114 The daytime-dependent differences

in drug sensitivity

114 The daytime-dependent differences

in drug sensitivity can be remarkable. For example, In mice the dose at which 50% of the animals die after the administration of the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil is twice higher at ZT05 as compared with ZT17.116 Moreover, the probability of succumbing to a single constant dose of tumor necrosis factor alpha Injected at regular Intervals during the day oscillates approximately 10-fold.117 All In all, day time dependent toxicity has been established for over 30 anticancer #ZD6474 clinical trial keyword# therapeutics In laboratory rodents.117 Owing to the availability of mutant mouse models for various core clock and clock-controlled genes, some genetic circuits linking circadian oscillators to xenoblotic detoxification could be deciphered. One such pathway, Involving DBP, HLF, and TEF, the three members of the PAR bZIp transcription Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical factor, is Illustrated In Figure 4. In liver, kidney, and small Intestine, the accumulation of all three of these proteins follows a robust circadian rhythm that Is controlled both on the transcriptional and post-translational level.93, 119-121 DBP, TEF, and HLF must execute partially overlapping functions, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical since disruption of only one or two of the genes encoding these transcription factors does not result In strong phenotype changes under laboratory conditions.92, 93, 122, 123 However, mice deficient In all

three PAR bZlp proteins age at an accelerated rate and die prematurely. Genome-wide transcrlptome profiling revealed that these transcription factors govern the circadian accumulation and/or activity of circadian regulators and enzymes Involved In xenobiotic detoxification pathways (Figure 4). As a consequence, PAR bZip-deficient mice are exquisitely sensitive to xenobiotic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical compounds such as barbiturates and anticancer drugs.123 Figure 4. A clock output pathway regulating

circadian xenobiotic detoxification. The SCN master pacemaker synchronizes circadian oscillators in peripheral organs, such as liver, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical kidney and small intestine. The molecular signaling pathways involved in this process … As reported by Antoch and colleagues, almost mice homozygous for a Bmal1 null allele or a Clock dominant-negative mutant allele also display Impaired resistance against xenobiotic drugs such as cyclophosphamide.124 These authors concluded that daytime dependent responses of the drug targets (eg, the hematopoietic system), rather than circadian drug metabolism, was the rate-limiting parameter in circadian sensitivity to cyclophosphamide. Clearly, more experiments with additional drugs will be required to examine the entire spectrum of mechanisms involved in the circadian sensitivity to xenobiotics. Whatever their outcome will be, such studies will hopefully contribute to the awareness that the time of day should be taken into consideration when designing regimens for therapeutic treatments.

These difficulties have led to the increasing use of alternative

These difficulties have led to the increasing use of alternative airway devices such as Combitube®, Laryngeal Tube® and Laryngeal Mask Airway® for airway management in the pre-hospital setting contexts [29-31], due to the rapid learning curves associated with these devices [32,33]. However trauma to the airway and aspiration injury remains a significant risk with these devices in these patients. Conventional direct laryngoscopic laryngoscopes, such as the Macintosh laryngoscope, require the alignment of oral and tracheal axes in order to view the glottic www.selleckchem.com/products/pexidartinib-plx3397.html opening. This is

a difficult skill to successfully acquire [26,27,34], and to maintain Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical [28], particularly if the opportunities to practice this skill are limited. Both the Glidescope® (Figure ​(Figure1)1) and AWS® (Figure ​(Figure2)2) devices have an exaggerated blade curvature with enhanced optics that give Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical a view of the glottis without the need

to align the oral and tracheal axes. Both devices are portable, and could Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical be easily included in ambulance equipment inventories. We therefore wished to determine whether these devices possessed advantages over the conventional Macintosh laryngoscope when used by paramedics in the setting of normal and simulated difficult intubation. Our study demonstrated that both the Glidescope® and AWS® devices demonstrated several advantages over the Macintosh laryngoscope, in both the normal and in the difficult intubation scenario. Both devices Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical reduced the duration of tracheal intubation attempts in the cervical immobilization scenario, a situation commonly seen in the emergency pre-hospital setting. While the degree to which these devices reduced the time required to secure the airway appears relatively small, of the order of 5 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical – 10 seconds, it must be remembered that brain hypoxia may rapidly supervene in the emergency setting. In addition, these devices reduced the number of optimization maneuvers

