Continuous wavelet transform methods for the simultaneous determinations and dissolution profiles of valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets

ABSTRACT Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) was proposed for the simultaneous determination and dissolution profiles of valsartan (VAL) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in tablets, without the use of a chemical separation procedure. The CWT approach was applied to the original UV spectra and their ratio spectra in the optimal wavelength ranges. After testing several wavelet families, Mexican hat function-CWT and Daubechies7-CWT (mexh-CWT and db7-CWT, respectively) were found to be suitable for the transformation of the original UV spectra. In the following procedure, mexh-CWT and Coiflets3-CWT (coif3-CWT) were found to be appropriate for the signal analysis of ratio spectra (RS) of VAL/HCT and HCT/VAL. Calibration graphs for VAL and HCT were obtained by measuring db7-CWT and mexh-CWT amplitudes in the transformation of the original absorption spectra and RS-coif-CWT and RS-mexh-CWT amplitudes in the transformation of the ratio spectra. The validity and applicability of the proposed CWT methods were evaluated through the analysis of an independent set of synthetic binary mixtures consisting of VAL and HCT. The proposed signal processing methods were then successfully applied to the simultaneous quantitative evaluation and simultaneous dissolution profiles of the related drugs in commercial tablets, with good agreement reported for the experimental results

Application of the linear principle for the strongly-correlated variables: Calculations of differences between spectra

In this paper the authors suggest a new method of detection of possible differences between similar near infrared (NIR) spectra based on the self-similar (fractal) property. This property is a general characteristic that belongs to a wide class of the strongly-correlated systems. As an example we take a set of NIR spectra measured for three systems: (1) glassy carbon (GC) electrodes, (2) GC electrodes affected by azobenzene (AB) substance and finally (3) films (AB-FILM). Besides the physical model that should describe the intrinsic properties of these substances we found the fitting function that follow from the linear principle for the strongly-correlated variables. This function expressed in the form of linear combination of 4 power-law functions describes with the high accuracy the integrated curves that were obtained from the averaged values of the initially measured spectra. The nine fitting parameters can be considered as the quantitative "finger prints" for detection of the differences between similar spectra. Besides this result we established the self-similar behavior of the remnant functions. In other words, the difference between the initially integrated function and its fitting function can be expressed in the form of linear combinations of periodical functions having a set of frequencies following to relationship ω(k)=ω0ξk, where the initial frequency ω0 and scaling factor ξ are determined by the eigen-coordinates method. This behavior in the NIR spectra was discovered in the first time and physical reasons of such behavior merit an additional research. © 2011

Istodobno spektrofotometrijsko određivanje losartan kalija, amlodipin besilata i hidroklorotiazida u farmaceutskim pripravcima kemometrijskom metodom

In the present work, four different spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous estimation of losartan potassium, amlodipine besilate and hydrochlorothiazide in raw materials and in formulations are described. Overlapped data was quantitatively resolved by using chemometric methods, classical least squares (CLS), multiple linear regression (MLR), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). Calibrations were constructed using the absorption data matrix corresponding to the concentration data matrix, with measurements in the range of 230.5350.4 nm (∆λ = 0.1 nm) in their zero order spectra. The linearity range was found to be 840, 15 and 315 μg ml1 for losartan potassium, amlodipine besilate and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The validity of the proposed methods was successfully assessed for analyses of drugs in the various prepared physical mixtures and in tablet formulations.U radu su opisane četiri spektrofotometrijske metode za istodobno određivanje losartan kalija, amlodipin besilata i hidroklorotiazida u sirovinama i farmaceutskim pripravcima. Podaci koji su se preklapali kvantitativno su razlučeni kemometrijskim metodama, klasičnom metodom najmanjih kvadrata (CLS), multiplom linearnom regresijom (MLR), regresijom glavnih komponenata (PCR) te metodom parcijalnih najmanjih kvadrata (PLS). Kalibracije su provedene koristeći podatke o ovisnosti apsorpcije o koncentracijama, mjereći spektre nultog reda u rasponu 230,5350,4 nm (∆λ = 0,1 nm). Linearnost za losartan kalij bila je 840, za amlodipin besilat 15, a za hidroklorotiazid 315 μg ml1. Valjanost predloženih metoda uspješno je potvrđena analizom navedenih lijekova u različitim pripremljenim smjesama i tabletama

Analysis of the effect of potential cycles on the reflective infrared signals of nitro groups in nanofilms: Application of the fractional moments statistics

The effect of the potential cycles on the reflective IR signals of nitro-groups in nanofilms was studied for the statistical characterization of nitrobenzene (NB) and nitroazobenzene (NAB)-modified glassy carbon (GC) surfaces. Both NB and NAB nanofilms were obtained by the electrochemical reduction of the diazonium tetrafluoroborate salts in acetonitrile using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The modified surfaces were denoted as GC-(NB)n and GC-(NAB)n, respectively, where n indicates the number of CV cycles performed during modification. Reflective IR signals of the normalized NB and NAB nanofilms and GC were used for the quantitative evaluation of the effect of the potential cycles on the reflective IR signals of nitro-groups in nanofilms. The detection and quantitative reading of the influence of number of CV cycles were realized in the frame of a new error controllable approach that was applied for analysis of all available set of data. This approach includes in itself the following basic steps: (a) the procedure of the division (normalization) on the GC spectra, (b) the comparison of the smoothed spectra for their statistical proximity in the frame of the statistics of the fractional moments, (c) extraction of possible calibration parameters for possible calibration of the normalized spectra with respect to the number of CV cycles. These three basic steps are becoming effective for detection of the influence of some external factors. In our case it is important to detect the influence of the factor n characterizing CV cycles

