Thursday, September 26, 2019
Identification and Recommendation of Alternative Strategies for Research Paper
Identification and Recommendation of Alternative Strategies for McDonalds - Research Paper Example The fast-food culture is fast expanding into the developing nations, as more and more people are attracted towards the taste, quick service, consistency and cheap prices. Out of the total restaurant revenues of the developed nations, the fast food outlets account for almost half. "It is no longer enough to just fill someone's stomach - you have to do it better and faster than others do. Product innovation, customer satisfaction, and differentiated promotions are of utmost importance - now more than ever" (Shekeb Naim, 2008) The industry has nearly matured in the developed countries but in countries like India, the fast food industry is growing at a rate of over 40% per annum. The growth of the IT and IT enables services in India were the bulk of urban youth are working with big pay packets and little time to cook are driving the growth. Growing concerns over the fat and salt content of some fast foods have led to severe criticism of eating fast food and have prompted the industry to offer an increasing range of "healthy" fast foods. A typical fast food outlet carries high overheads in terms of rents, rates, labor costs and bank interest charges. The market is labor intensive and involves considerable start-up and ongoing capital investment. The fast-food industry has a lot to thank McDonald's for. Especially the supply chain management of this company is highly regarded as one of the best in any industry and fast food companies try to emulate the McDonald way of operations.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Position Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Position Paper 2 - Essay Example Therefore, it keeps friends and relatives abreast of the happenings in college through the same. The classroom is an area in which social media has a significant impact besides being the core of the higher education experience. According to Kist (2009, p.218), the Pearson Social Media Survey indicated that the lecturers use social media to some extent in their courses. One may employ social media in a classroom setting in various aspects as explained below. Marquis says that social media is majorly used in the classroom as a channel for communication between the instructor and the student. This is true and the link may be created using Facebook whereby the instructor or lecturer posts course syllabus and assignments and can even take attendance. The World Wide Web complements the lecturersââ¬â¢ information that students get. The internet is where students can get in touch with other learners, experts and experiences in the real world, which an individual teacher may not match. A teacher can provide additional insights by using the web to connect students to others. In addition, the teacher may express alternative points of view via the internet. This is the best way to engage students in a much deeper level with the content of the course. Often, teachers assign students work that require them to research from books and other sources to get the required information. With the internet, students can obtain information at a lower cost with regard to time. They also get information that is up-to-date, and from a wide scope. This is because topics such as education, commerce, religion, politics, or even medicine can be accessed on the internet. Thus, allowing students to access and conduct research through the internet aids their learning. As students conduct research in the internet, they also gain skills on how they too can share their own media or critique work done by others; which helps students to participate in their own knowledge of
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Strategic delimma, the quality improvement , equal work load and Case Study
Strategic delimma, the quality improvement , equal work load and quality and patient safety - Case Study Example gaged throughout the project by striving to build trust among team members through team building, strengthening interpersonal relationships and motivating team members by recognizing their contribution to the team (Allio, 2006). I order to get the team underway, Jeff should personally communicate with the expected team members and discuss with them the mission and objectives of the project for them to buy in. After that, he should organize another meeting where they will discuss in detail about the project and progress working on the project with interested members. The committee could have avoided the last minute rush on its project thereby avoiding the conflict on the deadline day of the project. The workload could have been managed easily through cooperation taking in to account the request by one of the team members to be absent for some time at a crucial stage in the project. The committee could work a little bit harder and faster to avoid this scenario. AT the very beginning of the committeeââ¬â¢s life, the leader should have come up with a detailed pan on how the workload will be managed. This plan would take in to account significant issues such as the departure by some members at crucial points in the project, including Marianaââ¬â¢s request. The team should include Marianaââ¬â¢s name on the report because of the contribution she has made so far and her desire to do more work to cater for her time off. It was not Marianââ¬â¢s choice to quit the committee at such a point since it was a leadership failure to plan for her absence despite being forewarned. Kyle should reorganize the remaining members in the committee and device a plan for working out the remaining part of the project without Marianaââ¬â¢s contribution. This will facilitate completion of the project within the desired time despite encountering planning problems in the initial strategy of the project. In order to foster strategic thinking in this situation, I will devise an action plan with details