and reduced the potential for dental trauma when compared to the Macintosh laryngoscope. Of the two indirect laryngoscopes studies, despite largely comparable performance in other measures of difficulty, the APs found the AWS® easier to use in each scenario. The AWS® caused the least amount L-NAME HCl of dental compressions in each scenario. The structure of the blade of the AWS®, particularly the incorporation of a side channel for the ETT, may explain its better performance in these respects compared to the Glidescope. Both the Glidescope® and AWS® devices exhibited a rapid learning curve, despite a deliberately brief instruction period. In the repeated easy laryngocsopy scenario, the duration of intubation attempts were significantly reduced for both the Glidescope® and AWS® laryngoscopes compared to the first scenario.

Dorsiflex at the ankles Full-size table Table options View in wo

Dorsiflex at the ankles. Full-size table Table options View in workspace Download as CSV The control group were not taught any sham stretches and were advised Selleckchem Thiazovivin not to commence stretches. All participants were encouraged to maintain all other usual activity unchanged. At week 4, all participants received a home visit to assess and encourage adherence to the study protocol. At an instruction visit prior to starting the study, participants were instructed in the daily recording of the frequency and severity of nocturnal leg cramps. The primary outcome was the change

in the average number of nocturnal leg cramps per day over a one-week period. This was assessed in the week prior to starting the 6-week stretching program (Week 0) and again in the final week of the stretching program (Week 6). The secondary outcome was the severity of nocturnal leg cramps. The severity was marked by the participants on a 10-cm visual analogue scale with 0 cm representing no pain and 10 cm representing the

worst pain the participant could imagine. Recordings were again made in the daily diary over the same 1-week periods before and at the end of the 6-week stretching program. If adverse events were present, they were recorded daily in the diary card throughout the trial. We sought to identify a difference in the average number of nocturnal leg cramps buy Afatinib of 1 cramp per night. Anticipating a standard deviation of 1.4 cramps per night (Coppin et al 2005), we calculated that we would Libraries require 32 participants per group to have 80% power to detect this difference as significant with an alpha of 5%. To allow for drop outs, we increased the total sample size to 80 participants. All participants were analysed according to their group allocation, ie, using an intention-to-treat analysis. For each outcome, the difference between the experimental and control groups in the change from baseline to postintervention was calculated as a mean difference. Statistical

significance was set at p < 0.05, so these mean differences are presented with 95% confidence intervals. In total, 119 people responded to the study advertisement. Telephone screening of these respondents identified 39 as ineligible Calpain or unwilling to participate. The remaining 80 participants were randomised into the experimental or control group and completed the study, with 40 being allocated to each group. The flow of participants through the trial and reasons for exclusion are presented in Figure 2. The baseline characteristics of the participants are presented in Table 1 and the first two columns of Table 2. All participants completed their diary cards at Weeks 0 and 6 and reported that they maintained their usual daily activities throughout the study. No participants used quinine for the duration of the study. Group data for all outcomes are presented in Table 2. Individual data are presented in Table 3 (see eAddenda for Table 3).

101 The neurosteroids The neurosteroids are a novel, interesting

101 The neurosteroids The neurosteroids are a novel, interesting class of neuromodulators synthesized in the brain directly from cholesterol.102 They appear to act essentially via an allosteric modulation of the GABAA receptor, although other receptors may also be involved.102,103 As early as 1987, Majewska suggested that neurosteroids could play an important role in mood regulation.104 Several studies have shown that positive allosteric modulators (which potentiate GABA action), such as progesterone and allopregnanolone, have anxiolytic effects in various animal models.103

