Interactions between different selenium compounds and zinc, cadmium and mercury.

In this paper, we present a polarographic study of systems containing different inorganic and organic selenium compounds (sodium selenite, sodium selenate, seleno-methionine and seleno-urea) and metal ions (Zn2+, Cd2+ Hg2+) of the 12th group of elements in the periodic table. While zinc is a trace element known to be essential for plants and animals, cadmium and mercury are exogenous elements and are harmful pollutants that accumulate during aging; selenium is also recognized as an important micronutrient and is sometimes added to the diet. Experiments investigating the interactions were carried out using polarographic techniques in unbuffered systems.

Environmental monitoring for microbial contamination by batch and flow bioluminescent systems.

A study was performed to optimise a rapid method to determine the microbial content on surfaces by means of flow and batch microplate ATP bioluminescent assay. Sampling, ATP extraction and testing of these specimens were considered. The data obtained gave a general picture of the state of hygiene and cleanliness of the surfaces examined, mainly classrooms.

Degradation of components in drug formulations: a comparison between HPLC and DSC methods.

Information about the stability of drug components and drug formulations is needed to predict the shelf-life of the final products. The studies on the interaction between the drug and the excipients may be carried out by means of accelerated stability tests followed by analytical determination of the active principle (HPLC and other methods) and by means of the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This research has been focused to the acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) physical-chemical characterisation by using DSC method in order to evaluate its compatibility with some of the most used excipients.

Optimization of a tablet containing chlorthalidone.

In pharmaceutical technological research, optimization studies generally deal with the search for the formulation that is as effective and as functional as possible. The effect of a formulation parameter (the amount of lactose in the composition of the tablets) and of a technological parameter (compression pressure) on four physical characteristics (tablet thickness, friability, hardness, and drug dissolution rate) of tablets containing the antihypertensive drug chlorthalidone were studied. The results obtained indicate that, in the development of a tablet formulation, it is possible to identify the most suitable formulation by applying a simple optimization method.

Ocular hypertonia and crystalline lens opacities in healthcare workers exposed to ionising radiation.

Some activities performed by healthcare workers may still involve total or partial exposure to ionising radiation exceeding the limit values. In addition to the appearance of crystalline lens opacities which may lead to rays-cataract, recent studies have indicated possible induction of ocular hypertonia in occupationally exposed subjects. The aim of this study was to establish the actual prevalence of ocular hypertonia and crystalline lens opacities in a group of healthcare workers exposed to ionising radiation.