Melting of two-dimensional tunable-diameter colloidal crystals

Melting of two-dimensional colloidal crystals is studied by video microscopy. The samples were composed of microgel spheres whose diameters could be temperature tuned, and whose pair potentials were measured to be short ranged and repulsive. We observed two-step melting from the crystal to a hexatic phase and from the hexatic to the liquid phase as a function of the temperature-tunable volume fraction. The translational and orientational susceptibilities enabled us to definitively determine the phase transition points, avoiding ambiguities inherent in other analyses and resolving a “dislocation precursor stage” in the solid phase that some of the traditional analyses may incorrectly associate with the hexatic phase. A prefreezing stage of the liquid with ordered patches was also found

The Effects of Trade Names on the Misuse of Some Over-The-Counter Drugs and Assessment of Community Knowledge and Attitudes in Alkarak, Jordan

Mariam I Shaqfeh,1 Ahmad R Alsayed,2 Luai Z Hasoun,2 Heba A Khader,3 Malek A Zihlif4 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 4Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Ahmad R Alsayed, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Applied Science Private University, Amman, 11937, Jordan, Tel +962786770778, Email [email protected], [email protected]: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of the community toward the brand names of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics in Alkarak, Jordan, as well as to assess community’s self-medication behaviors that may lead to misuse of OTC drugs.Patients and Methods: This is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study performed between 7 September and 1 October 2023. The total number of recruited participants was 730 adults from Alkarak, Jordan. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the statistical differences among the means of independent groups. The reliability of each question was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. The Cronbach’s alpha was within the accepted range for all questionnaire items (0.7– 0.9).Results: Most participants were male (60.3%), with an average age equal to 38 ± 11.06 years, having a bachelor’s degree (61.0%) from humanity colleges (43.6%). The highest proportion of the participants were reported to be without chronic diseases and not under chronic medications (57.1%). This study revealed a low knowledge score regarding OTC drug brand names (2.86 ± 0.99 out of five) and unfavorable attitudes toward OTC medicines (2.68 ± 1.04 out of five). However, the study finds a significant relationship between the level of education and knowledge and attitude toward OTC drug brand names (p-value < 0.001). Bachelor’s holder participants had the lowest knowledge of OTC drug brand names, whereas the worst attitude was reported among below diploma participants. Many participants held misconceptions about OTC drug brand names that lead to consumption of the same drugs under different brand names at the same time; especially OTC analgesics.Conclusion: Low levels of knowledge and unfavorable attitudes regarding OTC drug use from different brand names were reported. Increasing the awareness of the community and enhancing the role of physicians and pharmacists in OTC drug consumption may lead to decrease the misuse of these drugs.Keywords: public health, healthcare, non-prescription drugs, brand name, analgesic

Knowledge and Practice of Healthcare Professionals in the Medical Care of Asthma Adult Patients in Jordan with a Particular Reference to Adherence to GINA Recommendations

Rana Ahmad Al-hamaden,1 Anas Abed,2 Heba A Khader,3 Luai Hasoun,1 Abdullah Hatem Al-Dulaimi,4 Ahmad R Alsayed1 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan; 2Pharmacological and Diagnostic Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 4Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital, Mosul, IraqCorrespondence: Ahmad R Alsayed, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan, Tel +962786770778, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: This study aimed to evaluate Jordanian healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills, and experience in dealing with and treating adult asthmatic patients and assess healthcare professionals’ compliance with the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline recommendations for asthma treatment and management in Jordan.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan between May and June 2023. This study included physicians, pharmacists, and nurses working in clinical settings and directly interacting with asthma patients in Jordan’s private and governmental healthcare facilities who were eligible to participate in this research. Three primary sections of an online survey were constructed using Google Forms and included demographic data, a diagnosis and management of the illness, and a list of worldwide medical references for asthma.Results: A total of 300 healthcare professionals, including pharmacists (103), nurses (87), Doctor of Pharmacy (28), and physicians (82), took part in this research. The survey respondents’ general knowledge of the nature and symptoms of asthma is quite high, exceeding 84% and 86%, respectively. The survey also showed a high degree of awareness of asthma diagnosis. It was also revealed that around one-quarter of participants consistently reported the severity of asthma. The most frequent factor influencing the decision to take controller or maintenance medicines is symptom severity (reported from 86% of participants). The GINA guidelines were selected as the asthma information source by almost half of the participants. Finally, 47% of participants were aware of the GINA’s 2019 adjustments of the recommendations.Conclusion: This study showed that Jordanian healthcare professionals understand the nature, symptoms, and diagnoses of asthma disease. However, many of the survey participants lack adherence, awareness, and understanding of the GINA recommendations about asthma management. More research is required to assess the adherence to the evidence-based recommendations and evaluate the impact of training courses.Keywords: adherence, asthma, GINA, healthcare, practitioner

Abstract P1-11-08: A Multicenter Prospective Phase II Trial of Neo-Adjuvant (FEC 100)/Cisplatin-Docetaxel with or without Trastuzumab in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer. Gulf Oncology Research Group (G0RG-001)

