Teacher Certification Requirements for Technology Education in the United States

Occupational and Adult Educatio

Extended-interval Dosing of Gentamicin for Treatment of Neonatal Sepsis in Developed and Developing Countries

Serious bacterial infections are the single most important cause of neonatal mortality in developing countries. Case-fatality rates for neonatal sepsis in developing countries are high, partly because of inadequate administration of necessary antibiotics. For the treatment of neonatal sepsis in resource-poor, high-mortality settings in developing countries where most neonatal deaths occur, simplified treatment regimens are needed. Recommended therapy for neonatal sepsis includes gentamicin, a parenteral aminoglycoside antibiotic, which has excellent activity against gram-negative bacteria, in combination with an antimicrobial with potent gram-positive activity. Traditionally, gentamicin has been administered 2–3 times daily. However, recent evidence suggests that extended-interval (i.e. ≥24 hours) dosing may be applicable to neonates. This review examines the available data from randomized and non-randomized studies of extended-interval dosing of gentamicin in neonates from both developed and developing countries. Available data on the use of gentamicin among neonates suggest that extended dosing intervals and higher doses (>4 mg/kg) confer a favourable pharmacokinetic profile, the potential for enhanced clinical efficacy and decreased toxicity at reduced cost. In conclusion, the following simplified weight-based dosing regimen for the treatment of serious neonatal infections in developing countries is recommended: 13.5 mg (absolute dose) every 24 hours for neonates of ≥2,500 g, 10 mg every 24 hours for neonates of 2,000–2,499 g, and 10 mg every 48 hours for neonates of <2,000 g

Deep Burn Develpment of Transuranic Fuel for High-Temperature Helium-Cooled Reactors - July 2010

The DB Program Quarterly Progress Report for April - June 2010, ORNL/TM/2010/140, was distributed to program participants on August 4. This report discusses the following: (1) TRU (transuranic elements) HTR (high temperature helium-cooled reactor) Fuel Modeling - (a) Thermochemical Modeling, (b) 5.3 Radiation Damage and Properties; (2) TRU HTR Fuel Qualification - (a) TRU Kernel Development, (b) Coating Development, (c) ZrC Properties and Handbook; and (3) HTR Fuel Recycle - (a) Recycle Processes, (b) Graphite Recycle, (c) Pyrochemical Reprocessing - METROX (metal recovery from oxide fuel) Process Development

Deep Burn: Development of Transuranic Fuel for High-Temperature Helium-Cooled Reactors- Monthly Highlights November 2010

During FY 2011 the DB Program will report Highlights on a monthly basis, but will no longer produce Quarterly Progress Reports. Technical details that were previously included in the quarterly reports will be included in the appropriate Milestone Reports that are submitted to FCRD Program Management. These reports will also be uploaded to the Deep Burn website. The Monthly Highlights report for October 2010, ORNL/TM-2010/300, was distributed to program participants on November 29, 2010. This report discusses the following: (1) Thermochemical Data and Model Development; (2) TRU (transuranic elements) TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) Development - (a) TRU Kernel Development, (b) Coating Development; (3) LWR Fully Ceramic Fuel - (a) FCM Fabrication Development, (b) FCM Irradiation Testing