Monday, September 23, 2019
Managing People Global Context-Human Resources Management Essay
Managing People Global Context-Human Resources Management - Essay Example Indeed, it seems that in Starbucks the contribution of employees in organizational performance is highly appreciated. The role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Starbucks is analyzed below using appropriate literature. It is proved that emphasizing on employee motivation can help an organization to increase its competitiveness even when market conditions are quite turbulent, as today. In order to understand the importance of employee motivation for the standardization of business performance, it is necessary to understand the context of employment relationship, as developed in businesses of different size worldwide. According to a description provided by ILO (2005) the employment relationship is a framework in the context of which an individual, called ââ¬Ëworkerââ¬â¢ provides services to the employer, an individual or an organization, under specific terms (ILO 2005, p.22). The terms of the employment relationship, including the level of payment, the length of days-off and so on, can be differentiated in each country according to the local laws and ethics (ILO 2005, p.22). In the literature, the aspects of employment relationship have been extensively explored. Most theorists have focused on the importance of employee satisfaction for employee performance, at the level that an employee who is satisfied with his job he is more likely to perform high compared to an employee who is dissatisfied, i.e. an employee who feels that his contribution in the development of daily organizational activities is not appropriately appreciated (Kaufman 2004). Reference can be made, for example, to the Motivation - Hygiene theory of Herzberg. The specific theory promotes the idea that ââ¬Ëemployee satisfaction and dissatisfaction have two different dimensionsââ¬â¢ (Pride et al. 2011, p.283). In fact, the factors that can influence employee satisfaction are divided into two categories, Motivation factors and Hygiene factors.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Advantages and Disadvantages of ESL Course Books Essay Example for Free
Advantages and Disadvantages of ESL Course Books Essay The use of course books in the ESL classroom is very common because the course books have the advantages of being visually appealing, easy for the teacher to prepare, and the activities fits well into the timetable. However, from the researcherââ¬â¢s own teaching experience, there are several problems and issues with the course books such as uninteresting topics, repetitive activities, and not enough language exposure. This in terms may affect the studentââ¬â¢s learning attitude and motivation. Overall, using course books has its share of benefits and advantages such as having a well organized content with a consistency in the topics and genres for the four skill area (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Teachers who adopt a course book may also find it easier to teach since most of the preparation, including the types of activities, audios and in some cases, achievement tests, are already done by the publisher. This would be a great help to those inexperienced teachers who are just getting started into teaching. However, nothing in the world is perfect and teachers need to somehow solve the issues and problems that may come with ESL course books. These issues and problems may include finding ways to motivate students and teaching students academic skills not found in the course books. In this sense, the teacherââ¬â¢s job is not as easy as it seems. Many hours of planning and developing other activities are still required, but these planning and development will benefit both the student and the teacher by making the classroom activities more fun, more interesting, and result in more learning.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Exploring An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
Exploring An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge The short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge has received more critical attention than any other single work written by Ambrose Bierce. This is most likely because of the way the story combines into one text the best components distributed among much of Bierces fiction such as narrative, plot, imagery, the exposure of human-deception, and a surprise ending (Stoicheff 1). In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Bierce differentiates between internal and external worlds and illustrates that the mind can create its own realities and escapes. He does not tell the reader that Farquhar is hallucinating, but instead expects the reader to evaluate the story and realize the impossibility of events described in the final events of the story. With such literary techniques, Bierce opposed many of the literary trends of his day in both his journalism and his fiction. He believed any view of life which ignored the unconscious processes of mind could not call itself realistic (Davidson 2). Bierc es works reflect his obsession with ironic, unnecessary, and strange death, as well as his cynical, disillusioned attitude on the