Biliary elimination kinetics and tissue concentrations of oxytetracycline after intravenous administration in hens

The pharmacokinetics of the biliary elimination of oxytetracycline (OTC) and tissue concentrations in certain organs were studied in 10 Leghorn hens. The animals were anaesthetized using xylazine/ketamine administered by the intramuscular (i.m.) route and were immobilized for right laparotomy. Both bile ducts were cannulated and a dose of 20 mg/kg of oxytetracycline hydrochloride was administered intravenously (i.v.). Samples of bile excreted were taken at predetermined intervals during 6 h. At 6 h animals were slaughtered and tissue samples of blood, liver, kidney, pancreas, spleen, heart, lung and pectoral muscle were taken. The values for OTC biliary elimination rate times were best fitted to a one-exponential equation. The maximum value for OTC biliary excretion rate (3.69+/-0.6 microg/min/kg) was reached at approximately 17.5 min (time to maximum concentration (tmax)). The first-order rate constant for the biliary excretion (k) and the half-life (t1/2) were 6.7x10(-3) min(-1) and 110.55 min, respectively. The mean value of area under the biliary excretion rate time curve (AUC) indicated that 839.77 microg/kg body weight (b.w.) were eliminated by the biliary route. The cumulative biliary excretion data indicated that approximately 4.20% of the dose was eliminated by this route, 3.28% being eliminated during the first 6 h and 0.92% thereafter. The highest mean concentrations were found in the kidney (35.82 microg/kg) and liver (16.77 microg/g). Significant differences were found between the concentrations of the various tissues studied. Plasma concentration was lower than that of the other tissues (except lung).     

Team assembly mechanisms determine collaboration network structure and team performance

Agents in creative enterprises are embedded in networks that inspire, support, and evaluate their work. Here, we investigate how the mechanisms by which creative teams self-assemble determine the structure of these collaboration networks. We propose a model for the self-assembly of creative teams that has its basis in three parameters: team size, the fraction of newcomers in new productions, and the tendency of incumbents to repeat previous collaborations. The model suggests that the emergence of a large connected community of practitioners can be described as a phase transition. We find that team assembly mechanisms determine both the structure of the collaboration network and team performance for teams derived from both artistic and scientific fields.