Search

Nutrient limitation and resource competition in bacterial and phytoplankton communities may appear different when considering different levels of taxonomic resolution. Nutrient amendment experiments conducted in a boreal lake on three occasions during one open water season revealed complex responses in overall bacterioplankton and phytoplankton abundance and biovolume. In general, bacteria were dominant in spring, while phytoplankton was clearly the predominant group in autumn. Seasonal differences in the community composition of bacteria and phytoplankton were mainly related to changes in observed taxa, while the differences across nutrient treatments within an experiment were due to changes in relative contributions of certain higher- and lower-level phylogenetic groups. Of the main bacterioplankton phyla, only Actinobacteria had a treatment response that was visible even at the phylum level throughout the season. With increasing resolution (from 75 to 99% sequence similarity) major responses to nutrient amendments appeared using 454 pyrosequencing data of 16S rRNA amplicons. This further revealed that OTUs (defined by 97% sequence similarity) annotated to the same highly resolved freshwater groups appeared to occur during different seasons and were showing treatment-dependent differentiation, indicating that OTUs within these groups were not ecologically coherent. Similarly, phytoplankton species from the same genera responded differently to nutrient amendments even though biovolumes of the majority of taxa increased when both nitrogen and phosphorus were added simultaneously. The bacterioplankton and phytoplankton community compositions showed concurrent trajectories that could be seen in synchronous succession patterns over the season. Overall, our data revealed that the response of both communities to nutrient changes was highly dependent on season and that contradictory results may be obtained when using different taxonomic resolutions.

Objective: To implement a long-term continuing education course for pharmacy practitioners to acquire competency in and accreditation for conducting collaborative comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs)., Design: A 1(1/2)- year curriculum for practicing pharmacists that combined distance learning (using e-learning tools) and face-to-face learning was created. The training consisted of 5 modules: (1) Multidisciplinary Collaboration; (2) Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapy; (3) Rational Pharmacotherapy; (4) CMR Tools; and (5) Optional Studies., Assessment: The curriculum and participants' learning were evaluated using essays and learning diaries. At the end of the course, students submitted portfolios and completed an Internet-based survey instrument. Almost all respondents (92%) indicated their educational needs had been met by the course and 68% indicated they would conduct CMRs in their practice. The most important factors facilitating learning were working with peers and in small groups. Factors preventing learning were mostly related to time constraints., Conclusion: Comprehensive medication review competencies were established by a 1(1/2)- year continuing education curriculum that combined different teaching methods and experiential learning. Peer support was greatly appreciated as a facilitator of learning by course participants.

Objective: To analyse the prescribing of antihypertensives in Finland in 1993., Design: A descriptive three-month follow-up study of reimbursed prescriptions for chronic hypertension dispensed in Finnish pharmacies., Setting: The nationwide prescription data base of the Social Insurance Institution covering 80% of Finnish pharmacies. Material--The study material consisted of 479 744 antihypertensive prescriptions from ATC-groups hypotensives (C02), diuretics (C03), beta blocking agents (C07), and potassium (A12B) for 279 435 hypertensive patients., Results: Of all the prescriptions (excluding potassium supplements), 30% were for beta blocking agents, 24% for diuretics, 22% for calcium channel blocking agents, 20% for ACE inhibitors or ACE inhibitor + diuretic combinations, and 4% for other hypotensives. Two thirds of the men received a drug from a hypotensive group, nearly half were prescribed a beta blocking agent, and 27% a diuretic. Among women the distribution of the different drug groups was more even: more than half the women (55%) were prescribed hypotensives while beta blocking agents and diuretics were prescribed for 43% and 44%, respectively. Due to the different treatment profile between men and women the expenses of treatment also differed. The cost of prescriptions for female patients was, on average, 17% less than that for male patients., Conclusion: The choice of antihypertensive drugs depends on the age and sex of a patient. Prescribing antihypertensive drugs does not fully meet national recommendations. New drugs are gaining ground in the treatment of hypertension. An increase in the cost of treatment will result from this development.

The encephalomyocarditis virus 3C protease has been observed to undergo rapid degradation, both in vivo in mouse cells and in vitro in reticulocyte lysate. Experiments were carried out to characterize the turnover of the 3C protease in reticulocyte lysate. 3C protease prepared in reticulocyte lysate by in vitro translation and processing of a precursor polyprotein could be separated from the proteolytic activity responsible for its degradation. This implies the 3C protease is not directly involved in its own proteolysis. Active 3C protease flanked by only a few amino acids was degraded at a rate identical to that of a similar protein containing an inactivated catalytic site. This indicates that 3C protease activity is not indirectly required for the proteolytic process. Other viral proteins, including the 3D polymerase and capsid proteins, were relatively stable in the lysate. In addition, polyprotein precursors containing 3C protease with an inactive catalytic site and various flanking proteins displayed distinctly different stabilities. These results suggest that the reticulocyte proteolytic system functions in a selective manner toward the viral proteins. The effects of several proteolytic inhibitors on the lysate proteolytic system were evaluated. The results of these experiments indicate that the rapid degradation of the EMC virus 3C protease requires the hydrolysis of ATP.

The sales of antiasthmatics have increased rapidly in the Nordic countries during the 1980s. The causes for this growth in Finland were studied. Four nationwide population surveys show that the prevalence of self-reported asthma has risen, a larger proportion of asthmatic patients are under medication, the number of antiasthmatics per patient has increased, and the dosage recommendations of inhalation glucocorticoids and beta-agonists have grown. The average cost of medical treatment of an asthmatic patient was FIM 1848 (approximately U.S. $510.00) in 1990. The highest average expenses in the 21 districts studied were FIM 2171 and the lowest FIM 1535. To identify the consequences of these variations, the frequency of symptomatic periods as well as the quality of life of the asthmatic patients should be studied.