iridium-oxide-reduced-graphene-oxide-nanohybrid-thin-film-modified

Iridium Oxide-reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid Thin Film Modified Screen-printed Electrodes as Disposable Electrochemical Paper Microfluidic pH Sensors

A facile, controllable, inexpensive and green electrochemical synthesis of IrO2-graphene nanohybrid thin films is developed to fabricate an easy-to-use ...

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Rapid advances in drug discovery and development have spawned numerous innovative drug delivery approaches. Although these efforts have primarily focused on optimizing the performance of drugs targeted for the current market, enhanced delivery of drugs may also result in the revitalization of marginally effective or failed formulations due to their original poor solubility. Plasma lipoproteins have long been considered as appropriate models for drug delivery vehicles, particularly because of their potential for transporting chemicals with low water solubility. Additional features that render lipoproteins particularly suitable for drug delivery are their natural, bio-compatible components, their small size, the ability to deliver the drug itself rather than a prodrug or conjugate and their receptor mediated their uptake or the uptake of their payload, particularly by cancer cells. There has been increased activity in the patenting of lipoprotein type formulations in the last several years, primarily with the aim of developing enhanced drug delivery vehicles. This communication attempts to review the patenting activity in this area with particular focus on drug delivery and cancer chemotherapy.

Recent developments and patenting of lipoprotein based formulations.

Physician, heal thyself? The ethics behind self-prescribing and curb-siding.

The number of patients with end stage liver disease is growing worldwide. This is likely a result of advances in medical science that have allowed these patients to lead longer lives since the incidence of diseases such as alcoholic cirrhosis and viral hepatitis have remained stable or even decreased in recent years, at least in more developed nations. Many of these patients will require anesthetic care at some point. The understanding and application of basic principles of pharmacokinetics is paramount to the practice of anesthesia. An understanding of pharmacokinetic principles provides the anesthesiologist with a scientific foundation for achieving therapeutic objectives associated with the use of any drug; however, pathologic conditions often alter the expected kinetic profile of many drugs. Anesthesia providers caring for these patients must be aware of the altered pharmacokinetics that may occur in these patients. We review normal liver physiology, pathophysiology of liver disease in general, and how liver failure affects the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anesthetic agents; providing some specific examples.

Anesthetic pharmacology and perioperative considerations for the end stage liver disease patient.

Acute aortic occlusion by massive thoracoabdominal thrombi has been reported as a serious complication in patients undergoing major vascular or cardiac surgical procedures. However, this complication occurs rarely after ambulatory procedures. In this case report, we describe a patient who experienced paraplegia after an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in whom acute aortic thromboembolic occlusion was subsequently diagnosed. We emphasize the importance of accurate neurologic and cardiovascular history taking and examination throughout the perioperative period along with the appropriate diagnostic studies to expeditiously arrive at a diagnosis of such a rare complication.

Acute aortic occlusion presenting as paraplegia: a catastrophic complication in an elective surgical patient.

Many common elective surgeries are associated with moderate-to-severe postoperative pain. These common surgeries include total knee and total hip arthroplasty, thoracotomy, and multilevel lumbar spine surgery. Unfortunately, many patients requiring these surgeries are already in moderate-to-severe pain, necessitating high doses of oral or transdermal opioids preoperatively. This is an established risk factor for difficult-to-control postoperative pain.(1,2) Opioid-sparing interventions are important elements in these patients to promote convalescence and reduce common opioid side effects such as constipation, confusion, pruritus, nausea, vomiting, and urinary retention. Potential interventions to reduce postoperative pain can include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, gabapentin, and even invasive therapies such as epidural or peripheral nerve blockade. Ketamine is a well-known anesthetic agent that has opioid-sparing analgesic properties, is noninvasive, and in analgesic doses, has few contraindications. This article will review the basic science behind ketamine, some of the evidence supporting its perioperative use, and the logistics of how the Department of Anesthesia at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida rolled out a hospital-wide ketamine infusion protocol.

Robert McClain

Department of Chemistry

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Iridium Oxide-reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid Thin Film Modified Screen-printed Electrodes as Disposable Electrochemical Paper Microfluidic pH Sensors