Gentamicin sulphate permeation through porcine intestinal epithelial cell monolayer

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic widely used in combination with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) in topical drug formulations. It is not known, however, whether DMSO can enhance the permeation of gentamicin through biological membranes, leading to oto- and nephrotoxic side effects. A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was applied for the quantitative determination of gentamicin collected from the apical and basolateral compartments of the porcine intestinal epithelial cell line IPEC-J2 cell monolayer using fluorometric derivatisation of the analyte with fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride (FMOC) prior to chromatographic run in the presence and absence of 1% DMSO. The lack of change in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) demonstrated that gentamicin and 1% DMSO did not affect IPEC-J2 cell monolayer integrity via the disruption of cell membranes. Chromatographic data also ascertained that gentamicin penetration across the cell monolayer even in the presence of 1% DMSO was negligible at 6 h after the beginning of apical gentamicin administration. This study further indicates that the addition of this organic solvent does not increase the incidence of toxic effects related to gentamicin permeation

The PARAChute project: remote monitoring of posture and gait for fall prevention

Falls in the elderly are a major public health problem due to both their frequency and their medical and social consequences. In France alone, more than two million people aged over 65 years old fall each year, leading to more than 9 000 deaths, in particular in those over 75 years old (more than 8 000 deaths). This paper describes the PARAChute project, which aims to develop a methodology that will enable the detection of an increased risk of falling in community-dwelling elderly. The methods used for a remote noninvasive assessment for static and dynamic balance assessments and gait analysis are described. The final result of the project has been the development of an algorithm for movement detection during gait and a balance signature extracted from a force plate. A multicentre longitudinal evaluation of balance has commenced in order to validate the methodologies and technologies developed in the project

Design Criteria of Drain Tube Systems in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia

The unsteady movement of the water-table in equally spaced drain tubes was studied in this paper. A well known equation was used to determine the drain spacing by incorporating the climatic conditions and soil types of the central region of Saudi Arabia. The evaporation from the water table was considered in the study. Non-dimensional charts based on the drawdown requirements are provided to be used as design criteria for tile drain spacing. A design procedure is provided and two numerical examples are presented for illustration purposes

Body composition analysis by bioelectrical impedance and its relationship with nutritional status in older adults: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Currently, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), adults aged ≥ 60 years make up approximately 6% of the total population, and this is predicted to reach around 23% by the year 2050 (1). The expected changes in the age distribution of the population will increase the incidence and prevalence of many chronic diseases (2,3),which are known to occur more commonly in the Saudi older age group (4-6). A poor diet, in addition to sedentary lifestyle and genetics, plays a crucial role in the increased prevalence of many chronic diseases (7,8). For example, the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension in the KSA, which are known risk factors of cardiovascular disease, a major cause of death in the KSA, have reached 49.6%, 25.1%, 32.1% and 30.3%, respectively (9). With ageing, there is a loss of lean body mass (mainly skeletal muscle), an increase in fat mass (10) and a decrease in resting energy expenditure (11). With the loss of muscle comes a loss of strength, and, consequently, older adults may become less active, which contributes to further loss of muscle. On the other hand, national surveys conducted in the KSA show that overweight and obesity have reached high rates in the adult population (12-14), which indicates that KSA is now facing a serious obesity-prevalence crisis. There has, however, been less focus on lean mass, and its functional significance, in the older Saudi population. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess body composition and the relationship between body composition and nutritional status in community dwelling older adults attending primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Riyadh city, KS

Normative data for handgrip strength in Saudi older adults visiting primary health care centers

Background and objective: handgrip strength (HGS) plays a vital role as a predictor of adverse health outcomes. Several studies have established HGS norms by age, sex, hand, occupation, culture or disability in different countries and for children in Saudi Arabia. However standardized values for Saudi older adults has not been reported yet. Therefore, the current study was aimed to establish normative data for HGS in Saudi older adults visiting primary health care centers (PHCCs). Material and Method: in this descriptive cross-sectional study, HGS in kilograms was measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer in Saudi older adults (n=2045) aged ≥60 years 27 visiting 15 PHCCs selected randomly from the five geographical regions of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2015 and April 2017. The average mean from three successive trials, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals presented for the left and right hands of men and women in six age groups (60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75-79, 80-84, and 85+ years). The analyses were performedusing the ANOVA test for all the age groups and to determine whether any differences exist between them. Results: the average mean HGS was significantly (p<0.0001) differ by the left and right hands of men and women in six age groups. Discussion: The current study presents specific norms for HGS in Saudi older adults by age, sex, and hand. Further studies are required to examine the utility of these norms for prediction of morbidity and mortality in this populatio