Search

A CT-scanner was used to scan 25 mm thick radiata pine boards during drying at 90 °C dry-bulb and 60 °C wet-bulb temperatures. Twenty transverse sections spaced by 10 mm along the length of the boards were CT-scanned six times during drying, and an elastic image registration technique was used to transform the CT-scanned images into moisture content profiles. The resulting images suggested that moisture content distributions did not always resemble diffusion-like moisture transfer mechanism, so common assumptions based on moisture content gradients as the main driving force for wood drying may not always be enough to explain the development of wet and dry zones coexisting below and above fiber saturation point. This paper discusses these findings based on both experimental CT-scanner data and the theory of water potential, which it is argued provides a more complete description of driving forces in wood drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pressure (20 MPa), cyclic, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) treatments can reduce the moisture content of green Pinus radiata sapwood from 150–200% to 35–40%. Such treatments can be used as a dewatering pre-treatment before the kiln-drying of timber. Kiln-drying can utilise various temperature and humidity schedules, targeting around 10% moisture content, with a final stress-relieving steam-conditioning step. After scCO2 treatment and kiln-drying of samples, kiln brown stain was evaluated using the CIE L*a*b* colour space while drying stress was assessed by stress-cup measurements. The most significant results of scCO2 pre-treatment of Pinus radiata sapwood followed by kiln-drying plus steam-conditioning were as follows: Drying from green (36 h from a moisture content (MC) of 164%) using a conventional temperature schedule (90 °C/60 °C) took 2–5 times longer than kiln-drying scCO2 pre-treated boards (37.5% MC) to a target of 10% MC. Colour measurements proved that kiln brown stain does not occur. The use of a steam-conditioning step in reducing internal drying stresses was important irrespective of whether or not there was a scCO2 pre-treatment step. Over all drying schedule combinations, internal drying stress of both green and scCO2 pre-treated timber was similar after kiln-drying plus steam-conditioning. However, using only 90 °C/60 °C schedule data, with steam-conditioning, drying stresses were lower using kiln-drying without the scCO2 pre-treatment. This was surprising since the scCO2 step reduced the moisture content to around 37.5% without significant moisture gradients and so a secondary kiln-drying to 10% moisture content could have been expected to yield lower internal stress levels by preventing large moisture gradients to develop during drying. This result confirms the efficacy of the steam-conditioning step following standard kiln-drying. The colour data demonstrating the prevention of kiln brown stain using kiln-drying schedules offers a path to increasing timber quality for interior applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This single‐center, randomized, 3‐way crossover thorough QT study evaluated the effect of steady‐state supratherapeutic venlafaxine (Effexor) on cardiac repolarization. Fifty‐four healthy adults received double‐blinded extended‐release venlafaxine 450 mg/d and placebo and open‐label positive‐control moxifloxacin 400 mg. The postdose QT intervals corrected for heart rate using the Fridericia formula (QTcF) were assessed on day 14 with an analysis of covariance using a mixed‐effects model. At each time, the upper bound of the 2‐sided 90%CI for time‐matched least‐squares (LS) mean difference between venlafaxine and placebo did not exceed the predefined cutoff of 10 milliseconds; the highest 90%CI upper bound was 5.8 milliseconds 24 hours postdose, demonstrating the lack of effect of venlafaxine on the QTc interval (primary objective). Assay sensitivity was established because the lower bound of the 2‐sided 90%CI for LS mean difference in QTcF between moxifloxacin and placebo was 7.413 milliseconds on day 14 (postdose 3 hours). The exposure‐response analysis demonstrated no evidence of increase in QTcF with increase in venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine concentrations. Also, supratherapeutic venlafaxine was found to be safe and well tolerated. Overall, the results demonstrated the lack of significant prolongation of the QTc interval with supratherapeutic venlafaxine 450 mg/d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is unclear whether discharging patients from renal clinic to primary care is