BackgroundMost liquid medications are packaged with administration devices, which may be used inappropriately or inaccurately, and sometimes are not used at all. Because of the importance of their proper use for children’s health, this study was designed to assess Saudi mothers’ experiences with measuring cups, syringes, and droppers for oral liquid medications; to compare accuracy of dosing across these devices; and to determine the effects of mothers’ education statuses and pharmacist counseling on dosing accuracy.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study in which mothers were observed as they used a set of commonly available dosing devices which are a dosing cup, syringe, and dropper. Interviews were conducted in the outpatient pharmacy waiting area in several tertiary hospitals and primary clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March and April 2013. Saudi women who were mothers of children aged 12 years old or younger and who gave their consent were eligible. Caregivers other than mothers and subjects with vision problems or cognitive/physical disabilities were excluded. We gathered demographic information such as age, number of children, and education status. Subjects were asked if they had had counseling on how to use measuring devices and which device they preferred. Then, the mothers were required to demonstrate how to measure 5 mL of paracetamol (acetaminophen) syrup using a cup and a syringe and 1 mL of paracetamol syrup using a dropper. Dosing errors were evaluated visually as overdosing, underdosing, or no error (if the dose was accurate). The data were entered into Microsoft Excel and evaluated using Stata 11.1. Logistic regression was employed to determine relationships.ResultsThe results revealed that 58% of participants measured an accurate dose of paracetamol using the oral dosing syringe versus 50% of participants using the dropper and 51% using the dosing cup. In general, participants measured more than the intended dose with the dosing cup and less than the intended dose with the dropper. Furthermore, we found that dosing accuracy for each type of instrument was significantly influenced by the mothers’ education status. Among the study participants, 77% had not had previous counseling on the use of liquid medication measuring devices. However, dosing errors were not affected by previous counseling.ConclusionAmong mothers using measuring devices, the most accurate doses were found to be measured with the use of the oral syringe, whereas the most errors were made with the use of the dropper. Moreover, education status had a significant effect on dosing errors. The use of a pictographic diagram could improve the mothers’ dosing abilities and, thus, reduce dosing errors.

No abstract

Herein, Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) complexes of a previously synthesized triazene ligand, namely, (E)-2-(3-(4-nitrophenyl)triaz-1-en-1-yl)benzo [d]thiazole (L), were prepared. The metal:ligand ratio of complexes was determined by molar ratio method, and complexes were synthesized based on the result ratio (1:2 for Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) complexes, and (1:1) for Cu(II) and Mn(II)). The complexes were characterized by infrared (IR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies, magnetic moment, and/or molar conductance measurements. IR spectra suggested the existence of bidentate binding through the nitrogen atom of the thiazole ring and nitrogen atom of the triazene linkage. Molar conductivities indicated the nonelectrolytic nature of all the complexes. Magnetic moment and EPR of the complexes confirmed their octahedral geometries. Thermal studies were conducted to confirm the structures and analyze the thermal stabilities of the complexes. Activation thermodynamic parameters were determined using the Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger methods. The calf thymus DNA binding activity was investigated by absorption titration experiments and viscosity measurements, and intrinsic binding constants of complexes range from 4.00 Â 10 5 to 5.00 Â 10 5 M À1 . Cytotoxic activities were examined against MCF-7 and HCT-116 cell lines. Although all the complexes exhibited reasonable cytotoxic effects, their cytotoxic activities were in the following order: Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Mn(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II). Zn(II) complex showed the highest activity with IC 50 values are 2.87 and 1.94 μg ml À1 against MCF-7 and HCT-116, respectively. Molecular docking was used to assess the binding affinities of these complexes to colon cancer (3ig7) and breast cancer (1hk7) proteins.Zn(II) complex showed the best docking scores compared with the ligand and other tested complexes. Results of molecular docking well correlated with those of the cytotoxicity experiments.

Maxwell's electric equation and Schrödinger quantum equation are used to find useful expressions for the probability of electrons existence and the electrons transport. The first expression which uses special relatively also shows that the probability of the electrons existence is higher for lower energy states compared to higher energy states where the probability is low. This means that electrons transport takes place from higher energy states to lower states. This conforms to the laws of chemistry where the atom tends to be stable by forcing electrons to occupy lower energy states. The second expression used the momentum velocity relation instead of special relatively. This expression shows also electrons transport from higher to lower states. It also shows that the probability of the electrons existence is higher for lower electrons density regions and lower for higher electrons density regions. This means that the electrons transport is from higher density regions to lower density regions. This conforms to the diffusion law.