Professional values and pharmacy practice: Keywords and concepts

A range of factors was established, such as knowledge and ethics, which underlay the practice of six groups of health professionals: pharmacists, dentists, doctors, nurses, optometrists and radiographers. These factors have been identified as “concepts”. The method used was content analysis of official documents of the professions, such as codes of ethics and guidance documents. Postal questionnaires were also used to collect data. Nine principal concepts were identified. A “collective professional consciousness” was evident, in which knowledge, patient welfare and ethics were important concepts for the highest quality of practice. The perceived importance of these and other concepts was broadly similar across the professions.

Professional values and pharmacy practice: implications of a predominantly female Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists

It is expected that the Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists of Great Britain will comprise a majority of female practitioners by about the year 2000. It is, therefore, pertinent to compare the opinions of male and female practitioners (pharmacists, doctors, dentists, nurses, optometrists and radiographers) about their practice. This study uses methodology published in an earlier paper to identify those opinions. Male and female practitioners had similar views in three areas: the concepts they considered important for the highest quality of practice, their valuation of patient safety, and the prevalence of conflict between National Health Service policies and professional ideas. There were three concepts which female practitioners considered more important than did males. One was confidentiality. Another was law (and, indeed, more male, than female, pharmacists were both investigated by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Statutory Committee and removed from the Register). The third was “health care art”: a new balance between the artistic and scientific sides of pharmacy is predicted when the majority of pharmacists are female. The one concept which male practitioners considered more important was independence. This may be related to the lower proportion of females than males who have risen to positions of authority.

Evaluation of the anti-tumour action and acute toxicity of kosins from Hagenia abyssinica

The kosins are phloroglucinol derivatives isolated from female flowers of Hagenia abyssinica (Rosaceae) and were tested for possible cytotoxic activity in vitro and in vivo against a panel of three transplantable murine adenocarcinomas of the colon of varying growth characteristics and morphology (MAC system). Significant reductions in colony formation were observed in vitro in MAC 15A tumour following 1, 3, 6 and 24 h exposure to all kosins (alpha-kosin, kosotoxin and protokosin). The kosins (kosotoxin and protokosin) were also found to be cytotoxic against MAC tumour cells in vivo in some cases. Kosotoxin was subjected to preliminary toxicity studies in mice. It showed no observable toxicity up to 200 mg kg-1 orally and was found to be toxic at doses in excess of 50 mg kg-1 (i.p.). A single dose of 100 mg kg-1 (i.p.) was lethal for 100% of the animals.

Chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis of bound and unbound phenolic acids in Lagenaria breviflora fruit

The fruit pulp of Lagenaria breviflora Robert (Cucurbitaceae), used in Nigeria as an anti-bacterial and anti-fertility drug, was found to contain phenolic acids. Isolation and characterization of these compounds was based on column chromatography, TLC, PC, UV, IR and GC-MS. While p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids were found to occur as free and bound acids in the pulp, ferulic acid was found to occur only as an ester. An optimized HPLC procedure for the quantitative analysis of these acids was developed, featuring short retention, times, high sensitivity and excellent resolution. The concentration of these phenols in the fruit mesocarp was established.

Chromatographic and spectroscopic studies on the constituents in male and female flowers of Hagenia abyssinica

The phenolic constituents of male and female flowers of Hagenia abyssinica were examined using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Chromatographic analysis of kosins (phloroglucinols) was carried out using TLC, reversed-phase LC and glass-capillary GLC. Purification of the crude kosins was effected by silica gel column chromatography and purification of phenolic acids using ion-exchange resins and preparative TLC on silica gel. The kosins were characterized by TLC, LC, UV, IR, MS and H1 NMR spectroscopy while the phenolic acids were characterized by UV-spectroscopy, TLC and LC. The phenolic acids found were protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid. The content of the kosins and phenolic acids was established quantitatively for both male and female flowers.

Bio-Transformation of (G-3H)-digitoxin and (G-3H)-digoxin by Digitalis purpurea

The biotransformation of (G- (3)H) digitoxin and (G- (3)H) digoxin has been studied in a strain of Digitalis purpurea in which cardenolides of the B series were predominant. A direct method of introducing the tritiated glycosides into the plant is described and the conversions monitored at intervals during the subsequent 6 weeks. Conversion of labelled digitoxin to purpurea glycosides A and B, gitoxin and gitaloxin occurred. Of particular interest was the conversion of digitoxin to the digitalose - containing glycosides, strospeside and verodoxin. Digoxin, an exogenous glycoside to D. purpurea, was glycosylated to desacetyl lanatoside C; there was some conversion to B and E series glycosides but only minimal formation of A series cardenolides.

Histochemical fluorescence studies on noradrenaline accumulation by Uptake 2 in the isolated rat heart

1. The distribution of noradrenaline accumulated by Uptake(2) (Iversen, 1965) in the isolated perfused rat heart has been observed using histochemical fluorescence microscopy.2. On the basis of the technique used, noradrenaline seems to be predominantly associated with the cardiac muscle cells, but sympathetic nerves and other cardiac structures also serve as retention sites.3. Phenoxybenzamine, normetanephrine and perfusion with noradrenaline at 20 degrees C all decreased noradrenaline accumulation.4. Lowered temperature significantly increased the perfusion pressure and significantly decreased the [(14)C]-sorbitol space in perfused hearts.5. The implications of these results are discussed.