safe.Aim: To determine the characteristics, primary care monitoring and renal outcomes of patients discharged from renal clinic.Design and Setting: A retrospective study of 2236 adults discharged from a tertiary renal clinic between 2013-2018.Method: Patient demographics, primary renal disease, laboratory results and timeline dates were collected from the renal IT system. Timing of blood tests, renal progression, needing dialysis and patient survival were analysed. Reasons for discharge and cause of disease progression were reviewed in patients developing new estimated glomerular filtration rate <20 ml/min/1.73 m2.Results: Patients were older (median age 75; interquartile range 63-84) with non-progressive, seemingly non-proteinuric renal disease. Median time to repeat blood test post-discharge was 75 days with 90% tested within 12 months. Sixty-six percent saw an improvement in kidney function post-discharge and only 13% had a decline of >10 ml/min/1.73 m2. Only 132 patients (6%) developed new advanced chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 20 ml/min/1.73 m2) of whom 40% were palliative, 36% had developed acute kidney injury and 23% discharged for failing to attend clinic. One hundred and thirty-four patients (6%) were referred back to nephrology and eight started dialysis of whom six were discharged for failure to attend clinic.Conclusion: Most discharged patients are low risk of progressive renal disease and need infrequent monitoring. Non-adherent patients discharged for failing to attend appear to be at risk of poor outcomes and new strategies are needed to better support this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

PF‐05251749 is a dual inhibitor of casein kinase 1 δ/ε, key regulators of circadian rhythm. As a result of its mechanism of action, PF‐05251749 may also change the heart rate corrected QT (QTc) circadian rhythm, which may confound detection of drug‐induced QTc prolongation. In this analysis, a nonlinear mixed effect model including a multioscillator function was developed in addition to fitting the prespecified linear mixed effect concentration‐QTc model, to identify QTc liability of PF‐05251749 in the presence of potential circadian rhythm change. The modeling results suggested lack of clinically meaningful QTc prolongation (upper bound of 90% confidence interval for ∆∆QTc < 10 milliseconds) and that the drug‐induced QTc circadian rhythm change was not present. However, simulation results indicated that inference of drug‐induced QTc prolongation could be misleading if the drug effect on QTc circadian rhythm is not properly addressed. The modeling and simulation results suggest that prespecification of the concentration‐QTc model should be reconsidered for drugs with circadian rhythm modulation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The JTpeak interval has been proposed as a new biomarker to demonstrate mixed ion channel effects, potentially leading to reduced late‐stage electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring for mildly QT‐prolonging drugs. ECG waveforms from the IQ‐CSRC study were used. Twenty healthy subjects were enrolled with 6 subjects on placebo and 9 subjects on each of 5 mildly QT‐prolonging drugs — moxifloxacin, dofetilide, ondansetron, dolasetron, and quinine — and 1 negative drug, levocetirizine. A vector magnitude lead was derived from 12‐lead ECGs, and measurements were made on a median beat from three 10‐second replicates. Data were analyzed using a linear concentration‐response model with QTcF and heart rate corrected JTpeak (JTpeak_c) as dependent variables. For moxifloxacin, dofetilide, and ondansetron, all pure hERG blockers, slopes of the concentration (C)‐QTcF and C‐JTpeak_c relationships were positive and statistically significant. With the prespecified linear model, the predicted effects on ΔΔQTcF and ΔΔJTpeak_c were 11.4 and 9.4 milliseconds for moxifloxacin at the geometric mean Cmax on day 1, 9.0 and 11.7 milliseconds for dofetilide and 11.5, and 7.9 milliseconds for ondansetron, respectively. In contrast, dolasetron and quinine, both with additional ion channel effects, prolonged QTcF with a positive C‐ΔQTcF slope and predicted ΔΔQTcF effect on day 1 of 6.2 and 11.4 milliseconds, whereas the C‐ΔJTpeak_c slope and the predicted ΔΔJTpeak on day 1 were negative (−0.3 and −7.5 milliseconds per ng/mL). Pure hERG‐blocking drugs prolonged both the QTc and the JTpeak_c intervals, whereas drugs with mixed ion channel effects, including peak sodium inhibition, prolonged QTcF but not the JTpeak_c interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]