A clinical trial was undertaken to examine the effects of a potent cyclooxygenase inhibitor, flurbiprofen, on both developing and established gingivitis in humans. 21 subjects with healthy gingiva abstained from all oral hygiene procedures for 21 days. 7 subjects were prescribed flurbiprofen, 50 mg b.d. beginning from baseline and a control group (Cl, n = 14) were given placebo. Gingival redness and bleeding on probing were assessed at baseline, 7, 14 and 21 days. Crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were also taken to determine concentrations of PGE2, TxB2 and LTB4 at baseline and at 21 days. Results show that flurbiprofen significantly inhibited the development of redness and bleeding (p < 0.001) effects which were associated with a significant inhibition of TxB2 (p < 0.05). There were no apparent flurbiprofen effects on GCF-PGE2 or GCF-LTB4 during this 21-day gingivitis, model To assess the effects of flurbiprofen on established experimental gingivitis, the model was extended to 28 days. On day 21, the Cl group was subdivided into 2 groups of 7 subjects. One group was prescribed flurbiprofen (50 mg b.d.) for 7 days and controls (C2) continued to take placebo. All subjects continued to abstain from tooth cleaning. Pretreatment (day 21) and post-treatment (day 28) comparisons showed that flurbiprofen again significantly inhibited bleeding (p < 0.001), but did not affect redness. Control subjects demonstrated a significant elevation in gingival bleeding on day 28, and this was associated with significant rises in GCF-PGE2 (p < 0.001), GCF-TxB2 (p < 0.01) and GCF-LTB4 (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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A systematic review of the literature revealed 3 key emerging areas of practice for the EM pharmacist that are associated with positive patient outcomes. These included involvement in management of critically ill patients, AMS roles, and ordering of home medications in the ED.

This article draws on an action research project in primary and secondary schools which was funded through the Campaign for Learning, and supported by Newcastle University with a focus on Learning to Learn. This is a potentially useful concept for teachers and academics as attempts are made to move beyond curriculum driven and assessment-dominated education towards inclusive and lifelong learning. At the end of the academic years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, a total of forty three teachers from schools involved in researching Learning to Learn completed questionnaires and were interviewed about the progress of their individual research projects in the context of the wider programme. They were asked to discuss issues of autonomy and control, expectations and motivation and how change was manifesting itself in their contexts. Clear messages about the need for teacher ownership of the research balanced with the need for scaffolding emerged from our analysis. Learning to Learn: Teacher Research in the Zone of Proximal Development Introduction: How the Learning to Learn project works The Learning to Learn Phase 3 Evaluation is a research project funded through the independent charity Campaign for Learning (CfL) and facilitated by the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University. This project involves 33 primary and secondary schools in three local education authorities (LEAs), representing a wide range of socioeconomic contexts across England (Higgins et al. 2005; 2006). All of the schools have implemented action research interventions under the umbrella term of Learning to Learn (L2L). Working definitions of L2L exist, drawing on ideas of metacognition, Thinking Skills, self-regulation, self-efficacy and self-esteem (see, for example, Claxton, 2002). However, within this project definitions remain fluid and changing, because through the process of research and through the connections made as part of the project the teachers themselves are creating new understandings of what L2L is in practice. This paper presents a snapshot of these developing understandings and provides an exploration of the teachers' experience of and practice in this action research process. Learning to learn is a well-used phrase in contemporary educational debates. It is sometimes equated with lifelong learning or at least the foundational elements in lifelong learning skills (Cornford, 2002) and is widely acknowledged to require the development of metacognitive skills and techniques (e.g. Scraw, 1998; Sternberg, 1998) as well as the development of selfregulation more broadly. In policy terms. learning to learn is firmly part of the skills agenda supporting employability and increased economic competitiveness (Rawson, 2000). The complexity of what is involved can perhaps best be captured in the working definition used by Hargreaves (2005): "learning to learn is not a single entity or skill, but a family of learning practices that enhance one's capacity to learn." With this emphasis on learning practices, rather than a more individual psy...

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The aim of this study was to determine whether the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, flurbiprofen, which has been shown to be an inhibitor of alveolar bone loss in human periodontal disease, is present in human crevicular fluid (CF) following oral dosing. A method is described whereby routine high-performance liquid chromatography is used to detect the drug in only 20 microliters of CF. 5 volunteers abstained from toothbrushing for 21 days to induce experimental gingivitis and increase the resting flow of CF. 100 mg of flurbiprofen was taken by each volunteer on d 21-28. On d 21 and 28, serum and CF samples were taken prior to dosing and afterwards at 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours. On d 21 the mean peak concentration of the drug in serum was about 11 micrograms/ml and was found between 1-2 h after dosing. The respective values for CF (d 21) were 0.32 micrograms/ml and 4 h. On d 28 flurbiprofen was detected in both fluids prior to dosing. The mean peak concentrations after dosing had increased to 13.13 micrograms/ml (serum) and 0.46 micrograms/ml (CF) although the levels of the drug in CF remained relatively constant throughout the observation period on d 28. The results indicate that flurbiprofen may be detected in human CF after oral administration and that the levels are in excess of the plasma level, which in beagles has been shown to inhibit alveolar bone loss in periodontal disease.

Aim The role of clinical pharmacists in the care of hospitalised general medicine patients is evolving from a reactive model of care to a model with an emphasis on interdisciplinary care and more advanced models of care. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the published literature on the effects of roles of clinical pharmacists that extend beyond those activities considered to be standard clinical practice in Australia, on clinical outcomes in hospitalised general medicine patients. Data sources A search of English‐language publications in six databases was conducted. Study selection Peer‐reviewed, English‐language articles were identified across the date range January 2000 to June 2020. Studies were included if they evaluated an inpatient pharmacy service in a general medicine population and the article included a study design with a clear comparator and outcomes such as medication errors or medication appropriateness. Studies evaluating pharmacists’ activities that are considered standard clinical practice for pharmacists in Australia, such as participation on ward rounds, medication reconciliation and patient education were excluded. Results Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria: four evaluating pharmacist‐led anticoagulation or thromboprophylaxis management, one evaluating pharmacist‐led vaccination, three evaluating a pharmacist charting model, two evaluating pharmacist‐led de‐escalation of therapy, one evaluating a pharmacist intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease and one evaluating pharmacist‐led glycaemic control. Conclusions The addition of advanced clinical pharmacist services in the care of general medicine inpatients generally resulted in improved care, with no evidence of harm. Future studies should include multiple sites, larger sample sizes, reproducible interventions and identification of patient‐specific factors that lead to improved outcomes.