be the most critical step in determining aspirin quality. Factors that were statistically related to the quality of the sample were type of packaging. All the drugs that passed the six criteria were in bottles. Source of the medications was also significantly related to their quality. Among seven samples that passed the test, six were from Vietnam. Our study revealed that the quality of uncoated aspirin tablets was a serious problem. The vast majority of the samples did not meet the standard requirements. Type of packaging and source of medications were related to the quality of samples. This study has important implications for the Cambodian government regarding the control of the quality of pharmaceutical items available in drugstores.

Aspirin↗

PubMed1992

The dependence on iron availability of allocation of iron to nitrogenase components in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli.

Nitrogenase contains approximately 38 iron ions/complete unit. Therefore, we sought to identify steps and genes involved in nitrogenase production that are responsive to iron availability. We have characterized nitrogenase production in Klebsiella pneumoniae grown in a range of different iron concentrations. We find significant accumulation (50-75%) and normal synthesis rates of the structural polypeptides, even under conditions in which the observed nitrogenase activities are only 14-28% of those observed in iron-sufficient conditions. Thus, maturation instead of synthesis of the structural polypeptides is primarily responsible for the iron dependence of nitrogenase activity. We have also used a binary plasmid system in Escherichia coli to investigate the contributions of various nitrogen fixation (nif) genes to the iron dependence of nitrogenase production. At least one of the nif genes DKTYENXUSVW can modulate synthesis of the structural polypeptide NIF H in response to iron availability. We speculate that an iron-deficient complex of the product(s) of at least one of these genes may repress structural polypeptide synthesis in iron-depleted K. pneumoniae. Such a system would compensate for the inactivity of NIF L in iron-depleted cultures and ensure balanced production of the structural polypeptides of nitrogenase in accordance with the iron available for their maturation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Clinical efficacy of Colgate 360 degrees and three commercially available toothbrushes on the removal of desquamated epithelial cells.

A clinical study was done to evaluate the performance of four toothbrushes on the removal of desquamated epithelial cells after brushing according to the manufacturers' instructions for use. This randomized, crossover-design clinical study compared a new manual toothbrush (Colgate 360 degrees) to two commercially available manual toothbrushes (Oral-B CrossAction and Oral-B Indicator) and a commercially available battery-powered toothbrush (Crest SpinBrush PRO). Adult men and women subjects reported to the clinical facility after a 1-week "washout" period of brushing with a regular fluoride dentifrice and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Participants reported having refrained from oral hygiene procedures, eating, and drinking that morning. After providing a baseline rinse sample, subjects brushed their teeth for 1 minute with their assigned toothbrush and a commercially available fluoride toothpaste, then returned 30 minutes later to provide postuse rinse samples. Subjects refrained from dental hygiene, eating, and drinking during the 30-minute evaluation period. To provide the samples, subjects rinsed with 10 mL of sterile phosphate-buffered saline solution for 10 seconds. Each collected sample was centrifuged, resuspended, and run in a colorimetric assay to determine the level of desquamated epithelial cells found in the rinse as measured by the absorbance at 570 nm. Twenty adults completed the study. At baseline, the mean levels of desquamated epithelial cells for the 4 treatments were 0.70+/-0.27, 0.63+/-0.20, 0.69+/-0.30, and 0.62+/-0.31 for the Colgate 360 degrees, Oral-B Indicator, Crest SpinBrush PRO, and Oral-B CrossAction, respectively. Posttreatment, the mean levels of epithelial cells were 0.19, 0.38, 0.42, and 0.34, respectively. All of the treatments provided a statistically significant reduction compared to their respective baseline. In addition, the Colgate 360 degrees toothbrush was statistically significantly better than the other three toothbrushes in reducing desquamated epithelial cells. Therefore, the results of this randomized, crossover clinical study indicate that the newly designed Colgate 360 degrees manual toothbrush, with a tongue-cleaning implement on the back of the brush head, was statistically significantly more effective than the Oral-B Indicator, Crest SpinBrush PRO, and Oral-B CrossAction toothbrushes in removing desquamated epithelial cells.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Availability, safety and quality of blood for transfusion in the Americas.