Neurosteroid synthesis is regulated by a peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) located on the outer mitochondrial membrane,105 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and part of the anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepine could in fact involve increased neurosteroid synthesis. Compounds with a selective affinity for the PBR, such as FGIN-1-27, have shown an anxiolytic action in rats.106 Neurosteroids are currently attracting a lot of interest www.selleckchem.com/products/epacadostat-incb024360.html because of their potential role as natural, endogenous Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical anxiolytics. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Hormones of the HPA axis Hormones of the HPA axis, such as

Cortisol, or corticosterone (in rodents), ACTH, and CRF are usually increased in a state of fear and anxiety. They also appear to modulate the response to threatening events. Corticotropin-releasing factor Intracerebral administration of CRF has been shown to Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical elicit anxious-like behavior in rats.107 More recent pre-clinical studies suggest that CRF and its receptors play a pivotal, integrative role in the stress response and anxiety-related behaviors.108,109 There are two major CRF systems in the brain: the neuroendocrine system in the PVN, and another system with CRF cells

located in the amygdala (CeA) and BNST, which would be more directly related to the physiological and behavioral responses associated with fear and anxiety. Whereas glucocorticoids restrain CRF Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical production in the PVN (the neuroendocrine negative feedback loop), they appear to increase CRF expression in the amygdala and BNST, thus promoting fear- and anxiety-related behavior.110 CRF neurons originating from the amygdala project onto the LC (Figure 1) and contribute to increased arousal in fear and anxiety states.111 In a rat model, a full postsynaptic CRF agonist, CRF(1-41), increased arousal at low dosage and had an anxiogenic action at higher doses.112 This suggests no that progressively increasing levels of CRF in the brain may ensure the transition from the initial state of increased arousal to the anxious state of expectancy in stressful situations. Transgenic mice overexpressing CRF show a behavioral and neuroendocrine profile consistent with an increased level of stress and anxiety, including elevated plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels, and generally exhibit the same behavioral changes as those observed in mice following exogenous CRF administration.

2013) Table 1 Safety and efficacy of remote ischemic preconditio

2013). Table 1 Safety and efficacy of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (AAA) In another double-blind randomized control trial of 82 patients by Ali et al. (2007), preconditioned patients undergoing elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were found to have lower rates of postoperative

XAV-939 solubility dmso myocardial injury (assessed by cardiac Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical troponin I release – TnI > 0.40 μmol/mL), myocardial infarction, and renal impairment (assessed by serum creatinine >177 μmol/L) compared with controls (27, 22, and 23%, respectively). The ischemic stimulus was delivered during the operation, just before the opening of the aneurysm, and consisted of two cycles of intermittent cross-clamping of the common iliac artery for 10 min followed by 10 min of reperfusion (Ali et al. 2007). Following

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the aforementioned protocol, a small randomized control trial by Walsh et al. (2010a,b) did not reveal any significant effect of RIPC on renal injury, assessed with both urinary retinol-binding protein and albumin:creatinine ratio, following elective open abdominal aortic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical aneurysm repair. Of note is that only in the preconditioned group three patients died of cardiac or Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical embolic causes and four patients developed lower limp ischemia requiring intervention (Walsh et al. 2010b). In endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair of 40 male patients, biomarkers of renal injury (urinary retinol-binding protein and urinary albumin:creatinine ratio) were lower in patients who had two sequential 10-min periods of alternate lower limb ischemia immediately after induction of anesthesia and urinary catheterization. However, the rates of adverse major cardiac outcomes, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical renal impairment, and serum troponin elevation were similar between the preconditioned and control groups (Walsh et al. 2009). RIPC

in clinical trials of patients undergoing open cardiac surgery Table ​Table22 summarizes the design and results of 13 randomized clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of RIPC in patients undergoing open Casein kinase 1 cardiac surgery. Findings from a randomized clinical trial of 60 infants by Zhou et al. (2010) support that limb RIPC is not only safe to apply in infants, but can also ameliorate systemic inflammatory response and protect against myocardial and pulmonary IRI after open heart surgery supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. The preconditioning protocol consisted of three cycles of 5-min limb ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion, 24 and 1 h before the start of the surgery (Zhou et al. 2010).

