Salmeterol: The Optimization of an Asthmatic Drug
Abstract:
Asthma can be found in so many people all across world. Asthma is not biased;
sex, race, or country does not matter. Asthma affects a large percent of the global
population. Becoming aware of this is the first step. Now, using a drug in use,
salmeterol, I want to optimize this drug to make it better by giving it different analogs,
which will give it different properties. Using the latest technology in the Chemistry Lab,
Gaussview and Gaussian 03W aided me in creating models for these analogs and
optimizing them.
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Imagine you are a cross country runner competing in the annual Mt. Sac Cross
Country Invitational. The finish line is just ahead, and the crowd is going wild with
excitement. The top runner is slightly ahead of you, and you decide to sprint the last fifty
yards to the finish line, hopefully to attain first place. Nearing the finish line, you
suddenly have trouble breathing, and your heartbeat becomes irregular. You quickly
realize you are having an acute asthma attack and pull out your inhaler. With a deep
breath and a small puff, you feel better. However, the time it took to complete the
process cost you, and you will have to settle with second place. Better luck next time!
Asthma is a growing chronic condition in America and has taken quite a toll on
Americans. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (1),
approximately twenty million Americans have asthma, half of which are specifically from
allergic asthma. With so many people with the condition, it is no surprise that in 2001, a
quarter of all Emergency Room visits were caused by asthma. As a result, health costs
for asthma have soared and have hit ten billion dollars annually. Unfortunately, not
every person has been able to survive the effects of asthma, and approximately five
thousand deaths occur due to asthma yearly. Though the sole cause of asthma is
unknown, there are several probable hypotheses as to why one would attain asthma (7).
As a result, asthma awareness must be spread. Not only does a large part of the
American population have this condition, but they also do not know how they got the
condition. This has led me to create a goal: to optimize salmeterol, a drug used for
asthma. However, many do not know what asthma is.
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To fully grasp the concept of asthma, one must first analyze the system that it
affects: the respiratory system, which controls the inhalation and exhalation of air.
Following the pathway of air, it begins in the atmosphere and enters the body through
Aims: To implement a multi-pronged strategy that (1) educates parents, students, and school staff about asthma and its management, (2) establishes comprehensive asthma screening programs, (3) develops affordable and long-term management strategies for students with asthma, and (4) increases the rigor of school inspections with regards to air quality and other common asthma triggers.
They race against themselves: to conquer their wills, to transcend their weaknesses, to beat back their nightmares" (603). This quotation shows that running is not always competition, but it helps runners overcome their
Running is not easy, but most Saturday mornings in the summer, I convince myself to step outside and test the strength of my heart by running a few miles. Half-Marathon US Champion Julia Stamps once stated, “Running away, can also be running toward something.” That is exactly what I do. When I start running away from my house, I end up running towards a specific destination. Two miles in, I stop at my destination to enjoy the view of Ted Grinter’s
Basile, Maria. "Asthma." The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders. 2nd ed. 2005. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.
"Asthma is a pulmonary disease with the following characteristics: 1) airway obstruction that is reversible in most patients either spontaneously or with treatment; 2) airway inflammation; and 3) increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli" (Enright, 1996, p. 375). There presently exist many varieties of asthma that differ in the severity, means of induction, and methods of treatment. One type is exercise-induced asthma. "Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is a temporary increase in airway resistance and acute narrowing of the airway that occurs after several minutes of strenuous exercise, usually after the exercise had ceased" (Spector, 1993, p. 571). Perfectly healthy individuals with no history of asthma or allergies can experience EIA. EIA can be found in 5.6%-25% of the general population and in 40%-90% of asthmatics (Randolph, 1997). EIA has been recognized for over 300 years, but only recently have it's pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment been studied in detail.
Imagine a young child competing with his or her fellow classmates during recess and immediately losing the ability to breathe normally. He or she stops in the middle of the competition and falls to the ground while holding his or her chest trying to find air. When you are young, being able to keep up with your peers during recess and sporting events is very important, however, having asthma restricts this. Asthma has a significant impact on childhood development and the diagnosis of asthma for children 18 years and younger has dramatically increased over the years. Asthma is known as a “chronic inflammation of the small and large airways” with “evident bronchial hyper-responsiveness, airflow obstruction, and in some patients, sub-basement fibrosis and over-secretion of mucus” (Toole, 2013). The constant recreation of the lung walls can even occur in young children and “lead to permanent lung damages and reduced lung function” (Toole, 2013). While one of the factors is genetics, many of the following can be prevented or managed. Obesity, exposure to secondhand smoke, and hospitalization with pneumonia in the early years of life have all been suggested to increase children’s risk of developing asthma.
“A race is like a work of art that people can look at and be affected by in as many ways as they’re capable of understanding.”(70) Here the author quotes Steve Prefontaine, and in this quote it explains that humans can enjoy and appreciate running with there minds and feeling, unlike animals. “I’m moved by others dreams and by their devotion and courage in the pursuit of excellence. I get choked up when I see a kid or anyone else, fighting against hopeless odds. Someone who goes out there to run the lonely roads with a dream in the heart, a gleam in the eye, and a goal in mind.”(74) Then, later on the author concludes that completing a race is not about having a fit and healthy body, but a dream, an “antelope”, or a goal in mind. To back that up, is the mental courage to fight for your dream, your
Asthma is chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by recurring episodes of wheeling and breathlessness. It often exists with allergies and can be worsened through exposure to allergens. In fact, asthma is complicated syndromes that have neither single definition nor complete explanation to the point. In light of its treatment, it is worthwhile to notice that asthma cannot be cured, instead can be only managed by avoiding exposure to allergens and/or by using medications regularly.
Secondly, severe asthma can be life-threatening. Suffering from asthma can be frightening to experience and people often feel scared and anxious. The fear and scare can also lead to breathlessness and so mak...
Isra focused on sitting quietly and comfortably, take as deep a breath as you can through your nose, hold the breath for a second or two, let the breath out as slowly as you can through your mouth, repeat the steps, if you don't feel better, wait a few minutes and then do it again, and repeat until you feel better.
Discuss the possible drug and excipient-related constrains of the formulation (no identity of the drug was given to you at this
Asthma is a common chronic disease worldwide and affects approximately 24 million persons in the United States (Morris, 2015). It is the most common chronic disease in childhood, affecting an estimated 7 million children. It is one of the most common reasons for visits in ambulatory settings and accounts for 16.5 million office visits each year (Buttaro, Trybulski, Bailey, & Sandberg-Cook, 2013, p. 408). Improperly managed and poor asthma control can lead to frequent emergency visits, hospital admissions, missed school days, absenteeism from work, and in worst cases, even death. The mortality rate for asthma remains high, approximately 9 deaths per day in 2007. Furthermore, the impact of asthma flare-ups affects health care costs,
Asthma is best described by its technical name: Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease (ROAD). In other words, asthma is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become either narrowed or blocked. The results are usually temporary but they cause shortness of breath, breathing trouble, wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest. To know what it really feels like to have asthma, I would like everyone to pick up the straw that’s on their desk and put it in their mouth as if they were using it to drink something. Then, pinch your nose. Try breathing for twenty seconds. A real attack can last up to more than 10 minutes and you are only doing it for 20 seconds. If we had more time, I would have the class go to a stairwell and have you run up and down and see what it is like to have asthma while doing other activities.
Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").
Going into the first race we had not expected much since Susan and I had never run this type of race. There were so many crucial things that we had to remember. It wasn't just to get out of the blocks and burn up the track; there was a baton involved, a certain amount of steps to take, and even a certain way to hold the baton.