Medication reconciliation as a strategy for preventing medication errors

ABSTRACT One of the current barriers proposed to avoid possible medication errors, and consequently harm to patients, is the medication reconciliation, a process in which drugs used by patients prior to hospitalization can be compared with those prescribed in the hospital. This study describes the results of a pharmacist based reconciliation conducted during six months in clinical units of a university hospital. Fourteen patients (23.33%) had some kind of problem related to medicine. The majority (80%) of medication errors were due to medication omission. Pharmaceutical interventions acceptance level was 90%. The results suggest that pharmacists based reconciliation can have a relevant role in preventing medication errors and adverse events. Moreover, the detailed interview, conducted by the pharmacist, is able to rescue important information regarding the use of drugs, allowing to avoid medications errors and patient injury

Dissolved nutrient release from solid wastes of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii Castelnau) aquaculture

© 2008 IngentaFinfish pens are point sources of dissolved nutrients released from fish metabolism or degradation of solid wastes. Nutrients leaching from uneaten feed and faeces are not usually quantified in mass budgets for these systems, leading to an overestimation of fish retention or deposition to the seabed. In this study, we investigated nutrient leaching from pellets and baitfish feed as well as faeces of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) into seawater. Faeces were nitrogen depleted (51-54mg N g−1 dw) and phosphorus enriched (62-72 mg P g−1 dw) compared with feeds (83-111 mg N g−1 dw and 17-21 mg P g−1 dw). Less phosphorus was available for leaching from pellets and faeces of pellet-fed tuna (5-6%) than from baitfish and faeces of baitfish-fed tuna (17-21%). The proportion of soluble nitrogen in pellets (15%) was also lower than in baitfish and faeces (35-43%). Leaching loads for a feed conversion ratio of 5 were estimated as 22 and 26 kg N tonne−1 growth when baitfish or pellets were used as feed respectively. Phosphorus loads were estimated as 15 and 4 kg P tonne−1 growth respectively. More than 90% of nitrogen loads, and approximately 50% of phosphorus, are likely to be released into seawater before solid wastes reach the seafloor

Forma e função dos músculos perineais da viscacha (Lagostomus maximus)

Entre as espécies de roedores já estudadas podemos destacar a grande variação na morfologia do aparelho reprodutor masculino. Assim, considerando a importância ecológica dos roedores, e a grande representatividade numérica quanto geográfica destes animais, bem como a escassez que aborda a anatomia reprodutiva, desenvolvemos este trabalho com um roedor histricomorfo da América do Sul, a viscacha. Este animal apresenta algumas características reprodutivas bem peculiares, desta forma descreveremos a anatomia macroscópica da musculatura perineal, e o papel dos músculos no comportamento copulatório desta espécie. A região perineal da viscacha é composta por cinco músculos, sendo que três músculos encontram-se dispostos no diafragama urogenital superficial, Musculus ischiocavernosus, M. bulbocavernosus e M. bulbospongiosus, e pelos músculos que se encontram no diafragma pélvico, M. levator ani e M. retractor penis. Sendo assim, destacamos que o estudo do assoalho pélvico em animais silvestres é de grande valia, uma vez que contribuem com o melhor entendimento dos mecanismos relacionados â ereção e ejaculação; ou seja colaboram com os estudos sobre a reprodução dos animais