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Motorsports have become an excellent playground for testing the limits of technology, machines, and human drivers. This paper presents a study that used a professional racing simulator to compare the behavior of human and autonomous drivers under an aggressive driving scenario. A professional simulator offers a close-to-real emulation of underlying physics and vehicle dynamics, as well as a wealth of clean telemetry data. In the first study, the participants' task was to achieve the fastest lap while keeping the car on the track. We grouped the resulting laps according to the performance (lap-time), defining driving behaviors at various performance levels. An extensive analysis of vehicle control features obtained from telemetry data was performed with the goal of predicting the driving performance and informing an autonomous system. In the second part of the study, a state-of-the-art reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm was trained to control the brake, throttle and steering of the simulated racing car. We investigated how the features used to predict driving performance in humans can be used in autonomous driving. Our study investigates human driving patterns with the goal of finding traces that could improve the performance of RL approaches. Conversely, they can also be applied to training (professional) drivers to improve their racing line.

Chronic wound infections represent a significant burden to healthcare providers globally. Often, chronic wound healing is impeded by the presence of infection within the wound or wound bed. This can result in an increased healing time, healthcare cost and poor patient outcomes. Thus, there is a need for dressings that help the wound heal, in combination with early detection of wound infections to support prompt treatment. In this study, we demonstrate a novel, biocompatible wound dressing material, based on Polyhydroxyalkanoates, doped with graphene platelets, which can be used as an electrochemical sensing substrate for the detection of a common wound pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Through the detection of the redox active secondary metabolite, pyocyanin, we demonstrate that a dressing can be produced that will detect the presence of pyocyanin across clinically relevant concentrations. Furthermore, we show that this sensor can be used to identify the presence of pyocyanin in a culture of P. aeruginosa. Overall, the sensor substrate presented in this paper represents the first step toward a new dressing with the capacity to promote wound healing, detect the presence of infection and release antimicrobial drugs, on demand, to optimized healing.

Objective: We previously found that, compared with healthy subjects. asymptomatic hepatitis-B virus (HBV) carriers displaying slow acetylator phenotype demonstrate a significant prolongation of the elimination half-life of 4-methylaminoantipyrine (MAA) and a decrease in the clearance of formation of 4-aminoantipyrine (AA) and 4-formylaminoantipyrine (FAA). However, the formation of 4-acetylaminoantipyrine (AAA) was unchanged. The present study was designed to examine the effect of the asymptomatic HBV carrier state on the metabolism of dipyrone. as a model drug, in rapid acetylators., Methods: The plasma and urine concentrations of the metabolites of dipyrone were measured in eight asymptomatic HBV carriers and eight healthy subjects who had normal liver function tests, all displaying the rapid acetylation phenotype and genotype, after the administration of a 1.0-g oral dose of dipyrone., Results: The following pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated: peak plasma concentration, time to peak plasma concentration, elimination rate constant, area under the plasma concentration-time curve (0-->infinity), amount excreted (0-->infinity), renal and non-renal clearances for MAA and the clearances of formation for AA, FAA and AAA. No significant differences were found between the two subject groups., Conclusion: The effect of hepatic viral carrier state on drug metabolism may vary according to metabolic pathways and genetic polymorphism.

Background: The pharmacokinetics of a number of drugs has been shown to be impaired in patients with acute or chronic viral liver disease., Objective: To examine the effect of the asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carrier state on the metabolism of dipyrone (INN, metamizole) as a model drug., Methods: The pharmacokinetics of the metabolites of dipyrone-4-methylaminoantipyrine, 4-aminoantipyrine, 4-formylaminoantipyrine, and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine-after a 1.0 gm oral dose of dipyrone were evaluated in nine asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B virus with normal liver function tests and nine healthy subjects. All subjects displayed the slow acetylator phenotype., Results: The nonrenal (metabolic) clearance of 4-methylaminoantipyrine was significantly reduced (mean +/- SEM) (123.3 +/- 15.8 versus 182.9 +/- 15.1 ml.min-1, respectively; p < 0.02) in the carriers of hepatitis B virus compared with the healthy subjects, and the elimination half-life of this metabolite was significantly longer (3.69 +/- 0.35 versus 2.64 +/- 0.28 hours, respectively; p < 0.03). The formation clearances of 4-aminoantipyrine and 4-formylaminoantipyrine were significantly smaller in the carriers of hepatitis B virus compared with healthy subjects (33.8 +/- 6.2 versus 55.2 +/- 6.4 ml.min-1; p < 0.03, and 16.7 +/- 2.2 versus 34.2 +/- 4.2 ml.min-1; p < 0.002; respectively). However, the elimination half-life of 4-formylaminoantipyrine was found to be slightly shorter in the carriers of hepatitis B virus. No significant differences were noted between the groups in the pharmacokinetics of 4-acetylaminoantipyrine., Conclusion: The metabolism of dipyrone is impaired in asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B virus. Clinically latent infection with hepatitis B virus seems to exert a differential effect on metabolism of the drug. Oxidative pathways to produce 4-aminoantipyrine and 4-formylaminoantipyrine were significantly affected, whereas acetylation remained intact. This study provided an additional example of the effect of a virus on the disposition of a drug.

