2015

Background: The objective of this study was to develop a pharmacodynamic (PD) model for antihypertensive effect of amlodipine and valsartan combined therapy. Methods: Pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling was first carried out for both drugs using data collected from 48 healthy volunteers receiving a combined formulation of 10mg amlodipine and 160mg valsartan as a single dose. Systolic […]

Background: Nocturia occurs in about 70% of the elderly, lowering the quality of life seriously. However, due to the lack of understanding of the disease, no objective tool is available for evaluating drug effects. Objective: To develop a model for quantitative assessment of disease characteristics and drug effects in nocturia Design, Setting, and Participants: This […]

Introduction. Antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is one of the three greatest threats to human health according to the WHO, EU and other organisations. Multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria commonly cause serious infections with a high rate of mortality and high degree of morbidity. In the past, β-lactams and aminoglycosides were successfully used to treat susceptible […]

Objectives Sildenafil has been commonly used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction [1]. A previous research explored sildenafil’s effectiveness based on qualitative indices [2], but there has been no report on the quantitative aspect of erectile response of sildenafil. Based on this background, using a repeated time-to-event (RTTE) model, this study aimed to assess onset […]

Introduction Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is an immunosuppressant agent which is increasingly be used in treatment of lupus nephritis patients. Currently it is given as a fixed dose without drug concentration monitoring, however it is likely patients would benefit from more individualised treatment. The objective of this current study is to develop a population pharmacokinetic model […]

Background Complex system models may need to be simplified into simpler structures for many practical applications. Proper lumping is a simplification method that merges the original states into fewer pseudo states to produce a reduced system [1]. Recently a proper lumping technique has been used for the simplification of a large-scale systems pharmacological model [2]. […]

Introduction: High-flux dialysers are widely used in patients receiving haemodialysis due to increased permeability, solute flow and positive outcomes for patients. The clearances of small molecules, including amoxycillin (Amox)/clavulanic acid (Clav), are likely to increase during high-flux haemodialysis (HFHD). This will result in lower exposure and importantly, reduced efficacy. Objectives: This simulation study evaluates the […]

Background: The treat-to-target approach in the management of rheumatoid arthritis involves frequent assessments of a patient’s disease activity to guide drug dose and regimen adjustments until a pre-defined low disease activity state and/or remission has been achieved. However, which metric (single or a composite) that best reflects response to therapy and a change in disease […]

Background: Semi-mechanistic PKPD models [1] have been previously used to describe the time-course of granulopoiesis and resulting neutropenia from cytotoxic cancer chemotherapy. The B cycle of Hyper-CVAD comprises of intravenously administered high-dose methotrexate (MTX) followed by short sequential infusions of cytarabine for treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) for up to four cycles [2]. Neutropenia […]