A PSMA-targeted doxorubicin small-molecule drug conjugate.

We developed a model small-molecule drug conjugate (SMDC) that employed doxorubicin as a representative chemotherapeutic targeted to the cell membrane biomarker PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) expressed on prostate cancer cells. The strategy capitalized on the clatherin-mediated internalization of PSMA to facilitate the selective uptake and release of doxorubicin in the target cells. The SMDC was prepared and assessed for binding kinetics, plasma stability, cell toxicity, and specificity towards PSMA expressing prostate cancer cell lines.

Innate IRE1α-XBP1 activation by viral single-stranded RNA and its influence on lung cytokine production during SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

The utilization of host-cell machinery during SARS-CoV-2 infection can overwhelm the protein-folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum and activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). The IRE1α-XBP1 arm of the UPR could also be activated by viral RNA via Toll-like receptors. Based on these premises, a study to gain insight into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 disease was conducted using nasopharyngeal exudates and bronchioloalveolar aspirates.

A new MALDI-TOF approach for the quick sequence type identification of Legionella pneumophila.

Background: Recently, MALDI-TOF has emerged as a quick tool for bacterial typing. The aim was to evaluate if MALDI-TOF based typing of Legionella pneumophila can achieve the same discriminatory power as that of the Sequence Based Typing (SBT) method.

Methods: The Sequence Type (ST) was obtained from the 90 strains included in the training set and an in-house MALDI-TOF library based on the Main Spectra Profile (MSP) was generated for the identification of such ST.

Quick identification and epidemiological characterization of Francisella tularensis by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Introduction: Currently, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is being evaluated for its efficacy as a fast bacterial typing tool due to its great speed compared to other molecular methods. In this study, we evaluated MALDI-TOF as a tool for quick identification and typing of Francisella tularensis.

Materials And Methods: This study encompassed 86 strains from two different geographical origins (Spain and the Czech Republic), which were previously characterised by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Multiple-Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA).

Food Consumption during Pregnancy and Post-Partum. ECLIPSES Study.

Inadequate maternal diet can adversely affect mother and child. Our aim was to assess adherence to the Spanish dietary guidelines and to the Mediterranean diet, to analyze changes in diet during pregnancy and post-partum, and to identify maternal factors associated with food consumption. A total of 793 healthy pregnant women were recruited during the first prenatal visit and followed until the post-partum period.

Epidemiological surveillance and wild-type MIC distribution of Legionella pneumophila in north-western Spain. 2003-2016.

Purpose: To perform epidemiological surveillance of Legionella pneumophila in recreational swimming pools in the city of Valladolid (Spain), an area with a continental climate and low incidence of legionella-associated infections. Additionally, wild-type minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions for eight antibiotics commonly used for the treatment of legionellosis were calculated from the isolates obtained.

Methods: Twelve recreational pools were enrolled between June 2003 and December 2016 and 7221 water samples were taken from three different points of the water network (tank, tap and shower).

Prevalence of anaemia, risk of haemoconcentration and risk factors during the three trimesters of pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of anaemia and the risk of haemoconcentration and its risk factors during all 3 trimesters of pregnancy in women in a Mediterranean area in the south of Europe.

Material And Methods: Longitudinal study of 11,259 women whose pregnancies were monitored at primary care centres between 2007 and 2012. The computerised clinical histories of all the pregnancies were used to collect haemoglobin (Hb) data for each trimester.

Usefulness of a single-assay chemiluminescence test (Tularaemia VIRCLIA IgG + IgM monotest) for the diagnosis of human tularemia. Comparison of five serological tests.

The aim of this work was to ascertain the usefulness of a new commercially-available single-assay chemiluminescence test (CHT) for the diagnosis of human tularemia (Tularaemia VIRCLIA IgG + IgM monotest, Vircell, Santa Fe, Granada, Spain). A total of 773 sera from 773 patients including 364 initial sera from patients with diagnosed tularemia, patients with suspected tularemia not confirmed (100), healthy people (152), patients with serology positive to Brucella (97), patients diagnosed with other infectious diseases (30), and patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases (30) were included. All sera were tested by CHT, "in-house" microagglutination test (MAT), immunochromatographic test (ICT) (Virapid Tularaemia, Vircell, Santa Fe Granada, Spain), and "in-house" ELISA IgG, and ELISA IgM.

On-the-Go Training: Downloadable Modules to Train Medical Students to Care for Adult Female Sexual Assault Survivors.

Introduction: Every medical provider encounters patients who have experienced sexual assault, and a patient's interaction with the medical system can impact long-term outcomes. Training to provide appropriate, compassionate care for this population is lacking in most medical school curricula. This educational resource contains three downloadable modules to train medical students in providing improved care for adult female survivors of sexual assault so students can feel more confident and empowered in caring for this population.

A meta-analysis of in vitro antibiotic synergy against Acinetobacter baumannii.

The aim of the work was to describe the different in vitro models for testing synergism of antibiotics and gather the results of antibiotic synergy against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-Ab). The different original articles were obtained from different web sites. In order to compare the results obtained by the different methods for synergy testing, the Pearson chi-square and the Fischer tests were used.

[BREAST MILK AS A VEHICLE OF TRANSMISSION OF VIRUS].

Introduction: breast milk, besides being a source of feeding for children, it can be a vehicle for transmission of some infectious diseases.

Aim: to revise the main viral agents which can be acquired for children through breast milk and its possible clinical implication.

Material: literature search was made in different databases and books.

Modified electrodes used for electrochemical detection of metal ions in environmental analysis.

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems, and regulations are becoming stricter. Many efforts have been made to develop sensors for monitoring heavy metals in the environment. This review aims at presenting the different label-free strategies used to develop electrochemical sensors for the detection of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic etc.

