Search

Anthropogenic pressures are causing the widespread loss of wildlife species and populations, with adverse consequences for ecosystem functioning. This phenomenon has been widely but inconsistently referred to as defaunation . A cohesive, quantitative framework for defining and evaluating defaunation is necessary for advancing biodiversity conservation. Likening defaunation to deforestation, we propose an operational framework for defaunation that defines it and related terms, situates defaunation relative to intact communities and faunal degradation, and encourages quantitative, ecologically reasonable, and equitable measurements. We distinguish between defaunation , the conversion of an ecosystem from having wild animals to not having wild animals, and faunal degradation , the process of losing animals or species from an animal community. The quantification of context-relevant defaunation boundaries or baselines is necessary to compare faunal communities over space and time. Situating a faunal community on the degradation curve can promote Global Biodiversity Framework targets, advancing the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.)

Introduction: Low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer has a high false-positive rate with frequent discovery of indeterminate pulmonary nodules. Noninvasive biomarkers are needed to reduce false positives and improve risk stratification. A retrospective longitudinal evaluation was performed to assess chromosomal aneusomy in sputum by fluorescence in situ hybridization (CA-FISH) in four nested case-control studies., Methods: Receiver operating characteristic analysis resulted in two grouped cohorts: a high-risk cohort (Colorado High-Risk Cohort and Colorado Nodule Cohort [68 case patients and 69 controls]) and a screening cohort (American College of Radiology Imaging Network/National Lung Screening Trial and Pittsburgh Lung Screening Study [97 case patients and 185 controls]). The CA-FISH assay was a four-target DNA panel encompassing the EGFR and v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (MYC) genes, and the 5p15 and centromere 6 regions or the fibroblast growth factor 1 gene (FGFR1) and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha gene (PIK3CA). A four-category scale (normal, probably normal, probably abnormal, and abnormal) was applied. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were estimated for each cohort., Results: Sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.55-0.78) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.85-0.98) for high-risk participants and 0.20 (95% CI: 0.13-0.30) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78-0.89) for screening participants. The positive and negative LRs were, respectively, 11.66 (95% CI: 4.44-30.63) and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.24-0.48) for high-risk participants and 1.36 (95% CI: 0.81-2.28) and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.83-1.05) for screening participants., Conclusion: The high positive LR of sputum CA-FISH indicates that it could be a useful adjunct to low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer in high-risk settings. For screening, however, its low positive LR limits clinical utility. Prospective assessment of CA-FISH in the incidentally identified indeterminate nodule setting is ongoing in the Colorado Pulmonary Nodule Biomarker Trial., (Copyright © 2017 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Thin layer techniques proved their usefulness in the analysis of plant extract material. Thanks to their low operation costs, high sample throughput and possibility to gather chromatographic data for the whole sample in a single act, they allowed to find, and in some cases identify, active ingredients often hidden in sophisticated plant extract matrices. It was also proved that the presence of a magnetic field changes the retention of some substances, and moreover changes the separation efficiency of chromatographic systems. In the presented experiment, retention, efficiency and separation abilities of TLC chromatographic systems for mixtures of alkaloids under the influence of magnetic field depending on inductivity of the magnetic field, the saturation of chromatographic chamber and quantity of chromatographed substances were investigated. The results obtained were tested on real plant extracts that revealed the ability of chromatography in a magnetic field for separation of ternary and quaternary alkaloids from Chelidonium majus L. Our experiments proved that the presence of magnetic field induction lines perpendicular to the chromatographic plate plane can influence the width and retention of chromatographed substances, and can be considered as a tool for separation adjustment of plant extracts containing ternary and quaternary alkaloids.

This article consists of two parts. First part is a short review about the role of magnetic phenomena in natural environment, human surroundings, and his activities such as science, engineering, and medicine. The second part of the article presents a set of experiments, their results, and data obtained in a static homogenous magnetic field, generated by a pair of permanent magnets and outside it. Adsorption chromatographic systems were investigated: as chromatographed substances - polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), as stationary phase - silica gel 60, as monocomponent mobile phases - n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, and benzene were used and binary mobile phases n-hydrocarbons - benzene. Magnetic field influences retention and efficiency of investigated chromatographic systems. Experimental data analysis (RF, N) allows us to propose some explanations of the differences between experiment results performed in induced magnetic field and outside it, and in consequence on the changes in the interfacial phenomena induced by field presence., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Bioavailability and/or bioequivalence studies play a key role in the drug development period for both new drug products and their generic equivalents. For both, these studies are also important in the postapproval period in the presence of certain manufacturing changes. Like many regulatory studies, the assessment of bioavailability and bioequivalence can generally be achieved by considering the following three questions. What is the primary question of the study? What are the tests that can be used to address the question? What degree of confidence is needed for the test outcome? This article reviews the regulatory science of bioavailability and bioequivalence and provides FDA's recommendations for drug sponsors who intend to establish bioavailability and/or demonstrate bioequivalence for their pharmaceutical products during the developmental process or after approval.

The objective of this study, was to examine the influence of critical formulation and processing variables as described in the AAPS/FDA Workshop II report on scale-up of oral extended-release dosage forms, using a hydrophilic polymer hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Methocel K100LV). A face-centered central composite design (26 runs+3 center points) was selected and the variables studied were: filler ratio (lactose:dicalcium phosphate (50:50)), polymer level (15/32.5/50%), magnesium stearate level (1/1.5/2%), lubricant blend time (2/6/10 min) and compression force (400/600/800 kg). Granulations (1.5 kg, 3000 units) were manufactured using a fluid-bed process, lubricated and tablets (100 mg metoprolol tartrate) were compressed on an instrumented Manesty D3B rotary tablet press. Dissolution tests were performed using USP apparatus 2, at 50 rpm in 900 ml phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). Responses studied included percent drug released at Q1 (1 h), Q4, Q6, Q12. Analysis of variance indicated that change in polymer level was the most significant factor affecting drug release. Increase in dicalcium phosphate level and compression force were found to affect the percent released at the later dissolution time points. Some interaction effects between the variables studied were also found to be statistically significant. The drug release mechanism was predominantly found to be Fickian diffusion controlled (n=0.46-0.59). Response surface plots and regression models were developed which adequately described the experimental space. Three formulations having slow-, medium- and fast-releasing dissolution profiles were identified for a future bioavailability/bioequivalency study. The results of this study provided the framework for further work involving both in vivo studies and scale-up.

Anthelminthic activity of new esters of 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid containing rests of the title heterocyclic amines has been determined. 3-(Perhydroazepinyl)-propyl ester 6 acts on enchytraeids in vitro 56-fold stronger than piperazine adipate, 2-(perhydroazepinyl)-ethyl ester 5 is the most effective in a therapy of mice infested with nematodes.

This study was designed to demonstrate that properties of a granulation with a given composition, prepared by the spheronizing technique, could be altered by slight changes in process variables alone to satisfy the requirements of the formulator. A complete factorial experimental design was found satisfactory for demonstrating the range of properties to be expected and for showing statistically significant main effects and any linear interactions between selected variables. Results using two levels of five variables showed that initial water content and spheronizer speed had significant main effects on all primary granulation properties studied. While only one formulation was studied, the data suggest that the factorial design can have utility in predicting the properties of granulations prepared at conditions within the limits imposed by the equipment or formulation.