Transient Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy after Interventional Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Hoarseness due to laryngeal nerve injury is a known complication after cardiothoracic surgery involving the aortic arch. However, this complication is only rarely reported after catheter interventions. RESULTS: In this article we present the unusual case of a left-sided vocal cord paralysis in four patients after primary stenting of a re-coarctation, re-dilatation of a stented coarctation, a primary stenting of the left pulmonary artery (LPA), and prestenting for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation with dilation of the LPA. After implanting bare metal stents, it is common practice, whilst contemplating the diameters of the adjacent structures, to optimize the stent diameter in a two-step procedure and dilate the stent until a maximum diameter is achieved and there is no residual gradient after applying this technique. Four of our patients experienced hoarseness after the intervention and a vocal cord paralysis was diagnosed. Angiography revealed no signs of extravasation or dissection. Clinical symptoms improved over the course of the following 6 months; patients with interventions at the aortic arch showed a complete remission, patients with procedures involving the LPA showed only mild regression of the symptoms. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this complication (Ortner's syndrome, cardiovocal syndrome) after such interventions has rarely been reported before. Although a rare complication, the recognition of these symptoms may support colleagues in managing affected patients. In addition, awareness for hoarseness after interventional therapies and systematic screening for this complication might help to identify patients at risk in the future.

Characterizing the Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution of Therapeutic Proteins: An Industry White Paper.

Characterization of the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of therapeutic proteins (TPs) is a hot topic within the pharmaceutical industry, particularly with an ever-increasing catalog of novel modality TPs. Here, we review the current practices, and provide a summary of extensive cross-company discussions as well as a survey completed by International Consortium for Innovation and Quality members on this theme. A wide variety of in vitro, in vivo and in silico techniques are currently used to assess pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of TPs, and we discuss the relevance of these from an industry perspective, focusing on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic understanding at the preclinical stage of development, and translation to human. We consider that the 'traditional in vivo biodistribution study' is becoming insufficient as a standalone tool, and thorough characterization of the interaction of the TP with its target(s), target biology, and off-target interactions at a microscopic scale are key to understand the overall biodistribution on a full-body scale. Our summary of the current challenges and our recommendations to address these issues could provide insight into the implementation of best practices in this area of drug development, and continued cross-company collaboration will be of tremendous value. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The Innovation and Quality Consortium Translational and ADME Sciences Leadership Group working group for the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of therapeutic proteins evaluates the current practices and challenges in characterizing the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of therapeutic proteins during drug development, and proposes recommendations to address these issues. Incorporating the in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches discussed herein may provide a pragmatic framework to increase early understanding of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships, and aid translational modeling for first-in-human dose predictions.

Changing climate - Changing livelihood: Smallholder's perceptions and adaption strategies.

Experts expect that climate change will soon have a severe impact on the lives of farmers in the region surrounding Kerala, India. This region, which is known for its monsoon climate (which involves a distinct temporal and spatial variation in rainfall), has experienced a decrease in annual rainfall over the last century. This study is aimed at investigating how smallholder farmers perceive climate change and at identifying the methods that these smallholders use to adapt to climate change. We use data collected from a survey of 215 households to compare the climate vulnerability of three watershed communities in Kerala. We find that the farmers perceive substantial increases in both temperature and the unpredictability of monsoons; this is in accordance with actual observed weather trends. The selection of effective adaptation strategies is one of the key challenges that smallholders face as they seek to reduce their vulnerability. The surveyed households simultaneously use various adaptation methods, including information and communication technology, crop and farm diversification, social networking through cooperatives, and soil and water conservation measures. The results of a binary regression model reveal that the household head's age, education and gender, as well as the farm's size and the household's size, assets, livestock ownership, poverty status and use of extension services, are all significantly correlated with the households' choices regarding adaptations to cope with climate change.

Are Biotransformation Studies of Therapeutic Proteins Needed? Scientific Considerations and Technical Challenges.

