A non-linear fitting program in pharmacokinetics with Microsoft Excel spreadsheet

PKSolver: An add-in program for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data analysis in Microsoft Excel

This study presents PKSolver, a freely available menu-driven add-in program for Microsoft Excel written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), for solving basic problems in pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) data analysis. The program provides a range of modules for PK and PD analysis including noncompartmental analysis (NCA), compartmental analysis (CA), and pharmacodynamic modeling. Two special built-in modules, multiple absorption sites (MAS) and enterohepatic circulation (EHC), were developed for fitting the double-peak concentration-time profile based on the classical one-compartment model. In addition, twenty frequently used pharmacokinetic functions were encoded as a macro and can be directly accessed in an Excel spreadsheet. To evaluate the program, a detailed comparison of modeling PK data using PKSolver and professional PK/PD software package WinNonlin and Scientist was performed. The results showed that the parameters estimated with PKSolver were satisfactory. In conclusion, the PKSolver simplified the PK and PD data analysis process and its output could be generated in Microsoft Word in the form of an integrated report. The program provides pharmacokinetic researchers with a fast and easy-to-use tool for routine and basic PK and PD data analysis with a more user-friendly interface.

Practical applications of new research information in the practice of bovine embryo transfer

For more than 40 years, practitioners have sought to improve all aspects of commercial bovine embryo transfer. The development of new technologies for this industry has been substantial, with recent focus on cryopreservation techniques and the in vitro production of embryos fertilised with sexed spermatozoa. When these and other new technologies are developed, the following questions remain: (1) is said technology regulated or does it require licensing; and (2) is it applicable and, if so, is it financially feasible? Computer access to published research and the advancement of data software programs conducive to the industry for data procurement have been essential for helping practitioners answer these questions by enhancing their ability to analyse and apply data. The focus of the present paper is to aid commercial embryo transfer practitioners in determining new technologies that are available and whether they can be implemented effectively, benefiting their programs.

Add-in macros for rapid and versatile calculation of non-compartmental pharmacokinetic parameters on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets

We developed a package of macro programs (named PK_MOMENT) to automatically calculate non-compartmental pharmacokinetic parameters on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. These macros include rigorous algorithms to execute moment calculations in a comprehensive manner. An optimum number of terminal data points for infinite-time extrapolation can be calculated with one of these macros so that automatic calculation of infinite moment parameters is possible. The moment calculation with PK_MOMENT provided satisfactory results using the hybrid (mixed linear-logarithmic) trapezoidal method rather than the conventional linear trapezoidal method. The macro-aided pharmacokinetic analyses turned out to be useful in that the macro-containing cells can be easily copied and pasted to analyze other data sets and that powerful tools of Excel can be utilized. The use of our macros will be significantly time-saving for routine pharmacokinetic analyses, considering that pharmacokinetic data are usually stored in a spreadsheet format, typically with Excel.