Search

Background: Memes have gone "viral," gaining increasing prominence as an effective communications strategy based on their unique ability to engage, educate, and mobilize target audiences in a call to action through a cost-efficient and culturally relevant approach. Within the medical community in particular, visual media has evolved as a means to influence clinical knowledge transfer. To this end, the GetWaivered (GW) project has leveraged memes as part of a behavioral economics toolkit to address one of the most critical public health emergencies of our time--the 20-year opioid epidemic. As part of a multidimensional digital awareness campaign to increase Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-X waiver course registration, GW investigated the results of meme usage in terms of impressions, website traffic, and ultimately user acquisition, as determined by web-based training enrollment and attendance outcomes. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of implementing humor-based promotional content versus the traditional educational model, and how the translation of the increase in engagement would increase the participant count and website traffic for GW's remote DEA-X waiver training. Methods: The approach to this study was based on 2 time frames (pre- and postcampaign). During April-July 2021, we developed a campaign via advertisements on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the GW website to expand outreach. These memes targeted medical professionals with the ability to prescribe buprenorphine. The time frame of this campaign measured engagement metrics and compared values to preceding months (January-March 2021) for our GetWaivered website and social media pages, which translated to registrants for our remote DEA-X waiver training. Results: By the end of July 2021, a total of 9598 individuals had visited the GW website. There was an average of 79.3 visitors per day, with the lowest number of daily visitors being 0 and the highest being 575. Conclusions: The use of memes may provide a medium for social media engagement (likes, comments, and shares) while influencing viewers to pursue a proposed action, such as e-training registration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses drug enforcement efforts in the U.S. and Mexico from 1969 to 1985. Topics explored include the U.S. law enforcement operation known as Leyenda which investigated the death of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) undercover agent Enrique Camarena in 1985, the political violence associated with U.S. drug control initiatives in Mexico, the financial assistance provided by the U.S. government to the Mexican antidrug campaign Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), factors which contributed to the mutual drug control militarization by both regions, and the response of the Mexican government to the drug control policies implemented by the U.S. government.

This article examines the clandestine connections between participants in the illicit drug trade and members of state security forces to understand how they impact everyday understandings of the law. Drawing on a unique combination of long-term ethnographic fieldwork in a poor, high-crime district in Argentina and wiretapped conversations drawn from a court case involving a drug trafficking group active in the same area, we find that traffickers use illicit relationships to maintain economic control of the territory, and that collusion fosters widespread cynicism about law enforcement among residents. This article expands the literature on the covert relationships between drug trade participants and agents of the state by detailing the inner workings of collusion. Furthermore, it analyzes residents’ perceptions of police complicity as an underexplored source of legal cynicism. Finally, it offers a methodological blueprint of how to access and analyze data that capture state actions usually hidden from public view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Iuridica Toruniensia is the property of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Faculty of Law & Administration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Zonal banning of disorderly and intoxicated young people has moved to centre stage in debates about nightlife governance. Whereas existing research has primarily focused on the use of zonal banning orders to address problems of alcohol-related harm and disorder, this article highlights how zonal banning is also used to target drug-using clubbers in Denmark.Methods: Based on ethnographic observations and interviews with nightlife control agents in two Danish cities, the article aims to provide new insights into how the enforcement of national drug policies on drug-using clubbers, is shaped by plural nightlife policing complexes.Results: The paper demonstrates how the policing of drug-using clubbers is a growing priority for both police and private security agents. The article also demonstrates how the enforcement of zonal bans on drug-using clubbers involves complex collaborative relations between police, venue owners and private security agents.Conclusion: The paper argues that a third-party policing perspective combined with assemblage theory is useful for highlighting how the enforcement of national drug policies and nightlife banning systems is shaped by their embeddedness in local 'drug policing assemblages' characterized by inter-agency relation-building, the creative combination of public and private (legal) resources and internal power struggles. It also provides evidence of how drug