For therapeutic proteins, the currently established standard development path generally does not foresee biotransformation studies by default because it is well known that the clearance of therapeutic proteins proceeds via degradation to small peptides and individual amino acids. In contrast to small molecules, there is no general need to identify enzymes involved in biotransformation because this information is not relevant for drug-drug interaction assessment and for understanding the clearance of a therapeutic protein. Nevertheless, there are good reasons to embark on biotransformation studies, especially for complex therapeutic proteins. Typical triggers are unexpected rapid clearance, species differences in clearance not following the typical allometric relationship, a mismatch in the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) relationship, and the need to understand observed differences between the results of multiple bioanalytical methods (e.g., total vs. target-binding competent antibody concentrations). Early on during compound optimization, knowledge on protein biotransformation may help to design more stable drug candidates with favorable in vivo PK properties. Understanding the biotransformation of a therapeutic protein may also support designing and understanding the bioanalytical assay and ultimately the PK/PD assessment. Especially in cases where biotransformation products are pharmacologically active, quantification and assessment of their contribution to the overall pharmacological effect can be important for establishing a PK/PD relationship and extrapolation to humans. With the increasing number of complex therapeutic protein formats, the need for understanding the biotransformation of therapeutic proteins becomes more urgent. This article provides an overview on biotransformation processes, proteases involved, strategic considerations, regulatory guidelines, literature examples for in vitro and in vivo biotransformation, and technical approaches to study protein biotransformation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Understanding the biotransformation of complex therapeutic proteins can be crucial for establishing a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship. This article will highlight scientific, strategic, regulatory, and technological features of protein biotransformation.

A Decade in the MIST: Learnings from Investigations of Drug Metabolites in Drug Development under the "Metabolites in Safety Testing" Regulatory Guidance.

Since the introduction of metabolites in safety testing (MIST) guidance by the Food and Drug Administration in 2008, major changes have occurred in the experimental methods for the identification and quantification of metabolites, ways to evaluate coverage of metabolites, and the timing of critical clinical and nonclinical studies to generate this information. In this cross-industry review, we discuss how the increased focus on human drug metabolites and their potential contribution to safety and drug-drug interactions has influenced the approaches taken by industry for the identification and quantitation of human drug metabolites. Before the MIST guidance was issued, the method of choice for generating comprehensive metabolite profile was radio chromatography. The MIST guidance increased the focus on human drug metabolites and their potential contribution to safety and drug-drug interactions and led to changes in the practices of drug metabolism scientists. In addition, the guidance suggested that human metabolism studies should also be accelerated, which has led to more frequent determination of human metabolite profiles from multiple ascending-dose clinical studies. Generating a comprehensive and quantitative profile of human metabolites has become a more urgent task. Together with technological advances, these events have led to a general shift of focus toward earlier human metabolism studies using high-resolution mass spectrometry and to a reduction in animal radiolabel absorption/distribution/metabolism/excretion studies. The changes induced by the MIST guidance are highlighted by six case studies included herein, reflecting different stages of implementation of the MIST guidance within the pharmaceutical industry.

Current limitations and future opportunities for prediction of DILI from in vitro.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major concern for drug developers, regulators and clinicians. It is triggered by drug and xenobiotic insults leading to liver impairment or damage, in the worst-case liver failure. In contrast to acute "intrinsic" hepatotoxicity, DILI typically manifests in a very small subset of the population under treatment with no clear dose relationship and inconsistent temporal patterns and is therefore termed an idiosyncratic event. Involved are multifactorial, compound-dependent mechanisms and host-specific factors, making the prediction in preclinical test systems very challenging. While preclinical safety studies in animals usually are able to capture direct, acute liver toxicities, they are less predictive for human DILI, where specific, human-derived in vitro models can potentially close the gap. On one hand, mechanistic approaches addressing key mechanisms involved in DILI in well-characterized and standardized in vitro test systems have been developed. On the other hand, co-cultures of different cell types, including patient- and/or stem cell-derived cells, in a three-dimensional setup allow for prolonged incubations and multiplexed readouts. Such complex setups might better reflect multifactorial human DILI. One major challenge is that for many compounds with human DILI the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood, complicating establishment and validation of predictive cellular tools. A tiered approach including rapid mechanism-based in vitro screens followed by confirmatory tests in more physiologically relevant models might allow minimizing DILI risk early on in vitro. Such complex, integrated approaches will gain from larger collaborations in multidisciplinary groups bringing existing knowledge and state-of-the-art technology together.