meaninglessness of life (Habibi 2). He detested war and saw firsthand the absurdity and insanity of it. This emerges as a connecting theme in several of his writings. His protagonists are usually antiheroes and they make conscious decisions based on flawed thinking, which ultimately lead to tragic predicaments (Habibi 2-3). Bierce is known for his use of literary elements and skillfully uses third person narrative, a quickly paced plot, realistic detail, and blends fantasy and reality to lead the reader into believing in Farquhars escape. Therefore, the reader is unable to interpret Farquhars true fate until the very end of the story. Bierce cleverly chooses to write this story in third person narrative. By using third person narrative, the author is able to do a variety of different things to capture the readers attention and keep them guessing. He most likely chooses this course of action to convey to the reader the main characters feelings and emotions and to conceal his death. This perspective, often called limited omniscience, tells the story from an observers standpoint (Samide 1). By definition, this narrator knows all things important in the story, even a characters own thoughts. Therefore, the reader is able to get a more in depth look into how the main character is feeling, as well as tell the reader the outward world of the story (Samide 1). In this story, the author chooses to focus on the mind of only one main character, Farquhar, and enters it extensively throughout the course of the story. At any given time, the narrator may also move in and out of the chosen characters mind and thoughts, or inform the reader about what is happening in the outer world of the story. Because the author chooses this point of view, it is difficult for the reader to know Farquhars escape is unreal until the last line of the story, when the narrator emerges from his mind to tell the reader Farquhar is dead (Samide 1). Bierce skillfully forces the reader to believe in Farquhars hallucinated escape and therefore, is able to surprise the reader with Farquhars death. It enables Bierce to take the reader inside Farquhars mind to demonstrate how emotional confusion alters not only the way the mind interprets the reality of a situation, but also the way it perceives the passage of time. Bierce also uses a rapidly paced plot to keep the reader from figuring out the surprise ending. He quickly paces the plot in order to distract the reader from closely examining Farquhars unlikely escapes from death. Before the reader has time to consider the likelihood of a broken neck from the rope or some other injury, Bierce has Farquhar struggling not to drown. He sinks deep into the water, his hands still tied together and the noose still wrapped around his neck. So instead of thinking about his broken neck or suffering from another injury, the reader focuses on his new problem of drowning. Then, somehow, Farquhar is able to free his hands from the rope and slips off the noose. But again, the reader is relieved that Farquhar escapes drowning that he does not fully examine the likeliness of this escape. Then, Farquhar bursts to the surface of the water for air and must start dodging bullets, diverting the readers attention once more from the previous escapes from the ropes and dr owning (Samide 3). Therefore, by using a rapid paced plot, Bierce is able to distract the reader from examining the likeliness of the escapes by creating new diversions, making it more believable for the reader. Another literary device Bierce uses in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is the element of imagery. Bierce relies heavily upon imagery throughout the story, centering on sight and sounds to make his tale more convincing. Bierce goes to great lengths to describe the opening sequence in terms of its military arrangement. He provides vivid images of group formations and soldier stances such as a single company of infantry in line, the barrels inclining backward against the right shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock, at parade rest the butts of the rifles on the ground (Bierce 72). These descriptions show Bierces past military experience in various wars and battles, giving the story a sense of realism. Also by using such realistic details, Bierce is able to make Farquhars escape more believable to the reader. After the first round of shots from the soldiers, when he hears the captain give orders to fire, Farquhar dives deep into the water. Some of the bullets, still warm from the g uns, spiral down into the water beside him (Samide 3). One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched it out. (Bierce 75) These few examples of realism lead the reader to believe that Farquhar is really escaping. When he comes to the surface again, the current has taken Farquhar out of shooting range of personal weapons, but he must now worry about the cannon being used. The first shot misses, but sprays him with water. The second shot is a much better shot that will surely hit him, but suddenly, the current whirls him around a bend in the river and throws him up on the bank, out of aim of the cannon (Samide 3). While the rapid series of dangers has caused the reader to consider the probability of each escape, the authors use of imagery and realistic detail convinces the reader that he is out of danger and is now on his way to finishing his escape by losing himself in the dense forest and getting back home to his wife and family (Samide 3). The res t of the story goes on to describe Farquhars long trip home. He continues on his journey through the forest and finally arrives to the gate of his own home. He sees his wife and she holds out her hands in joyous welcome. As Farquhar reaches out to embrace her, he feels a stunning blow to his neck, sees a blinding white light, hears a sounds like the shock of a cannon-then all is darkness and silence (Bierce76). At this point in the story, the limited narrator moves out of Farquhars mind and returns to the objective world on the bridge, revealing to the reader the shocking last line and revelation that, all along, the escape was Farquhars hallucination (Samide 3-4). Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge. (Bierce 76) One of the literary elements Bierce uses that he is most known for is his blending of fantasy and reality. Bierce mixes the external world of death with Farquhars internal world, resulting in the success of his hallucination. Farquhar, in his mind, is imagining his incredible escape when he is actually dying. Bierce skillfully uses metaphors and similes in order to secretly describe the true fate of Farquhar. For example, Bierce uses the pendulum not only as a significant metaphor for time, but also as a simile for Farquhars body, which swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge (Bierce 76). Farquhar is conscious of motionà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ of a vast pendulum because his body literally traces, and therefore senses it. Similar intrusions of other objective stimuli into Farquhars experience occur throughout the rest of the story. The sharp report of the firing gun, its slightly later dulled thunder, and the alleged explosion of the cannon that was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond are all Farquhars hallucinated revision of the sound of his own neck breaking. Bierce successfully emphasizes the association, describing the literal event of Farquhars neck breaking as occurring with sound like the shock of a cannon. Farquhars sensation of rising rising toward the surface of the water is the dreamers understanding of the slight bounce the body experiences after reaching the extremity of its flexible rope; the feeling of almost drowning in the creek modifies the fact of strangulation itself; the horribly aching neck and the uncomfortably warm bullet impossibly lodged between his collar and his neck under the water reinterpret the pain of hanging; the counter-swirl that spins him around in the current refers to the twisting at the end of the rope; the projecting point which concealed him from his enemies transforms the bridge now above him; the sensation of his own tongue thrusting forward from between his teeth into the cold air registers its grotesque protrusion during strangulation; the inability to feel the roadway beneath his feet is a similarly accurate feeling, dutifully revised into an understandable fatigue, thirst and numbness near the end of his narrative of escape (Stoicheff 3). Thus, a key element in the story is the distention of time and the blending of fantasy and reality. The reader is left with a range of reactions: the element of surprise, the promise and loss of hope, the tragedy of death, the ultimate coherence of objective reality, and acknowledgment of Bierces carefully constructed deception (Habibi 1). Bierce skillfully blends the third person point of view that conceals Farquhars death until the very end, a rapidly paced plot of narrow escapes from death that distract the reader, concrete details that make the final escape seem real, and the technique of blending fantasy and reality (Samide 4). Bierces usage of narrative, plot, imagery, and blending of fantasy and reality make it hard for the reader to detect Farquhars true fate until the final line of the story. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Bierce distinguishes between the internal and external worlds of Farquhar and shows the reader that the mind can create its own realities and its own escapes. He expects the reader to evaluate the story and realize on his own the impossibility of events described in the final events of the story (Davidson 2). Bierce purposely uses these elements of fiction in order to create a suspenseful ending that connects with the central theme of the human need to escape death. Work Cited Welty Bierce, Ambrose. An Occurrence at Owl Creek. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 9th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009, 71-76. Samide, Daniel E. Anatomy of a Classic: Ambrose Bierce Cleverly Used Some Key Literary Tools in Crafting His Civil War Tale An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The Writer May 2005:42. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. Habibi, Don Asher. The experience of a lifetime: philosophical reflections on a narrative device of Ambrose Bierce. Studies in the Humanities 29.2 (2002): 83+. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. Davidson, Cathy N. Ambrose (Gwinett) Bierce. American Short-Story Writers Before 1880. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel and William E. Grant. Detroit: Gale Research, 1988. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 74. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 10 Apr. 2010. Stoicheff, Peter. Something Uncanny: The Dream Structure in Ambrose Bierces An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Studies in Short Fiction 30.3 (Summer 1993): 349-357. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 72. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Drug Mechanisms and Reactions
