Investigation of the utilization of alginate/chitosan nanoparticles for tamoxifen delivery

Bu çalışmada aljinat/kitosan nanopartiküllere tamoksifen yüklenerek kontrollü ilaç salım sistemi olarak kullanılabilirliği araştırılmıştır. Nanopartiküllerin hazırlanması için optimum koşullar saptanmış ve üretilen nanopartiküllerin fourier transform infrared spektroskopisi (FTIR), atomik kuvvet mikroskobu (AFM) ve taramalı elektron mikroskobu (SEM) ile karakterizasyonu yapılmıştır. FTIR sonuçlarına göre tamoksifen polimer içinde kimyasal bağlanma olmaksızın tutulmaktadır. AFM ve SEM görüntülerinden ise nanopartiküllerin 50-800 nm boyutlarında olduğu saptanmıştır. Tamoksifen yüklü nanopartiküllerin üretiminin sıcaklığa bağımlılığı incelenmiş ve 25 °C’ye kadar olan sıcaklıklarda üretilen nanopartiküllerdeki tamoksifen tutuklanmasının maksimum olduğu daha yüksek sıcaklıklarda tamoksifenin daha düşük oranlarda tutulduğu tespit edilmiştir. Taklit edilmiş mide ve ince bağırsak ortamlarında nanopartiküllerden tamoksifenin salımı incelendiğinde mide ortamında 5 saat sonundaki salımın en fazla % 8 olduğu buna karşılık ince bağırsak ortamındaki salımın % 92 civarında olduğu saptanmıştır. Sonuçlar, tamoksifen yüklü aljinat/kitosan nanopartiküllerin kontrollü ilaç salım sistemi olarak kullanılabilirliğini göstermekte olup, bu çalışma son yıllarda oldukça önemli bir araştırma alanı olan kontrollü ilaç salımı üretimine katkı yapacak bir çalışma niteliğindedir.In this work, usability of tamoxifen loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles as drug release system was investigated. Optimum conditions for the preparation of nanoparticles were determined and nanoparticles were characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR results revealed that tamoxifen immobilization in polymer matrix did not involve any chemical bonds. According to AFM and SEM images the size of the nanoparticles varied from 50 to 800 nm. Temperature dependence of tamoxifen loaded nanoparticle production was investigated and it was found that nanoparticles showed maximum tamoxifen immobilization up to 25 °C whereas the immobilization declined at higher temperatures. Tamoxifen release from nanoparticles in simulated stomach and small intestine media were investigated and it was found that after 5 hours only 8 % of the immobilized drug was released in stomach medium whereas 92 % of the drug was released in small intestines. Results reveal that tamoxifen loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles can be used as controlled drug release system and this study has the potential to contribute to the field of controlled drug release system production

