1,721,011 research outputs found
Design, synthesis and in vitro kinetic study of tranexamic acid prodrugs for the treatment of bleeding conditions
Full text linkBased on density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of several maleamic acid amide derivatives four tranexamic acid prodrugs were designed. The DFT results on the acid catalyzed hydrolysis revealed that the reaction rate-limiting step is determined on the nature of the amine leaving group. When the amine leaving group was a primary amine or tranexamic acid moiety, the tetrahedral intermediate collapse was the rate-limiting step, whereas in the cases by which the amine leaving group was aciclovir or cefuroxime the rate-limiting step was the tetrahedral intermediate formation. The linear correlation between the calculated DFT and experimental rates for N-methylmaleamic acids 1-7 provided a credible basis for designing tranexamic acid prodrugs that have the potential to release the parent drug in a sustained release fashion. For example, based on the calculated B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) rates the predicted t(1/2) (a time needed for 50 % of the prodrug to be converted into drug) values for tranexamic acid prodrugs ProD 1-ProD 4 at pH 2 were 556 h [50.5 h as calculated by B3LYP/311+G(d,p)] and 6.2 h as calculated by GGA: MPW1K), 253 h, 70 s and 1.7 h, respectively. Kinetic study on the interconversion of the newly synthesized tranexamic acid prodrug ProD 1 revealed that the t(1/2) for its conversion to the parent drug was largely affected by the pH of the medium. The experimental t(1/2) values in 1 N HCl, buffer pH 2 and buffer pH 5 were 54 min, 23.9 and 270 h, respectively
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
تقييم ثقافة سلامة المريض في صيدليات المستشفيات الفلسطينية
No full textBackground: Patient safety culture assessment in pharmacies is increasing largely worldwide,
many tools that were used to assess patient safety culture at the hospital settings as a whole are
now adapted to be used for pharmacies. One of the most commonly used and rigorously
validated tools to measure patient safety culture is the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ).
The tool consists of 30 items that cover six safety culture domains.
The intention of this research is to map the patient safety culture in the Palestinian hospital
pharmacies, this will be achieved through measuring and analyzing the patient safety culture
domains there, understanding factors influencing safety culture and examine variations
between different hospital pharmacies. This assessment helps in determining safety culture
domains that are considered as areas of strength, and safety culture domains that are
considered as areas of weakness for each hospital pharmacy.
Mapping patient safety culture in hospital pharmacies will end up by directing each hospital
pharmacy to improve areas of weakness effectively and efficiently.
Purpose: To assess patient safety culture in the Palestinian hospital pharmacies, and to assess
the association of hospitals and respondents characteristics with patient safety culture.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. The English version of the SAQ was translated
and adapted to the Palestinian context. The survey was carried out in (28) Palestinian hospitals
in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All pharmacist assistants, pharmacist, and clinical
pharmacists in these hospitals were targeted, estimated to 115 personnel.
Items mean and scale scores were calculated. Then a composite score equivalent to the
arithmetic mean of the scale scores were also calculated. In order to identify areas of strength
and areas for potential improvement, the percentages of positive responses for the survey
domains and items were calculated. Univariate analysis was used to test associations between
composite patient safety scores and different respondent and hospital characteristics.
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Findings: 73 persons participated in the study, response rate was 68.8%. Females were
66.7%, 51% were pharmacist or clinical pharmacist, and 84.7% were with experience ≥ 5
years in profession. Two SAQ domains, job satisfaction and working conditions, were
identified as areas of strength and received ≥75% of positive responses.
Patient safety level was graded as “accepted” by (50%) of the respondents and none gave their
pharmacy a “Poor” or “Failing” grade. Event reporting was very low, (66%) of the
respondents didn’t report any event in the past year.