Drug Mechanisms and Reactions Phase 1: Drug Metabolism The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within an organism, Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The biochemical reactions are known as metabolic pathways and involve enzymes that transform one substance into another substance, either breaking down a substance or building a new chemical substance. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy. The liver is the principal site of drug metabolism. Although metabolism typically inactivates drugs, some drug metabolites are pharmacologically active sometimes even more than the parent compound. An inactive or weakly active substance that has an active metabolite is called a pro-drug, especially if designed to deliver the active moiety more effectively. Drugs can be metabolized by oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, hydration, conjugation, condensation, or isomerization, whatever the process, the goal is to make the drug easier to excrete. The enzymes involved in metabolism are present in many tissues but generally are more concentrated in the liver. Drug metabolism rates vary among patients. Some patients metabolize a drug so rapidly that therapeutically effective blood and tissue concentrations are not reached, in others, metabolism may be so slow that usual doses have toxic effects. Individual drug metabolism rates are influenced by genetic factors, coexisting disorders (particularly chronic liver disorders and advanced heart failure), and drug interactions (especially those involving induction or inhibition of metabolism). For many drugs, metabolism occurs in two phases: Phase I reactions: Which involve formation of a new or modified functional group or cleavage, these reactions are nonsynthetic. Phase II reactions Which involve conjugation with an endogenous substance, these reactions are synthetic. Metabolites formed in synthetic reactions are more polar and more readily excreted by the kidneys (in urine) and the liver (in bile) than those formed in nonsynthetic reactions. Some drugs undergo only phase I or phase II reactions, thus, phase numbers reflect functional rather than sequential classification. Phase I Drug Metabolism Phase I metabolism includes oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and hydration reactions, as well as other rarer miscellaneous reactions. Oxidations performed by the microsomal, mixed-function oxidase system (cytochrome P450-dependent) is considered separately because of its importance and the diversity of reactions performed by this enzyme system. Classification of Phase I Reactions: Oxidation Reduction Hydrolysis Hydration Dethioacetylation Isomerization Oxidations involving cytochrome P450 (the microsomal mixed-function oxidase) The mixed-function oxidase system found in microsomes (endoplasmic reticulum) of many cells (notably those of liver, kidney, lung and intestine) performs many different functionalisation reactions. CYP 450: The cytochrome P450(CYP) enzyme system consists of a superfamily of hemoproteins that catalyse the oxidative metabolism of a wide variety of exogenous chemicals including drugs, carcinogens, toxins and endogenous compounds such as steroids, fatty acids and prostaglandins. The CYP enzyme family plays an important role in phase-I metabolism of many drugs. The broad range of drugs that undergo CYP mediated oxidative biotransformation is responsible for the large number of clinically significant drug interactions during multiple drug therapy. All of these reactions require the presence of molecular oxygen and NADPH as well as the complete mixed-function oxidase system (cytochrome P450, NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and lipid). All reactions involve the initial insertion of a single oxygen atom into the drug molecule. A subsequent rearrangement and/or decomposition of this product may occur, leading to the final products formation. (i) Aromatic hydroxylation: This is a very common reaction for drugs and xenobiotics containing an aromatic ring. In this example the local anaesthetic and antidysrhythmic drug, lignocaine, is converted to its 3-hydroxy derivative. (ii) Aliphatic hydroxylation: Another very common reaction, e.g. pentobarbitone hydroxylated in the pentyl side chain. (iii) Epoxidation: Epoxides are normally unstable intermediates but may be stable enough to be isolated from polycyclic compounds (e.g. the precarcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons). Epoxides are substrates of epoxide hydrolase (discussed later), forming dihydrodiols, but they may also spontaneously decompose to form hydroxylated products or quinones. It has been suggested that epoxide formation is the first step in aromatic hydroxylation. (iv) Dealkylation: This reaction occurs very readily with drugs containing a secondary or tertiary amine, an alkoxy group or an alkyl substituted thiol. The alkyl group is lost as the corresponding aldehyde. The reactions are often referred to as N-, O- or S-dealkylations, depending on the type of atom the alkyl group is attached to. (v) Oxidative deamination: Amines containing the structure -CH(CH3)-NH2 are metabolised by the microsomal mixed-function oxidase system to release ammonium ions and leave the corresponding ketone. As with dealkylation, oxidative deamination involves an intermediate hydroxylation step with subsequent decomposition to yield the final products. The product of the oxidative deamination of EPI or NE is 3,4-didydroxyphenylclycoaldehyde (DOPGAL). DOPGAL is subject to reduction to the corresponding alcohol (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylene glycol, DOPEG) or oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid (3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid, DOMA), the latter being the major