Theoretical Construction of the Ethical Pathway

ABSTRACT Stroke is a common health problem which may cause long-term and ethically challenging changes in the lives of individuals with stroke (IwS). The study focused on the realization of central values in nursing practice as perceived by IwS and the potential changes in the perceived realization of values in post-stroke time, labeled as the ethical pathway. The main aim was to compose a theoretical construct of the ethical pathway. The ultimate goal was, by making the ethical pathway visible, to support the development and realization of ethically high-level nursing care. The study was conducted in four steps. In the first step, based on a grounded theory study (n = 16 IwS) and scoping literature review (n = 15), the concept ‘ethical pathway’ and the life situational factors related to it were defined. In the second step, they were operationalized, leading to the Ethical Pathway of Individuals with Stroke (EPIS) instrument evaluating the realization of values and life situational factors in post-stroke time as perceived by IwS. In the third step, the concept of the ethical pathway and its association with the life situational factors were empirically tested in a cross-sectional study (n = 61 IwS) and a follow-up study (n = 36 IwS). In the fourth step, the obtained results were synthesized to form the theoretical construct of the ethical pathway. The concept of the ethical pathway was defined as potential changes in the realization of values, including dignity, privacy, and autonomy, as perceived by individuals in temporal passage. The life situational factors related to the ethical pathway were defined as symptoms diminishing functioning, social environment, and self-empowerment. The theoretical construction of the ethical pathway consists of the concept of the ethical pathway and the life situational factors, and the association between these. As changes in the individual’s health status may change the perceived realization values, health status is also represented in the theoretical construction of the ethical pathway. The ethical pathway is dynamic, and the association between the ethical pathway and the life situational factors fluctuates in temporal passage. In this study, the ethical pathway was made visible, and by understanding the ethical pathway, nurses may support the perceived realization of individuals’ values during the care pathways. KEYWORDS: autonomy, dignity, ethical pathway, individuals with stroke, instrument, nursing care, privacyTIIVISTELMÄ Aivoverenkiertohäiriö (AVH) on yleinen terveysongelma, joka voi aiheuttaa pitkäaikaisia ja eettisesti haastavia muutoksia yksilön elämään. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin AVH:n sairastuneiden näkemyksiä kolmen hoitotyön keskeisen arvon toteutumisesta ja siinä mahdollisesti tapahtuvia muutoksia sairastumisen jälkeisessä ajassa, nimettynä eettiseksi poluksi. Tutkimuksen päätarkoituksena oli muodostaa eettisen polun teoreettinen rakenne. Tavoitteena oli havainnollistamalla eettinen polku, tukea eettisesti korkealaatuisen hoitotyön kehittämistä ja toteuttamista. Tutkimus toteutettiin neljässä vaiheessa. Ensimmäisessä vaiheessa määriteltiin eettisen polun käsite ja siihen yhteydessä olevat elämäntilannesidonnaiset tekijät pohjautuen grounded theory -tutkimukseen (n = 16 AVH:n sairastunutta) ja kartoittavaan kirjallisuuskatsaukseen (n = 15). Toisessa vaiheessa kehitettiin Aivoverenkiertohäiriöön sairastuneen eettinen polku -instrumentti, joka arvioi AVH:n sairastuneiden näkemyksiä arvojen ja elämänsidonnaisten tekijöiden toteutumisesta. Kolmannessa vaiheessa eettisen polun käsite ja sen yhteys elämäntilannesidonnaisiin tekijöihin testattiin empiirisesti poikkileikkaustutkimuksessa (n = 61 AVH:n sairastunutta) ja seurantatutkimuksessa (n = 36 AVH:n sairastunutta). Neljännessä vaiheessa tuloksista tehtiin synteesi muodostaen eettisen polun teoreettinen rakenne. Eettisen polun käsite kuvaa yksilön näkemystä arvojen toteutumisesta ja siinä ajassa ilmenevää mahdollista muutosta. Arvoihin lukeutuvat arvokkuus, yksityisyys ja autonomia. Elämäntilannesidonnaisiin tekijöihin lukeutuvat toimintaa haittaavat oireet, sosiaalinen ympäristö ja oman elämän hallinta. Eettisen polun teoreettinen rakenne sisältää eettisen polun käsitteen sekä elämäntilannesidonnaiset tekijät ja niiden välisen yhteyden. Muutokset yksilön terveydentilassa voivat muuttaa yksilön näkemystä arvojen toteutumisesta ja tästä syystä myös terveydentila sisältyy eettisen polun teoreettiseen rakenteeseen. Eettinen polku on dynaaminen, ja myös eettisen polun ja elämänsidonnaisten tekijöiden välinen yhteys vaihtelee ajassa. Tutkimuksessa havainnollistettiin eettinen polku. Ymmärtämällä eettinen polku osaksi hoitopolkua, hoitajat voivat edistää terveyspalveluita käyttävien yksilöiden arvojen toteutumista. AVAINSANAT: aivoverenkiertohäiriöön sairastunut, arvokkuus, autonomia, eettinen polku, hoitotyö, mittari, yksityisyy

Globalization and Economic Crisis

This book derives from a fortunate series of research seminars held at the University of Salento during 2011. They were devoted to the theme “Globalization and Economic Crisis”. The seminars were organized by the two editors, Cosimo Perrotta and Claudia Sunna, and by the Centre for Economic Studies, for the Degree Course of Political Sciences, of the University of Salento. Those meetings provided a world survey of general processes of globalization together with specific analysis of regional contexts. The latter approach allows to see the effects of these processes in very different national contexts. The collection of all these written texts will be certainly useful to people interested in this topic

BEFORE BRAIN DRAIN: ITALIAN ECONOMISTS ON THE CALCULUS OF THE VALUE OF MEN

This study deals with the debate that took place among Italian economists and statisticians at the turn of the twentieth century on the economic effects of mass emigration. In particular, it is focused on a controversy between Vilfredo Pareto and Alberto Beneduce on the one side, and Francesco Coletti on the other. It analyzes the way these scholars struggled with: (i) the problem of properly elaborating a specific cost-benefit analysis regarding emigration; and (ii), as a consequence, the problem of recognizing a clear set of economic policies designed to manage the complex economic and social processes connected to emigration. The paper demonstrates the enduring character of the problems encountered in the early Italian debates by showing that these questions are similar to those debated in the vast literature developed from the 1950s on the subject of brain drain, and suggests an explanation for the lack of conclusive results in this literature. We think that it is possible to understand this impasse by highlighting that in the analyzed literature, a problem of “fallacy of composition” emerges between the microeconomics and macroeconomics of emigration

Bioengineering Strategies for Protein-Based Nanoparticles.

