Validation of a method to assess the severity of medication administration errors in Brazil.

Introduction: Medication errors are frequent and have high economic and social impacts; however, some medication errors are more likely to result in harm than others. Therefore, it is critical to determine their severity. Various tools exist to measure and classify the harm associated with medication errors; although, few have been validated internationally.

Using digital videos displayed on personal digital assistants (PDAs) to enhance patient education in clinical settings.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of using an audiovisual animation (i.e., digital video) displayed on a personal digital assistant (PDA) for patient education in a clinical setting.

Diphtheria toxoid loaded poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) nanoparticles as mucosal vaccine delivery systems.

Poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-PCL blend and co-polymer nanoparticles encapsulating diphtheria toxoid (DT) were investigated for their potential as a mucosal vaccine delivery system. The nanoparticles, prepared using a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) double emulsion solvent evaporation method, demonstrated release profiles which were dependent on the properties of the polymers. An in vitro experiment using Caco-2 cells showed significantly higher uptake of PCL nanoparticles in comparison to polymeric PLGA, the PLGA-PCL blend and co-polymer nanoparticles.

Novel sustained release microspheres for pulmonary drug delivery.

A novel process for generating sustained release (SR) particles for pulmonary drug delivery is described. High purity nanoparticles of a hydrophilic, ionised drug are entrapped within hydrophobic microspheres using a spray-drying approach. Sustained release of the model drug, terbutaline sulphate (TS), from the microspheres was found to be proportional to drug loading and phospholipid content.

Synthesis, biophysical and biological evaluation of 3,6-bis-amidoacridines with extended 9-anilino substituents as potent G-quadruplex-binding telomerase inhibitors.

Telomerase and telomere maintenance are emerging targets for the treatment of human cancers. We report here on the targeting of the telomere-telomerase complex with a series of small molecules based on an acridine platform. A series of 3,6-bisamidoacridines with extended 9-anilino sidechains were designed and synthesised as potential telomeric G-quadruplex DNA (G4) interacting compounds.

Duocarmycins--natures prodrugs?

The duocarmycins and (+)-CC-1065 are amongst the most potent antitumour antibiotics discovered to date and yet have not progressed into the clinic. The natural products are extremely stable to nucleophilic attack until bound to their DNA target and are not substrates for any other biological nucleophile. The mechanism for this target activation of the duocarmycins is discussed with relation to both an acid-catalyzed activation and a binding-induced conformational change leading to ground state destabilization.

Prospects for generating new antibiotics.

A plethora of human pathogens are now resistant to all clinically significant antibiotics causing a crisis, in the treatment and management of infectious diseases, but also presenting a clear danger to future public health. If drug resistance is going to be tackled successfully, new antibiotics must be continually developed to counteract the processes of evolution and natural selection in these populations of pathogens. Despite the introduction of powerful new technologies such as high throughput screening platforms and combinatorial chemistry, natural products still offer structural diversity worthy of screening for biological activity.

Cost-effectiveness analysis and the consistency of decision making: evidence from pharmaceutical reimbursement in australia (1991 to 1996).

Objective: The principle aim of this study was to generate a league table of drugs considered by the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) for reimbursement. The table was used to test the hypothesis that decisions made by the PBAC are consistent with the maxim of economic efficiency. In addition, we explored whether the past decisions by the PBAC revealed a threshold incremental cost-effectiveness ratio beyond which the PBAC is not prepared to recommend reimbursement of a drug.