Comparative bioavailability of some locally manufactured betamethasone valerate containing preparations

The bioavailabilities of three locally manufactured proprietary betamethasone- 17-valerate containing creams and ointments were compared by measuring their abilities to cause blanching of human skin after topical application. The preparations studied were Betnovate Cream and Ointment, Celestoderm-V Cream and Ointment and Persivate Cream and Ointment. Celestoderm-V cream displayed a significantly superior blanching activity over both Betnovate and Persivate creams in' the occluded mode, whereas Persivate cream displayed a significantly superior blanching activity over both Betnovate and Celestoderm-V creams in the unoccluded mode. Persivate ointment was found to produce a significantly superior blanching activity over Betnovate and Celestoderm-V ointments in both the occluded and unoccluded modes of application

A stability-indicating HPLC assay with on-line clean-up for betamethasone 17-valerate in topical dosage forms

A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic method with on-line clean-up has been developed for the analysis of betamethasone 17-valerate in topical dosage forms. A short pre-column containing 10 μm octadecylsilane mounted into the sample loop position of an injection valve was used as the primary clean-up step. The utilization of a diode-array UV detector allowed the quantitative analysis of betamethasone 17-valerate together with its degradation product, betamethasone 21-valerate, as well as the qualitative analysis of these compounds, relevant internal standards and the preservatives chlorocresol and methyl hydroxybenzoate contained in the cream and lotion formulations, respectively. Typically, cream and lotion dosage forms were dissolved in acetonitrile and ointments in tetrahydrofuran, internal standards added and aliquots injected onto the analytical system. Dosage form excipients were retained on the loop column and back-flushed to waste with the aid of a second solvent pump while components of interest were allowed to transfer to the analytical column for quantitative analysis. The method is accurate, precise and stability indicating and permits the rapid on-line analysis of betamethasone 17-valerate from complex topical formulation matrices without prior extractions

Potency ranking of two new topical corticosteroid creams containing 0.1% desonide or 0.05% halometasone utilizing the human skin-blanching assay

The human blanching assay was used to assess the potency of two new proprietary corticosteroid creams. The blanching abilities of 0.1% desonide cream and 0.05% halometasone cream were evaluated relative to the blanching elicited by 0.05% clobetasol 17-propionate cream, 0.1% betamethasone 17-valerate cream and 0.05% clobetasone 17-butyrate cream. The results of the trial indicated that the 0.1% desonide cream falls into the potent group of topical corticosteroid preparations and the 0.05% halomethasone cream falls into the moderately potent group

The human skin-blanching assay for in vitro topical corticosteroid assessment. I. Reproducibility of the assay

The human skin blanching (vasoconstriction) assay for the assessment of topical corticosteroids has been in use for over 30 years, the intensity of the drug-induced blanching being assessed subjectively by eye. Both arms of several male and female volunteers are used for product application and more than one observer is used to estimate the degree of induced blanching. There are, therefore, numerous variables which are inherent in the assay procedure. This investigation consisted of three identical trials performed at 8-week intervals, utilising the same 18 volunteers and the same three observers in an attempt to address the question of reproducibility of the assay. From the results obtained it is clear that the assay methodology is capable of consistently distinguishing, on a rank order basis, between preparations which show similar blanching (chemically-equivalent formulations). The similarity of the results for the three individual trials gives considerable confidence to results produced using this methodology. An experiment designed to test the reproducibility of the blanching scores showed that the observers are capable of producing identical results even though visual observation is highly subjective

The human skin blanching assay for in vivo topical corticosteroid assessment. II. Subject- and observer-dependent variation in blanching responses

The human skin blanching (vasoconstriction) assay for the assessment of topical corticosteroids has been in use for over 30 years, the intensity of the drug-induced blanching being assessed subjectively by eye. Both arms of several male and female volunteers are used for product application and more than one observer is used to estimate the degree of induced blanching. There are, therefore, numerous variables which are inherent in the assay procedure. This investigation consisted of three identical trials performed at 8-week intervals, utilising the same 18 volunteers and the same three observers in an attempt to address the question of reproducibility of the assay. From the results obtained it is clear that the assay methodology is capable of consistently distinguishing, on a rank order basis, between preparations which show similar blanching (chemically-equivalent formulations). The similarity of the results for the three individual trials gives considerable confidence to results produced using this methodology. An experiment designed to test the reproducibility of the blanching scores showed that the observers are capable of producing identical results even though visual observation is highly subjective

Signaling in Secret: Pay-for-Performance and the Incentive and Sorting Effects of Pay Secrecy

Key Findings: Pay secrecy adversely impacts individual task performance because it weakens the perception that an increase in performance will be accompanied by increase in pay; Pay secrecy is associated with a decrease in employee performance and retention in pay-for-performance systems, which measure performance using relative (i.e., peer-ranked) criteria rather than an absolute scale (see Figure 2 on page 5); High performing employees tend to be most sensitive to negative pay-for- performance perceptions; There are many signals embedded within HR policies and practices, which can influence employees’ perception of workplace uncertainty/inequity and impact their performance and turnover intentions; and When pay transparency is impractical, organizations may benefit from introducing partial pay openness to mitigate these effects on employee performance and retention

High-dose etoposide with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells: efficacy and toxicity at three dose levels.

