Reducing Time Taken to Gather Equipment for Venepuncture and Cannulation: A Quality Improvement Project.

Timely gathering of equipment for venepuncture or cannulation on hospital wards is important, particularly in emergency situations. Anecdotally several doctors working at a hospital in England expressed frustration at low equipment stock, layout, and discrepancies between wards leading to significant delays in this process. This quality improvement project therefore aimed to reduce the time taken to gather equipment for venepuncture or cannulation to 20 seconds by June 2023.

Isolation and characterisation of nanoparticles from tef and maize starch modified with stearic acid.

Nanoparticles were isolated from tef and maize starch modified with added stearic acid after pasting at 90°C for 130min. This was followed by thermo-stable alpha-amylase hydrolysis of the paste. The resultant residues were then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic laser scattering particle size distribution (DLPSD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).

A phase I clinical study of VB4-845: weekly intratumoral administration of an anti-EpCAM recombinant fusion protein in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

VB4-845 is a scFv-Pseudomonas exotoxin A fusion construct that targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). A phase I trial was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of VB4-845 when administered as weekly intratumoral (IT) injections to patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Secondary objectives included the evaluation of the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and immunogenicity, and a preliminary assessment of tumor response.

A phase I clinical study of intratumorally administered VB4-845, an anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule recombinant fusion protein, in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

VB4-845 is a novel recombinant fusion protein that targets the epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (EpCAM). This initial clinical trial was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose of intratumoral injections in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and to assess pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity. Twenty-four patients with advanced, recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck received two cycles of five daily intratumoral VB4-845 injections of 20, 40, 80, 130, 200, or 280 microg.