OBJECTIVES: This article has two objectives: (1) to present for countries and territories of the Region of the Americas data on the number of blood donations, proportion of voluntary blood donors versus remunerated blood donors, coverage of screening for infectious agents, and separation of donated blood into its components and (2) to explore the relationships of those characteristics with economic and organisational factors in the countries and territories. METHODS: We carried out comparative analyses using population and health information gathered annually by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) from national health officials from the countries in the Americas, as well as economic information (gross national product (GNP) per capita) obtained from publications of the World Bank. RESULTS: There is a direct correlation between the availability of blood for transfusion and GNP per capita. Seven countries with a GNP per capita above US dollar 10,000 per year account for 38% of the Regional population but 68% of the Regional blood donations. Voluntary blood donation is more common in the countries with better blood availability. There is no association between GNP per capita and coverage of screening for infectious agents. Nevertheless, of the six countries with a GNP per capita below US dollar 1,000, only one of the six screens all units for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Countries with a higher proportion of voluntary blood donors tend to have lower prevalence rates of infectious markers. Separation of blood into its components is also more common in countries with higher blood donation rates. CONCLUSIONS: The availability, safety and quality of blood for transfusion in the Americas needs to be improved. As part of that effort, national policies and strategies must be put into place so that the resources already allocated for blood services are better utilised.

Americas↗

PubMed2005

Optimizing weekend availability for sophisticated tests and procedures in a large hospital.

The reduced availability of sophisticated tests and procedures in hospitals on weekends (the so-called "weekend effect") delays care. Addressing this problem requires hospital managers to balance the desire for timeliness with the need for efficient operations. We illustrate how a hospital can profile timeliness, demand, and capacity utilization across the week for multiple testing areas. This simple, practical method; using data extracted from the hospital's accounting system, makes visible the pattern and magnitude of delays caused by reduced availability on weekends, while also showing how capacity is deployed. We combined the analytical tool with a process of transparent feedback and local problem solving that engages multiple stakeholders in the hospital. The goal is to optimally configure capacity so as to balance the imperatives of timely availability and efficient resource utilization.

Diagnostic Tests, Routine↗

PubMed2004

Evaluation of availability, accessibility and prescribing pattern of medicines in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Prescribing, dispensing, availability and affordability of drugs were evaluated in 100 primary health care centres in 5 provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran using WHO indicators. On average, 92% of the 12 essential drugs monitored were available in the health centre pharmacies and 95% of the drugs prescribed by the physician were dispensed by the health centre pharmacy. The stock-out duration was less than 1 month on average. A complete treatment for pneumonia cost only 2% of the lowest weekly government salary. The national average number of drugs per prescription was 3.4. Prescription of antibiotics and injectable drugs was very high (58% and 41% respectively). Although availability and affordability of essential drugs is good in this country, rational use of drugs needs to be emphasized.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2006

Online medical books: their availability and an assessment of how health sciences libraries provide access on their public Websites.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the number and topical range of available online medical books and to assess how health sciences libraries were providing access to these resources on their public Websites. METHOD: The collection-based evaluative technique of list checking was used to assess the number and topical range of online medical books of the six largest publishers. Publisher inventory lists were downloaded over a two-day period (May 16-17, 2004). Titles were counted and compared with the 2003 Brandon/Hill list. A sample of health sciences libraries was subsequently derived by consulting the 2004 "Top Medical Schools-Research" in U.S. News & World Report. Bibliographic and bibliothecal access methods were evaluated based on an inspection of the publicly available Websites of the sample libraries. RESULTS: Of 318 currently published online medical books, 151 (47%) were Brandon/Hill titles covering 42 of 59 Brandon/Hill topics (71%). These 151 titles represented 22% (N = 672) of the Brandon/Hill list, which further broke down as 52 minimal core, 41 initial purchase, and 58 other recommended Brandon/Hill titles. These numbers represented 50%, 28%, and 12%, respectively, of all Brandon/Hill titles corresponding to those categories. In terms of bibliographic access, 20 of 21 of sampled libraries created catalog records for their online medical books, 1 of which also provided analytical access at the chapter level, and none provided access at the chapter section level. Of the 21 libraries, 19 had library Website search engines that provided title-level access and 4 provided access at the chapter level and none that at the chapter section level. For bibliothecal access, 19 of 21 libraries provided title-level access to medical books, 8 of which provided classified and alphabetic arrangements, 1 provided a classified arrangement only, and 10 provided an alphabetic arrangement only. No library provided a bibliothecal arrangement for medical book chapters or chapter sections. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the number and topical range of online medical books is reaching a point where collection-level consideration is warranted to facilitate efficient use and to prevent the problem of split files. However, the results also show that few efforts are underway on the publicly available Websites of the surveyed health sciences libraries to provide the analytical access necessary to meet the structural needs of clinical information seekers.