Decreasing trends in cardiovascular mortality in Turkey between 1988 and 2008.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality increased in developed countries until the 1970s then started to decline. Turkey is about to complete its demographic transition, which may also influence mortality trends. This study evaluated trends in coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke mortality between 1988 and 2008. METHODS: The number of deaths by cause (ICD-8), age and sex were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) annually between 1988 and 2008. Population statistics were based on census data (1990 and 2000) and Turkstat projections. European population standardised mortality rates for CHD and stroke were calculated for men and women over 35 years old. Joinpoint Regression was used to identify the points at which a statistically significant (p < 0.05) change of the trend occurred. RESULTS: The CHD mortality rate increased by 2.9% in men and 2.0% in women annually from 1988 to 1994, then started to decline. The annual rate of decline for men was 1.7% between 1994-2008, whilst in women it was 2.8% between 1994-2000 and 6.7% between 2005-2008 (p < 0.05 for all periods).Stroke mortality declined between 1990-1994 (annual fall of 3.8% in both sexes), followed by a slight increase between 1994-2004 (0.6% in men, 1.1% in women), then a further decline until 2008 (annual reduction of 4.4% in men, 7.9% in women) (p < 0.05 for all periods). CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in CVD mortality was observed from 1995 onwards in Turkey. The causes need to be explored in detail to inform future policy priorities in noncommunicable disease control

Political connections and corporate financial decision making

This paper investigates whether and how political connections influence managerial financial decisions. Our study reveals that those firms that have a politician on its board of directors are highly leveraged, use more long-term debt, hold large excess cash and are associated with low quality financial reporting compared to their non-connected counterparts. These effects escalate with the strength of the connected politician and whether he or his party is in power. The winning party effect is observed to be stronger than victory by the politician himself. Overall, our paper provides strong evidence that political connection is a two-edged sword. It is indeed a valuable resource for connected firms, but it comes at a cost of higher agency problems

Septoria-like pathogens causing leaf and fruit spot of pistachio

Several species of Septoria are associated with leaf and fruit spot of pistachio (Pistacia vera), though their identity has always been confused, making identification problematic. The present study elucidates the taxonomy of the Septoria spp. associated with pistachio, and distinguishes four species associated with this host genus. Partial nucleotide sequence data for five gene loci, ITS, LSU, EF-1a, RPB2 and Btub were generated for a subset of isolates. Cylindroseptoria pistaciae, which is associated with leaf spots of Pistacia lentiscus in Spain, is characterised by pycnidial conidiomata that give rise to cylindrical, aseptate conidia. Two species of Septoria s. str. are also recognised on pistachio, S. pistaciarum, and S. pistaciae. The latter is part of the S. protearum species complex, and appears to be a wide host range pathogen occurring on hosts in several different plant families. Septoria pistacina, a major pathogen of pistachio in Turkey, is shown to belong to Pseudocercospora, and not Septoria as earlier suspected. Other than for its pycnidial conidiomata, it is a typical species of Pseudocercospora based on its smooth, pigmented conidiogenous cells and septate conidia. This phenomenon has also been observed in Pallidocercospora, and seriously questions the value of conidiomatal structure at generic level, which has traditionally been used to separate hyphomycetous from coelomycetous ascomycetes. Other than DNA barcodes to facilitate the molecular identification of these taxa occurring on pistachio, a key is also provided to distinguish species based on morphology

Medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students within European context.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadAim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in six European countries and analyse the associated factors. Background: Medication calculation skills are fundamental to medication safety, which is a substantial part of patient safety. Previous studies have raised concerns about the medication calculation skills of nurses and nursing students. Design: As part of a broader research project, this study applies a multinational cross-sectional survey design with three populations: graduating nursing students, nurse managers and patients. Methods: The students performed two calculations (tablet and fluid) testing medication calculation skills requiring different levels of conceptual understanding and arithmetic. The managers and patients answered one question about the students' medication kills. In total, 1,796 students, 538 managers and 1,327 patients participated the study. The data were analysed statistically. The STROBE guideline for cross-sectional studies was applied. Results: Almost all (99%) of the students performed the tablet calculation correctly, and the majority (71%) answered the fluid calculation correctly. Older age, a previous degree in health care and satisfaction with their current degree programme was positively associated with correct fluid calculations. The patients evaluated the students' medication skills higher than the nurse managers did and the evaluations were not systematically aligned with the calculation skills tested. Conclusions: Nursing students have the skills to perform simple medication calculations, but a significant number of students have difficulties with calculations involving multiple operations and a higher level of conceptual understanding. Due to the variation in students' medication calculation skills and the unalignment between the managers' and patients' evaluations and the calculation tests, further research is needed. Relevance to clinical practice: Graduating nursing students enter clinical field as qualified professionals, but there is still room for improvement in their medication calculation skills. This calls for attention in the fields of clinical nursing, education and research. Keywords: drug dosage calculations; graduating nursing students; medication calculation skills; nurse managers; patients.Academy of Finland European Commissio