policing assemblages give rise to many different, and often surprising, forms of jurisdiction involving divergent performances of spaces-, objects- and authorities of governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HepG2 cells biospecific extraction method and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) analysis was proposed for screening of potential antiatherosclerotic active components in Bupeuri radix , a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The hypothesis suggested that when cells are incubated together with the extracts of TCM, the potential bioactive components in the TCM should selectively combine with the receptor or channel of HepG2 cells, then the eluate which contained biospecific component binding to HepG2 cells was identified using HPLC-ESI-MS analysis. The potential bioactive components of Bupeuri radix were investigated using the proposed approach. Five compounds in the saikosaponins of Bupeuri radix were detected as these components selectively combined with HepG2 cells, among these compounds, two potentially bioactive compounds namely saikosaponin b1 and saikosaponin b2 (SSb2) were identified by comparing with the chromatography of the standard sample and analysis of the structural clearance characterization of MS. Then SSb2 was used to assess the uptake of DiI-high density lipoprotein (HDL) in HepG2 cells for antiatherosclerotic activity. The results have showed that SSb2, with indicated concentrations (5, 15, 25, and 40 μM) could remarkably uptake dioctadecylindocarbocyanine labeled- (DiI) -HDL in HepG2 cells (Vs control group, * P < 0.01). In conclusion, the application of HepG2 biospecific extraction coupled with HPLC-ESI-MS analysis is a rapid, convenient, and reliable method for screening potential bioactive components in TCM and SSb2 may be a valuable novel drug agent for the treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular matrix is composed of a complex array of molecules that together provide structural and functional support to cells. These properties are mainly mediated by the activity of collagenous and elastic fibers, proteoglycans, and proteins such as fibronectin and laminin. ECM composition is tissue-specific and could include matricellular proteins whose primary role is to modulate cell–matrix interactions. In adults, matricellular proteins are primarily expressed during injury, inflammation and disease. Particularly, they are closely associated with the progression and prognosis of cardiovascular and fibrotic diseases, and cancer. This review aims to provide an overview of the potential use of matricellular proteins in drug delivery including the generation of therapeutic agents based on the properties and structures of these proteins as well as their utility as biomarkers for specific diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed a list of the top 100 bestselling drugs as a struggling market for new FDA approvals. Using the time from drug approval by the FDA as a measure of drug age, our analysis showed that the top 100 bestselling drugs are getting older. This reflects the stalled launch of new drugs into the market during recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standard typology of drug trafficking organizations would assist in interpreting the results of studies made of these organizations. Several such typologies have been proposed, and this study examines a widely cited typology that was developed in the 1990s using New York City court data. The typology has two dimensions, organizational tasks and structure. It satisfactorily encompassed the trafficking organizations identified in two new samples: 39 organizations prosecuted in New York City in 1997-2007 and 50 organizations prosecuted during the same period by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The findings supported the generalizability of the typology. They also suggest that drug trafficking organizations adopt a structure congruent with their external environment, including the market for drugs, the type of drugs, ethnicity of those involved in distribution, use of technology in communication and distribution, and levels of law enforcement. Implications of fuller knowledge about the structure and functioning of drug trafficking organizations for research and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apomorphine is a non-narcotic derivative of morphine, which acts as a dopamine agonist to produce psychostimulant like effects. Currently, apomorphine is used in patients with advanced Parkinson׳s disease, for the treatment of persistent and disabling motor fluctuations, but a constellation of addictive syndromes such as excessive over use of medication, compulsive behaviors, and disturbances of impulse control are noticed in certain patients. Research on rodent models using conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm also shows that the drug is rewarding. Previously we have shown that repeated administration of apomorphine produces behavioral sensitization which is prevented in rats co-injected with a low (1.0 mg/kg) but not higher (2.0 mg/kg) dose of buspirone. The present study shows that rewarding effects of apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg) in a CPP paradigm are also blocked in rats co-injected with a low (1.0 mg/kg) but not higher (2.0 mg/kg) dose of buspirone. The levels of serotonin and its metabolite are decreased in the caudate as well as nucleus accumbens of rats exhibiting CPP and the decreases do not occur in animals co-injected with low or higher dose of buspirone. The levels of dopamine and