Inhaled Medication Errors During Hospitalization or on Hospital Discharge in Patients Living With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Literature Review.

Inhaled medications, including beta-agonists, muscarinic antagonists, and corticosteroids, are the backbone of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment, and pharmacotherapy plans are frequently optimized during and following hospitalization. Clinical practice guidelines acknowledge that patients living with COPD may experience medication errors from inadequate inhaler technique or device faults, but inhaled medication errors within COPD pharmacotherapy plans remain unreported. This literature review aimed to collect and present studies describing medication errors occurring with inhaled medications in patients living with COPD during and following hospitalization.

Traces of water catalyze zinc soap crystallization in solvent-exposed oil paints.

The crystallization of metal soaps in polymer matrices is a complex process that affects the stability of oil paintings, as well as the properties of commercial ionomer materials. In the context of conservation of paintings, it is crucial to investigate the influence of solvent exposure on such detrimental chemical processes. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and a polymer model system that contains metastable amorphous zinc soaps, it is shown that water induces zinc soap crystallization, while solvent swelling alone has no effect.

Broadening the Perspective on Reducing Pharmaceutical Residues in the Environment.

The present study reviews options for reducing harm from pharmaceuticals that are known to cause adverse impacts by their presence in the environment. It reviews recent global and European Union policy development, which could go further in recognizing and addressing the issue in a global context. It considers green chemistry, which can help clean up production processes but holds only long-term promise for creating "green" alternatives.

Spatial and Seasonal Patterns of the Mosquito Community in Central Oklahoma.

Mosquitoes () are ubiquitous flying insects that function as vectors for several viruses that cause disease in humans. Mosquito abundance and diversity are influenced by landscape features and environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation and vary across seasons and years. The range and phenology of many mosquito species that vector viruses relevant to human health are changing.

Chemical Fate and Partitioning Behavior of Antibiotics in the Aquatic Environment-A Review.

Antibiotics in the aquatic environment is a major problem because of the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The long-term ecological impact on the aquatic environment is unknown. Many sources allow entry of antibiotics into the environment, including wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs), agricultural runoff, hospital effluent, and landfill leachate.

Effect of eight common Brazilian drugs on Lemna minor and Salvinia auriculata growth.

The growth of two species of macrophytes (Lemna minor and Salvinia auriculata) under the effect of a mixture of amoxicillin, caffeine, carbamazepine, dipyrone, ibuprofen, losartan, omeprazole, and tenivastatin was investigated by bioassay. Three concentration levels were utilized in this study (10, 200, and 500 μg L) using a growth inhibition test based on the OECD 221/2006 guidelines. The frond number, total area, and chlorophyll a level were selected as suitable end points.

The Identification of Multiple Crystalline Zinc Soap Structures Using Infrared Spectroscopy.

The formation of crystalline zinc soaps (zinc salts of fatty acids) in oil paint layers is a common sign of paint degradation. In this study, we have used infrared spectroscopy to systematically identify differences in structure and composition of crystalline zinc soap phases, and report data analysis methods for structure attribution in challenging oil paint samples. Supported by reported crystal structures, it was possible to distinguish two distinct types of zinc soap geometry: a highly symmetrical packing for long-chain saturated soaps (type B) and an alternating packing for zinc soaps with short, unsaturated, or dicarboxylic chains (type A).

Amoxicillin removal by pre-denitrification membrane bioreactor (A/O-MBR): Performance evaluation, degradation by-products, and antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are one of the treatment technologies with the potential to remove emerging compounds from wastewater. The present work evaluated the efficiency of an MBR pilot system in removing amoxicillin from synthetic wastewater using a continuous flow pre-denitrification MBR (A/O-MBR) pilot unit. The system operated in three phases: (1) synthetic wastewater and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 40 h; (2) adding amoxicillin 100 μg L to the influent, and (3) varying flowrate to HRT of 20 h.

Mechanistic and ecotoxicological studies of amoxicillin removal through anaerobic degradation systems.

Many studies have been conducted on the evaluation and monitoring of micropollutants and by-products in wastewater treatment plants. Considering the increase in the production and consumption of emerging contaminants, such as drugs, personal care products, and plasticisers, it is necessary to conduct studies that support the elaboration of laws and regulations that promote the environmentally sustainable use of sludge and effluents. In this work, the biological degradation of amoxicillin was studied under two anaerobic conditions: i) using a 6 L reactor operated under semi-continuous flow; and ii) a batch system with 100 mL sealed glass syringes.

Multifactorial exercise and dance-based interventions are effective in reducing falls risk in community-dwelling older adults: A comparison study.

Background: Falls and injuries related to falls in older adults are a significant health care issue that affects the elderly population. Research suggests that exercise interventions can be effective in improving falls risk factors.

Research Question: Are there differences in falls risk reduction between two exercise interventions (The Lebed Method - TLM and Stay Active and Independent for Life - SAIL) for community-dwelling older adults?

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used for this study.

Elevated Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) is Associated with Poor Functional Outcome After Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Background: The neurological prognosis of patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is difficult to assess. GFAP is an astrocytic intermediate filament protein released into bloodstream in case of cell death. We performed a prospective study aiming to compare the predictive potential of GFAP after resuscitation to the more widely used biomarker neuron-specific enolase (NSE).

[Rapid diagnostic in the emergency unit: bedside sonography].

Using bedside ultrasound in the emergency room includes point of care sonography (echoscopy) and several protocols (RUSH, FATE, etc.). The aim of these protocols is to evaluate the life threatening emergency care situation without interrupting the clinical work flow.

Ranking prescribed pharmaceuticals in terms of environmental risk: Inclusion of hospital data and the importance of regular review.

A newly available dataset on pharmaceuticals used in Scottish hospitals enabled an environmental risk assessment that includes hospital consumption of pharmaceuticals, as previous United Kingdom rankings have been based on community prescriptions only. Although health and the environment are devolved issues for the Scottish government, it is merited to consider a Scottish ranking separately; regional differentiation is particularly relevant in the spatial context of the European Commission's Water Framework Directive. Nine pharmaceuticals are identified as having a risk quotient greater than 1.

[Examination concepts and procedures in emergency ultrasonography].

As a point-of-care tool, emergency sonography has the potential to rule out or to confirm a diagnosis in the context to the leading symptom of critically ill persons. Extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (E-FAST) and focused echo entry level (FEEL) are examples of algorithms that have been developed for this purpose. Echoscopy is another form of point-of-care sonography that is used at the bedside.

Inside amber: the structural role of succinic acid in Class Ia and Class Id resinite.

For the first time, molecular evidence of the structural role played by succinic acid within the macromolecular structure of Class Ia and Class Id resinite is presented. Using a novel gas chromatographic methodology, communol (Class Ia) and ozol (Class Id) moieties within the polylabdane matrix are shown to be cross-linked with succinic acid. Samples were analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with in situ hexamethyldisilazane derivatization, using a thermal separation probe to perform the pyrolysis and sample introduction.

Gastric angiomyolipoma: a previously undescribed cause of upper GI hemorrhage.

Angiomyolipomas are rare lesions often arising in the kidney. We describe the first documented case of symptomatic gastric angiomyolipoma.

Correlation of high-frequency esophageal ultrasonography and manometry in the study of esophageal motility.

Background & Aims: No studies correlate manometric measurements with morphological changes during the esophageal peristaltic sequence. The aim of this study was to develop and use a system for sonographically imaging the esophageal wall while simultaneously recording esophageal pressure changes.

Methods: An ultrasonography transducer attached to a manometric probe was used to evaluate the esophagus.