Access to Information↗

PubMed2003

In vitro availability of gliclazide in presence of antacids.

Gliclazide is the most commonly used sulfonylurea derivative for NIDDM therapy. Due to its prolonged therapy, there is always a likelihood of its use with other drugs. On the other hand antacids are commonly prescribed to encounter gastric acidity etc. Present paper deals with the in vitro availability studies of gliclazide in presence of antacids. These studies were carried out in simulated gastric juice and in buffer of pH 7.4 at body and accelerated temperature. The antacids used in these studies were aluminum hydroxide, aluminum trisilicate, magnesium oxide, magnesium trisilicate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magaldrate and simethicone (2,4-dimethoxypoly-siloxane). It has been found that in case of magnesium oxide, magnesium trisilicate and sodium bicarbonate, availability of gliclazide was enhanced while in rest of the antacids retarded the availability of gliclazide.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

In vitro availability of glibenclamide in presence of antacids.

The in vitro availability studies of glibenclamide in presence of commonly used antacids are present in this paper. Glibenclamide is used for the treatment of Non-Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. It is a sulfonylurea derivative. Antacids are prescribed to encounter gastric acidity etc. These studies were carried out in simulated gastric juice and in buffer of pH 7.4 at 37 and 48 degrees C. Aluminum hydroxide, aluminum trisilicate, magnesium oxide, magnesium trisilicate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magaldrate and simethicone (2,4-dimethoxypolysiloxane) antacids were used in these studies. It has been observed that in case of magnesium oxide, magnesium trisilicate and sodium bicarbonate, availability of glibenclamide was enhanced while in rest of the antacids retarded the availability of glibenclamide.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between local availability and first-time use of specialists in an arthritis population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine what health area characteristics, in particular local availability of specialists, were associated with the age-sex adjusted ambulatory utilization rate of musculoskeletal (MSK) specialists (i.e., rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and general internists) in an arthritis and rheumatism (A&R) cohort. METHODS: The cohort was composed of respondents aged 15+ from the 1996/97 Ontario Health Survey who self-reported A&R and/or had a primary care encounter for A&R during the two years preceding the survey, as determined by their billings in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Respondents with prior exposure to MSK specialists were excluded. The outcome of an encounter with a MSK specialist for A&R was determined during the three-year period after the survey. RESULTS: The A&R cohort was composed of 5,052 respondents, of whom 11% had an A&R encounter with a MSK specialist in the three-year post-survey period. There was area variation in the age-sex adjusted ambulatory utilization rate of MSK specialists in the A&R cohort. The backwards stepping linear regression to examine predictors for seeing MSK specialists found a positive association with local availability of rheumatologists, a negative association with the proportion of high school graduates in the health area and a negative association with the proportion of people aged 65 years and older. DISCUSSION: At the health area level, we found that the local availability of rheumatologists was an important factor associated with utilizing MSK specialists for A&R-related conditions in a cohort of respondents who have not been previously exposed to MSK specialists for musculoskeletal-related conditions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Impairment of plasma nitric oxide availability in senescent healthy individuals: apparent involvement of extracellular superoxide dismutase activity.

