Immigrants and borderline personality disorder at a psychiatric emergency service.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that immigrants have higher rates of psychiatric emergency service use and a higher risk of mental disorders such as schizophrenia than indigenous populations. AIMS: To compare the likelihood that immigrants (immigrant group) v. indigenous population (indigenous group) will be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in a psychiatric emergency service and to determine differences according to area of origin. METHOD: A total of 11 578 consecutive admissions over a 4-year period at a tertiary psychiatric emergency service were reviewed. The collected data included socio-demographic and clinical variables and the Severity of Psychiatric Illness rating score. Psychiatric diagnosis was limited to information available in the emergency room given that a structured interview is not usually feasible in this setting. The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder was based on DSM-IV criteria. Immigrants were divided into five groups according to region of origin: North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Asia and Western countries. RESULTS: Multivariate statistical logistic regression analysis showed that all subgroups of immigrants had a lower likelihood of being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder than the indigenous population independently of age and gender. Furthermore, the rates of borderline personality disorder diagnosis were considerably lower in Asian and sub-Saharan subgroups than in South American, North African, Western or native subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that in the psychiatric emergency service borderline personality disorder was diagnosed less frequently in the immigrant group v. the indigenous group. Our results do not support the concept of migration as a risk factor for borderline personality disorder.

Characterization of ibuproxam binary and ternary dispersions with hydrophilic carriers.

This work investigates the possibility of increasing the dissolution properties of ibuproxam (a poorly water-soluble anti-inflammatory drug) using hydrophilic carriers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene glycol (PEG), or urea, alone or in combination. Phase-solubility studies showed that the carrier solubilizing power was in the order PEG>PVP>urea and evidenced a synergistic effect in drug solubility improvement when using carrier combinations. Binary and ternary systems, at 20/80 or 20/40/40 (w/w) drug/carrier(s) ratios, prepared by coevaporation of their ethanolic solutions or by cogrinding physical mixtures in a high-energy vibrational micromill, were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot stage microscopy (HSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The results of dissolution tests (USP paddle method), in terms of Dissolution Efficiency, indicated that ternary systems were up to 35% more effective than the corresponding binary preparations and coevaporated products were up to 45% more efficacious than the corresponding coground ones. The IBUX-PEG-PVP coevaporated was the best product, allowing a more than three-times increase in Dissolution Efficiency with respect to drug alone; moreover, t50% (> 60 min for pure ibuproxam) was < 10 min, and 90% dissolution was achieved after 30 min, whereas only 40% was obtained after 60 min for pure drug. The best performance of this system was attributed to a joined effect of the strong amorphizing power of PVP (as demonstrated by solid state analyses) with the high solubilizing efficacy of PEG (as emerged from phase-solubility studies). The drug dissolution rate from solid dispersions remained practically unchanged after one-year storage at room temperature in closed containers.

Lemon albedo as a new source of dietary fiber: Application to bologna sausages.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the addition of lemon albedo in bologna sausages. Two types of albedo (raw and cooked) and five concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%) were added to sausages. Chemical, physicochemical and sensory analyses were made. The addition of albedo to bologna sausages represents an improvement in their nutritional properties and may have beneficial effects, possibly due to the presence of active biocompounds which induce a decrease in residual nitrite levels. The formulations which gave products with sensory properties similar to conventional sausages were sausages with 2.5% and 5% raw albedo and 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% cooked albedo.

Study of glimepiride-b-cyclodextrin complex.

The interaction of glimepiride with b-cyclodextrin (b-CD) has been studied by several analytical techniques, including 1H NMR, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder x-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermal analysis (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The existence of an inclusion complex was proved in solution by phase solubility techniques and 1H NMR, and in the solid state by DSC, FTIR and XRD, being isolated by sealed heating and freeze drying procedures.

Leaching of 2,4-D from a soil in the presence of beta-cyclodextrin: laboratory columns experiments.

