Potential exposure to risk seemed to be important for patient expectations. Conclusions: Paternalism seemed to dominate our clinical setting. OSI-744 Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor The informed-consent process was definitely a separate issue from signing the consent forms. We conclude that the informed-consent process should be modified to be more functional and appropriate to human psychology. We suggest that education
is necessary for informed consent to promote better quality and safety in health care.”
“Curcumin, a compound found in the Indian Spice tumeric, has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, though the mechanism remains Unclear. Dendritic cells (DCs) are important to generating an immune response and the effect of curcumin on human DCs has not been explored. Selleckchem CHIR 99021 The role curcumin in the DC response to bacterial and vital infection was investigated in vitro using LPS and Poly I:C as models of infection. CD14(+) monocytes, isolated from human peripheral blood,
were cultured in GM-CSF- and IL-4-supplemented medium to generate immature DCs. Cultures were incubated with curcumin, stimulated with LPS OF Poly I:C and functional assays were performed. Curcumin prevents DCs from responding to immunostimulants and inducing CD4(+) T cell proliferation by blocking maturation marker, cytokine and chemokine expression and reducing both migration and endocytosis. These data Suggest a therapeutic role for curcumin as an immune suppressant. Published by Elsevier Inc.”
“Micelles formed in the GI tract by bile acid and lecithin play an important role in oral absorption of poorly soluble drugs. In this situation, the drug molecules are present in equilibrium between the free and micellar states. In this study, the relationship between the free drug concentration and the membrane permeability of poorly soluble drugs was examined. Permeability across a Caco-2 monolayer and a dialysis membrane were measured in a side-by-side chamber system. The concentrations of sodium taurocholate (NaTC) and lecithin were varied to allow measurement of membrane permeability
at different concentrations of free drugs. For troglitazone, hexylparaben, and heptylparaben, an increase in the NaTC and lecithin concentrations caused the permeability across the Caco-2 monolayer to decrease slightly, whereas the permeability across the Screening Library dialysis membrane decreased markedly. In contrast, the changes in permeability of griseofulvin with an increased micelle concentration were similar for the Caco-2 monolayer and the dialysis membrane. Assuming that the permeability for the dialysis membrane reflects the free drug concentration in the medium, these results suggest that troglitazone and alkylparabens, but not griseofulvin, can partition directly from micelles to Caco-2 monolayers. This mechanism may contribute to oral absorption of drugs that are poorly soluble in water. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.