Integrating pharmacokinetics into point-of-care information systems.

Computer-based patient care information systems (PCIS) have emerged as an integral component of healthcare organisations. Currently, 4 models of PCIS exist: the centralised model, the hub-and-spoke model, the network model, and the distributed model. The centralised model has the advantage of a central patient database; however, a major disadvantage of this model is the inability to easily interface with other software packages.

Pharmacokinetic optimisation of vancomycin therapy.

Renewed interest in vancomycin over the past decade has led to an abundance of data concerning the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin, and its dosage selection and concentration-response relationships. No definitive data exist that correlate vancomycin serum concentrations with clinical outcomes. However, inconsistencies in sampling times for peak serum concentrations and differences in infusion times make interpreting vancomycin serum concentrations difficult.

Creatinine-clearance estimates for predicting gentamicin pharmacokinetic values in obese patients.

The Cockcroft-Gault and Salazar-Corcoran equations were compared with respect to prediction of gentamicin pharmacokinetic values in obese and nonobese patients, and the results were used to formulate guidelines for calculating initial gentamicin dosages in obese patients. Creatinine clearance (CLcr) was estimated by applying the Cockcroft-Gault equation using total body weight (TBW), ideal body weight (IBW), and dosage weight (DW) and with Salazar-Corcoran equations using fat-free body mass (FBM) in 100 obese and 100 nonobese patients. Gentamicin pharmacokinetic values (k, CL, and t1/2) were estimated by using CLcr estimated by each method and standardized to a body surface area of 1.

Symptomatology, pulmonary function and response, and T lymphocyte beta 2-receptors during smoking cessation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Study Objectives: To characterize the effect of smoking cessation and nicotine replacement on pulmonary symptomatology, baseline pulmonary function and response to terbutaline, and purified T lymphocyte beta 2-receptor regulation; and the relationship between T lymphocyte beta 2-receptor density and pulmonary function.

Design: Open-label, longitudinal, 28-week study.

Setting: A university clinical research center.

Influence of serum separator tubes on total and free phenytoin concentrations and dosages.

The influence of serum separator tubes (SSTs) on total and free phenytoin concentrations and phenytoin dosages was evaluated in patients treated with phenytoin. Thirty blood samples were obtained from 18 patients. Equal volumes of blood were placed into SSTs and plain tubes.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the cytoplasmic domains of the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor. Localization of regions involved in G protein-receptor coupling.

Numerous plasma membrane-bound receptors are coupled to various effectors via a family of guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins). Amino acid sequences of these receptors, deduced from cDNA and genomic clones, indicate the presence of seven transmembrane-spanning domains. Alignment of the available amino acid sequences of these G protein-linked receptors reveals striking homologies in regions predicted to lie near the cytoplasmic surface of the cell membrane.

Increased contractile strength and tightened adhesions to the substratum result from reverse transformation of CHO cells by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate.

We have examined the changes in cellular contractility and adhesive morphology that accompany the reverse transformation of CHO cells caused by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate. The ability of these cells to distort elastic silicone rubber substrata was found to increase markedly over the 5 h period following addition of cyclic AMP and testosterone to the medium, and to relax again following hormone removal. Parallel changes were observed in the interference reflexion image of the adhesion of these cells to glass substrata; broad grey-appearing 'close' contacts characteristic of the transformed state were gradually replaced by numerous small black-appearing 'focal contacts'.