To verify the potential involvement of the age-dependent modifications of EC-SOD activity in the impairment of plasma NO availability with advancing age, 40 healthy men divided into 4 age groups for the purpose of comparison (young: 27.4 +/- 1.5 years; middle: 50.8 +/- 2.2, years; old: 70.0 +/- 1.8 years; very old: 86.1 +/- 1.1 years) were enrolled in this study. Plasma samples were used for measurements of the stable end-product nitrite/nitrate (NOx), as an expression of NO availability, EC-SOD activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as a marker of lipid peroxidation, low density lipoprotein (LDL) copper-mediated oxidation in vitro and total antioxidant capacity (TEAC). Our results indicated a significant age-related progressive decrease of plasma NOx content and EC-SOD activity and their values were positively correlated (r = 0.713, p < 0.001). Increased TBARS amount together with reduced lag time for in vitro oxidation of LDL and decreased content of TEAC were observed with advancing age. Finally, EC-SOD values were negatively correlated with plasma TBARS values (r = -0.855, p < 0.001). Findings of the present study suggest that the decrease of antioxidant defence strategies play a primary role by compromising NO availability in normally aged individuals, particularly through a progressive decrease of EC-SOD activity.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Stability considerations in liquid dosage forms extemporaneously prepared from commercially available products.

The pharmacist, both in community and hospital pharmacy practice, is often challenged with the preparation of a liquid dosage form not available commercially for paediatric patients, those adults unable to swallow tablets or capsules and patients who must receive medications via nasogastric or gastrostomy tubes. Recognising the lack of information available to healthcare professionals, a general discussion of the various parameters that may be modified in preparing these dosage forms and a tabulated summary of the dosage forms presented in the literature is described, which, although not exhaustive, will provide information on the formulation and stability of the most commonly prepared extemporaneous liquid dosage forms. An extensive survey of the literature and investigation of 83 liquid dosage forms revealed that stability considerations were of concern for only 7.2% of these liquid dosage forms, extemporaneously prepared from the following commercially available products: captopril, hydralazine hydrochloride, isoniazid, levothyroxine sodium, phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride and tetracycline hydrochloride. Inclusion of the antioxidant, sodium ascorbate in the liquid dosage form for captopril resulted in improved stability at 4 degrees C. Hydralazine hydrochloride, isoniazid and phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride were adversely affected due to interactions with excipients in the formulation, while the effect of the preservative in lowering the pH in a levothyroxine sodium mixture resulted in decreased stability. Interestingly, the instability in these formulations is primarily due to interactions between the drug substance and the excipients rather than degradation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient by standard routes such as oxidation, hydrolysis, photolysis or thermolysis. This low percentage however illustrates the low risk associated with these dosage forms investigated. It may be concluded that when considering the safety and efficacy of liquid dosage forms prepared extemporaneously, it is thus important to consider not only the stability of the drug substance but the entire formulation.

Dosage Forms↗

PubMed1991

Relationship of infant mortality to the availability of obstetrical care in Indiana.

BACKGROUND: Projects that are currently under way in Indiana to improve access to obstetrical care have not addressed the availability of these services in nonmetropolitan areas. This study was designed to identify all physicians who were providing obstetrical services in every county throughout the state to determine if there is a correlation between the availability of these services and the infant mortality rate in nonmetropolitan counties. METHODS: A state-wide physician profile maintained by the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians was cross-referenced with a telephone survey of all hospitals in the state to identify those physicians providing obstetrical services within each county in Indiana. The number of physicians in each county was then compared with the number of births per year by mothers from that county to determine whether nonmetropolitan counties had sufficient physicians to provide obstetrical services. Finally, these findings were compared with the most recent infant mortality rate for each nonmetropolitan county. RESULTS: A total of 610 family physicians, 311 obstetricians, and 75 general practitioners were providing obstetrical care in Indiana. There were 10 counties that did not have a physician who delivered babies practicing in that county. Thirty-two counties had more women who needed obstetrical care than the current number of physicians could serve. There was a negative correlation between physician availability and infant mortality in Indiana's nonmetropolitan counties (r = -.38; P less than .02). CONCLUSIONS: Access to care for pregnant patients is a major problem in rural Indiana and hampers Indiana's ability to reduce its current infant mortality rate.

