Dose Determination of Activated Charcoal in Management of Amitriptyline-Induced Poisoning by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Purpose: To assess the doses of activated charcoal currently used in the management of acute amitriptyline-induced drug poisoning and explore the possibility of using lower doses.Methods: Albino male Wistar rats, weighing 200 ± 20 g, were used for the study. The animals were divided into four groups of eight animals each. The concentration of amitriptyline in rat plasma was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for dose determination of activated charcoal. Chromatograms were established with acetonitrile: 70 mM KH2PO4 buffer (60: 40, v/v) solvent system on an Xterna® ms C18 SUM column (5 μm, 3.9 × 150 mm) and pH was adjusted to 4.5 with ortho-phosphoric acid. Mobile phase flow rate was 1 ml/min and ultraviolet (UV) detection was at 293 nm. Validation of the method was performed to determine its selectivity, linearity, precision, as well as limits of detection (LOD) and of quantification (LOQ).Results: Standard curves were linear, r2 = 0.996, for amitriptyline over the concentration range 10 - 60 ng/ml. Recovery (98.3 to 100.85 %) was in the selected concentration range of 10 - 60 ng/ml. The LOD and LOQ of the method for amitriptyline were 0.109 and 0.332 μg/ml, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to measure plasma concentrations of amitriptyline and to measure the doses of activated charcoal currently used in the management of acute amitriptyline drug poisoning.Conclusion: The proposed RP-HPLC method enables determination of amitriptyline with good separation and resolution of the chromatographic peaks. Validation revealed that the method is sensitive, accurate and selective. Using half of the standard dose of the activated charcoal gave a comparable effect to the standard dose in reducing drug concentration in the blood. While, using quarter of the standard dose of activated charcoal does not have a cleared effect.Keywords: Amitriptyline, Activated charcoal, Drug poisoning, Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatograph

A supervisory loop approach to fulfill workspace constraints in redundant robots

An approach based on geometric invariance and sliding mode ideas is proposed for redundancy resolution in robotic systems to fulfill configuration and workspace constraints caused by robot mechanical limits, collision avoidance, industrial security, etc. Some interesting features of the proposal are that: (1) it can be interpreted as a limit case of the classical potential field-based approach for collision avoidance which requires using variable structure control concepts, (2) it allows reaching the limit surface of the constraints smoothly, depending on a free design parameter, and (3) it can be easily added as a supervisory block to pre-existing redundancy resolution schemes. The algorithm is evaluated in simulation on a 6R planar robot and on the freely accessible 6R robot model PUMA-560, for which the main features of the method are illustrated.This research is partially supported by DISICOM project PROM-ETEO 2008/088 of Generalitat Valenciana (Spain), research project DPI2011-27845-C02-01 of the Spanish Government (Spain), Technical University of Valencia (Spain), and the Argentinian Government (UNLP 11I127, CONICET PIP 112-200801-0, ANPCyT PICT 2007 00535).Gracia Calandin, LI.; Sala, A.; Garelli, F. (2012). A supervisory loop approach to fulfill workspace constraints in redundant robots. Robotics and Autonomous Systems. 60(1):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2011.07.008S11560

A learning skills course for the 1st year medical students: an experience at a Saudi medical school

Imran A Siddiqui,1 Khalid A Bin Abdulrahman,2 Mohammed A Alsultan3 1Department of Medical Education and Postgraduate Studies, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Background: Every year nearly 1,500 students enter into medical program after passing high school and national aptitude exams. However, many students experience frustration, failure, and psychological morbidities like stress, depression, and anxiety because they are not aware of their learning styles or do not have effective learning skills and strategies. The College of Medicine of Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has adopted the outcome based, community oriented, Spiral Curriculum. Although the curriculum is innovative, on the other hand, it is very demanding. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to share educational structure and evaluation results of the course on effective learning and study skills for the 1st year medical students. Methods: To prepare our students in order to cope with this demanding but promising curriculum, we conducted an effective and comprehensive learning skills course for 16 weeks in the first semester of year 1 in the medical program. Performance of each student was assessed and the course evaluation was done by students at the end of the course. Results: The attendance of the students throughout the course was over 90%. The average performance of students in the summative assessment was 78% and the course was generally liked by the students. Discussion: Students overall had a positive attitude toward the learning skills course. Majority of the students showed interest in attending the sessions regularly and realized the significance of this course to improve their learning skills. Keywords: medical students, learning skills, Saudi student

Synergistic amplification of catalytic hydrogen generation by a thin-film conducting polymer composite