A double-tracer technique to characterize absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of [14C]-basimglurant and absolute bioavailability after oral administration and concomitant intravenous microdose administration of [13C6]-labeled basimglurant in humans.

1. The emerging technique of employing intravenous microdose administration of an isotope tracer concomitantly with an [14C]-labeled oral dose was used to characterize the disposition and absolute bioavailability of a novel metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptor antagonist under clinical development for major depressive disorder (MDD). 2. Six healthy volunteers received a single 1 mg [12C/14C]-basimglurant (2.22 MBq) oral dose and a concomitant i.v. tracer dose of 100 µg of [13C6]-basimglurant. Concentrations of [12C]-basimglurant and the stable isotope [13C6]-basimglurant were determined in plasma by a specific LC/MS-MS method. Total [14C] radioactivity was determined in whole blood, plasma, urine and feces by liquid scintillation counting. Metabolic profiling was conducted in plasma, urine, blood cell pellet and feces samples. 3. The mean absolute bioavailability after oral administration (F) of basimglurant was ∼67% (range 45.7-77.7%). The major route of [14C]-radioactivity excretion, primarily in form of metabolites, was in urine (mean recovery 73.4%), with the remainder excreted in feces (mean recovery 26.5%). The median tmax for [12C]-basimglurant after the oral administration was 0.71 h (range 0.58-1.00) and the mean terminal half-life was 77.2 ± 38.5 h. Terminal half-life for the [14C]-basimglurant was 178 h indicating presence of metabolites with a longer terminal half-life. Five metabolites were identified with M1-Glucuronide as major and the others in trace amounts. There was minimal binding of drug to RBCs. IV pharmacokinetics was characterized with a mean ± SD CL of 11.8 ± 7.4 mL/h and a Vss of 677 ± 229 L. 4. The double-tracer technique used in this study allowed to simultaneously characterize the absolute bioavailability and disposition characteristics of the new oral molecular entity in a single study.

Shedding light on minipig drug metabolism - elevated amide hydrolysis in vitro.

1. In recent years, the minipig is increasingly used as a test species in non-clinical assessment of drug candidates. While there is good scientific evidence available concerning cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism in minipig, the knowledge of other metabolic pathways is more limited. 2. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of when, why, and how drug metabolism in minipig differs from other species commonly used in non-clinical studies. In-house cross-species metabolite profile comparisons in hepatocytes and microsomes of 38 Roche development compounds were retrospectively analyzed to compare the metabolism among minipig, human, rat, dog, monkey, rabbit and mouse. 3. A significant contributor to the elevated metabolism observed for certain compounds in minipig was identified as amide hydrolysis. The hepatic amide hydrolysis activity in minipig was further investigated in subcellular liver fractions and a structure-activity relationship was established. When structural motifs according to the established SAR are excluded, coverage of major human metabolic pathways was shown to be higher in minipig than in dog, and only slightly lower than in cynomolgus monkey. 4. A strategy is presented for early identification of drug compounds which might not be suited to further investigation in minipig due to excessive hydrolytic metabolism.

