Calculations of Adsorption-Dependent Refractive Indices of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Gas Sensing Applications

Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is One of the Most Challenging Tasks in Modelling Breath Analyzers Because of their Low Concentrations (Parts-Per-Billion (Ppb) to Parts-Per-Million (Ppm)) in Breath and the High Humidity Levels in Exhaled Breaths. the Refractive Index is One of the Crucial Optical Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Which is Changeable Via the Variation of Gas Species and Concentrations that Can Be Utilized as Gas Detectors. Herein, for the First Time, We Used Lorentz–Lorentz, Maxwell–Ga, and Bruggeman Effective Medium Approximation (EMA) Equations to Compute the Percentage Change in the Index of Refraction (∆n%) of ZIF-7, ZIF-8, ZIF-90, MIL-101(Cr) and HKUST-1 Upon Exposure to Ethanol at Various Partial Pressures. We Also Determined the Enhancement Factors of the Mentioned MOFs to Assess the Storage Capability of MOFs and the Biosensors\u27 Selectivity through Guest-Host Interactions, Especially, at Low Guest Concentrations

Knowledge, attitude and performance of pharmacists and nurses in Mazandaran province, Iran regarding adverse drug reaction and its reporting, 2005.

AbstractBackground and purpose: Pharmacovigilance is a science that focuses on the detection, assessment, and prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the post-marketing phase. Its back bone is spontaneous reporting by health care workers via completing the yellow cards. Due to the low reporting of ADRs in the Mazandaran province, this study was designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and performance of pharmacists and nurses regarding ADRs reporting.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was done on 286 health care workers including 67 pharmacists and 219 nurses, selected randomly from different cities of the province. The standard questionnaire of European pharmacovigilance research group was used as the data collection tool. In the field of knowledge, definition of pharmacovigilance, awareness of the national criteria for reporting the ADRs and awareness about the terminology occurrence rates of ADRs were questioned. To evaluate the attitude, reaction of subjects to the some simulated ADRs and reasons of underreporting were assessed. In the field of performance, numbers of reported ADRs and also the sites where reports sent from were asked. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-test for quantitative variables and Chi-square and Kendall’s tau-b for nominal and ordinal variables, respectively using SPSS software. P< 0.05 was considered as significant level.Results: There was no satisfying knowledge in each of the two groups. In spite of exposure of more than 80% of subjects to the ADRs, the mean reported ADRs values for pharmacists and nurses were very low as 0.72 ± 2.8 and 0.17 ± 0.67 respectively (P<0.01). Nurses liked to report most of ADRs to the physicians, nursing stations and pharmacist in spite of the national center. Considering these reports, they were more active than the pharmacists (P<0.001). The main causes of underreporting of the suspected ADRs were not being sure about the causative effect of the drug, unawareness of the existence of a national center, the ADRs were too well known to report and the ADRs were too trivial. Conclusion: Since most of the heath care workers were not familiar with the spontaneous reporting system, interventions such as presenting pharmacovigilance workshops in the hospitals of the province focusing on the aims of pharmacovigilance, completing the yellow card, clarifying the reporting criteria and also considering the pharmacovigilance in the training courses of students are recommended

Nanocurcumin as an Add-on to Antipsychotic Drugs for Treatment of Negative Symptoms in Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: It is well documented that one of the pathophysiological mechanisms of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia is hypofunction of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. This double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of nanocurcumin as an adjuvant agent on psychotic symptoms, especially negative symptoms, in patients with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS/PROCEDURES: Fifty-six inpatients with stable chronic schizophrenia and predominant negative symptoms were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to nanocurcumin soft gel capsule (160 mg/d) and control groups, along with their antipsychotic regimen for 16 weeks. The efficacy of treatment was assessed by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, Clinical Global Impressions-Severity, and Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scales. Extrapyramidal symptoms were evaluated by Simpson-Angus Scale and Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale. Patients were assessed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 after the medication started. FINDINGS/RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in demographic or clinical variables between both groups at baseline. The nanocurcumin group showed significantly greater improvement on the negative subscale (P = 0.05), the general psychopathology subscale (P < 0.001), the positive subscale (P = 0.004), total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (P < 0.001), Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (P < 0.001), and Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scores (P < 0.001) in comparison with the control group at the endpoint. Extrapyramidal symptom rating scales and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and frequency of other adverse effects were comparable between 2 groups. IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates nanocurcumin as a safe and potential adjunctive treatment strategy for treatment of primary negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved