Experiences of undergraduate nursing students who worked clinically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: This study explored the experiences of undergraduate nursing students who worked clinically during the COVID-19 pandemic in Irish healthcare settings.

Design: A qualitative descriptive approach was employed.

Methods: Online focus group interviews were used to collect data from general nursing students (N = 47) between February and April 2021.

G-protein αq gene expression plays a role in alcohol tolerance in .

Ethanol is a psychoactive substance causing both short- and long-term behavioural changes in humans and animal models. We have used the fruit fly to investigate the effect of ethanol exposure on the expression of the Gαq protein subunit. Repetitive exposure to ethanol causes a reduction in sensitivity (tolerance) to ethanol, which we have measured as the time for 50% of a set of flies to become sedated after exposure to ethanol (ST50).

Pharmacological targeting of the GABA receptor alters Drosophila's behavioural responses to alcohol.

When exposed to ethanol, Drosophila melanogaster display a variety of addiction-like behaviours similar to those observed in mammals. Sensitivity to ethanol can be quantified by measuring the time at which 50% of the flies are sedated by ethanol exposure (ST50); an increase of ST50 following multiple ethanol exposures is widely interpreted as development of tolerance to ethanol. Sensitivity and tolerance to ethanol were measured after administration of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor B (GABA ) agonist (SKF 97541) and antagonist (CGP 54626), when compared with flies treated with ethanol alone.

Identification and preliminary structure-activity relationship studies of novel pyridyl sulfonamides as potential Chagas disease therapeutic agents.

Chagas disease is a neglected pathology responsible for about 12,000 deaths every year across Latin America. Although six million people are infected by the Trypanosoma cruzi, current therapeutic options are limited, highlighting the need for new drugs. Here we report the preliminary structure activity relationships of a small library of 17 novel pyridyl sulfonamide derivatives.

Naltrexone Reverses Ethanol Preference and Protein Kinase C Activation in .

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major health, social and economic problem for which there are few effective treatments. The opiate antagonist naltrexone is currently prescribed clinically with mixed success. We have used naltrexone in an established behavioral assay (CAFE) in that measures the flies' preference for ethanol-containing food.

The Role of Oestrogen Receptor Beta (ERβ) in the Aetiology and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: Challenges facing the treatment of type 2 diabetes necessitate the search for agents which act via alternative pathways to provide better therapeutic outcomes. Recently, an increasing body of evidence implicates the activation of oestrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) in the development and treatment of underlying conditions in type 2 diabetes. This article summarizes available evidence for the involvement of oestrogen receptors in insulin secretion, insulin resistance as well as glucose uptake and highlights the potential of ERβ as a therapeutic target.

Compensatory Puffing With Lower Nicotine Concentration E-liquids Increases Carbonyl Exposure in E-cigarette Aerosols.

Introduction: Article 20 of the European Tobacco Products Directive (EU-TPD) specifies that e-liquids should not contain nicotine in excess of 20 mg/mL, thus many vapers may be compelled to switch to lower concentrations and in so doing, may engage in more intensive puffing. This study aimed to establish whether more intensive puffing produces higher levels of carbonyl compounds in e-cigarette aerosols.

Methods: Using the HPLC-UV diode array method, four carbonyl compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and acrolein) were measured in liquids and aerosols from nicotine solutions of 24 and 6 mg/mL.

Self-titration by experienced e-cigarette users: blood nicotine delivery and subjective effects.

Rationale: Self-titration is well documented in the tobacco literature. The extent to which e-cigarette users (vapers) self-titrate is unknown.

Objective: This study explored the effects of high and low nicotine strength liquid on puffing topography, nicotine delivery and subjective effects in experienced vapers.

Salvinorin A content in legal high products of Salvia divinorum sold in Mexico.

Salvia divinorum (Lamiaceae) is a herb native to Mexico where it is used by Mazatec shamans for spiritual and divination purposes. S. divinorum products are easily available to consumers and are used worldwide as legal highs because of the hallucinogenic effects caused mainly by salvinorin A.

Acute electronic cigarette use: nicotine delivery and subjective effects in regular users.

Rationale: Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among smokers worldwide. Commonly reported reasons for use include the following: to quit smoking, to avoid relapse, to reduce urge to smoke, or as a perceived lower-risk alternative to smoking. Few studies, however, have explored whether electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) deliver measurable levels of nicotine to the blood.