Our patient developed TEN-SJS and in parallel, pneumonia caused b

Our patient developed TEN-SJS and in parallel, pneumonia caused by CMV reactivation, six days after the initiation of antiepileptic drugs. It is deserving of note that there are also cases in which the viral reactivation is accompanied by flu-like symptoms; therefore, it is possible that the six-day period before admission represents the duration of reactivation in our patient. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Temporal relationship and Raf pathway clinical features strongly suggest CMV with viral replication, predisposing the patient to TEN-SJS. It is clear that without a thorough understanding

of the underlying mechanisms involved, it is difficult to establish a direct causal link between CMV and drug hypersensitivity. However, a relationship between viral infections and the simultaneous or subsequent development of drug-induced rash has been observed in a number of clinical situations, while the full cascade

of events leading from viral infections to the development of drug allergy in humans remains poorly understood. Ampicillin rash during infectious Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical mononucleosis and an increased risk for developing drug-induced rash in AIDS are well-known examples of this relationship.3 The herpesvirus family is the most likely candidate to be able to greatly influence immune responses because herpesviruses can induce and maintain a potent memory T cell response due to their common properties of ubiquitous Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical prevalence in human populations and the capacity to grow in lymphoid cells.8 Specific viral infections have been shown to increase CD95 (Fas) and/or Fas Ligand expression and increase sensitivity to Fas/Fas Ligand-dependent apoptosis.3 Treatment strategies for TEN-SJS associated with CMV include treatment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the cause with Ganciclovir, avoidance of possible offending drugs associated with TEN-SJS, and avoidance of systemic steroids assuming that the underlying

mechanism is most probably the interaction between CMV and some enzymes that detoxify, such as cytochrome P450. The offending drugs associated Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical with TEN-SJS cause the deposition of the toxic and immunogenic metabolites of these drugs in the epidermis and lead to a series of immune before reactions that culminate in TEN-SJS.3 The hypothesis generated is whether or not TEN-SJS is linked to fulminant CMV infection and whether or not CMV can trigger an interaction between cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and keratinocytes. Further observational studies are warranted. Conclusion The case presented herein illustrates that a possible CMV interstitial pneumonia (secondary to CMV reactivation) may predispose a patient to SJS-TEN. Implications for clinical practice include the notions that SJS-TEN is a potential adverse effect of some drugs and that patients at risk for the development of TEN-SJS may be identified by measuring CMV loads during the first few days after onset, even if CMV IgM and IgG levels are negative.

Of these metabolites, propionate and butyrate readily cross the g

Of these metabolites, propionate and butyrate readily cross the gut-blood and blood–brain barriers via a monocarboxylate transporter ( Karuri et al., 1993,

Bergersen et al., 2002 and Conn et al., 1983). In the brain, propionate and other SCFAs impact neuronal metabolism as well as the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters during early RAD001 purchase neurodevelopment ( Peinado et al., 1993 and Rafiki et al., 2003). Importantly, a careful balance of brain SCFAs must be achieved, as excessive levels have been associated with neural mitochondrial dysfunction and severe behavioral deficits in rodents ( Macfabe, 2012, de Theije et al., 2014a, de Theije et al., 2014b and de Theije et al., 2011). In addition to their direct role in fermentation, commensal gut microbiota express many enzymes with immunomodulatory and neuromodoulatory implications. For example, the gene encoding histidine decarboxylase (HDC), which catalyzes the conversion

of l-histidine to histamine, was recently identified in Lactobacillus Dorsomorphin reuteri, a beneficial microbe found in the gut of rodents and humans ( Thomas et al., 2012). Critically, circulating histidine availability is also directly proportional to histidine content and inhibitors histamine synthesis in the brain ( Schwartz et al., 1972 and Taylor and Snyder, 1971). Histaminergic fibers originate from the tuberomamillary region of the posterior hypothalamus and project widely to most regions of the developing brain, including the hippocampus, dorsal raphe, cerebellum, and neighboring nuclei of the hypothalamus ( Panula et al., 1989). The also ability of microbiota to modulate synthesis of a vast array of neuromodulatory