This study reports on the effect of the presence of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) on the adsorption and mobility of the pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) through soil columns. The previous application of beta-CD to the soil produced a retarded leaching of 2,4-D through the soil column, due probably to herbicide adsorption on the soil through beta-CD adsorbed. However, the application of beta-CD solution to the soil column where 2,4-D had been previously adsorbed, led to the complete desorption of the herbicide, due to the formation of water-soluble 1:1 inclusion complexes between 2,4-D and beta-CD. Beta-CD can be viewed as a microscopic organic-phase extractant. It can be an advantage to remove from soil pesticides which are able to form inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, making them possible candidates for use in in situ remediation efforts.

Ethyl cellulose polymer microspheres for controlled release of norfluazon.

The pesticide norfluazon has been microencapsulated using ethyl cellulose to develop controlled-release formulations that decrease its mobility through the soil and protect it from photodegradation. Ethyl cellulose microspheres loaded with norfluazon were prepared by the solvent-evaporation method. To obtain the microspheres, certain conditions (pesticide/polymer ratio, percentage of emulsifying agent and solvent) were varied. The shape and size of the microspheres obtained were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Other parameters, such as solids recovery, encapsulation efficiency and pesticide loading, were also studied. The release rate of norfluazon from the different microspheres was slower than that of pure norfluazon. In particular, microspheres obtained with o-xylene, which provided the largest diameter, retarded the initial release of the pesticide relative to microspheres obtained with chloroform, or to pure norfluazon. Moreover, the studies showed that the pesticide/polymer ratio controlled the release of norfluazon, which was slower when this ratio was low. Release rates conformed to a generalised kinetic equation for a diffusion-controlled release mechanism, and the time taken for 50% of the active ingredient to be released into water, t50, was calculated.

Development of controlled release formulations of alachlor in ethylcellulose.

The herbicide alachlor (2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl)-acetamide) is frequently implicated in groundwater contamination. Microencapsulated alachlor should have reduced potential for leaching in the soil while maintaining effective biological activity. Microspheres of alachlor were prepared using ethylcellulose, according to the solvent evaporation method. The influence of formulation variables affecting the release rate of pesticide, such as the molecular weight of ethylcellulose, the amount of emulsifying agent, the pesticide/polymer ratio and the particle size, were investigated. The results showed that microspheres retarded the release of alachlor in different degrees. Pesticide/polymer ratio and particle size were the more important factors determining the alachlor release. Ethylcellulose microspheres may prove useful for the prolonged release of alachlor.

Study of omeprazole-gamma-cyclodextrin complexation in the solid state.

The possibility of obtaining inclusion complexes between omeprazole (OME) and gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD) by kneading, spray-drying, coprecipitation, and freeze-drying was evaluated. All these methods lead to the isolation of a true inclusion compound, as evidenced by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry on powder (PXRD). Moreover, PXRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) afforded data concerning crystallinity and surface characteristics of the solid phases obtained. In all cases, a significant increase of the release rate with respect to the drug alone was found, and it was attributed to the formation of an inclusion compound. Among the solid phases obtained, the comprecipitated product presented the highest dissolution rate.

Complexation of ursodeoxycholic acid with beta-cyclodextrin-choline dichloride coprecipitate.

The inclusion complexes of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) coprecipitated with choline dichloride (CDC) or beta-cyclodextrin were investigated to evaluate the effect of the presence of choline for UDCA inclusion in betaCD. The inclusion complexes were investigated in solution by phase solubility diagrams and 1H NMR spectrometry and in solid state (kneading, freeze-drying, sealed heating and spray-drying) by DSC, SEM, HSM, XRD and IR spectroscopy. Stability constants were determined at pH 5.5 and 7.0 to simulate the environmental pH of the first intestinal tract and at different temperatures (25, 30 and 37 degrees C) to obtain the thermodynamic parameters of inclusion. Both betaCD-CDC and betaCD increased the water solubility of UDCA particularly betaCD-CDC. All complexes showed a high dissolution rate particularly the spray-dried complexes obtained in the presence of betaCD-CDC.

Effects of the host cavity size and the preparation method on the physicochemical properties of ibuproxam-cyclodextrin systems.

