Selective recognition in potentiometric transduction of amoxicillin by molecularly imprinted materials

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has received increasing attention as a contributory factor in the international emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Woodward in Pesticide, veterinary and other residues in food, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004). Numerous analytical methods for quantifying antibacterial residues in edible animal products have been developed over years (Woodward in Pesticide, veterinary and other residues in food, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004; Botsoglou and Fletouris in Handbook of food analysis, residues and other food component analysis, Marcel Dekker, Ghent, 2004). Being Amoxicillin (AMOX) one of those critical veterinary drugs, efforts have been made to develop simple and expeditious methods for its control in food samples. In literature, only one AMOX-selective electrode has been reported so far. In that work, phosphotungstate:amoxycillinium ion exchanger was used as electroactive material (Shoukry et al. in Electroanalysis 6:914–917, 1994). Designing new materials based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) which are complementary to the size and charge of AMOX could lead to very selective interactions, thus enhancing the selectivity of the sensing unit. AMOX-selective electrodes used imprinted polymers as electroactive materials having AMOX as target molecule to design a biomimetic imprinted cavity. Poly(vinyl chloride), sensors of methacrylic acid displayed Nernstian slopes (60.7 mV/decade) and low detection limits (2.9 × 10−5 mol/L). The potentiometric responses were not affected by pH within 4–5 and showed good selectivity. The electrodes were applied successfully to the analysis of real samples

Social support in people with chronic respiratory diseases: an exploratory study

Objectives: Social support influences health status and manage-ment of people with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), but it is largely unexplored. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the quantity, quality and network composition of social support in peo-ple with CRDs.Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in people with CRDs. Quantity (number of people), quality (level of satisfaction) and network composition (who provides support) of social support were assessed with the 6-item short form Social Su-pport Questionnaire (SSQ6). For each item, participants were asked to provide two answers: i) to list all people or institutions who fit the description of the question (range: 0 to 9 people; quantity and network composition); and ii) to indicate how satisfied they were with the support these people or institutions provided (range: 1 very dissatisfied to 6 very satisfied; quality). Total score for quantity and quality was computed using the mean of the scores from the 6 items. Descriptive statistics was used, and values were presented as median, minimum and maximum or frequencies.Results: Forty-eight people with CRDs (chronic obstructive pulmo-nary disease [COPD] n = 39, asthma n = 4, interstitial lung disease [ILD] n = 4 and lung cancer n = 1; 70 [51-84] years old, 32 [66.7%] male) were included. Participants had a median quantity and quality of social support of 1.66 [0.67-7.67] people and 6 [3.5-6] points, respectively. Their support network was mainly composed by close relatives (i.e., spouse and children) in all items of SSQ6 (Table).Conclusions: People with CRDs seem to have low quantity of social support but perceive it as high quality. The network composition of social support seems to lack support from the community (e.g., neighbours and/or institutions) in this population.publishe

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

EXCHANGE RATE-BASED STABILIZATION IN WESTERN EUROPE: GREECE, IRELAND, ITALY, AND PORTUGAL

"This paper reviews the experience with exchange rate-based stabilization of four Western European countries-Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Greece-in 1980-1996 and compares it with the experience of high-inflation developing countries. We find that inflation stabilization was contractionary, in contrast with the expansionary cycle observed in high-inflation countries, although some real exchange rate appreciation took place. Also, frequent adjustments of the exchange rate peg or even its abandonment did not lead to a resumption of inflation, so stabilization programs were successful in all four countries." ("JEL" E31, F41) Copyright 1999 Western Economic Association International.