Pharmacology of basimglurant (RO4917523, RG7090), a unique metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 negative allosteric modulator in clinical development for depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious public health burden and a leading cause of disability. Its pharmacotherapy is currently limited to modulators of monoamine neurotransmitters and second-generation antipsychotics. Recently, glutamatergic approaches for the treatment of MDD have increasingly received attention, and preclinical research suggests that metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) inhibitors have antidepressant-like properties. Basimglurant (2-chloro-4-[1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-2,5-dimethyl-1H-imidazol-4-ylethynyl]-pyridine) is a novel mGlu5 negative allosteric modulator currently in phase 2 clinical development for MDD and fragile X syndrome. Here, the comprehensive preclinical pharmacological profile of basimglurant is presented with a focus on its therapeutic potential for MDD and drug-like properties. Basimglurant is a potent, selective, and safe mGlu5 inhibitor with good oral bioavailability and long half-life supportive of once-daily administration, good brain penetration, and high in vivo potency. It has antidepressant properties that are corroborated by its functional magnetic imaging profile as well as anxiolytic-like and antinociceptive features. In electroencephalography recordings, basimglurant shows wake-promoting effects followed by increased delta power during subsequent non-rapid eye movement sleep. In microdialysis studies, basimglurant had no effect on monoamine transmitter levels in the frontal cortex or nucleus accumbens except for a moderate increase of accumbal dopamine, which is in line with its lack of pharmacological activity on monoamine reuptake transporters. These data taken together, basimglurant has favorable drug-like properties, a differentiated molecular mechanism of action, and antidepressant-like features that suggest the possibility of also addressing important comorbidities of MDD including anxiety and pain as well as daytime sleepiness and apathy or lethargy.

In vitro profiling of the metabolism and drug-drug interaction of tofogliflozin, a potent and highly specific sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, using human liver microsomes, human hepatocytes, and recombinant human CYP.

Abstract 1. The metabolism and drug-drug interaction (DDI) risk of tofogliflozin, a potent and highly specific sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, were evaluated by in vitro studies using human liver microsomes, human hepatocytes, and recombinant human CYPs. 2. The main metabolite of tofogliflozin was the carboxylated derivative (M1) in human hepatocytes, which was the same as in vivo. The metabolic pathway of tofogliflozin to M1 was considered to be as follows: first, tofogliflozin was catalyzed to the primary hydroxylated derivative (M4) by CYP2C18, CYP4A11 and CYP4F3B, then M4 was oxidized to M1. 3. Tofogliflozin had no induction potential on CYP1A2 and CYP3A4. Neither tofogliflozin nor M1 had inhibition potential on CYPs, with the exception of a weak CYP2C19 inhibition by M1. 4. Not only are multiple metabolic enzymes involved in the tofogliflozin metabolism, but the drug is also excreted into urine after oral administration, indicating that tofogliflozin is eliminated through multiple pathways. Thus, the exposure of tofogliflozin would not be significantly altered by DDI caused by any co-administered drugs. Also, tofogliflozin seems not to cause significant DDI of co-administered drugs because tofogliflozin has no CYP induction or inhibition potency, and the main metabolite M1 has no clinically relevant CYP inhibition potency.

The need for human breast cancer resistance protein substrate and inhibition evaluation in drug discovery and development: why, when, and how?

Although the multiplicity in transport proteins assessed during drug development is continuously increasing, the clinical relevance of the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is still under debate. Here, our aim is to rationalize the need to consider BCRP substrate and inhibitor interactions and to define optimum selection and acceptance criteria between cell-based and vesicle-based assays in vitro. Information on the preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics (PK), drug-drug interactions, and pharmacogenomics data was collated for 13 marketed drugs whose PK is reportedly associated with BCRP interaction. Clinical examples where BCRP impacts drug PK and efficacy appear to be rare and confounded by interactions with other transporters. Thirty-seven compounds were selected to be tested as BCRP substrates in a cell-based assay using MDCKII cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney cells) and 18 in membrane vesicles. Depending on the physicochemical compound properties, we observed both in vitro systems to give false-negative readouts. In addition, the inhibition potential of 19 compounds against BCRP was assessed in vesicles and in MDCKII cells, where we observed significant system and substrate-dependent IC50 values. Therefore, neither of the two test systems is superior to the other. Instead, one system may offer advantages under certain situations (e.g., low permeability) and thus should be selected based on the physicochemical compound properties. Finally, given the clinical relevance of BCRP, we propose that its evaluation should remain issue-driven: for low permeable, low bioavailable drugs, in particular when other more common processes do not allow a mechanistic understanding of any unexpected absorption or brain disposition, and for drugs with a low therapeutic window.