pathway. (vi) N-oxidation: Hepatic microsomes in the presence of oxygen and NADPH can form N-oxides. These oxidation products may be formed by the mixedfunction oxidase system or by separate flavoprotein N-oxidases. The enzyme involved in N-oxidation depends on the substrate under study. Many different chemical groups can be N-oxidised including amines, amides, imines, hydrazines and heterocyclic compounds. (vii) S-oxidation: Phenothiazines can be converted to their S-oxides (sulfoxides (SÃ ¼O) and sulfones (Ã ¼SÃ ¼O)) by the microsomal mixed-function oxidase system. (viii) Phosphothionate oxidation: The replacement of a phosphothionate sulfur atom with oxygen is a reaction common to the phosphothionate insecticides, e.g. parathion. The product paraoxon is a potent anticholinesterase and gives the potent insecticide action as well as the toxicity in humans. Oxidations not catalysed by cytochrome P450 (Non-Microsomal) A number of enzymes in the body not related to cytochrome P450 can oxidize drugs. (i) Alcohol Oxidation by Alcohol dehydrogenase: This enzyme catalyses the oxidation of many alcohols to the corresponding aldehyde and is localised in the soluble fraction of liver, kidney and lung cells. This enzyme uses NAD+ as co-factor and is a true dehydrogenase. (ii) Aldehyde oxidation: Aldehydes can be oxidised by a variety of enzymes involved in intermediary metabolism, e.g. aldehyde dehydrogenase, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase (the latter two being soluble metalloflavoproteins). (iii) Oxidation by Xanthine oxidase: This enzyme will metabolise xanthine-containing drugs, e.g. caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, and the purine analogues to the corresponding uric acid derivative. Metabolic Reduction (i) Azo- and nitro-reduction can be catalysed by cytochrome P450 (but can also be catalysed by NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase). (ii) Ring cleavage: Epoxides can be converted back to the parent hydrocarbon, e.g. benzo(a)anthracene- 8,9-epoxide whereas some heterocyclic compounds can be ring cleaved by reduction. (iii) Reductive defluorination: Fluorocarbons of the halothane type can be defluorinated by liver microsomes in anaerobic conditions. Metabolic Hydrolysis Esters, amides, hydrazides and carbamates can readily be hydrolysed by various enzymes. (i) Ester hydrolysis: The hydrolysis of esters can take place in the plasma (nonspecific acetylcholinesterases, pseudocholinesterases and other esterases) or in the liver (specific esterases for particular groups of compounds). Procaine is metabolised by the plasma esterase, whereas pethidine (meperidine) is only metabolised by the liver esterase. (ii) Amide hydrolysis: Amides may be hydrolysed by the plasma esterases (which are so non-specific that they will also hydrolyse amides, although more slowly than the corresponding esters) but are more likely to be hydrolysed by the liver amidases. Ethylglycylxylidide, the N-deethylated phase 1 product of lignocaine, is hydrolysed by the liver microsomal fraction to yield xylidine and ethylglycine. (iii) Hydrazide and carbamate hydrolysis: Less common functional groups in drugs can also be hydrolysed, such as the hydrazide group in isoniazid or the carbamate group in the previously used hypnotic, hedonal. Factors Affecting Metabolism Many factors can affect liver metabolism, such as: In aging, the numbers of hepatocytes and enzyme activity declines. Diseases that reduce hepatic blood flow like heart failure or shock can also reduce the metabolic potential of the liver. Also the use of other drugs as well as dietary and environmental factors can influence liver metabolic function. Metabolism can also be altered due to a genetic deficiency of a particular enzyme. Differences in metabolism that result from functional genetic polymorphisms can be accommodated by knowing the frequency of different genotypes, and by modifying either the enzyme abundance (null alleles, for example, in the case of CYP2D6 poor metabolizers) or the intrinsic enzyme activity (for example, CYP2C9 variants). Data on developmental changes in the abundance and activity of different CYPs can also be incorporated into the models to predict hepatic clearance in neonates, infants and children. Conclusion Metabolism is the breakdown of Drugs inside the body, to disable their activity, forming inactive metabolites, however some drugs are either not affected by metabolism or activated by it, some even form toxic metabolites Examples: Imipiramine not affected by metabolism: Paracetamol produce Toxic Metabolite Metabolism occurs in two phases, Phase I Metabolism, and Phase II Metabolism. Phase I Metabolism converts the drug into metabolite by formation of a new functional group or modifying it, while phase II Metabolism or reactions involve conjugation with indigenous substance. Phase I Reactions Include: Oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and hydration reactions, and other rare miscellaneous reactions. Oxidation can be divided into Microsomal or non Microsomal according to whether it involves mitochondrial CYP 450 enzymes. Oxidation involves: Microsomal Aromatic Hydroxylation, Aliphatic Hydroxylation, Epoxidation, Dealkylation, oxidative deamination, N- oxidation, S-oxidation and Phosphothionate oxidation. Non-Microsomal Alcohol Oxidation by Alcohol dehydrogenase, Aldehyde Oxidation and Oxidation by Xanthine oxidase. Reduction involves: Azo- and nitro-reduction, Ring cleavage, Reductive defluorination Hydrolysis involves: Ester hydrolysis, Amide hydrolysis, Hydrazide and carbamate hydrolysis
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