A polishing hybrid AER/UF membrane process for the treatment of a high DOC content surface water.

The efficacy of a combined AER/UF (Anion Exchange Resin/Ultrafiltration) process for the polishing treatment of a high DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) content (>8 mgC/L) surface water was investigated at lab-scale using a strong base AER. Both resin dose and bead size had a significant impact on the kinetic removal of DOC for short contact times (i.e.

Virus removal retention challenge tests performed at lab scale and pilot scale during operation of membrane units.

The determination of the virus retention capabilities of UF units during operation is essential for the operators of drinking water treatment facilities in order to guarantee an efficient and stable removal of viruses through time. In previous studies, an effective method (MS2-phage challenge tests) was developed by the Water Research Center of Veolia Environnement for the measurement of the virus retention rates (Log Removal Rate, LRV) of commercially available hollow fiber membranes at lab scale. In the present work, the protocol for monitoring membrane performance was transferred from lab scale to pilot scale.

Natural organic matter (NOM) and pesticides removal using a combination of ion exchange resin and powdered activated carbon (PAC).

The combination of anion exchange resins (AERs) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) was studied to remove both natural organic matter (NOM) and pesticides. Experiments were conducted with high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) surface water (about 6.0mg DOC/L) spiked with both atrazine and isoproturon.

Evaluation of the potential for steady-state pharmacokinetic interaction between vildagliptin and simvastatin in healthy subjects.

Background: Vildagliptin is an orally active, potent and selective inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4), the enzyme responsible for the degradation of incretin hormones. By enhancing prandial levels of incretin hormones, vildagliptin improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Co-administration of vildagliptin and simva statin, an HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitor may be required to treat patients with diabetes and dyslipidemia.

Combination of coagulation and ion exchange for the reduction of UF fouling properties of a high DOC content surface water.

The treatment of a high DOC content surface water (about 6mg DOC/L) using anion exchange resins (MIEX resin from Orica or IRA958 resin from Rohm and Haas) can remove up to 80% of DOC in less than 45min. The combination of coagulation prior to or after resin treatment only slightly improves the removal of DOC (0.2-0.

Evaluation of a pharmacokinetic interaction between valsartan and simvastatin in healthy subjects.

Objective: The potential for a pharmacokinetic drug interaction between valsartan, an antihypertensive drug, and simvastatin, a lipid-lowering agent, was investigated in this study. This was an open-label, multiple-dose, randomized, three-period, cross over study in 18 healthy subjects. Each subject received one 160 mg valsartan tablet or one 40 mg simvastatin tablet or co-administration of valsartan (160 mg) and simvastatin (40 mg) tablets for 7 days, with a 7-day inter-dose washout period.

Performance of selected anion exchange resins for the treatment of a high DOC content surface water.

The objective of this study was first to compare the performance of four strong anion exchange resins (AERs) (MIEX from Orica Pty Ltd, DOWEX-11 and DOWEX-MSA from DOW chemical and IRA-938 from Rohm and Haas) for their application in drinking water treatment (natural organic matter (NOM), mineral anions (nitrate, sulfate and bromide) and pesticide removal) using bench-scale experimental procedures on a high DOC content surface water. The efficiency of MIEX for NOM and mineral anions removal was furthermore evaluated using bench-scale dose-response experiments on raw, clarified and post-ozonated waters. NOM removal was assessed using the measurement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) and the use of high-performance size exclusion chromatography with UV (HPSEC/UV) and fluorescence detection (HPSEC/FLUO).

Development of a high throughput 96-well plate sample preparation method for the determination of trileptal (oxcarbazepine) and its metabolites in human plasma.

A high throughput preparation method for the determination of trileptal (oxcarbazepine, OXC) and its mono (MHD) and dihydroxy (DHD) metabolites in human plasma, using 96-well plate technology, has been developed and validated according to international regulatory requirements. Preparation of plasma samples (50 microl) containing the compounds to be analysed involved solid-phase extraction (SPE) on Empore C18 96-well SPE plates. Eluates from the plate were injected onto a reversed-phase column (Hypersil C18,3 microm) with UV detection at 210 nm.

Determination of a new oral iron chelator, ICL670, and its iron complex in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection.

ICL670 is a representative of a new class of orally active tridentate selective iron chelators. Two molecules of ICL670 are required to form a complete hexacoordinate chelate Fe-[ICL670]2 with one ferric iron. A simple and rapid HPLC-UV method for the separate determination of ICL670 and Fe-[ICL670]2 in the plasma of iron-overloaded patients is described.

Plasma deproteinization by precipitation and filtration in the 96-well format.

The need for fast bioanalytical methods within the pharmaceutical sector is rapidly growing. Sample preparation is often the bottleneck step. A new approach to increasing sample throughput involves precipitated protein removal by filtration in the 96-well format, thereby eliminating the need for centrifugation and manual handling of individual tubes.

Practice of solid-phase extraction and protein precipitation in the 96-well format combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection for the analysis of drugs in plasma and brain.

C18 Empore 96-well extraction disc plates have been employed for the analysis of three drugs with different polarities in plasma in conjunction with HPLC-UV, rufinamide, ICL670 and an anticonvulsant agent (AA1) in an early stage of development. With the most polar compound (AA1), ion-pair extraction at pH 12 was applied. The method developed for the assay of AA1 in plasma was applied to its determination in brain using an Oasis HLB plate following homogenisation in a pH 7.