Background and Objectives: Dipyrone is an analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory drug. After oral administration it is hydrolyzed to 4-methylaminoantipyrine and further metabolized to 4-aminoantipyrine, 4-formylaminoantipyrine, and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine. This study investigated the disposition of dipyrone metabolites in 12 hospitalized patients with cirrhosis (age, 25 to 65 years) and 27 healthy subjects of two age groups (young, 21 to 40 years; elderly, 73 to 90 years)., Methods: Subjects received 1 gm dipyrone orally, and blood samples were drawn and urine collected over 72 hours. Plasma and urine concentrations of the four metabolites were determined by HPLC., Results: 4-Methylaminoantipyrine terminal elimination half-life (t1/2 beta) in patients with cirrhosis was prolonged compared with young and elderly subjects (mean +/- SEM, 10.6 +/- 0.6 versus 3.1 +/- 0.2 and 4.9 +/- 0.6 hours, p < 0.001), and the nonrenal clearance was reduced compared with the young subjects (1.069 +/- 0.243 versus 2.165 +/- 0.154 ml/min/kg, p < 0.005). 4-Formylaminoantipyrine was undetectable in two patients and in the remaining 10 patients, t1/2 was longer than in the young subjects (26.4 +/- 4.3 versus 10.8 +/- 0.7 hour, p < 0.01), whereas the elderly had intermediate values (18.1 +/- 2.8 hours). Clearance for production of 4-formylaminoantipyrine was reduced in the patients with cirrhosis than in the young and elderly subjects (0.109 +/- 0.024 versus 0.363 +/- 0.031 and 0.340 +/- 0.053 ml/min/kg, p < 0.001). The acetylation phenotype was determined to evaluate the pharmacokinetic parameters of 4-aminoantipyrine and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine. Prolongation of the 4-aminoantipyrine t1/2 and decrease in its clearance for production was found for the patients with cirrhosis, both slow and rapid acetylators, compared with the young and elderly subjects (p < 0.01). 4-Acetylaminoantipyrine t1/2 was also prolonged for patients with cirrhosis, slow and rapid acetylators, compared with the young subjects (p < 0.005). In the slow acetylators, clearance for production of 4-acetylaminoantipyrine did not differ between the patients with cirrhosis and the young subjects (p < 0.5); however, a difference was found for the rapid acetylators (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Our results show that the disposition of 4-methylaminoantipyrine, 4-aminoantipyrine, 4-formylaminoantipyrine, and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine is reduced by chronic liver disease after a single oral dose of dipyrone.

Plasma and saliva pharmacokinetics of dipyrone (CAS 5907-38-0) metabolites, 4-methylaminoantipyrine (MAA), 4-aminoantipyrine (AA), 4-formylaminoantipyrine (FAA) and 4-acetylaminoantipyrine (AAA), has been studied in 10 healthy volunteers, after oral administration of 1.0 g dipyrone, MAA, AA, FAA and AAA saliva concentrations correlated significantly with the respective plasma concentrations (r = 0.81, r = 0.62, r = 0.83 and r = 0.91, p < 0.001). MAA and AA concentrations in saliva were lower than in plasma while the FAA and AAA saliva concentrations were similar to the respective plasma concentrations. The saliva/plasma concentration ratios were highly dependent on sampling time. The elimination half-life of the final metabolites FAA and AAA can be equally evaluated from plasma and saliva data. For MAA, plasma and saliva t1/2 values were significantly correlated despite a substantial intra-subject difference. No correlation was found for AA plasma and saliva derived pharmacokinetic parameters. Similar to the plasma AAA/AA ratio, the saliva AAA/AA ratio in spot sample 6 h following oral dose might be proven to be a reliable discriminatory index for acetylation phenotyping.