its metabolites are not affected in animals exhibiting CPP; administration as well as co-administration of higher dose of buspirone decreased dopamine metabolism in the caudate as well as nucleus accumbens. The findings suggest a critical role of serotonin in the rewarding effects of apomorphine and imply that co-use of buspirone at low doses can help to control addictive syndromes in Parkinson׳s disease patients on apomorphine therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled release systems are an effective means for local drug delivery. In local drug delivery, the major goal is to supply therapeutic levels of a drug agent at a physical site in the body for a prolonged period. A second goal is to reduce systemic toxicities, by avoiding the delivery of agents to non-target tissues remote from the site. Understanding the dynamics of drug transport in the vicinity of a local drug delivery device is helpful in achieving both of these goals. Here, we provide an overview of controlled release systems for local delivery and we review mathematical models of drug transport in tissue, which describe the local penetration of drugs into tissue and illustrate the factors – such as diffusion, convection, and elimination – that control drug dispersion and its ultimate fate. This review highlights the important role of controlled release science in development of reliable methods for local delivery, as well as the barriers to accomplishing effective delivery in the brain, blood vessels, mucosal epithelia, and the skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly sensitive absorption measurements on various samples may be carried out by Fiber-optic Evanescent Wave Spectroscopy (FEWS) in the mid-IR. Such measurements have already been done on solids, liquids and gases, using chalcogenide glass fibers or crystalline fibers. Segments of crystalline AgClBr fibers may be used as sensors of much higher sensitivity if their middle sections are pressed to form flat waveguides. We carried out measurements on micrograms of insoluble or slightly soluble particles in water, when they sedimented on the flattened parts of such sensors. Measurements were also carried out on few micrograms of dry particles that had been pressed onto the flattened parts. Flattened fiber sensors may therefore be used for measurements on micrograms of particles and they can be used for identifying the chemical nature of particles of organic, inorganic or biological materials and for studying their properties. The FEWS method, based on flattened mid-IR fiber sensors, is simple, inexpensive and does not require sample processing. It would be useful for measurements on very small quantities of particles for biomedical applications, for environmental protection, for drug enforcement agencies and for homeland security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The High Point Police Department in North Carolina was the first law enforcement agency to implement a series of “pulling levers” interventions in specific neighborhoods in order to reduce crime problems associated with street-level drug markets. The High Point Drug Market Intervention (DMI) has since received considerable attention among practitioner and researcher audiences given the promise of the strategy seen in prior research. However, no study to date has examined the relative impacts across the different target neighborhood contexts as well as among crime outcomes within High Point. A series of interrupted time series models indicates the initial neighborhood (West End) experienced the greatest offense reductions between the preintervention and postintervention period. The second site (Daniel Brooks) showed more modest crime declines, and the latter two sites (Southside and East Central) did not demonstrate significant crime changes. Potential explanations and directions for future studies are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Soluble guanylate cyclase is a heterodimer receptor that functions in several signal transduction pathways. Conversion of guanosine 5′-triphosphate to 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate second messenger at the catalytic domain is regulated by the changes at heme nitric oxide/oxygen domain of the β-subunit. To better understand conformational changes at heme site that may impact on activities of catalytic domain, three soluble guanylate cyclase homolog proteins with heme at Fe-His state were investigated, and their dynamic behaviors were monitored in both unliganded (apo) and complex with heme. As a result of dynamic conformational changes, Lys110, Asp45, Arg135, and Glu41 were found interacting with the site gate, which may interfere with transportation of small molecules in and out of the heme site. An alternative binding site adjacent to that of heme was identified. Binding affinity of several nitric oxide-independent activators and heme-dependent stimulators was examined, and their binding modes in the heme site and in the alternative binding site in the human soluble guanylate cyclase enzyme were computationally simulated. The calculated binding energies were used as criteria to filter results of virtual high-throughput screenings based on FlexX ligand-docking algorithm and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity properties on databases of available drugs. The identified drugs from virtual high-throughput screening have been suggested for experimental investigations, based on which they may either be directly repurposed or require structural modifications for better physico-chemical and