External Validation of a Vancomycin Population Pharmacokinetic Model and Developing a New Dosage Regimen in Neonates.

Background And Objective: Vancomycin is the drug of choice in the treatment of MRSA infections. In a published vancomycin population pharmacokinetic study on neonates in Singapore healthcare institutions, it was found that vancomycin clearance was predicted by weight, postmenstrual age, and serum creatinine. The aim of this study was to externally validate the vancomycin population pharmacokinetic model to develop a new dosage regimen in neonates, and to compare this regimen with the existing institutional and NeoFax dosage regimens.

Evaluating the Relationship between Vancomycin Trough Concentration and 24-Hour Area under the Concentration-Time Curve in Neonates.

Bacterial sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, especially those involving methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend the vancomycin 24-h area under the concentration-time curve to MIC ratio (AUC/MIC) of >400 as the best predictor of successful treatment against MRSA infections when the MIC is ≤1 mg/liter. The relationship between steady-state vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC values (mg·h/liter) has not been studied in an Asian neonatal population.

Judicious Toggling of mTOR Activity to Combat Insulin Resistance and Cancer: Current Evidence and Perspectives.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), via its two distinct multiprotein complexes, mTORC1, and mTORC2, plays a central role in the regulation of cellular growth, metabolism, and migration. A dysregulation of the mTOR pathway has in turn been implicated in several pathological conditions including insulin resistance and cancer. Overactivation of mTORC1 and disruption of mTORC2 function have been reported to induce insulin resistance.