molecules highlight the need for additional studies characterizing of the role of microbiota-derived metabolites on broad neurodevelopmental events. Accumulating evidence draws associations between microbe-generated metabolites during early development and endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disease. Studies in GF mice revealed that microbial exposure during early life modulated dopamine signaling, neuronal mitochondrial function, neuroplasticity, and motivational behaviors in adult animals (Diaz Heijtz et al., 2011 and Matsumoto et al., 2013). Further, in a mouse model of maternal immune activation during pregnancy, decreased abundance of the beneficial Bacteroides fragilis and increased serum levels of microbe-derived metabolites 4-ethylphenylsulfate and indolepyruvate were observed in exposed offspring. Direct administration of these metabolites to unexposed offspring increased adult anxiety-like behaviors similar to those observed following maternal immune activation, supporting that microbe-generated metabolites may affect brain programming ( Hsiao et al., 2013).

Despite reports that Asian patients require significantly lower a

Despite reports that Asian patients require significantly lower antipsychotic dosages to achieve the same plasma concentrations as Caucasians,36 the acute treatment dosages administered to Chinese inpatients are similar to or, in the case of the high-potency neuroleptics, somewhat higher than those used in the West. The quality of the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical inpatient Panobinostat research buy management of antipsychotic medications varies widely, depending on the level of training of the clinician; in some of the smaller hospitals polypharmacy with multiple antipsychotics remains a serious problem. Table I Most commonly used antipsychotic medications by inpatients at

Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital at three time periods,* typical acute treatment dose, and monthly cost in Beijing in 1999. Clozapine, which has been produced generically in China since 1978, is currently the most Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical commonly used antipsychotic medication at Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital (Table I), as it is in many other parts of

the country.37 Initially Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical only used in refractory patients, clozapine has become increasingly popular in China since the end of the 1980s, primarily because of good clinical outcomes and low extrapyramidal side effects (which many Chinese patients are unwilling to tolerate). It is now occasionally used as a first-line drug and is fairly frequently given during the first Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical admission of a patient if the first drug administered

(usually perphenazine or chlorpromazine) is not rapidly effective or has bothersome side effects. The most common reasons for terminating treatment with clozapine are sedation and hypersalivation. Blood monitoring for potential agranulocytosis was erratic in the early years of use, but, by the beginning of the 1990s, monitoring became more systematic; white blood counts with differentials are now done on inpatients taking clozapine weekly during the first 3 months of treatment and then monthly thereafter. A review of 256 Chinese publications Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical about clozapine from 1984 to 1995 identified 29 deaths due to clozapine and a combined rate of agranulocytosis of 0.33% (25/7511).38 Among the newer imported atypical Oxymatrine medications only risperidone and olanzapine are, as yet, available for clinical use. Risperidone, unlike olanzapine, is covered by government-based health insurance, and is thus being used in a small proportion of patients. ‘ITtie extremely high cost of the imported antipsychotics will severely limit their use; clozapine is thus likely to remain one of the most commonly used antipsychotic medications in China for some time to come. Other biological treatments are employed less frequently. Acupuncture is occasionally used to treat psychotic symptoms.

00 (95% CI 0 79–1 26), suggesting no such

00 (95% CI 0.79–1.26), suggesting no such benefit with ICS. Observational Study 2 A variation of this bias was seen in another observational study of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which claimed in its title to present “results from two observational designs free of immortal time bias.”29 This claim turned out to be in fact erroneous and reflected a grave misunderstanding of immortal time bias. The authors identified, from the United Kingdom’s General Research Practice Database (GRPD), the cohort of all 4,398 patients aged 50 years and older Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical hospitalized for COPD

from 1990 to 1999. Cohort entry was taken as the date of discharge, with 1-year follow-up until readmission to hospital for COPD