Abstract BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of the (FEC100) followed by cisplatin/docetaxel with or without trastuzumab as primary chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC T2&amp;gt; 4cm, N0-2, M0). METHODS: Eighty (80) patients with LABC (T2-T4, No-N2, M0) received 4 cycles of FEC (100) followed by 4 cycles of cisplatin/docetaxel, followed by definitive surgery and locoregional radiotherapy with or without hormonal therapy. Patients with HER2 positive received trastuzumab concurrently with cisplatin docetaxel for a total of 8 cycles (for a total of 6 months). The primary end point was pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and/or axilla for HER2 negative and HER2 positive. RESULTS: Seventy nine (79) patients were evaluable for analysis: median age: 43yrs, Premenopausal: 83%, median tumor size: 7.0cm (≥4 - 10), Stage IIB: 24% and IIIA/IIIB: 76%, both ER/PR positive: 56%, Her2/neu (3+) by IHC staining: 39%. Clinical response was 65% complete response and 28% partial response. Breast conserving surgery was performed in: 10 % and MRM in: 90%.Three (3) patients suffered an asymptomatic and reversible decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction. Pathological complete response (pCR) can b summarized as follow: Overall pCR in breast: 37%, in Axilla: 65%, Breast and axilla: 33%. In patients with HER2 Negative: pCR in breast: 19%, in Axilla: 56%, Breast and axilla: 17%.In patients with HER2 positive: pCR in breast: 65%, in Axilla: 77%, Breast and axilla: 58%.Overall the DFS &amp; OS at 3 years were 88% and 98% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This sequential combination is a safe, feasible and active combination, which associated with high clinical and pathologic response rates, the addition of trastuzumab increased pCR rate in HER2 positive tumors with promising and encouraging outcomes, further investigation of this combination are warranted. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-11-08.</jats:p

Validación de requisitos en el desarrollo de software de sistemas de información: una evaluación empírica de sus beneficios para una institución pública en Lima

Under Peruvian legislation, all information technology offices belonging to public institutions must meet ISO/IEC 12207 and, in the case of small organizations the international standard series ISO/IEC 29110 could be a good strategy to comply with the legislation. In this context, ISO/IEC 29110-5-1-2 establishes to apply software validation to requirements as a relevant activity; but it is an unusual practice during the software development of information systems in Peru. In this study, we assess the benefits of software validation in the context of a public institution technical unit. For this purpose, a case study was performed and a quasi-experimental design was applied on a group of projects. The quality indicators defined increased their values as a consequence of process improvement based on software validation. As a conclusion, applying software validation to requirements is beneficial and contributes to increase project quality

Factors Affecting Vancomycin Trough Concentration; a Population Pharmacokinetic Model in Non-Critical Care Saudi Patients

Aymen Ali Alqurain,1 Laila Nasser Alrashidi,2 Shatha Khalid Aloraifej,2 Moayd Alkhalifah,3 Hawra Ali Alsayed,4 Salah Abohelaika,5,6 Mohammad A Alshabeeb,7,8 Amal Shibak Aldhafeeri,9 Moyad Almuslim,10 Thuraya Nasser Bumozah,11 Mukhtar Jawad Alomar,12 Azhar Abdullah Alshehab,13 Ahmed AbdulWahab Alamer,14 Jenan Al-Matouq,15 Keshore R Bidasee,16– 18 Fadhel A Alomar10 1Department of Clinical Practice, College of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, 91911, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pharmacy, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Dammam, 34222, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacy, Rashid Hospital, Dubai Academic Health Corporation, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 5Research Department, Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif, 32654, Saudi Arabia; 6Pharmacy Department, Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif, 32654, Saudi Arabia; 7Pharmaceutical Analysis Center, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 8King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 9Pharmacy Department, Al Mana General Hospitals, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Pharmacology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia; 11Pharmacy Department, Maternity and Children Hospital in Huffuf, Al Hufuf, Saudi Arabia; 12Pharmaceutical Affair, Dammam Medical Complex, Eastern Health Cluster, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 13Medical Supply Department, Prince Saud Bin Jalawy Hospital, Mubarraz, Saudi Arabia; 14Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdulaziz Hospital in Alahssa, Ministry of National Guard, Mubarraz, Saudi Arabia; 15Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Sciences, Al Safa, Dammam, 34222, Saudi Arabia; 16Department of Pharmacology and Experiment Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA; 17Department of Environment and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA; 18Nebraska Redox Biology Center, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USACorrespondence: Aymen Ali Alqurain, Department of Clinical Practice, College of Pharmacy, NBU, Rafha, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966538862355, Email [email protected] Fadhel A Alomar, Department of Pharmacology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, IAU, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Email [email protected] and Objective: Vancomycin is commonly prescribed in treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. While, vancomycins’ pharmacokinetic vary among older patients, there is a paucity of data regarding specific characteristics influencing pharmacokinetics in Saudi adult patients. This study aims to establish a population-pharmacokinetic (Pop-PK) model for vancomycin in patients admitted to medical wards, with the focus on identification of patient characteristics influencing vancomycin trough concentrations.Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted involving patients aged ≥ 40 years admitted to medical wards in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia and initiated on vancomycin, between January to December 2022. Non-linear mixed-effects modelling (Monolix) was employed to develop the Pop-PK model. A base model was selected based on the Akaike information criterion. Covariates considered included age, sex, body weight, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum creatinine, creatinine clearance (CrCl), and albumin levels. A P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for inclusion of covariates in the final model by stepwise addition. The simulation performance of the model was assessed by visual predictive check plot. The final model was simulated using Simulx software to assess the effect of the included covariates on vancomycin trough concentration.Results: A total of 172 vancomycin trough concentrations from 124 patients were analyzed. The final Pop-PK model characterized vancomycin trough concentrations was one compartment distribution with linear elimination. CrCl and CRP were the only covariates included in the final model, as they reduced the between-subject variability (BSV) for clearance (from 173% to 81%). The simulated model demonstrated that high CRP value and low CrCl contributed to increased vancomycin trough concentrations.Conclusion: This study highlights large BSV in trough concentrations among patients and emphasizes the influencing of CrCl and CRP on vancomycin pharmacokinetics in medical care settings.Keywords: vancomycin trough concentration, C-reactive protein, creatinine clearance, population pharmacokinetics, medical care patient