USP compendial methods for analysis of heparin: chromatographic determination of molecular weight distributions for heparin sodium

Heparin is a polysaccharide product isolated from glycosaminoglycans of porcine mucosa (or occasionally other tissues and species). It is a linear non-uniform polymer consisting of alternating glucosamine and uronic acid monosaccharide residues and is highly sulfated. Heparin sodium drug product (HP) used in medicine consists of chains with molecular weight (MW) ranging from under 5,000 to over 50,000. Although HP has been used as an injectable antithrombotic medicine for more than 70 years, many aspects of its structure and purity, including its MW, have not been specified by public standards until recent years. In 2008, a number of HP lots associated with severe adverse effects, including fatalities, were found to have been contaminated with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. This incident led to thorough revision of compendial standards worldwide. In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encouraged the inclusion of enhanced standards for purity and identity in the relevant monographs of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) including acceptance criteria for MW distribution

Effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions of people with Parkinson's disease

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Forty-five patients with PD participated in the study. The participants were randomized in three intervention programs: Group-1 (n=15, cognitive-activities), Group-2 (n=15, multimodal exercise) and Group-3 (n=15, exercises for posture and gait). The clinical, psychological and cognitive functions were assessed before and after 4 months of intervention. Univariate analysis did not reveal significant interactions between groups and time (p>0.05). However, univariate analysis for time revealed differences in stress level and memory. Participants showed less physical stress (p<0.01) and overall stress (p < 0.04) and higher performance in episodic declarative memory (p < 0.001) after exercise. These findings suggest that group work with motor or non-motor activities can improve cognitive and psychological functions of patients with PD