In regard to the associations between safety culture domains scores with participants and
hospital characteristics, the association was statistically significant (P<0.05) in regard to
hospital ownership with the teamwork climate (P=0.02), perception of management (P=0.03),
job satisfaction (P=0.001), and working conditions (P=0.02) and all in favor of the private and
NGO hospitals. Participants working in hospitals sized <50 beds were more positive towards
perception of management climate than their counterparts in larger sized hospitals (P=0.031).
The overall safety score was significantly associated only with the hospital ownership
(P=0.002) in favor of the private and NGO hospitals.
No statistically significant associations were found between safety culture domains and the
participant’s age, gender, years of experience in profession and hospital, level of education,
working hours, and job title.
The safety culture domain scores varied largely among different hospital pharmacies. None of
the six domains were positive for four hospitals, twelve hospitals have negative total safety
score and the best result was having five positive safety domains and a positive total safety
score and this result was achieved only by two hospitals.
Conclusions: Safety culture assessment results revealed areas for potential improvement in
Palestinian hospital pharmacies. Hospitals need to formulate specific patient safety culture
interventions to address these weaknesse
القوة العاملة الفلسطينية في الصيدلية :الممارسة والرضا الوظيفي والاتجاهات نحو دورهم كمختصين في الرعاية الصحية
No full textتقييم مستوى المعرفه والسلوك والممارسه تجاه برنامج ادارة المضادات الحيويه بين مقدمي الرعايه الصحيه في مستشفى بيت جالا
Full text linkBackground
Several studies had been conducted about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as a serious threat in
both patient safety and public health which needs urgent interventions. An appropriate and
judicious use of antibiotic is one of the important factors to curb this problem. Antimicrobial
Stewardship Program (ASP) is an effective way of changing prescribing patterns and reducing
inappropriate use in hospitals. The study revealed that Healthcare Providers (HCPs) are aware of
the importance of AMR, and believe that an appropriate use of these agents will reduce this
problem. They also agree that the implementation of ASP is necessary. Despite this concept,
some HCPs lack consistency in practice and attitude towards antimicrobial use.
Objective
The aim of this study is to assess the level of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP)
towards ASP among HCPs at Beit- Jala Hospital.
Method
A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted through an anonymous self-administered
questionnaire given to HCPs at Beit- Jala Hospital in Bethlehem, Palestine from February 15 to
May 15, 2018. The questionnaire was designed based on earlier studies to meet the study
objectives and conceptual framework. In addition, some modifications were done to the
questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was tested and the total instrument reliability test(Cronbach’s Alpha) gave a score of 0.877. Stratified sampling with proportional allocation was
applied for sampling. The inclusion criteria in this study included all healthcare providers
Physicians, Pharmacists, Nurses and Lab technicians, who are willing to participate in the study,
and the exclusion criteria included radiologists. The data were analyzed by using the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences Software (SPSS) version 20 using descriptive statistics, means
and standard deviation and Chi-square test.
Results and Discussion
One hundred and eighty eight 188 out of 214 distributed questionnaire were returned
successfully. Over half 116 (62%) of them were males. Ninety two percent (92%) of the
participants had good knowledge, (44%) had positive attitude towards ASP and (70%) of HCPs
had good practices related to ASP. The demographic character was not a significant predictor of
HCPs knowledge, attitude and practices towards ASP. However, there was a significant predictor
between practice, degree and certificate (p=0.028). There were a positive relationship at the level
of significance ≤0.05 between knowledge and attitude, knowledge and practices, and attitude
and practice. Our results support the implementation of ASP by healthcare institutions to reduce
inappropriate antimicrobial use, reduce adverse consequences of antimicrobial use, improve
patient’s outcome and safety, reduce costs and length of stay, and capture all AMs usage and
containments of antimicrobial agent and decrease resistance.
Conclusions
Despite the fact that the ASP is not implemented in our hospitals, the majority of HCPs had good
knowledge, and practices. However, most of them showed negative attitude towards it. The
Ministry of Health should develop guidelines and policies to implement and monitor ASP in all
governmental and private Palestinian hospitals
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