A pharmacokinetic study of Neoral in childhood steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

Seven children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome who were on stable remission under Sandimmun therapy were switched to Neoral at the same dosage. During the 4-month follow-up period, two patients relapsed, due to poor compliance in one of them. Serum creatinine remained stable in all patients.

New oral formulation of cyclosporin A (Neoral) pharmacokinetics in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) absorption is variable in bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients compromising the efficacy of graft-versus-host disease prevention. Neoral, a new microemulsion formulation of CsA which has an improved bioavailability, increases intestinal absorption of the drug with less variable pharmacokinetic parameters in non-BMT patients. In order to predict the best dosage of Neoral when patients are switched from i.

Pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone and valspodar, a P-glycoprotein (mdr1) modulator: implications for coadministration.

Study Objective: To assess the potential for a drug-drug interaction between valspodar, a P-glycoprotein (mdrl) modulator used as a chemotherapy adjunct, and dexamethasone, widely included in oncology antiemetic regimens.

Design: Randomized, open-label, three-period crossover study.

Setting: Clinical pharmacology research center.

Pharmacokinetics of terbinafine and five known metabolites in children, after oral administration.

As an extensive study, the pharmacokinetics of terbinafine and five known metabolites have been investigated after single and repeated oral administration to 12 pediatric patients. After single administration of 125 mg terbinafine, four compounds were unconjugated and the hydroxymetabolites appeared in trace amounts as glucuronides. The main metabolites in plasma were unconjugated carboxy compounds.

[Variability of the bioavailability of cyclosporine: benefit of the Neoral formulation].

After oral administration of Sandimmun, the bioavailability of cyclosporin can vary substantially especially in view of its narrow therapeutic index. As a consequence, optimal exposure of patients to the drug is sometimes difficult to ensure. The new formulation of cyclosporin, Neoral, improves the absorption of the drug.

Human pharmacokinetics of dihydroergotamine administered by nasal spray.

Objectives: A nasal spray of dihydroergotamine was developed for the treatment of migraine headaches, and pharmacokinetic studies were scheduled to evaluate the bioavailability of dihydroergotamine by this new route of administration.

Methods: Nine studies were performed with dihydroergotamine administered by nasal spray to evaluate the bioavailability of the nasal route versus the intramuscular route, the linearity of the kinetics, the interindividual and intraindividual variations, and the influence of different factors.

Results: Nasally administered dihydroergotamine (1 mg) becomes rapidly available to the systemic circulation, with peak plasma levels of 1 ng/ml achieved in 0.

Evaluation of pharmacokinetic studies: is it useful to take into account concentrations below the limit of quantification?

Purpose: Based on real data, to evaluate the usefulness of taking into account samples with values below the limit of quantification (LOQ) for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic studies.

Methods: To compare for two drugs, after single dose administration the pharmacokinetic parameters obtained by using a poorly sensitive assay (PSA) and a highly sensitive assay (HSA), acting as reference; To evaluate the results of pharmacokinetic studies in the light of different values for the LOQ.

Results: Under certain conditions, such as homogeneous population, sufficient subject number, sufficient sampling times and acceptable accuracy (CV < 20%) for the concentrations, it is possible to get valuable and more reliable kinetic information by using concentrations obtained with a poor precision (CV > 20%).

Pharmacokinetics of terbinafine and of its five main metabolites in plasma and urine, following a single oral dose in healthy subjects.

The plasma pharmacokinetics, and the urinary excretion, of terbinafine and its five main metabolites have been investigated after a single oral dose administration of 125 mg to 16 healthy subjects. In plasma, the highest concentrations are observed for the two carboxybutyl metabolites, with a predominance for the carboxybutylterbinafine. For this metabolite, as compared to terbinafine, the Cmax and AUC are 2.

Determination of terbinafine and its desmethyl metabolite in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A reliable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of terbinafine (Terb) and its desmethyl metabolite (DMT) in human plasma. The analytes and the internal standard (I.S.

Pilot study of terbinafine in children suffering from tinea capitis: evaluation of efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics.

In an open pilot study, 12 children with tinea capitis were treated for 6 weeks with oral terbinafine (125 mg/day), and followed up 2 weeks later. The study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of terbinafine. All patients were completely cured at the end of the treatment period, and there was no evidence of relapse at follow-up.

In vitro-in vivo correlation of a modified-release oral form of ketotifen: in vitro dissolution rate specification.

The dissolution rate profile of a new modified-release (MR) oral tablet of ketotifen (Zaditen SRO tablet, Sandoz Ltd.) was determined under different conditions (pH, rpm, paddle or basket) with the U.S.

Dose-proportional pharmacokinetics of terbinafine and its N-demethylated metabolite in healthy volunteers.

The dose-dependency of the pharmacokinetic parameters of terbinafine and its N-demethyl derivative was investigated in a randomized four-way crossover study in healthy volunteers following single oral administrations of 125, 250, 500 and 750 mg of terbinafine. Plasma concentrations of terbinafine and its metabolite were measured by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using ultraviolet detection. Concentration data were fitted to a two-compartment model.

Ocular distribution of cyclosporin A (Sandimmun) following systemic and topical administration to rabbits.

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of cyclosporin A (CsA) in various ocular fluids and tissues in the rabbit by two routes of administration. CsA was administered to two groups of two rabbits either by intramuscular route at a dose of 25 mg/kg/day or by local route using eyedrops, at a dose of 10 mg/day (-2.8 mg/kg/day) for eight days.