Investigating Research Gaps of Pharmaceutical take back Events: An Analysis of take back Program Participants' Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Geographic Characteristics and the Public Health Benefits of take back Programs.

Research continues to show that pharmaceutical environmental contamination causes adverse effects to aquatic life. There are also public health risks associated with pharmaceuticals because in-home reserves of medications provide opportunities for accidental poisoning and intentional medication abuse. Pharmaceutical take back programs have been seen as a potential remedy for these issues; however, a thorough review of past programs indicates limited research has been conducted on take back programs. Furthermore, there are significant gaps in take back program research. To address these gaps and ultimately determine if take back programs could improve public health, research was conducted in conjunction with the take back program Denton drug disposal days held in Denton, Texas. Socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic characteristics of Denton drug disposal days participants were investigated using surveys and Geographic Information Systems. Potential impacts of the Denton drug disposal days program on public health were determined by comparing data from Denton drug disposal days events with data supplied by the North Texas Poison Center. Results suggest that Denton drug disposal days events may have prevented accidental poisonings or intentional abuse, however only qualitative comparisons support this statement and there was insufficient empirical evidence to support the conclusion that Denton drug disposal days events were exclusively responsible for public health improvements. An interesting finding was that there was a definitive travel threshold that influenced participation in Denton drug disposal days events. Overall, this study fills some geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic data gaps of take back programs and proposes methods to analyze and improve participation in future take back programs. These methods could also be applied to improve participation in other local environmentally-focused programs such as household hazardous collection events.

Quantitative analysis and molecular fingerprinting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in different patient populations: a prospective, multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: To better understand the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection in different patient populations, to perform quantitative analysis of MRSA in nasal cultures, and to characterize strains using molecular fingerprinting. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter study. SETTING: Eleven different inpatient and outpatient healthcare facilities. PARTICIPANTS: MRSA-positive inpatients identified in an active surveillance program; inpatients and outpatients receiving hemodialysis; inpatients and outpatients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; patients requiring cardiac surgery; and elderly patients requiring long-term care. METHODS. Nasal swab samples were obtained from January 23, 2006, through July 27, 2007; MRSA strains were quantified and characterized by molecular fingerprinting. RESULTS: A total of 444 nares swab specimens yielded MRSA (geometric mean quantity, 794 CFU per swab; range, 3-15,000,000 CFU per swab). MRSA prevalence was 20% for elderly residents of long-term care facilities (25 of 125 residents), 16% for HIV-infected outpatients (78 of 494 outpatients), 15% for outpatients receiving hemodialysis (31 of 208 outpatients), 14% for inpatients receiving hemodialysis (86 of 623 inpatients), 3% for HIV-infected inpatients (5 of 161 inpatients), and 3% for inpatients requiring cardiac surgery (6 of 199 inpatients). The highest geometric mean quantity of MRSA was for inpatients requiring cardiac surgery (11,500 CFU per swab). An association was found between HIV infection and colonization with the USA300 or USA500 strain of MRSA (P < or = .001). The Brazilian clone was found for the first time in the United States. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns for 11 isolates were not compatible with known USA types or clones. CONCLUSION: Nasal swab specimens positive for MRSA had a geometric mean quantity of 794 CFU per swab, with great diversity in the quantity of MRSA at this anatomic site. Outpatient populations at high risk for MRSA carriage were elderly residents of long-term care facilities, HIV-infected outpatients, and outpatients receiving hemodialysis.

Asymmetrical cross-tolerance between morphine and scopolamine induced antinociception in the primate: differential sites of action.

Two experiments explored the role of the cholinergic system in mediating morphine induced analgesia in the rhesus monkey. Experiment 1 tested for cross-tolerance between two antinociceptive compounds, morphine and scopolamine, using the shock titration technqiue. Tolerance to morphine attentuated the response to scopolamine but tolerance to scopolamine had no effect on morphine induced antinociception. In Experiment 2, the shock threshold was not modified by injections of scopolamine or arecoline into brain sites which had previously been found to be responsive (in terms of antinociception) to morphine injections. These findings are interpreted to imply that morphine and scopolamine do not exert their antinociceptive effects through identical neural substrates, although Experiment 1 does suggest a certain degree of overlap between such substrates.

Amino acid and protein metabolism during differentiation (sclerotization) of the myxomycete Physarum flavicomum.

Protein synthesized by growing plasmodia of Physarum flavicomum was steadily degraded when the plasmodia were induced to differentiate (form sclerotia). Protein synthesis occurred during the initial one-fifth (9 h) of the 48 h differentiation period, but most of this protein was also degraded shortly after its synthesis. Amino acids were primary catabolites during the differentiation process, and catabolism was extensive, even in the presence of dextrose. Glutamic acid was catabolized at a rate about two and a half or three times greater, respectively, than that observed for valine and arginine. Active transport systems for amino acids appeared to be present and to remain functional in P. flavicomum during differentiation. Amino acids included in the sclerotization media were rapidly accumulated into the cell pool and protein fractions. Intracellular amino acids were actively retained and were not released into the medium during differentiation. Differentiation of this Myxomycete, therefore, is characterized by a change in the metabolism of the sclerotizing plasmodium to an autolytic type, as cellular proteins and amino acids are actively catabolized during the formation of the dormant sclerotia.

Nutritional control of differentiation (sclerotization) of the myxomycete Physarum flavicomum.

During differentiation (sclerotization) of the Myxomycete Physarum flavicomum, the acellular phasmodium converts into numerous dormant cells surrounded by cell walls. This work establishes that a condition of nutrient imbalance triggers the differentiation process. Specifically, the unavailability of an adequate spectrum of amino acids in the medium initiates the metabolic and morphological alterations characteristic of the sclerotizing plasmodium. In the absence of extracellular amino acids, the cellular pool of amino acids and cellular protein were catabolized as differentiation proceeded. The pattern of amino acids in the cellular pool also changed during differentiation, as the content of pool amino acids was reduced at least 75 percent. The decrease in protein content was negligible after 12 h incubation but was about 40 percent at 48 h when differentiation was complete. However, in the presence of extracellular amino acids, protein degradation, amino acid pool depletion, and differentiation were all inhibited. Ammonium ions (12.4 mM) similarly delayed differentiation. Differentiation, amino acid pool depletion, and the degradation of cellular protein readily occurred in the presence of an extracellular supply of dextrose, which stimulated cell wall formation. The effect of dimethyl sulfoxide, cyclic 3'-5'-adenosine monophosphate, glutathione, diamide, and other compounds on the differentiation process are reported also.

Some effects of response independent reinforcers in multiple schedules.

In Exp. I, rats' lever presses were conditioned on multiple variable-interval variable-interval schedules. Changing one of the multiple schedule components to variable time reduced responding in that component. Further reductions in responding occurred in both components when the schedule was changed to multiple variable-time variable-time. After reinstating the multiple variable-interval variable-time schedule, lower response rates were maintained in the variable-time component during a series of stimulus reversals. In Exp. II, replacement of extinction components of multiple variable-interval extinction or multiple extinction extinction with variable-time schedules for single sessions (probe) resulted in response rate increments in those components. In the former schedule these increases were concomitant with response decreases during the variable-interval components. Response increases in the variable-time probes were related to conditioning history and, as a result, to response probability at the time of the probe.