Coated Particle Fuel and Deep Burn Program Monthly Highlights April 2011

The baseline change proposal BCP-FCRD-11026 submitted to change the due date for M21AF080202 'Demonstrate fabrication of Transuranic kernels of Plutonium-239/3.5at%Neptunium-237 using newly installed glove box facilities in ORNL 7930 hot cell complex' from 4/25/11 to 3/30/12 was approved this month. During FY 2011 the CP & DB Program will report Highlights on a monthly basis, but will no longer produce Quarterly Progress Reports. Technical details that were previously included in the quarterly reports will be included in the appropriate Milestone Reports that are submitted to FCRD Program Management. These reports will also be uploaded to the Deep Burn website. The Monthly Highlights report for March 2011, ORNL/TM-2011/96, was distributed to program participants on April 8, 2011. As reported previously, the final Quarterly for FY 2010, Deep Burn Program Quarterly Report for July - September 2010, ORNL/TM-2010/301, was announced to program participants and posted to the website on December 28, 2010. This report discusses the following: (1) Thermochemical Data and Model Development - (a) Thermochemical Modeling, (b) Thermomechanical Behavior, (c) Actinide and Fission Product Transport, (d) Radiation Damage and Properties; (2) TRU (transuranic elements) TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) Development - (a) TRU Kernel Development, (b) Coating Development; (3) Advanced TRISO Applications - Metal Matrix Fuels for LWR; (4) LWR Fully Ceramic Fuel - (a) FCM Fabrication Development, (b) FCM Irradiation Testing; (5) Fuel Performance and Analytical Analysis - Fuel Performance Modeling; and (6) ZrC Properties and Handbook - Properties of ZrC

Stellar over-densities in the halo: the extent of the Virgo over-density

We map the three dimensional extent of the Virgo Over-density by combining distance information from RR Lyrae variables and projected spatial information from SEKBO (Keller et al. 2008) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR6 photometry. The Virgo Over-density is seen to comprise two filaments 14.5 x 3 degrees and 10 x 3 degrees and a circular structure 3 degrees in diameter. Together the three features span 38 degrees of right ascension and declinations of +2 to -15 degrees. RR Lyrae variables place the two filamentary features at heliocentric distances of 20 and 17 kpc respectively, with projected dimensions of 5 x 1 kpc and 3 x 1 kpc.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS accepte

Extended-interval Dosing of Gentamicin for Treatment of Neonatal Sepsis in Developed and Developing Countries

Serious bacterial infections are the single most important cause of neonatal mortality in developing countries. Case-fatality rates for neonatal sepsis in developing countries are high, partly because of inadequate administration of necessary antibiotics. For the treatment of neonatal sepsis in resource-poor, high-mortality settings in developing countries where most neonatal deaths occur, simplified treatment regimens are needed. Recommended therapy for neonatal sepsis includes gentamicin, a parenteral aminoglycoside antibiotic, which has excellent activity against gram-negative bacteria, in combination with an antimicrobial with potent gram-positive activity. Traditionally, gentamicin has been administered 2-3 times daily. However, recent evidence suggests that extended-interval (i.e. 65 24 hours) dosing may be applicable to neonates. This review examines the available data from randomized and non-randomized studies of extended-interval dosing of gentamicin in neonates from both developed and developing countries. Available data on the use of gentamicin among neonates suggest that extended dosing intervals and higher doses (&gt;4 mg/kg) confer a favourable pharmacokinetic profile, the potential for enhanced clinical efficacy and decreased toxicity at reduced cost. In conclusion, the following simplified weight-based dosing regimen for the treatment of serious neonatal infections in developing countries is recommended: 13.5 mg (absolute dose) every 24 hours for neonates of 65 2,500 g, 10 mg every 24 hours for neonates of 2,000-2,499 g, and 10 mg every 48 hours for neonates of &lt;2,000 g

Deep Burn: Development of Transuranic Fuel for High-Temperature Helium-Cooled Reactors- Monthly Highlights September 2010

The DB Program monthly highlights report for August 2010, ORNL/TM-2010/184, was distributed to program participants by email on September 17. This report discusses: (1) Core and Fuel Analysis - (a) Core Design Optimization in the HTR (high temperature helium-cooled reactor) Prismatic Design (Logos), (b) Core Design Optimization in the HTR Pebble Bed Design (INL), (c) Microfuel analysis for the DB HTR (INL, GA, Logos); (2) Spent Fuel Management - (a) TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) repository behavior (UNLV), (b) Repository performance of TRISO fuel (UCB); (3) Fuel Cycle Integration of the HTR (high temperature helium-cooled reactor) - Synergy with other reactor fuel cycles (GA, Logos); (4) TRU (transuranic elements) HTR Fuel Qualification - (a) Thermochemical Modeling, (b) Actinide and Fission Product Transport, (c) Radiation Damage and Properties; (5) HTR Spent Fuel Recycle - (a) TRU Kernel Development (ORNL), (b) Coating Development (ORNL), (c) Characterization Development and Support, (d) ZrC Properties and Handbook; and (6) HTR Fuel Recycle - (a) Graphite Recycle (ORNL), (b) Aqueous Reprocessing, (c) Pyrochemical Reprocessing METROX (metal recovery from oxide fuel) Process Development (ANL)

