Microparticle-based Controlled Drug Delivery Systems: From Experiments to Statistical Analysis and Design

Controlled drug delivery (CDD), the controlled release and delivery of therapeutic drugs inside the human body, is a promising approach to increase the efficacy of drug administration and reduce harmful side effects to the body. CDD has been a major research focus in the field of molecular communications (MC) with the goal to aid the design and optimization of CDD systems with communication theoretical analysis. However, the existing studies of CDD under the MC framework are purely theoretical, and the potential of MC for the development of practical CDD applications remains yet to be shown. This paper presents a step towards filling this research gap. Specifically, we present a novel MC-based model for a specific CDD system in which drugs are embedded into microparticles and released gradually towards the target site. It is demonstrated that the proposed model is able to faithfully reproduce experimental data. Furthermore, statistical analysis is conducted to explore the impact of the microparticle size on the drug release. The presented results reveal the sensitivity of the drug release to changes in the microparticle size. In this way, the proposed model can be used for the design of future microparticle-based CDD systems.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. This paper has been submitted in part to the 2023 IEEE Global Communications Conference (Globecom

What do the general population know, believe and feel about individuals with autism and schizophrenia:Results from a comparative survey in Denmark

Few studies investigate what members of the general population know about individuals with autism. Only one study has previously investigated how beliefs about autism differ from those about other psychiatric disorders. This study surveyed a convenience sample of the general adult population, within the Northern Region of Denmark, about their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about individuals with autism and schizophrenia. The respondents (N = 440) possessed basic knowledge and were able to differentiate between the two disorders. Schizophrenia was associated with perceived danger (32.8%), while autism was associated with high intelligence (40.1%) and creativity (27.3%). Respondents were more positive towards interacting with individuals with autism (p &lt; 0.001), but desire for social distancing was pronounced for both disorders in more intimate relationships. Significantly, more respondents reported that they would find it difficult and feel ashamed with regard to being diagnosed with schizophrenia (p &lt; 0.001). Conversely, respondents significantly reported being more likely to elaborate on their diagnosis of autism to their colleagues (p &lt; 0.001). Perceived dangerousness decreased the willingness for social interactions, while knowing someone with autism or schizophrenia increased the willingness to socially interact. Misconceptions and stigma must be addressed in order to minimize the social stigma and rejection associated with these disorders and ultimately improve the quality of life and psychological well-being of affected individuals and their families. </jats:p

The Prevalence of Glaucoma in Young People.

BACKGROUND Earlier information on the prevalence of glaucoma among children in Germany was based solely on estimates. Reported values for congenital glaucoma range from 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 68 000 depending on ethnic origin. The estimate for juvenile glaucoma is 1 in 44 000. METHODS The Gutenberg Health Study is a populationbased, prospective, monocentric cohort study with 15 010 participants aged 35 to 74. To determine the history-based prevalence of childhood glaucoma, participants were asked about the diagnosis of glaucoma, any operations for glaucoma that were performed, regular use of drugs for glaucoma, and the age of onset of glaucoma. The affected individuals were classified in four groups based on the age of onset: congenital (<2 years), juvenile (2 to <18 years), late juvenile (18 to <40 years), and early adult (40 to <45 years). In the identified glaucoma patients, the visual acuity, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, visual fields, and optic discs were evaluated. RESULTS 352 persons were identified from their medical history as having glaucoma. The weighted prevalences in the four groups were 0% in the congenital group, 0.01% (95% confidence interval [0, 0.03]) in the juvenile group, 0.16 % ([0.09; 0.23]) in the late juvenile group, and 0.17% ([0.15; 0.19]) in the early adult group. For participants over age 45, the weighted prevalence of glaucoma was 1.98% [1.7; 2.2]. CONCLUSION In our cohort, the history-based prevalence of juvenile glaucoma was 0.01% (2 patients). The prevalence was an order of magnitude higher (0.16%) between the ages of 18 and 40, and two orders of magnitude higher at later ages (1.98%). The burden of disease seems to be markedly higher than previously assumed