High-dose etoposide (2.0-2.4 g m(-2)) with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is an effective strategy to mobilize peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs), although in some patients this is associated with significant toxicity. Sixty-three patients with malignancy were enrolled into this non-randomized sequential study. The majority (55/63, 87%) had received at least two prior regimens of chemotherapy, and seven patients had previously failed to mobilize following high-dose cyclophosphamide with G-CSF. Consecutive patient groups received etoposide at three dose levels [2.0 g m(-2) (n = 22), 1.8 g m(-2) (n = 20) and 1.6 g m(-2) (n = 21)] followed by daily G-CSF. Subsequent leukaphereses were assayed for CD34+ cell content, with a target total collection of 2.0 x 10(6) CD34+ cells kg(-1). Toxicity was assessed by the development of significant mucositis, the requirement for parenteral antibiotics or blood component support and rehospitalization incidence. Ten patients (16%) had less than the minimum target yield collected. Median collections in the three groups were 4.7 (2 g m(-2)), 5.7 (1.8 g m(-2)) and 6.5 (1.6 g m(-2)) x 10(6) CD34+ cells kg(-1). Five of the seven patients who had previously failed cyclophosphamide mobilization achieved more than the target yield. Rehospitalization incidence was significantly lower in patients receiving 1.6 g m(-2) etoposide than in those receiving 2.0 g m(-2) (P = 0.03). These data suggest that high-dose etoposide with G-CSF is an efficient mobilization regimen in the majority of heavily pretreated patients, including those who have previously failed on high-dose cyclophosphamide with G-CSF. An etoposide dose of 1.6 g m(-2) appears to be as effective as higher doses but less toxic

Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for Work-related Wellbeing and Job Performance: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Due to its potential to concurrently improve work-related wellbeing (WRW) and job performance, occupational stakeholders are becoming increasingly interested in the applications of meditation. The present study conducted the first randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of meditation on outcomes relating to both WRW and job performance. Office-based middle-hierarchy managers (n = 152) received an eight-week meditation intervention (Meditation Awareness Training; MAT) or an active control intervention. MAT participants demonstrated significant and sustainable improvements (with strong effect sizes) over control-group participants in levels of work-related stress, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and employer-rated job performance. There are a number of novel implications: (i) meditation can effectuate a perceptual shift in how employees experience their work and psychological environment and may thus constitute a cost-effective WRW intervention, (ii) meditation-based (i.e., present-moment-focussed) working styles may be more effective than goal-based (i.e., future-orientated) working styles, and (iii) meditation may reduce the separation made by employees between their own interests and those of the organizations they work for

Willing and able: action-state orientation and the relation between procedural justice and employee cooperation

Existing justice theory explains why fair procedures motivate employees to adopt cooperative goals, but it fails to explain how employees strive towards these goals. We study self-regulatory abilities that underlie goal striving; abilities that should thus affect employees’ display of cooperative behavior in response to procedural justice. Building on action control theory, we argue that employees who display effective self-regulatory strategies (action oriented employees) display relatively strong cooperative behavioral responses to fair procedures. A multisource field study and a laboratory experiment support this prediction. A subsequent experiment addresses the process underlying this effect by explicitly showing that action orientation facilitates attainment of the cooperative goals that people adopt in response to fair procedures, thus facilitating the display of actual cooperative behavior. This goal striving approach better integrates research on the relationship between procedural justice and employee cooperation in the self-regulation and the work motivation literature. It also offers organizations a new perspective on making procedural justice effective in stimulating employee cooperation by suggesting factors that help employees reach their adopted goals

High-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood stem cell support in refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

We present retrospectively our experience in the use of high-dose chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell support (HSCS) for refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) in the largest series so far reported. In all, 11 patients have been treated at three Trophoblast Centres between 1993 and 2004. The conditioning regimens comprised either Carbop-EC-T (carboplatin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel and prednisolone) or CEM (carboplatin, etoposide and melphalan) or ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide). Two patients had complete human chorionic gonadotrophin responses, one for 4 and the other for 12 months. Three patients had partial tumour marker responses for 1–2 months. High-dose chemotherapy and HSCS for GTN is still unproven. Further studies are needed, perhaps in high-risk patients who fail their first salvage treatment