Calibration of in vitro multidrug resistance protein 1 substrate and inhibition assays as a basis to support the prediction of clinically relevant interactions in vivo.

The multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) is known to limit brain penetration of drugs and play a key role in drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Theoretical cut-offs from regulatory guidelines are used to extrapolate MDR1 interactions from in vitro to in vivo. However, these cut-offs do not account for interlaboratory variability. Our aim was to calibrate our experimental system to allow better in vivo predictions. We selected 166 central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS drugs to calibrate the MDR1 transport screening assay using Lewis lung cancer porcine kidney 1 epithelial cells overexpressing MDR1 (L-MDR1). A threshold efflux ratio (ER) of 2 was established as one parameter to assess brain penetration in lead optimization. The inhibitory potential of 57 molecules was evaluated using IC50 values based on the digoxin ER-IC50(ER)-or apparent permeability-IC50(Papp)-in L-MDR1 cells. Published clinical data for 68 DDIs involving digoxin as the victim drug were collected. DDI risk assessments were based on intestinal concentrations ([I2]) as well as unbound [I1u] and total plasma [I1T] concentrations. A receiver operating characteristic analysis identified an [I2]/IC50(ER) of 6.5 as the best predictor of a potential interaction with digoxin in patients. The model was further evaluated with a test set of 11 digoxin DDIs and 16 nondigoxin DDIs, resulting in only one false negative for each test set, no false positives among the digoxin DDIs, and two among the nondigoxin DDIs. Future refinements might include using cerebrospinal fluid to unbound plasma concentration ratios rather than therapeutic class, better estimation of [I2], and dynamic modeling of MDR1-mediated DDIs.

Variability in P-glycoprotein inhibitory potency (IC50) using various in vitro experimental systems: implications for universal digoxin drug-drug interaction risk assessment decision criteria.

A P-glycoprotein (P-gp) IC50 working group was established with 23 participating pharmaceutical and contract research laboratories and one academic institution to assess interlaboratory variability in P-gp IC50 determinations. Each laboratory followed its in-house protocol to determine in vitro IC50 values for 16 inhibitors using four different test systems: human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2; eleven laboratories), Madin-Darby canine kidney cells transfected with MDR1 cDNA (MDCKII-MDR1; six laboratories), and Lilly Laboratories Cells--Porcine Kidney Nr. 1 cells transfected with MDR1 cDNA (LLC-PK1-MDR1; four laboratories), and membrane vesicles containing human P-glycoprotein (P-gp; five laboratories). For cell models, various equations to calculate remaining transport activity (e.g., efflux ratio, unidirectional flux, net-secretory-flux) were also evaluated. The difference in IC50 values for each of the inhibitors across all test systems and equations ranged from a minimum of 20- and 24-fold between lowest and highest IC50 values for sertraline and isradipine, to a maximum of 407- and 796-fold for telmisartan and verapamil, respectively. For telmisartan and verapamil, variability was greatly influenced by data from one laboratory in each case. Excluding these two data sets brings the range in IC50 values for telmisartan and verapamil down to 69- and 159-fold. The efflux ratio-based equation generally resulted in severalfold lower IC50 values compared with unidirectional or net-secretory-flux equations. Statistical analysis indicated that variability in IC50 values was mainly due to interlaboratory variability, rather than an implicit systematic difference between test systems. Potential reasons for variability are discussed and the simplest, most robust experimental design for P-gp IC50 determination proposed. The impact of these findings on drug-drug interaction risk assessment is discussed in the companion article (Ellens et al., 2013) and recommendations are provided.