In recent years, the practical application of protein-based nanoparticles (PNPs) has expanded rapidly into areas like drug delivery, vaccine development, and biocatalysis. PNPs possess unique features that make them attractive as potential platforms for a variety of nanobiotechnological applications. They self-assemble from multiple protein subunits into hollow monodisperse structures; they are highly stable, biocompatible, and biodegradable; and their external components and encapsulation properties can be readily manipulated by chemical or genetic strategies. Moreover, their complex and perfect symmetry have motivated researchers to mimic their properties in order to create de novo protein assemblies. This review focuses on recent advances in the bioengineering and bioconjugation of PNPs and the implementation of synthetic biology concepts to exploit and enhance PNP's intrinsic properties and to impart them with novel functionalities

General practice in Iceland and Norway: GPsˡ experience of different primary health care systems

Inngangur: Flestir heimilislæknar á Íslandi vinna hjá hinu opinbera á föstum launum, en í Noregi starfa flestir heimilislæknar sjálfstætt á einkareknum stofum, þar sem greitt er fyrir skráningu á lækninn og hvert viðvik. Í Noregi er stuðst við tilvísanakerfi. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna upplifun íslenskra heimilislækna sem starfað hafa bæði í Noregi og á Íslandi, nýta reynslu þeirra og stuðla þannig að umbótum í íslenskri heilbrigðis- og velferðarþjónustu. Efniviður og aðferð: Tekin voru hálfstöðluð viðtöl við 16 íslenska heimilislækna starfandi á Íslandi á rannsóknartímanum árin 2009-2010. Frá heimkomu læknanna frá Noregi voru liðin tvö til tíu ár. Eigindlegri aðferðafræði, Vancouver-skólanum í fyrirbærafræði, var beitt, þar sem leitast er við að auka skilning á mannlegum fyrirbærum og reynslu í þeim tilgangi að bæta þjónustu, meðal annars í heilbrigðiskerfinu. Niðurstöður: Læknarnir ræddu kosti opinbers reksturs, einkarekins og blandaðs kerfis. Kostir norska heilbrigðiskerfisins, að mati þátttakenda, er að þar hafa allir sinn heimilislækni og þannig næst góð yfirsýn yfir heilsuvanda fólks. Í Noregi er heimilislæknirinn hliðvörður fyrir sérhæfða læknisþjónustu og góð upplýsingagjöf er á milli þjónustustiga sem hindrar tvíverknað. Meiri skilvirkni var í læknaþjónustunni í Noregi að mati læknanna. Það sem einkennir íslenska heilbrigðiskerfið utan sjúkrahúsa er mikið streymi sjúklinga til sérgreinalækna án tilvísana frá heimilislæknum. Áberandi er álag á vaktþjónustu utan dagvinnutíma. Þá er miðlægri skráningu sjúklinga í heilsugæslu á Íslandi ábótavant og sjúkrarskrárkerfið lakara. Ályktun: Það er samdóma álit viðmælenda að betur sé búið að heimilislækningum í Noregi en á Íslandi og heilbrigðisþjónustan skilvirkari. Þeir telja einnig að til að auka áhuga læknanema og nýliðun í heimilislækningum á Íslandi sé brýnt að bjóða upp á gott starfsumhverfi. Þegar gerðar eru breytingar á íslenska heilbrigðiskerfinu er mikilvægt að líta til reynslu nágrannaþjóða þar sem vel hefur tekist til við skipulag þjónustunnar að mati fagaðila. Introduction: Most GPs in Iceland are public employees on fixed salaries which is very different from their Norwegian colleagues. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of Icelandic GPs who have also worked as GPs in Norway and compare their experience of working in these two neighboring countries. Material and methods: Data were collected through interviews with 16 GPs that during the study period 2009-2010 were all working in Iceland. Two to ten years had passed since their return from Norway. We used qualitative methodology, the Vancouver-School of doing phenomenology. This methodology seeks to increase understanding of human phenomena for the purpose of improving healthcare services. Results: The doctors discussed the benefits of the different systems of delivering medical services. They saw the advantages of the Norwegian healthcare system mostly in that all Norwegians have their own GP, thus achieving a good overview of the health problems of each individual. The GPs are gatekeepers for medical services which potentially ­reduces duplication of medical services. The participants also noted more efficient medical services in Norway than in Iceland. What characterizes Icelandic healthcare outside the hospital from their perspective is direct patient contact with specialists without referrals from GPs and incomplete registration system of patients and much use of emergency services in Iceland. Conclusion: Participants agreed upon stronger primary healthcare system in Norway compared to Iceland. Moreover, a good job situation in primary care is needed in Iceland to appeal to junior doctors. When changes are made to the Icelandic healthcare system it is important to acknowledge the experience of neighboring countries in terms of advancing health care system reforms