Using Indium-111 labeled radiopharmaceuticals to target the BB2 receptor on human prostate cancer cells [abstract]

Abstract only availableThe BB2 receptor, belonging to the Bombesin receptor family, has been shown to be highly over expressed in a variety of cancer cell lines, including human prostate cancer. Our laboratory have been involved, for over a decade, in synthesizing Bombesin analogues that target the BB2 receptor for the purpose of developing radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment of cancer. Radiopharmaceuticals based on Bombesin are typically composed of a chelator, isotope, linking group and targeting vector [See Bifunctional Conjugate Design [figure below]. Previous studies by our group and others have shown that variations in linking groups affect the retention time of the bifunctional conjugate in prostate cancer (PC-3) cells. Higher retention time allows for more efficacious therapeutic benefits and enhanced diagnostic imaging capabilities. In this study, we seek to determine the pharmacokinetic benefits achieved in altering the linking group using aliphatic and aromatic linking groups. In-vitro analysis of the radiopharmaceuticals studied found that the Bombesin derivative with the aliphatic linking group demonstrated a slightly higher affinity for the BB2 receptor compared to the Bombesin analogs containing aromatic linking groups. In vivo pharmacokinetic and imaging studies were performed using pre-clinical models of prostate cancer. The tumor uptake of the Bombesin derivatives with the aromatic linking groups were found to be significantly higher compared to that of the Bombesin derivative with the aliphatic linking group. In contrast, the aromatic Bombesin analogs also exhibited higher amounts of undesirable accumulation in the kidneys and other non-target tissues. In conclusion, we found that the aliphatic compounds were more appropriate for diagnostic imaging of prostate cancer due to the reduced non-target retention. The Bombesin analogs with aromatic linking groups showed potential for use as therapeutic agents for prostate cancer treatment.National Institutes of Health Molecular Imaging Progra

Simplified Dosing of Gentamicin for Treatment of Sepsis in Bangladeshi Neonates

Extended-interval dosing of gentamicin has several advantages over conventional multiple-daily dosing for the treatment of sepsis. The study was conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin for the treatment of neonatal sepsis in predetermined doses at 24- or 48-hour intervals, according to weight category, and to develop a simplified protocol for use in peripheral healthcare settings in developing countries. This prospective observational study was conducted among 59 neonates admitted to the Special Care Nursery at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Bangladesh, with suspected sepsis and treated with antibiotics, including gentamicin. Intravenous dosing of gentamicin according to weight category was: 10 mg every 48 hours if the infant weighed <2,000 g (n=23), 10 mg every 24 hours if the infant weighed 2,000–2,249 g (n=12), or 13.5 mg every 24 hours if the infant weighed 2,500–3,000 g (n=24). Peak and trough concentrations of gentamicin and the presence of signs of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity were determined. The mean±standard deviation peak concentration of gentamicin was 12.3±3.7 µg/mL in infants weighing <2,000 g, 9.6±3.1 µg/mL in infants 2,000–2,249 g, and 10.0±3.4 µg/mL in infants 2,500–3,000 g. Initial peak concentration of gentamicin was >12 µg/mL in 28.8% and initial trough concentration was >2 µg/mL in 6.8% of the subjects. No signs of nephrotoxicity or ototoxicity were detected. Favourable pharmacokinetic parameters found with the simplified dosing regimen suggest that it is safe for the treatment of neonatal sepsis