A new approach to determine the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics directly from positive blood culture bottles in two hours.

The rapid identification and antibiotic susceptibility test of bacteria causing bloodstream infections are given a very high priority by clinical laboratories. In an effort to reduce the time required for performing antibiotic susceptibility test (AST), we have developed a new method to be applied from positive blood culture bottles. The design of method was performed using blood culture bottles prepared artificially with five strains which have a known susceptibility.

Nationwide collaborative development of learning outcomes and exemplar standards for Australian pharmacy programmes.

Objectives: Internationally, the preparation of pharmacy graduates for professional practice has evolved from educating for capacities for practice, to a focus on competencies, and most recently, on assuring graduate outcomes. Consequently, there is an increasing emphasis on the specification of and accountability around student learning outcomes. This, in turn, has implications for teaching and assessment.

Proximal femoral arthroplasty in patients undergoing revision hip arthroplasty.

Bone loss represents one of the greatest challenges in revision joint surgery. A retrospective review was conducted of both radiographic and clinical outcomes of eleven patients who underwent revision arthroplasty using a long extensively porous coated cylindrical femoral component. All patients' femurs presented with severe proximal femoral bone loss (Paprosky class IIIB and IV).

Adapting iron dose supplementation in pregnancy for greater effectiveness on mother and child health: protocol of the ECLIPSES randomized clinical trial.

Background: Currently, there is no consensus regarding iron supplementation dose that is most beneficial for maternal and offspring health during gestation. Recommended iron supplementation dose does not preempt anemia in around 20% of the pregnancies, nor the risk of hemoconcentration in 15%. This deficit, or excess, of iron prejudices the mother-child wellbeing.

Arthroscopic acetabular labral debridement in patients forty-five years of age or older has minimal benefit for pain and function.

Background: Hip arthroscopy is being performed with expanding indications, commonly including symptomatic labral tears. The effects of various patient factors, including patient age, on clinical outcomes are not well understood. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the postoperative functional and quality-of-life outcomes after arthroscopic debridement of symptomatic labral tears in patients forty-five years of age or older.

Do South Australian pharmacy interns have the educational and behavioural precursors to meet the objectives of Australia's health care reform agenda?

Objective: To explore South Australian (SA) pharmacy interns' values, beliefs and motivations to study pharmacy and their assessment of how well their pharmacy education has prepared them for activities required of all health professionals under Australia's health care reforms.

Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to all 136 SA pharmacy interns enrolled in SA intern training programmes in February 2010 (second month of the intern training programme).

Key Findings: Sixty (44%) of SA pharmacy interns responded; 75% selected pharmacy as a career because of an interest in health-related sciences and 65% valued working with patients.

[Ocular loiasis in a patient with chronic hypereosinophilia].

Case Report: We present a case of ocular loiasis with a subconjunctival filaria, 5.5cm long, and a severe microfilaremia, 1 microfilaria/ml, on a previously asymptomatic woman from Equatorial Guinea, with a past medical history of hypereosinophilia of unknown origin.

Discussion: Ocular loiasis is an imported infestation with a very low rate in our country.

Uptake and effectiveness of a community pharmacy intervention programme to improve asthma management.

What Is Known And Objective: Pharmacists frequently see patients with asthma in the community who have suboptimal management. This study aimed to compare the uptake and effectiveness of pharmacist-initiated mailed and face-to-face interventions for patients whose asthma may not be well managed.

Methods: Seventy-one community pharmacies in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria (Australia) installed a software application that data-mined dispensing records, generating a list of patients who had received six or more asthma reliever inhalers in the preceding 12 months.

Clinical experience with tranexamic acid during primary total hip arthroplasty.

We examined whether a single 1-gram preoperative dose of tranexamic acid (TXA) was effective in reducing 1) allogeneic blood transfusion, 2) haemoglobin (Hb) decreases, and 3) perioperative blood loss following primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and resurfacing hip arthroplasty (RHA). One hundred and thirty-two patients (88 THA, 44 RHA; 66M, 66F; mean age = 58.2 years) who received TXA were compared with a control group matched for starting Hb, body mass index (BMI), age and gender.

The Australian pharmacist workforce: employment status, practice profile and job satisfaction.

Objective: The aims were to determine Australian registered pharmacists' current employment status, practice profile and professional satisfaction.

Method: A questionnaire was mailed to all registered pharmacists (n=7764) on the Pharmacy Boards of Victoria and South Australia's registers; 19 were returned undeliverable. Quantitative data were entered and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 17.

Why do Australian registered pharmacists leave the profession? a qualitative study.

Background: Understanding why people choose to leave their professions is important to inform workforce planning to meet community needs. Poor job satisfaction has been linked to health practitioners expressing intentions to leave in other professions such as nursing, occupational therapy and medicine, but little is known about the reasons why pharmacists leave their profession.

Objective: To explore reasons why Australian pharmacists leave the profession.

Beneficial role of endogenous immunoglobulin subclasses and isotypes in septic shock.

Purpose: There is increasing evidence on the relationship between endogenously produced immunoglobulins and the clinical outcome in septic shock (SS).

Materials And Methods: Levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses, immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin E were measured in plasma from 42 patients with SS and in 36 patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome at diagnosis. Association of immunoglobulins levels with disease severity and outcome was evaluated.

Label-free and reagentless electrochemical detection of PCR fragments using self-assembled quinone derivative monolayer: application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We report a signal-on, label-free and reagentless electrochemical DNA biosensor, based on a mixed self-assembled monolayer of thiolated hydroxynaphthoquinone and thiolated oligonucleotide. Electrochemical changes resulting from hybridization were evidenced with oligonucleotide targets (as models), as well as with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products related to different lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. With pure oligonucleotides, this system achieves high sensitivity (∼300 pM of DNA target, i.