pharmacological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid derivatives was prepared and evaluated for antinarcotic effects on morphine dependence in mice and binding affinities on serotonergic receptors. The key synthetic strategies involve generation of ketones 6-7, esters 9-12 through condensation reaction, and amides 13-19 via coupling reaction using 1-hydroxybenzotriazole/ethyl(dimethylaminopropryl)carbodiimide system in high yield. We found that the naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal syndrome was significantly suppressed by new synthetic 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid derivatives (20 mg/kg/day). Most of 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid derivatives were found to have high affinity to 5-HT1A receptor. The naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal syndrome was attenuated by (+)8-OH-DPAT (0.1 mg/kg/day, i.p.), a 5-HT1A receptor agonist. In cortical neuronal cells, (+)8-OH-DPAT (1 μ m) produced an elevation of the pERK 1/2 expression, and the elevated pERK levels were inhibited by WAY 100635, a 5-HT1A receptor-specific antagonist. Interestingly, the pERK levels were increased by the 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid derivatives and the derivatives-mediated changes in pERK levels were blocked by the WAY 100635. These results suggested that new synthetic 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid derivatives have a potential antinarcotic effect through acting as a 5-HT1A receptor agonist in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Control of intracranial pressure (ICP) before, during and after neurosurgical operations is crucially important. Therefore, trying different methods and drug combinations to attain this goal is an ongoing effort in anesthesiology. In this study we compared two combinations of a narcotic agent with propofol in neurosurgical operations to control intracranial pressure. Methods: In this prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial, we enrolled 34 patients with supratentorial brain tumors who were candidates for craniotomy in Alzahra Hospital in Isfahan, Iran from April 2008 to April 2009. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 17, in whom the first and the second group, respectively, received a combination of "propofol and fentanyl" and a combination of "propofol and remifentanyl" as maintenance of anesthesia. The hemodynamic status, ICP during the surgery, and post-surgical complications in recovery unit were observed for and registered in a questionnaire. Results: Hemodynamic status was similar in both groups and they did not differ in recovery complications except for pain which was more prevalent in remifentanil group (P<0.03). Although the patients in fentanyl group better responded to the drug for lowering ICP than remifentanyl group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: There is no difference between these two anesthetic agent combinations and both could be useful in the anesthesia of neurosurgical operations. However combination of propofol and fentanyl seem to be superior because of more pain relief and a smoother recovery period [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drugs, crime, and public housing are closely linked in policy and politics, and their nexus has animated several intensive drug enforcement programs targeted at public housing residents. In New York City, police systematically conduct 'vertical patrols' in public housing buildings, making tens of thousands of Terry stops each year. During these patrols, both uniformed and undercover officers systematically move through the buildings, temporarily detaining and questioning residents and visitors, often at a low threshold of suspicion, and usually alleging trespass to justify the stop. We use a case-control design to identify the effects of living in one of New York City's 330 public housing developments on the probability of stop, frisk, and arrest from 2004-2011. We find that the incidence rate ratio for trespass stops and arrests is more than two times greater in public housing than in the immediate surrounding neighborhoods. We decompose these effects using first differences models and find that the difference in percent black and Hispanic populations in public housing compared to the surrounding area predicts the disparity in trespass enforcement and enforcement of other criminal law violations. The pattern of racially selective enforcement suggests the potential for systemic violations of the Fourteenth Amendment's prohibition on racial discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Politique Africaine is the property of Karthala Editions Diffusion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BE-3-3-3-3 (1,15-(ethylamino)4,8,12-triazapentadecane) is a bis(ethyl)polyamine analogue under investigation as a therapeutic agent for breast cancer. Since estradiol (E) is a critical regulatory molecule in the growth of breast cancer, we examined the effect of BE-3-3-3-3 on estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive MCF-7 cells in the presence and absence of E. In the presence of E, a concentration-dependent decrease in DNA synthesis was observed using [H]-thymidine incorporation assay. In the absence of E, low concentrations (2.5-10 μM) of BE-3-3-3-3 increased [H]-thymidine incorporation at 24 and 48 h. BE-3-3-3-3 induced the expression of early response genes, c- myc and c- fos, in the absence of E, but not in its presence, as determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). BE-3-3-3-3 had no significant effect on these genes in an ERα-negative cell line, MDA-MB-231. