An Overview of Prescription in the Nursing

Introduction: The role which nurses are playing in medication management is seriously changing over time. Nurses are authorized to prescribe medications in an ever-increasing number of countries. The main objective of the present review study is to introduce nurse prescribing as well as different types of prescriptions and their corresponding advantages, disadvantages, and barriers in the leading countries of nursing. Methods: The present study was performed by searching over the articles in information databases such as “PubMed”, “Google Scholar”, “Embase” , “Proquest”, “Ovid”, “Web of Science” and “Science Direct” using the English keywords such as “independent prescribing”, “supplementary nurse prescribing” and “prescribing”. As a result, 250 relevant papers were collected, out of which 38 ones were used in the present study. Results: The results of searching the sources and articles related to nurse prescribing were presented as the definition of nurse prescribing as well as different types of prescribing and their advantages and obstacles in the leading countries in nurse medication prescribing. Conclusions: Although there are many advantages for nurse prescribing such as cost-effectiveness of this method, the official prescribing by nurses is not authorized in many Asian countries such as Iran. Considering the positive role of nurse prescribing in the nursing professional improvement and the patient's satisfaction, it is also hoped to be applied in all countries

Effects of lipopolysaccharide-induced septic shock on rat isolated kidney, possible role of nitric oxide and protein kinase C pathways

Objective(s): Pathophysiology of sepsis-associated renal failure (one of the most common cause of death in intensive care units) had not been fully determined. The effect of nitric oxide and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways in isolated kidney of Lipopolysaccharide-treated (LPS) rats were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: Vascular responsiveness to phenylephrine and acetylcholine in the presence and absence of a potent PKC inhibitor (chelerythrine) and nonspecific NO inhibitor (L-NAME) as well as responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were examined.Results: LPS (10 mg/kg, IP) treatment resulted in a lower systemic pressure and reduction of responses to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agents (PConclusion: Present study highlighted that five hours of intraperitoneal endotoxin injection is adequate to reduce renal basal perfusion pressure. These results also suggest that PKC inhibition may have a beneficial role in vascular hyporesponsiveness induced by LPS. Although our study partly elaborated on the effects of LPS on isolated renal vascular responses to vasoactive agents, further studies are required to explain how LPS exerts its renal vascular effects

The preventive effects of natural adjuvants, G2 and G2F on tracheal responsiveness and serum IL-4 and IFN-? (th1/th2 balance) in sensitized guinea pigs

OBJECTIVE: The effects of natural adjuvants on lung inflammation and tracheal responsiveness were examined in sensitized guinea pigs. METHODS: The responses of guinea pig tracheal chains and the serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma were examined in control pigs and three other groups of guinea pigs: the sensitized group and two other sensitized groups treated with either adjuvant G2 or adjuvant G2F (n = 7 for each group). Sensitization of the animals was achieved by injection and inhalation of ovalbumin. RESULTS: The results showed that sensitized animals had increased tracheal responsiveness and increased serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma compared to controls (

Thymoquinone-rich fraction nanoemulsion (TQRFNE) decreases Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels by modulating APP processing, up-regulating IDE and LRP1, and down-regulating BACE1 and RAGE in response to high fat/cholesterol diet-induced rats

Though the causes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are yet to be understood, much evidence has suggested that excessive amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation due to abnormal amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) processing and Aβ metabolism are crucial processes towards AD pathogenesis. Hence, approaches aiming at APP processing and Aβ metabolism are currently being actively pursued for the management of AD. Studies suggest that high cholesterol and a high fat diet have harmful effects on cognitive function and may instigate the commencement of AD pathogenesis. Despite the neuropharmacological attributes of black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) extracts and its main active compound, thymoquinone (TQ), limited records are available in relation to AD research. Nanoemulsion (NE) is exploited as drug delivery systems due to their capacity of solubilising non-polar active compounds and is widely examined for brain targeting. Herewith, the effects of thymoquinone-rich fraction nanoemulsion (TQRFNE), thymoquinone nanoemulsion (TQNE) and their counterparts’ conventional emulsion in response to high fat/cholesterol diet (HFCD)-induced rats were investigated. Particularly, the Aβ generation; APP processing, β-secretase 1 (BACE1), γ-secretases of presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and presenilin 2 (PSEN2), Aβ degradation; insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), Aβ transportation; low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) were measured in brain tissues. TQRFNE reduced the brain Aβ fragment length 1–40 and 1–42 (Aβ40 and Aβ42) levels, which would attenuate the AD pathogenesis. This reduction could be due to the modulation of β- and γ-secretase enzyme activity, and the Aβ degradation and transportation in/out of the brain. The findings show the mechanistic actions of TQRFNE in response to high fat and high cholesterol diet associated to Aβ generation, degradation and transportation in the rat’s brain tissue

Lipid nanocarriers loaded with natural compounds: Potential new therapies for age related neurodegenerative diseases?

Article in pressAge related neurodegenerative disorders (ARND) are presented as the most debilitating and challenging diseases associated with the central nervous system. Despite the advent of active molecules with a positive role on neurodegenerative mechanisms, many of the current therapeutic strategies remain ineffective in treating or preventing ARND. Lipid nanocarriers have emerged as efficient delivery systems with the capability to cross biological barriers, especially the blood brain barrier (BBB). Also, when associated to natural compounds, lipid nanocarriers have demonstrated to be an interesting alternative to ARND therapies with multiple beneficial effects. This comprehensive review focus on state-of-the-art lipid based nanocarriers for the delivery of natural compounds targeting neurodegeneration. A critical analysis of published reports will be also provided giving indications to researchers about the most promising ARND nanotherapy strategies.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013. Marlene Lúcio acknowledges the exploratory project funded by FCT with the reference IF/00498/2012. Telma Soares acknowledges COMPETE 2020 “Programa Operacional Competitividade e internacionalização”info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CRITICAL CHOICES FOR OPEC MEMBERS AND THE UNITED STATES: A HIERARCHICAL SEARCH FOR THEIR DESIRED FUTURE.

Abstract not availabl

Investigating the importance and causes of rheumatoid arthritis and its effective treatments: a review study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the mostimportant chronic diseases that can causejoint destruction and disability, especiallyin the adulthood. It is a progressive chronic autoimmuneinflammatory disease with variable clinical symptoms,characterized by mild to severe inflammation of the jointsthat can result in pain, dryness and joint destruction alongwith joint malformations and disability. Besides its physicaleffects, it can also affect one’s mental state and causemental illnesses, such as depression, given its permanentchanges in activity level and lifestyle. Therefore, due to theimportance of this debilitating disease, the present studyaimed to study the causes of RA and its effective treatments.The results showed that the most common causeof RA is genetic-related. However, genetic risk factor isnot fully responsible for the disease and environmentalfactors have been reported to be effective. Althoughthere has been a wide variety of studies on treatment ofRA, no definitive treatments have been reported for thedisease so far. The most commonly used treatment approachesfor this disease are rest and general treatments,pharmacotherapy, hydrocortisone intra-articular injection,physiotherapy, occupational therapy and surgery. Rest issupposed to be effective, especially in the early stages ofthe disease and during the recurrence periods. Overall,the goal of non-pharmacological treatments is to reducepressure on the joint. According to various studies, aspirinand non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin,ibuprofen, naproxen, and piroxicam) are the mostcommonly used drugs in the treatment of RA (especiallyin the early stages)