Preparation and characterization of alginate/chitosan formulations for ciprofloxacin-controlled delivery.

In this work, alginate beads loaded with ciprofloxacin (AL_CP) and alginate beads loaded with ciprofloxacin and covered by chitosan (AL_CP_CS) were prepared by emulsification technique in combination with internal gelation method. Physicochemical characterization of the resulting formulations revealed the hydrodynamic diameter and Zeta potential ca. 160 nm and ca.

Perioperative employee annual evaluations: a 30-second process.

In response to complaints about the annual evaluation tool used at The Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, the surgical services management team created a tool to rate the perioperative RNs on skills pertinent to the surgical services department. The hospital-wide evaluation tool uses vague criteria, which are regularly challenged by employees who disagree with their manager's evaluation. The new Surgical Services Employee Evaluation takes a manager approximately 30 seconds to complete and can be added to the generic hospital evaluation form to make the employee evaluation more accurate and meaningful.

Effects of ventilation with different positive end-expiratory pressures on cytokine expression in the preterm lamb lung.

Ventilator-induced lung injury increases proinflammatory cytokines in the adult lung. We asked if positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) affects proinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in the preterm lung. Preterm lambs at 129 +/- 3 d gestation were treated with 100 mg/kg recombinant human surfactant protein-C surfactant and ventilated for 2 or 7 h with 0, 4, or 7 cm H(2)O of PEEP.

Lung injury and surfactant metabolism after hyperventilation of premature lambs.

We asked whether lung injury and surfactant metabolism differed in preterm lambs after a 1-h period of hyperventilation to P(CO2) values of 25-30 mm Hg. The lambs then were surfactant treated and conventionally ventilated (CV) or high-frequency oscillatory ventilated (HFOV) for an additional 1 or 8 h. The results were compared with lambs that were not hyperventilated or surfactant treated but were ventilated with CV or HFOV.

Positive end-expiratory pressure preserves surfactant function in preterm lambs.

Ventilation style influences lung injury and the amount of large-aggregate biophysically active surfactant in adult lungs. We asked how positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEP) would influence clinical responses and surfactant pools in surfactant-treated preterm lambs ventilated for 7 h with tidal volumes (VT) of 10 ml/kg. The 126-d gestation preterms were delivered and treated with 100 mg/kg recombinant human surfactant protein C (rSP-C) containing surfactant and ventilated with zero, 4, or 7 cm H(2)O of PEEP.