This work reports a composite of polyIJ3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) that is notably more catalytically active for hydrogen generation than the industry-standard benchmark catalyst, Pt, under the same conditions. A PEDOT thin-film containing nanoparticulate Ni (nano-Ni) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in the specific molar ratio of 5.6 (C; PEDOT) : 1 (Ni) : 5.2 (C; other), (photo)catalytically generated H2 at 3.6 mA cm−2 (including ca. 0.2 mA cm−2 due to the light illumination) after 3 h at −0.75 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 0.05 M H2SO4/0.2 M Na2SO4 under 0.25 sun. A control nano-Ni/rGO film containing the same quantities of nano-Ni and rGO but without any PEDOT, yielded 2.1 mA cm−2, indicating that the PEDOT synergistically amplified the above result by 71%. Other ratios of the above PEDOT composite produced notably lower activities. Control PEDOT, PEDOT/nano-Ni, and PEDOT/rGO films were an order of magnitude less catalytically active. A control bare Pt electrode produced only 2.2 mA cm−2 under the same conditions. Studies suggested the origin of the synergistic amplification to involve the PEDOT electrically connecting the largest number of active sites by the shortest, most efficient pathways for hole transport. These results confirm the proposition that thin-film conducting polymers involving very specific, optimum ratios of catalyst density to thickness may synergistically amplify catalysis

Uptake, Safety and Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study on First and Second Doses Among the General Public

Mansour A Mahmoud,1 Alnada Ibrahim,2 Fawaz Alharbi,3 Ali Mohammed Alalawi,4 Faris Alnezary,1 Ahmed Aldafiri,3 Yaser Alahmadi,1 Sultan Othman Alolayan,1 Sultan S Althaqfan,1 Mohammed M Alsultan,5 Safaa Omer,6 Musaad B Alsahly7 1Department of Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O.Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia; 3AlHaram Hospital, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 7College of Medicine, Department of Physiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Alnada Ibrahim, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected] Mansour A Mahmoud, Department of Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, AL-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected]: To investigate public uptake, attitudes and the safety of the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccination.Methods: This was a cross-sectional web-based survey study. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared from a literature search and information about COVID-19 available at various resources. The developed questionnaire was validated for readability by experts and refined in light of the feedback received from the experts and the final version was prepared. The reliability of the questionnaire was 0.7 which shows an acceptable level of scale internal consistency. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software (version 25).Results: A total of 513 participants completed the survey, including 311 (60.6%) women and 202 (39.4%) men. The mean age was (31.5± 12.8) years. It was found that 493 (96.1%) took the first and second doses of COVID-19 and 376 (73.3%) suffered from side effects, of these 14% (56/376) reported the side effects to the health authorities. The most common side effects were fatigue (51.5%), fever (42.3%), headache (39.5%), and injection site pain (37.6%). Half of the participants (50.5%) had a positive attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures. Females had higher odds of experiencing side effects than males OR (95% CI); 2.002 (1.312– 3.056). Individuals living in urban areas had lower odds of experiencing side effects than those living in rural areas OR (95% CI); 0.364 (0.142– 0.933).Conclusion: Vaccine uptake was massive and side effects due to the COVID-19 vaccine were common but minor. The majority of the participants had positive attitudes towards recommended COVID-19 preventive measures. Being female and living in rural areas were associated with experiencing side effects.Keywords: COVID-19, safety, uptak

Risk factors, mortality and acute kidney injury outcomes in cirrhotic patients in the emergency department

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in cirrhotic patients and is associated with negative outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of AKI and its progression according to KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria in cirrhotic patients admitted to the emergency department and to determine the association of AKI with hospital mortality. Methods This retrospective study included 258 cirrhotic patients admitted to the emergency department of a university hospital from March 2015 to February 2017. AKI was diagnosed and classified according to the KDIGO criteria. Results The overall incidence of AKI in cirrhotic patients was 53.9%, and the overall hospital mortality was 28.4%. Mortality was associated with the presence, stage, and progression of AKI. Patients with AKI stage 1 and sCr < 1.5 mg/dl (KDIGO 1a) had a lower mortality rate than patients with AKI stage 1 and sCr > 1.5 mg/dl (KDIGO 1b). In the logistic regression analysis, three variables were independently associated with hospital mortality: cancer, AKI and progression of AKI. Conclusions According to the data presented, a single measure of creatinine is not enough, and there is a need for meticulous follow-up of the renal function of patients with hepatic cirrhosis hospitalized in an emergency unit. In addition, this study reinforces the need for subclassification of KDIGO 1 in cirrhotic patients, since patients with acute renal injury and creatinine greater than 1.5 mg/dL present a worse clinical outcome