Application of receiver operating characteristic analysis to refine the prediction of potential digoxin drug interactions.

In the 2012 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidance on drug-drug interactions (DDIs), a new molecular entity that inhibits P-glycoprotein (P-gp) may need a clinical DDI study with a P-gp substrate such as digoxin when the maximum concentration of inhibitor at steady state divided by IC50 ([I1]/IC50) is ≥0.1 or concentration of inhibitor based on highest approved dose dissolved in 250 ml divide by IC50 ([I2]/IC50) is ≥10. In this article, refined criteria are presented, determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis, using IC50 values generated by 23 laboratories. P-gp probe substrates were digoxin for polarized cell-lines and N-methyl quinidine or vinblastine for P-gp overexpressed vesicles. Inhibition of probe substrate transport was evaluated using 15 known P-gp inhibitors. Importantly, the criteria derived in this article take into account variability in IC50 values. Moreover, they are statistically derived based on the highest degree of accuracy in predicting true positive and true negative digoxin DDI results. The refined criteria of [I1]/IC50 ≥ 0.03 and [I2]/IC50 ≥ 45 and FDA criteria were applied to a test set of 101 in vitro-in vivo digoxin DDI pairs collated from the literature. The number of false negatives (none predicted but DDI observed) were similar, 10 and 12%, whereas the number of false positives (DDI predicted but not observed) substantially decreased from 51 to 40%, relative to the FDA criteria. On the basis of estimated overall variability in IC50 values, a theoretical 95% confidence interval calculation was developed for single laboratory IC50 values, translating into a range of [I1]/IC50 and [I2]/IC50 values. The extent by which this range falls above the criteria is a measure of risk associated with the decision, attributable to variability in IC50 values.

Evaluating TCFD reporting-A new application of zero-shot analysis to climate-related financial disclosures.

We examine climate-related disclosures in a large sample of reports published by banks that officially endorsed the recommendations of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). In doing so, we introduce a new application of the zero-shot text classification. By developing a set of fine-grained TCFD labels, we show that zero-shot analysis is a useful tool for classifying climate-related disclosures without further model training. Overall, our findings indicate that corporate climate-related disclosures increased after the launch of the TCFD recommendations and following individual endorsements. However, there are marked differences in the extent of reporting by recommended disclosure topic, suggesting that some recommendations have not yet been fully met. Our findings yield important conclusions for the design of climate-related disclosure frameworks.

Role of the intestinal peptide transporter PEPT1 in oseltamivir absorption: in vitro and in vivo studies.

It was reported that oseltamivir (Tamiflu) absorption was mediated by human peptide transporter (hPEPT) 1. Understanding the exact mechanism(s) of absorption is important in the context of drug-drug and diet-drug interactions. Hence, we investigated the mechanism governing the intestinal absorption of oseltamivir and its active metabolite (oseltamivir carboxylate) in wild-type [Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1] and hPEPT1-transfected cells (CHO-PEPT1), in pharmacokinetic studies in juvenile and adult rats, and in healthy volunteers. In vitro cell culture studies showed that the intracellular accumulation of oseltamivir and its carboxylate into CHO-PEPT1 and CHO-K1 was always similar under a variety of experimental conditions, demonstrating that these compounds are not substrates of hPEPT1. Furthermore, neither oseltamivir nor its active metabolite was capable of inhibiting Gly-Sar uptake in CHO-PEPT1 cells. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in juvenile and adult rats showed that the disposition of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate, after oral administration of oseltamivir, was sensitive to the feed status but insensitive to the presence of milk and Gly-Sar. Moreover, oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate exhibited significantly higher exposure in rats under fasted conditions than under fed conditions. In humans, oral dosing after a high-fat meal resulted in a statistically significant but moderate lower exposure than after an overnight fasting. This change has no clinical implications. Taken together, the results do not implicate either rat Pept1 or hPEPT1 in the oral absorption of oseltamivir.

Digital competence of higher education learners in the context of COVID-19 triggered online learning.

