Notas para los Colaboradores del Index Botanicorum

EL INDEX BOTANICORUM: -Al discutir la necesidad de un diccionario biográfico de los botánicos del mundo y de todos los tiempos. JAMES BRITTEN (J. Bot. 39: 394. 1901) afirma: “Este formaría un compendio manual y útil no solamente de biografías botánicas sino de investigación botánica y sería de valor incalculable para el historiador y el estudiante”
 En el siguiente artículo se habla de las pautas que deben seguir los colaboradores del Index Botanicarum al escribir en dicho diccionario

Toxicovigilance: Experience of the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre in context

Poison information centres play a vital role in supporting healthcare professionals with advice on management of the poisoned patient, knowledge about which is often deficient. Owing to a lack of broad-based knowledge on human poisoning, there is a perception in healthcare circles and in the public arena that pesticides or agrochemicals are responsible for most incidents of human poisoning. The clinical findings of the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre demonstrate that pesticides are not responsible for most toxin exposures – medicines, corrosives, narcotics, petroleum fuels and industrial chemicals play a far bigger role in human poisoning. Pesticides are, however, regarded as much more dangerous than the other chemicals implicated in toxin exposures, affording activists a vehicle to lobby against them. Lack of knowledge about poisoning is likely to result in incorrect diagnosis and treatment. Poison information centres offer on-call information that should make up for the lack of advanced knowledge in healthcare circles

Increased 99mTc MDP activity in the costovertebral and costotransverse joints on SPECT-CT: is it predictive of associated back pain or response to percutaneous treatment?

PURPOSEPain related to costovertebral and costotransverse joints is likely an underrecognized and potentially important cause of thoracic back pain. On combined single-photon emission computed tomography and computed tomography (SPECT-CT), increased technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (99mTc MDP) activity at these articulations is not uncommon. We evaluated whether this activity corresponds with thoracic back pain and whether it predicts response to percutaneous injection.METHODSAll 99mTc MDP SPECT-CT spine examinations completed at our institution from March 2008 to March 2014 were retrospectively reviewed to identify those with increased 99mTc MDP activity in the costovertebral or costotransverse joints. The presence of corresponding thoracic back pain, percutaneous injection performed at the relevant joint(s), and response to injection were recorded.RESULTSA total of 724 99mTc MDP SPECT-CT examinations were identified. Increased 99mTc MDP activity at costovertebral or costotransverse joints was reported in the examinations of 55 patients (8%). Of these, 25 (45%) had corresponding thoracic back pain, and nine of 25 patients (36%) underwent percutaneous injection of the joint(s) with increased activity. At clinical follow-up two days to 12 weeks after injection, one patient (11%) had complete pain relief, two (22%) had partial pain relief, and six (67%) had no pain relief.CONCLUSIONThe findings suggest that increased activity in costovertebral and costotransverse joints on 99mTc MDP SPECT-CT is only variably associated with the presence and location of thoracic back pain; it does not predict pain response to percutaneous injection.The findings suggest that increased activity in costovertebral and costotransverse joints on 99mTc MDP SPECT-CT is only variably associated with the presence and location of thoracic back pain; it does not predict pain response to percutaneous injection

Single channel properties of recombinant GABA A receptors containing Γ2 or Δ subtypes expressed with Α1 and Β3 subtypes in mouse L929 Cells

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65956/1/j.1469-7793.1997.283bb.x.pd

Home care nurses’ perceptions about their role in interprofessional collaborative practice in clinical medication reviews

Regular clinical medication reviews (CMRs) are recommended for monitoring and addressing potential drug-related problems, especially in elderly people. Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) by general practitioners, community pharmacists, and nurses in a CMR is recommended and expected to produce more efficient CMRs. Involving home care nurses in ICP is not yet well implemented, and their perspectives are unclear. This study explores how they perceive their role in ICP in CMRs and the requirements to assume that role. Structured interviews were performed, using case-vignettes; data were analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. Twelve home care nurses were interviewed. Three themes regarding the nurses' role were identified: (1) observing, recognizing, and communicating information for a CMR to prescribers and community pharmacists (2); helping to provide patient information and education about implemented changes in the pharmaceutical care plan; and (3) the nurses’ level of involvement in ICP. Three themes regarding requirements were identified: (1) nursing competences, (2) periodic interprofessional consultation and ad hoc interprofessional communication, and (3) guidelines describing the role of nurses. Home care nurses could provide additional support in a CMR. Nursing competences, periodic interprofessional consultation and ad hoc interprofessional communication, and guidelines describing the role of home care nurses are required