We have studied the possible interactions between nifedipine and digoxin in 8 healthy subjects in two ways: A. The effect of digoxin (0.25 mg, tablet q.d. for 8 days) on the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine following single-dose (10 mg capsule) administration. Mean values for peak concentration, area under the serum concentration time curve (AUC), total serum clearance and the half-life of elimination of nifedipine did not differ before and concomitantly with digoxin administration. B. The effect of nifedipine (30 mg t.i.d.p.o. for 6 days) on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin following single dose (0.5 mg i.v.) administration. No significant differences were found between the mean values of the half-life of the alpha and beta phases, the AUC and the apparent volume of distribution of digoxin before and concomitantly with nifedipine administration. However, during the later period, the mean cumulative 96 h urinary excretion of digoxin increased by 18% (p less than 0.05) and the renal clearance of digoxin by 26% (p less than 0.05). No change was found, however, in the total plasma clearance of digoxin.

Codeine and other opiates can induce immediate type wheal and flare skin reactions. Calcium channel blockers including nifedipine have been shown to inhibit mast cell degranulation in different systems. The oral administration of nifedipine (10 mg) did not affect the size of codeine-induced skin reactions in ten normal volunteers. Mean wheal over flare sizes were 11.7 mm/29.2 mm before nifedipine and 11.5 mm/31.0 mm at peak nifedipine blood levels. Similar observations were made when codeine was injected locally with or without 20 micrograms nifedipine (12.1/29.2 mm and 13.2/29.2 mm, respectively). These data suggest that codeine-induced mast cell degranulation may be mediated by a calcium-independent mechanism. Alternatively, mast cells in the human skin may differ in their reactions to secretagogues when compared with basophils and mast cells from other human tissues or other species.

Cyclosporine (CsA) through blood concentrations were determined by polyclonal nonspecific radioimmunoassay (RIA) (Sandoz), monoclonal specific and nonspecific RIA (Sandimmun, Sandoz), monoclonal specific and polyclonal nonspecific RIA, (Cyclo-Trac, INCSTAR) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (TDx, Abbott), at multiple points in time, in two patients receiving CsA for immunosuppression after heart transplantation. Results obtained by the different nonspecific methods have a correlation (r) from 0.76 to 0.94. Concentrations determined by Sandimmun nonspecific RIA, Cyclo-Trac nonspecific RIA and TDx were consistently higher than those by Sandoz nonspecific RIA, owing to different cross-reactivity with CsA metabolites, giving ratios of 1:8, 1:4, and 1:6, respectively. In the first patient, the ratios between nonspecific and specific results were higher during days 1-20 than later on, which coincides with the high serum bilirubin level observed (r = 0.72, n = 31). This observation was not made in the second patient, whose liver function was within normal limits. Because CsA and its metabolites are eliminated primarily in the bile, the high values obtained with the nonspecific assay indicate that CsA metabolites accumulate in blood when liver function is impaired.

Caffeine concentrations in plasma and saliva were measured by HPLC in 12 healthy subjects after a single oral dose of 250 to 350 mg. There was a linear relationship between caffeine concentrations in the two fluids. Mean (+/- SE) saliva: total plasma concentration ratio was 0.79 +/- 0.02, while the ratio of the free (non-protein bound):total concentration of drug in plasma was 0.59 +/- 0.01. We postulate that the higher saliva:total plasma ratio as compared to the plasma free: total ratio is a result of pH partitioning. The mean elimination t 1/2 estimated from plasma and saliva concentration-time curves were much the same (5.7 +/- 0.7 and 5.9 +/- 0.8 hr). Values for total body clearance and apparent volume of distribution obtained from saliva data were higher than values derived from plasma concentrations. These differences could be corrected by multiplying the saliva-derived parameters by the saliva: total plasma concentration ratio. We conclude that saliva sampling could serve as a useful technique for therapeutic drug monitoring as well as for research of caffeine kinetics when many samples are required.