Dexmedetomidine use in the ED for control of methamphetamine-induced agitation.

Background: Chemical restraint is often required to control agitation induced by methamphetamine. Dexmedetomidine is an α-2 adrenergic receptor agonist with sedative, analgesic, and sympatholytic properties. Its use in the emergency department (ED) to control methamphetamine-induced agitation has not been reported.

Utilization of the Accident & Emergency Departments by Chinese elderly in Hong Kong.

Background: The epidemiological data on elderly patients attending Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs) in Hong Kong is lacking. The study aimed to examine the epidemiology of geriatric patient visits to AEDs in Hong Kong, including demographic data and predictors of life-saving interventions (LSI) and admission.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of geriatric patients older than 64 years old attending three AEDs during the year 2012, with a sample of 1 200 patient visits recruited.

Can prehospital Modified Early Warning Score identify non-trauma patients requiring life-saving intervention in the emergency department?

Objective: We aim to investigate whether prehospital Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) can identify non-trauma patients requiring life-saving intervention (LSI) within 4 h of presentation to the ED.

Methods: It was a prospective study of non-trauma ED patients by ambulance who were 16 years or older from 1 to 27 November 2013. Prehospital MEWS was calculated according to vital signs measured by the ambulance crew.

The influence of polysorbate 80 on the radiochemical synthesis of a PET tracer in the FASTlab.

Purpose: The aim of current study was to investigate the influence of a common non-ionic surfactant, polysorbate 80 (PS80), on radioactive labelling process of a novel PET tracer, [(18)F]Flutemetamol.

Methods: Ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) assay, in addition to UV/VIS and (1)H NMR spectroscopies were applied to characterise the composition of the PS80 solution after storage. Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) and PLS analysis was used to establish correlation between quality of the PS80 solution and the RCP obtained after labelling.

Evaluation of the clinimetrics of transcutaneous oxygen measurement and its application in wound care.

Transcutaneous oxygen (TcPO2) measurement is a non-invasive diagnostic tool increasingly being used in clinical practice. Existing evidence suggests that reduction of TcPO2 is correlated with an increase in skin ischaemia, and its measurement has been shown to have predictive value for wound healing in diabetic patients, success rate of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, amputation rate in patients suffering from peripheral vascular disease or with ischaemic ulcers. This article evaluates the clinimetrics of TcPO2 measurement in adults with discussion of its potential application in clinical practice.

Influence of oxygen on wound healing.

Oxygen has an important role in normal wound healing. This article reviews the evidence concerning the role of oxygen in wound healing and its influence on the different stages of wound healing. The evidence reviewed has demonstrated that improving oxygenation may be helpful in limiting wound infection, although there is a lack of good quality studies on the role of oxygen in the proliferative phase and in reepithelialisation.

Classification of structurally related commercial contrast media by near infrared spectroscopy.

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-destructive measurement technique with broad application in pharmaceutical industry. Correct identification of pharmaceutical ingredients is an important task for quality control. Failure in this step can result in several adverse consequences, varied from economic loss to negative impact on patient safety.

Strategies for multivariate modeling of moisture content in freeze-dried mannitol-containing products by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Accurate determination of residual moisture content of a freeze-dried (FD) pharmaceutical product is critical for prediction of its quality. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a fast and non-invasive method routinely used for quantification of moisture. However, several physicochemical properties of the FD product may interfere with absorption bands related to the water content.

Characterization of polysorbate 80 with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: specific determination of oxidation products of thermally oxidized polysorbate 80.

The polysorbate species in polysorbate 80 (PS 80) have been characterized with (1)H NMR, LC-UV/MS and MS/MS. The MS was operated with both negative and positive electrospray ionization (ESI). PS 80 was found to contain mono- and di-fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene (POE) sorbitan, POE isosorbide and of POE.

Targeted delivery and enhanced cytotoxicity of cetuximab-saporin by photochemical internalization in EGFR-positive cancer cells.

Photochemical internalization (PCI) is a novel technology of macromolecular delivery. By PCI, endocytosed membrane-impermeable therapeutic drugs are photochemically released from entrapment in endo-lysosomal compartments to the cytosol of target cells. In the present report, we describe the in vitro proof-of-concept for PCI of cetuximab-saporin, an immunotoxin targeting EGFR-expressing cells.