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated enhanced promoter occupation by either E or BE-3-3-3-3 of an estrogen-responsive gene pS2/Tff1 by ERα and its co-activator, steroid receptor co-activator 3 (SRC-3). Confocal microscopy of BE-3-3-3-3-treated cells revealed membrane localization of ERα, similar to that induced by E. The failure of BE-3-3-3-3 to inhibit cell proliferation was associated with autophagic vacuole formation, and the induction of Beclin 1 and MAP LC3 II. These results indicate a differential effect of BE-3-3-3-3 on MCF-7 cells in the absence and presence of E, and suggest that pre-clinical and clinical development of polyamine analogues might require special precautions and selection of sensitive subpopulation of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid-based innovations have achieved new heights during the last few years as an essential component of drug development. The current challenge of drug delivery is liberation of drug agents at the right time in a safe and reproducible manner to a specific target site. A number of novel drug delivery systems has emerged encompassing various routes of administration, to achieve controlled and targeted drug delivery. Microparticulate lipoidal vesicular system represents a unique technology platformsuitable for the oral and systemic administration of a wide variety of molecules with important therapeutic biological activities, including drugs, genes, and vaccine antigens. The success of liposomes as drug carriers has been reflected in a number of liposome-based formulations, which are commercially available or are currently undergoing clinical trials. Also, novel lipid carrier-mediated vesicular systems are originated. This paper has focused on the lipid-based supramolecular vesicular carriers that are used in various drug delivery and drug targeting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since President Felipe Calderon declared war against Mexico's narcotraffickers in 2006, drug violence has escalated and has claimed the lives of over 2000 Mexican police officers. To successfully petition for asylum in the United States, former Mexican police officers facing persecution by the Narcos must prove that they are members of a particular social group. In past cases, courts have refused to find that persecution by the Narcos qualifies a petitioner as a member of a particular social group. This Article argues, however, that former Mexican police officers facing persecution by the Narcos are members of a particular social group based on a shared past experience and should be granted asylum in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several tables are presented which shows drug information related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) including new drugs approved by the FDA, new FDA-approved drug dosage forms and indications, and drug agents waiting for the FDA approval.

The concept of multiple modes of toxic action denotes that an individual chemical can induce two or more toxic effects within the same series of concentrations, for example, reactive toxicity and narcosis. It appears that such toxicity confounds the ability to develop precise predictions of mixture toxicity and makes it more difficult to clearly link a dose-additive combined effect to agents in the mixture having a single common mechanism of toxic action. This initial study of a three-part series begins to examine this issue in greater detail by testing three α-halogenated acetonitriles: (1) in sham combinations, (2) in true combinations, and (3) with a nonreactive nonpolar narcotic. Iodo-, bromo-, and chloro-derivatives of acetonitrile were selected for testing based on their electro(nucleo)philic reactivity, via the S2 mechanism, and their time-dependent toxicity individually. Reactivity of each agent was assessed in tests with the model nucleophile glutathione (GSH). Each acetonitrile was reactive with GSH, but the nonpolar narcotic 3-methyl-2-butanone was not. In addition, toxicity of the agents alone and in mixtures was assessed using the Microtox acute toxicity test at three time points: 15, 30, and 45 min of exposure. Each of the three agents alone had time-dependent toxicity values of about 100%, making it likely that most of the toxicity of these agents, at these times, was due to reactivity. In contrast, the nonpolar narcotic agent lacked time-dependent toxicity. In mixture testing, sham combinations of each acetonitrile showed a combined effect consistent with predicted effects for dose-addition at each time point, as did the sham combination of the nonpolar narcotic. Mixture toxicity results for true acetonitrile combinations were also consistent with dose-addition, but the acetonitrile-nonpolar narcotic combinations were generally not consistent with either the dose-addition or independence models of combined effect. Based on current understanding of mixture toxicity, these results were expected and provide a foundation for the second and third studies in the series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on research concerning diverse biological properties of compounds that share an indazole core. It states that the neuroprotective effects exhibited by flourinated indazoles are presented as one of the most interesting aspects of their biological activities. It notes that drugs with an efficiency to suppress these enzymes have been created to inhibit bilogical effects of nitric acid. Furthermore, it points out that indazoles have been accounted as effective agents to suppress tyrosine kinase.

