Microbiology, like compounding, is a science that must be demonstrated to show that it is reliable, reproducible, and scientifically sound. Aseptic technique must become second nature to the microbiologist and the compounding pharmacist. With each new drug tested by a quality-control laboratory, there is a responsibility that everything possible is done to ensure that the test result reported i...

Pharmacy compounding involves the preparation of customized medications that are not commercially available for individual patients with specialized medical needs. Traditional pharmacy compounding is appropriate when done on a small scale by pharmacists who prepare the medication based on an individual prescription. However, the regulatory oversight of pharmacy compounding is significantly less...

The spectrum of therapeutic need in veterinary medicine is large, and the availability of approved drug products for all veterinary species and indications is relatively small. For this reason, extemporaneous preparation, or compounding, of drugs is commonly employed to provide veterinary medical therapies. The scope of veterinary compounding is broad and focused primarily on meeting the therap...

The experience of art emerges from the interaction of various cognitive and affective processes. The unfolding of these processes in time and their relation with viewing behavior, however, is still poorly understood. Here we examined the effect of context on the relation between the experience of art and viewing time, the most basic indicator of viewing behavior. Two groups of participants view...

Investigating the methods commonly used to evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity of novel compounds, specifically non-covalent DNA binders, identifies that these methods may not be appropriate. The level of anticancer activity depends not only on the incubation time but also on the absolute amount (number of moles) of drug compound applied, rather than the concentration.

Optimal learning addresses the problem of efficiently collecting information with which to make decisions. These problems arise in both offline settings (making a series of measurements, after which a decision is made) and online settings (the process of making a decision results in observations that change the distribution of belief about future observations). Optimal learning is an issue prim...

OBJECTIVE We review the historical regulation of drug compounding, concerns about widespread use of non-Food and Drug Admiistration (FDA)-approved compounded bioidentical hormone therapies (CBHTs), which do not have proper labeling and warnings, and anticipated impact of the 2013 Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) on compounding. METHODS US government websites were searched for documents co...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the cost of preparing cytostatic drugs in the intravenous preparation unit in a hospital in Mexico. METHOD The annual cost of preparing cytostatic drugs based on the information of 92 days, considering the costs of drugs, the mixing service (including standard solution, quality control, services and waste) and salaries were estimated. The costs are estimated in Mexican p...

PURPOSE The evolution of sterile compounding in the context of hospital patient care, the evolution of related technology, past incidents of morbidity and mortality associated with preparations compounded in various settings, and efforts over the years to improve compounding practices are reviewed. SUMMARY Tightened United States Pharmacopeial Convention standards (since 2004) for sterile com...

Compounding of medications is an important part of the practice of the pharmacy profession. Because compounded medications do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, a pharmacist has the responsibility to ensure that compounded medications are of suitable quality, safety, and efficacy. The Federal Government and numerous states have updated their laws and regulations regarding phar...