Catchment Area, Health↗

PubMed1990

Concept availability in the causal inferences of children and adults.

What supplies the concepts in causal inferences in story comprehension? This question was examined in 5 experiments. Elementary school children and college students listened to stories containing a "premise" sentence describing a character's intent in initiating a series of actions, followed by an unexpected "outcome." After each story, the subjects were asked inference questions about the reason for the outcome (Experiments 1-4) or asked to explain the outcome (Experiment 5). In the various experiments, the availability of object concepts for an inference was manipulated by providing 0 or 2 clues preceding the outcome, additional filler information that diluted the clue information, a mention of an object in the premise or no mention, and an object title for each story or no title. The results suggested that the availability of an object concept in sentences prior to the outcome was a critical determinant of whether an object inference occurred, especially for children. Given availability, the thematic prominence of the object influences whether the object will be used in an inference.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Blanching activities of betamethasone formulations. The effect of dosage form on topical drug availability.

The blanching activities of Betnovate cream, lotion, ointment and scalp application (each containing 0.1% betamethasone (as the 17-valerate] were determined using healthy human subjects over a 32 h period in both the occluded and unoccluded modes. Considering that all four formulation types contained the same label concentration of corticosteroid, it may be presumed that the formulations would show similar topical drug availability: this was, however, not found to be the case. The scalp application demonstrated the highest topical availability in both the occluded and unoccluded modes. The lotion formulation showed the greatest increase in topical availability on occlusion and the ointment formulation was the least sensitive to the effects of occlusion. These differences, due solely to the effects of the vehicle, may have important clinical implications.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed1986

Control of N-linked carbohydrate unit synthesis in thyroid endoplasmic reticulum by membrane organization and dolichyl phosphate availability.

Thyroid rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been shown to contain a highly organized multienzyme system capable of carrying out the N-glycosylation of newly synthesized proteins. These reactions were studied in isolated ER vesicles and found to be controlled to a large extent by the availability of a key substrate, dolichyl phosphate (Dol-P), as well as by the amount of endogenous polypeptide acceptor present. Although in intact vesicles UDP-Glc was utilized in an efficient manner to form Dol-P-Glc and glucosylated oligosaccharide-lipid, after disruption of vesicle integrity, even with low concentrations of Triton X-100, the coupling of Dol-P-Glc formation to lipid-linked oligosaccharide assembly and subsequent N-glycosylation was substantially impaired. Increased incubation temperatures also resulted in a decreased effectiveness of glucose transfer from Dol-P-Glc to lipid-oligosaccharide, presumably because of a decline in the extent of structural organization of the ER membranes. The limited availability of endogenous Dol-P was demonstrated by the pronounced stimulation in Dol-P-Glc formation resulting from the addition of this lipid acceptor to Triton-disrupted ER membranes as well as by its generation in intact vesicles. The latter was accomplished by stimulating recycling of endogenous Dol-P through the addition of a peptide (Tyr-Asn-Leu-Thr-Ser-Val) which is an N-glycosylation substrate. The inhibition of Dol-P-Glc synthesis from UDP-Glc observed in the presence of elevated levels of GDP-Man which could be relieved in Triton-disrupted or intact ER vesicles by the addition or generation, respectively, of Dol-P, is considered to be the result of a competing requirement for Dol-P by the mannosyltransferase. Moreover GTP, by selectively inhibiting the mannosyltransferase, prevented the decrease of Dol-P-Glc formation caused by GDP-Man. Since addition of the acceptor peptide to intact vesicles stimulated Dol-P-P-GlcNAc as well as Dol-P-Glc and Dol-P-Man synthesis it would appear that a pool of Dol-P available in common to all three enzymes responsible for dolichol-linked monosaccharide synthesis exists in the ER membranes.

Animals↗