DETERMINATION OF PHENYLEPHRINE HYDROCHLORIDE IN PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS USING SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD

Objective: A simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been presented for the determination of phenylephrine hydrochloride by coupling reaction with diazotized sulfacetamide sodium. Methods: The method is based on the diazotization reaction of sulfacetamide sodium with sodium nitrite in the presence of hydrochloric acid to form diazonium salt, which is coupled with the drug in alkaline medium to form azo dye, showing absorption maxima at 425 nm. Results: Calibration plot was linear over the concentration range of 2–24 μg/mL and detection limit of 0.278 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9929. All different chemical and physical experimental parameters affecting on the development and stability of the colored product were carefully studied. Conclusions: The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of phenylephrine in nasal drops with good precision and sensitivity

Batch and Flow-Injection Spectrophotometric Determination of Procaine HCl in Pharmaceutical Preparations Via Using Diazotization and Coupling Reaction

Simple and sensitive batch and Flow-injection spectrophotometric methods for the determination of Procaine HCl in pure form and in injections were proposed. These methods were based on a diazotization reaction of procaine HCl with sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid to form diazonium salt, which is coupled with chromatropic acid in alkaline medium to form an intense pink water-soluble dye that is stable and has a maximum absorption at 508 nm. A graphs of absorbance versus concentration show that Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range of 1-40 and 5-400 µg.ml-1 of Procaine HCl, with detection limits of 0.874 and 3.75 µg.ml-1 of Procaine HCl for batch and FIA methods respectively. The FIA average sample throughput was 70 h-1. All different chemical and physical experimental parameters that affecting on the development and stability of the colored product were carefully studied and the proposed methods were applied satisfactorily for the determination of Procaine HCl in an injections samples using the standard addition method

Tacrolimus Pharmacokinetics in Hispanic Children After Kidney Transplantation

Ethnic differences in drug pharmacokinetics are well recognized including that for tacrolimus (TAC) in adult subjects. However, similar knowledge among pediatric populations is missing. Our limited retrospective study compares steady-state pharmacokinetics of TAC in Hispanic versus non-Hispanic children. Serial blood samples were collected and whole blood concentrations of TAC were measured using radioimmunoassay. Compared with non-Hispanic children, Hispanic children had lower measures of drug exposure (maximum drug concentration [C(subscript max)] and area under the drug concentration-time curve [AUC(subscript 0-∞)]), higher volume of distribution, and faster clearance. Interestingly, only in Hispanic children, significant correlations were found between body weight and clearance, age and volume of distribution, and Schwartz estimated glomerular filtration rate and half-life. In conclusion, our study suggests that ethnic differences exist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic children in TAC PK, and based on our preliminary findings, either a higher or more frequent TAC dosing may be required for effective immunosuppression therapy in Hispanic children

The Impact of Short Stature on Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children with CKD and short stature (SS) to children with CKD and normal height (NH), to evaluate the impact of catch up growth and growth hormone use on HRQoL, and to describe the concordance of perceptions of HRQoL between children with SS and NH and their parents

Understanding renal posttransplantation anemia in the pediatric population

Advances in renal transplantation management have proven to be beneficial in improving graft and patient survival. One of the properties of a well-functioning renal allograft is the secretion of adequate amounts of the hormone erythropoietin to stimulate erythropoiesis. Posttransplantation anemia (PTA) may occur at any point in time following transplantation, and the cause is multifactoral. Much of our understanding of PTA is based on studies of adult transplant recipients. The limited number of studies that have been reported on pediatric renal transplant patients appear to indicate that PTA is prevalent in this patient population. Erythropoietin deficiency or resistance is commonly associated with iron deficiency. An understanding of the risk factors, pathophysiology and management of PTA in the pediatric renal transplant population may provide guidelines for clinicians and researchers in the pursuit of larger prospective randomized control studies aimed at improving our limited knowledge of PTA. Recognition of PTA through regular screening and evaluation of the multiple factors that may contribute to its development are recommended after transplantation

Depressive Symptoms in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

To assess depression in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to determine associations with patient characteristics, intellectual and educational levels, and health related quality of life (HRQoL)

Retinal layer abnormalities as biomarkers of schizophrenia

Objective Schizophrenia is associated with several brain deficits, as well as visual processing deficits, but clinically-useful biomarkers are elusive. We hypothesised that retinal layer changes, non-invasively visualized using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), may represent a possible “window” to these abnormalities. Methods A Leica EnvisuTM SD-OCT device was used to obtain high-resolution central foveal B-scans in both eyes of 35 patients with schizophrenia and 50 demographically-matched controls. Manual retinal layer segmentation was performed to acquire individual and combined layer thickness measurements in three macular regions. Contrast sensitivity was measured at three spatial frequencies in a sub-group of each cohort. Differences were compared using adjusted linear models and significantly different layer measures in patients underwent Spearman Rank correlations with contrast sensitivity, quantified symptoms severity, disease duration and antipsychotic medication dose. Results Total retinal and photoreceptor complex thickness was reduced in all regions in patients (P<0.0001). Segmentation revealed consistent thinning of the outer nuclear layer (P<0.001) and inner segment layer (P<0.05), as well as a pattern of parafoveal ganglion cell changes. Low spatial frequency contrast sensitivity was reduced in patients (P=0.002) and correlated with temporal parafoveal ganglion cell complex thinning (R=0.48, P=0.01). Negative symptom severity was inversely correlated with foveal photoreceptor complex thickness (R=-0.54, P=0.001) and outer nuclear layer thickness (R=-0.47, P=0.005). Samani et al. 4 Conclusions Our novel findings demonstrate considerable retinal layer abnormalities in schizophrenia that are related to clinical features and visual function. With time, SD-OCT could provide easily-measurable biomarkers to facilitate clinical assessment and further our understanding of the disease