Human tissue kallikrein in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains a major cause of death and disability throughout the world. The most severe form of stroke results from large vessel occlusion of the major branches of the Circle of Willis. The treatment strategies currently available in Western countries for large vessel occlusion involve rapid restoration of blood flow through removal of the offending blood clot using mechanical or pharmacological means (e.g. tissue plasma activator or tPA). This review assesses prospects for a novel pharmacological approach to enhance the availability of the natural enzyme tissue kallikrein (KLK1), an important regulator of local blood flow. KLK1 is responsible for the generation of kinins (bradykinin and kallidin), which promote local vasodilation and long-term vascularization. Moreover, KLK1 has been used clinically as a direct treatment for multiple diseases associated with impaired local blood flow including AIS. A form of human KLK1 isolated from human urine is approved in the People’s Republic of China for subacute treatment of AIS. Here we review the rationale for using KLK1 as an additional pharmacological treatment for AIS by providing the biochemical mechanism as well as the human clinical data that support this approach

Desensitization and binding properties determine distinct α1β2γ2 and α3β2γ2 GABAA receptor-channel kinetic behavior

GABAA receptor subtypes comprising the α1 and α3 subunits change with development and have a specific anatomical localization in the adult brain. These receptor subtypes have been previously demonstrated to greatly differ in deactivation kinetics but the underlying gating mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we expressed rat α1β2γ2 and α3β2γ2 receptors in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and recorded current responses to ultrafast GABA applications at macroscopic and single-channel levels. We found that the slow deactivation of α3β2γ2-mediated currents is associated with a relatively small rate and extent of apparent desensitization. In contrast, responses mediated by α1β2γ2 receptors had faster deactivation and stronger desensitization. α3β2γ2 receptors had faster recovery in the paired-pulse agonist applications than α1β2γ2 channels. The onset of currents mediated by α3β2γ2 receptors was slower than that of α1β2γ2 for a wide range of GABA concentrations. Single-channel analysis did not reveal differences in the opening/closing kinetics of α1β2γ2 and α3β2γ2 channels but burst durations were longer in α3β2γ2 receptors. Simulation with a previously reported kinetic model was used to explore the differences in respective rate constants. Reproduction of major kinetic differences required a smaller desensitization rate as well as smaller binding and unbinding rates in α3β2γ2 compared with α1β2γ2 receptors. Our work describes the mechanisms underlying the kinetic differences between two major GABAA receptor subtypes and provides a framework to interpret data from native GABA receptors

Cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis of a clinical medication review focused on personal goals in older persons with polypharmacy compared to usual care: Economic evaluation of the DREAMeR study

AIMS: The ageing society may lead to increasing healthcare expenditure. A clinical medication review (CMR) could potentially reduce costs. The aim of this study is to perform a cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective of a patient-centred CMR. METHODS: A trial-based cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis was performed as part of the DREAMeR study, a pragmatic controlled trial that randomised patients aged ≥70 years using at least seven drugs to either CMR or usual care. Over six months, healthcare consumption and drug use were collected to estimate costs, and effects were collected in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) measured with EQ-5D-5 L and EQ-VAS and as reduced health-related complaints with impact on patients' daily lives. RESULTS: The total mean costs per patient (n = 588) over six months were €4,189 ± 6,596 for the control group (n = 294) and €4,008 ± 6,678 for the intervention group (n = 294), including estimated intervention costs of €199 ± 67, which resulted in a mean incremental total cost savings of €181 for the intervention group compared to the control group. Compared to the control group, for the intervention group, the mean incremental QALYs over six months were: -0.00217 measured with EQ-5D and 0.003 measured with EQ-VAS. The incremental effect of reduced health-related complaints with impact was -0.34. There was a likelihood of >90% that the intervention was cost-saving. CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of a patient-centred CMR were inconsistent with no benefits on HR-QoL measured with EQ-5D-5 L and small benefits on HR-QoL measured with EQ-VAS and health-related complaints with impact on patients' daily lives. Additionally, a CMR could potentially be cost saving from a societal perspective