Antimicrobial assays of three native British plants used in Anglo-Saxon medicine for wound healing formulations in 10th century England.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Three important Anglo-Saxon medical texts from the 10th century contain herbal formulations for over 250 plant species, many of which have yet to be evaluated for their phytochemical and/or pharmacological properties. In this study, three native British plants were selected to determine antimicrobial activity relevant to treating bacterial infections and wounds.

Materials And Methods: Several preparations of Agrimonia eupatoria L.

Antibacterial activity and in vitro cytotoxicity of extracts and fractions of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth. stem bark and Ageratum conyzoides Linn. leaves.

Many species of plants in African countries are widely used in the rural communities where there is little or no access to modern medicine. However, the safety and effectiveness of these medicinal plants are poorly evaluated. The stem bark of Parkia biglobosa Jacq.

Anglo-Saxon pharmacopoeia revisited: a potential treasure in drug discovery.

Three of the four major Anglo-Saxon collections reporting medicinal formulations in England from the 10th century, the Old English Herbarium, Bald's Leechbook and the Lacnunga, could contain leads and insights into new medicinal uses. Previous pharmacological studies of medicinal plants mentioned in Anglo-Saxon medical texts suggested that some were effective and led to the identification and isolation of natural compounds. For example, matricin from yarrow Achillea millefolium L.

Ethnopharmacological survey and in vitro evaluation of wound-healing plants used in South-western Nigeria.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional healers in Nigeria employ a range of plant preparations as wound healing agents. Despite the use of local plants in wound healing, there is only scant literature on the wound healing properties of these plants to support the continued therapeutic application of these herbal remedies.

Aim Of The Study: To document plants commonly used to treat wounds in South-western Nigeria and to test the scientific basis of such claims using relevant in vitro tests.

The ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis and the active compounds induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis including upregulation of p53 and Bax in human lung cancer cells.

Despite a lack of scientific authentication, Scutellaria baicalensis is clinically used in Chinese medicine as a traditional adjuvant to chemotherapy of lung cancer. In this study, cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that crude ethanolic extracts of S. baicalensis were selectively toxic to human lung cancer cell lines A549, SK-LU-1 and SK-MES-1 compared with normal human lung fibroblasts.

Antibacterial, antioxidant and fibroblast growth stimulation activity of crude extracts of Bridelia ferruginea leaf, a wound-healing plant of Nigeria.

Aim Of The Study: Determination of pharmacological activity relevant to wound healing of Bridelia ferruginea leaf, a traditional medicine used to treat wounds in rural Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: Aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts were tested against bacterial species of relevance to wound infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ethanolic extracts were assessed for their ability to stimulate the growth of human dermal fibroblasts (FS5) and protect against damage induced by hydrogen peroxide.

Secondary metabolite mapping identifies Scutellaria inhibitors of human lung cancer cells.

Scutellaria baicalensis root is widely used in China as an adjuvant to orthodox chemotherapy of lung cancer. However, functional biomarkers of this plant for anti-lung cancer activity have not yet been reported. We therefore determined the growth inhibition activity by MTT assay of eight solvent extracts of S.

Triterpenoid saponins from a cytotoxic root extract of Sideroxylon foetidissimum subsp. gaumeri.

Evaluation of the cytotoxicity of an ethanolic root extract of Sideroxylonfoetidissimum subsp. gaumeri (Sapotaceae) revealed activity against the murine macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7.

Validation of a HPLC method for flavonoid biomarkers in skullcap (Scutellaria) and its use to illustrate wide variability in the quality of commercial tinctures.

Purpose: To compare the flavonoid biomarker content (baicalin, baicalein and wogonin) of eleven commercial tinctures derived from Scutellaria lateriflora aerial parts (n=7) and Scutellaria baicalensis root (n=4). S. lateriflora tinctures are used in by western herbal practitioners to treat anxiety whereas S.

Comparison of rosmarinic acid content in commercial tinctures produced from fresh and dried lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).

Purpose: To measure the rosmarinic acid content of eight commercial tinctures derived from fresh (n= 5) and dried (n=3) Melissa officinalis herb.

Methods: Rosmarinic acid and the internal standard (esculin) were purchased from Aldrich Chemical Co. The column used was a Luna C18, 5 um (150 x 4.

LC-NMR-MS in drug discovery.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is arguably the most versatile analytical platform for complex mixture analysis. Specifically, interfacing liquid chromatography with parallel NMR and mass spectrometry (LC-NMR-MS) gives comprehensive structural data on metabolites of novel drugs in development. Applications in natural product, combinatorial chemistry and drug metabolism studies are reviewed.