Drug-related problems in older people during care transitions have become a major public health problem since they threaten patient safety. The objective of our paper is to investigate the extent and frequency of drug-related problems (discontinuity, adherence, errors, interactions and adverse events) after hospital discharge and the efficacy of interventions intended to reduce them. We included 20 studies in the review. All of them underlined the high frequency and complexity of drug-related problems in older people after hospital discharge. Interventions proposed to improve care transitions led to diverse and sometimes contradictory results, but the findings suggested that combining hospital discharge measures with home follow-up strategies is of value. We conclude that it is not possible to estimate the frequency of drug-related problem through a review of selected articles or to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed interventions. More research is needed in this field to reduce uncertainty and generate evidence-based recommendations for physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1965 the British government was forced to admit that the country had an escalating heroin problem, with the supply coming mainly from prescribing by private practitioners. Within the official responses to what was seen at that time as a very worrying public health situation was the decision to fund the setting-up of the Addiction Research Unit (ARU) at the Institute of Psychiatry, London. The US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) generously sponsored a study tour for the nominated director of the ARU shortly before the opening of the British research centre. Extensive contemporaneous diary notes of a visit included contact with administrators, researchers, clinicians, parish priests, narcotic agents and addicts themselves. From a mass of often conflicting advice, some insights could be derived. In particular, these included the need for an awareness of any country's way of dealing with drug problems as a dynamic, multi-factorial total system—a holistic ‘national response’. A further conclusion was to see policy itself as a complex subject for analysis: drug policy should be as much an issue for research as drug taking. Besides these broad conclusions, the experience provided many specific leads to development of a British addiction research programme, and fostered professional friendships of immeasurable worth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article begins with a brief overview of progressive actions the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can take against a clinical investigator. It then goes into details of each step, showing FDA activity trends over time across several variables. Differences are shown between increasing and/or decreasing activity between the FDA branches, how different kinds of investigations have varied, how the outcomes of these investigations fared and the targets of these enforcement activities (i.e. sponsors, investigators and institutional review boards). Recent trends are noted, such as the shifting percentage of no-action-indicated results over time as well as the recognition of shared responsibilities between sponsor, contract research organisation and investigator. This article addresses the FDA's new methodology for selecting sites to audit as well as its plans for an accelerated warning letter process. Finally, the article mentions major areas of increased activity in other governmental areas that investigators should be aware of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The past two decades have seen an increase in heroin-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. We report on trends in US heroin retail price and purity, including the effect of entry of Colombian-sourced heroin on the US heroin market. Methods: The average standardized price ($/mg-pure) and purity (% by weight) of heroin from 1993 to 2004 was from obtained from US Drug Enforcement Agency retail purchase data for 20 metropolitan statistical areas. Univariate statistics, robust Ordinary Least Squares regression and mixed fixed and random effect growth curve models were used to predict the price and purity data in each metropolitan statistical area over time. Results: Over the 12 study years, heroin price decreased 62%. The median percentage of all heroin samples that are of South American origin increased an absolute 7% per year. Multivariate models suggest percent South American heroin is a significant predictor of lower heroin price and higher purity adjusting for time and demographics. Conclusion: These analyses reveal trends to historically low-cost heroin in many US cities. These changes correspond to the entrance into and rapid domination of the US heroin market by Colombian-sourced heroin. The implications of these changes are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study on the application of adenosine-5'- monophosphate (AMP), an indirect challenge agent which is used to make diagnosis of allergic asthma, to young children utilizing the forced oscillation technique (FOT). It notes the demonstration on a high degree of concordance in responsiveness between a shortened challenge and the standard AMP protocol. It stresses the conclusion stating the applicability of the AMP challenge to young children giving concordant responses.