The effect of cyclodextrin (Cd) complexation on ibuproxam (IBUX) dissolution properties was studied by evaluating both the influence of Cd cavity size and the preparation method used for obtaining solid inclusion complexes. Binary systems of IBUX with natural Cds, prepared using different techniques (kneading, sealed-heating, spray-drying), were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage microscopy (HSM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their dissolution behavior was evaluated according to the dispersed amount method. The nature and the dissolution performance of the end product appeared to be related to both steric factors of host molecule and preparation method of the solid system. The alpha Cd cavity size was less suitable for accommodating the IBUX molecule, whereas spray-drying and sealed-heating methods led to a true inclusion complex of IBUX in the beta Cd and gamma Cd cavity. In contrast, the kneading method did not lead in any case to a real inclusion complex. Spray-dried systems with beta Cd and gamma Cd were the most effective in achieving the enhancement of the IBUX dissolution rate.

Nuclear magnetic resonance investigations of the inclusion complexation of gliclazide with beta-cyclodextrin.

The formation of the gliclazide-beta-cyclodextrin (GL-beta-CD) inclusion compound has been studied in the liquid state by phase solubility techniques and by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. From the initial straight portion of the solubility curve (Bs type), the value of the apparent stability constant (Kc) was calculated as 1094 M(-1). The nuclear magnetic resonance studies confirm that GL yields a complex with beta-CD in aqueous medium, which is mainly due to the penetration of the azabicyclooctyl group of GL into the cavity of beta-CD. The study of the monodimensional nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) of the H3 proton of CD has shown that the tolyl group also interacts with CD, but to a lesser extent than the azabicyclooctyl moiety. Finally, the application of the continous variation technique confirmed the 1:2 drug:CD stoichiometry of the complex.

Dissolution properties and in vivo behaviour of triamterene in solid dispersions with polyethylene glycols.

The applicability of the solid dispersion technique as a method for enhancing the GI absorption of a drug has been explored in order to procure better dissolution characteristics and better bioavailability for triamterene. The physicochemical characterization of the systems has shown the absence of chemical reaction between the drug and the polymers during the solid dispersion elaboration process (melting carrier method). In vitro release profiles have been studied and quantified in terms of dissolution efficiency over the first 30 min (DE30) and dissolution percentage over the first 30 min (DP30). The results have shown that there were no significant differences between the three polyethylene glycols (PEGs) under test. The in vivo effectiveness of the different preparations was also investigated by means of the urinary volumetric excretion (UVE)--pharmacologic effect--and by the estimation of Ke, tmax, and MRT-pharmacokinetic parameters. At end, an analysis of the relative bioavailabilities between formulations has been performed.

Improvement of the diuretic effect of triamterene via solid dispersion technique with PEG 4000.

The present investigation was designed and undertaken in order to substantiate further contention concerning the universality of the utilization of PEG polymers as matrix carriers. This study could then be considered an attempt to enhance the dissolution rate of triamterene, with the subsequent enhancement in its absorption rate, via solid dispersion using PEG 4000. The approach of solid dispersions was found useful for optimizing the pharmacokinetic of triamterene in rats.

The application of solid dispersion technique with D-mannitol to the improvement in oral absorption of triamterene.

Present paper proposes a new system to administer triamterene, a sparing potassium diuretic which presents absorption problems when administered as a free powder, due to its low solubility in water. To increase the dissolution rate and subsequent oral bioavailability of this drug, it has been formulated as solid dispersion. This method involves preparation by the melting carrier method using D-mannitol as matrix. These systems were subjected to USP XXII dissolution rate determination. The results revealed a marked dissolution rate increase of included triamterene in solid dispersions when compared with micronized drug. Further in vivo assays have demonstrated the absorption efficiency for the proposed systems when referred to pure drug. In vitro-in vivo correlation between the parameter T80% (from dissolution rate studies) and the pharmacokinetic one Ke, has found to be acceptable. All the results obtained make this system suited for further formulation in the pharmaceutical industry.