The spread of COVID-19 caused wide scale disruptions in the educational sector across the globe. Digital education, which involves the use of digital tools, virtual platforms and online learning, is seen as one of the viable alternatives to continue academic activities in such an environment. Higher education institutions have largely switched to this new mode of learning and continue to rely on digital mode in many parts of the world, due to the ongoing pandemic threat. However, learners' competency to effectively engage in online courses and the impact of their socioeconomic background on this competency has not been adequately addressed in the literature. The present study was an attempt to explore these aspects, as they are crucial to the success of digital education. The study was conducted with 833 undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students from an agricultural university to assess their digital competencies and factors that influence effective participation in online courses. The Digital Competence Framework 2.0 of EU Science Hub (DIGCOMP) was adapted and used for this study. Our findings suggest that the learners have a satisfactory level of competence in most of the aspects of digital competence. Majority of the participants were relying on smart phones both as the device for accessing internet as well as for their learning activities. The results of a Tukey's difference in the mean test reveals that learners' digital competence varies significantly by gender, economic profile, and academic level. This finding can be attributed to the difference in their socio-economic background, which confirms digital divide among learners. Our findings have implications for the design of digital higher education strategies and institutional management to ensure effective learner participation, especially for higher education institutions in developing countries.

Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor carmegliptin in rats, dogs, and monkeys.

The pharmacokinetics and excretion of carmegliptin, a novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor, were examined in rats, dogs, and cynomolgus monkeys. Carmegliptin exhibited a moderate clearance, extensive tissue distribution, and a variable oral bioavailability of 28-174%. Due to saturation of intestinal active secretion, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) in dogs and monkeys increased in a more than dose-proportional manner over an oral dose range of 2.5-10 mg/kg. Following oral administration of [(14)C]carmegliptin at 3 mg/kg, > 94% of the radioactive dose was recovered in 72-h post-dose from Wistar rats and Beagle dogs. Virtually, the entire administered radioactive dose was excreted unchanged in urine, intestinal lumen, and bile. Approximately 36%, 29%, and 19% of the dose were excreted by respective routes. Consistently, in vitro, carmegliptin was highly resistant to hepatic metabolism in all species tested. Based on in vitro studies, carmegliptin is a good substrate for Mdr1/MDR1. Breast cancer resistance protein (Bcrp) is not expected to be involved in the transport of carmegliptin since in vitro carmegliptin was not significantly transported by this transporter. The very high extravascular distribution of carmegliptin in the intestinal tissues, as demonstrated in Wistar rats and Beagle dogs, could play a significant role in its therapeutic effect.

Nonclinical pharmacokinetics of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate in the central nervous system.

Oseltamivir, a potent and selective inhibitor of influenza A and B virus neuraminidases, is a prodrug that is systemically converted into the active metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate. In light of reported neuropsychiatric events in influenza patients, including some taking oseltamivir, and as part of a full assessment to determine whether oseltamivir could contribute to, or exacerbate, such events, we undertook a series of nonclinical studies. In particular, we investigated (i) the distribution of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate in the central nervous system of rats after single intravenous doses of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate and oral doses of oseltamivir, (ii) the active transport of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate in vitro by transporters located in the blood-brain barrier, and (iii) the extent of local conversion of oseltamivir to oseltamivir carboxylate in brain fractions. In all experiments, results showed that the extent of partitioning of oseltamivir and especially oseltamivir carboxylate to the central nervous system was low. Brain-to-plasma exposure ratios were approximately 0.2 for oseltamivir and 0.01 for oseltamivir carboxylate. Apart from oseltamivir being a good substrate for the P-glycoprotein transporter, no other active transport processes were observed. The conversion of the prodrug to the active metabolite was slow and limited in human and rat brain S9 fractions. Overall, these studies indicate that the potential for oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate to reach the central nervous system in high quantities is low and, together with other analyses and studies, that their involvement in neuropsychiatric events in influenza patients is unlikely.