or death. Patients were considered exposed to ICS if they received a prescription of ICS on the same day of discharge. Using a propensity Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical scores matched cohort analysis, the hazard ratio of COPD readmission or death this website associated with ICS use was 0.69 (95% CI 0.52–0.93), suggesting a significant 31% reduction in this outcome with ICS use. Immortal time bias is Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in fact introduced again with the definition of ICS exposure. It is stated that “treatment status was defined on the same day of discharge,” so that all 1,091 patients who were prescribed ICS on the day of discharge were correctly classified as ICS-exposed. However, of the remaining 3,307 patients, the non-users of ICS were incorrectly taken as merely the 538 patients “who were never exposed to ICS in their entire (one-year) follow-up period.” To comply with their stated Methods, they Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical should have used all 3,307 patients from the cohort who were not prescribed ICS on the day of discharge. By excluding the 2,769 patients who were not prescribed

ICS on the day of discharge but received an ICS later in the year of follow-up, the authors excluded a crucial component Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of follow-up time which is both unexposed and immortal, thus introducing a significant degree of immortal time bias in the results (Figure 2). Had the authors followed the correct method they described in the paper, namely to use “only patients GPX6 whose treatment status was defined on the day of discharge,” they would have included all 3,307 such patients in the non-ICS group, and the rate ratio of COPD hospitalization or all-cause death with ICS would have been 1.48, not the reported 0.70.33 Figure 2 Illustration of immortal time bias in the Kiri et al. observational cohort study of inhaled corticosteroids in patients discharged with COPD.29 Observational Study 3 A further variation of this bias was seen in another observational study of ICS in COPD, also conducted using the GRPD.

6 billion doses So far US$600 million has been spent in efforts

6 billion doses. So far US$600 million has been spent in efforts to develop TB vaccine candidates. Efforts to develop a live attenuated (LA) tetravalent dengue vaccine in partnership with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – NIH and the Butantan Institute were reported by A. Precioso. Dengue incidence has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years with up to 100 million infections annually in over 100 endemic countries, in tropical and sub-tropical areas. The LA vaccine approach stimulates both cellular and humoral immunity, inducing

a strong memory response and durable immune response. LA vaccines for other related flaviviruses such as yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis virus have been

successfully developed and LA vaccines E7080 cell line can be very economical to produce, helping to secure vaccine access. Ideally, the vaccine must confer protective immunity against all Enzalutamide purchase four dengue virus serotypes. Regarding safety, the attenuated virus must not be transmissible via mosquitoes and must show genetic and potency stability. Six monovalent candidates, developed and tested in pre-clinical and initial clinical studies in the USA, demonstrated that each of monovalent vaccine candidates was attenuated and immunogenic in mice and Rhesus macaques. The monovalent candidate vaccines, evaluated in over 750 volunteers in US, were found to be safe and immunogenic when administered as a single subcutaneous dose of

103 PFU/mL. Subjects did not develop a dengue-like illness and local reactogenicity was minimal. Studies in flavivirus-naïve adults (US) demonstrated that the tetravalent mixtures are safe and viremia remained very low. Immunogenicity measured after 90 days demonstrated multivalent seroconversion rate of 74%. Phase II, stepwise, randomized, double-blind and controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the lyophilized formulation of the vaccine made at Butantan started in Brazil in October 2013. L. Yang provided an overview of a successful partnership between CNBG and PATH2 for the development and global supply of a live attenuated Japanese encephalitis these (JE) vaccine at the Chengdu Institute for Biological Products (CDIBP) in China. CDIBP has one of the largest development and manufacture capabilities of biological products within CNBG with an annual production capacity for more than 100 million doses and over 950 staff. The JE project’s strategy at CDIBP, focused on improving the GMP level and achieving WHO prequalification. Libraries Critical success factors included the use of software tools, the organization of the project team, the teamwork spirit and defining the framework or rules for the project monitoring, measurement and improvement. Key milestones were defined in 2004 with an assessment by PATH, site inspection by WHO in May 2013 and prequalification in October 2013.