Effects of the granule composition on the compaction behavior of deformable dry granules

Calibration of the Drucker Prager Cap (DPC) model parameters provides a means for a deeper understanding of the impact of granule composition on the compaction properties of dry granules independent of their solid fraction (SF). In this study, monodisperse granules of mixtures of microcrystalline cellulose and mannitol (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% mannitol) prepared as small cylindrical compacts with well-defined size, shape and SF (0.58) were used as model dry granules. DPC parameters--namely, cohesion, internal friction angle, cap eccentricity, and hydrostatic yield strength of materials--were determined from the diametrical and uniaxial compression, and in-die compaction tests. Elastic properties such as Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratios were also determined from the in-die compaction test. Higher level of MNT in granules required a lower compression pressure to obtain a low SF tablet but higher compression pressure to obtain a high SF tablets. Properties such as cohesion and diametrical tensile strength go through a maximum as the mannitol level increases in the binary granules, and clearly do not follow the linear mixing rule. At an industrially-relevant tablet solid fraction of 0.88, granules with 75% mannitol exhibited the highest cohesion, and produced the strongest tablet. Other properties either approximately follow the linear mixing rule (e.g., hydrostatic yield strength, young's modulus and Poisson’s ratio) where some interactions between the constituents are present, or not sensitive to the composition (e.g., internal angle of friction). In general, the compaction behavior of granules of a multicomponent system may not be precisely estimated from the properties of individual components, simply by using the linear mixing rule

The role of pharmacists in developing countries: the current scenario in Pakistan

During the past few years, the pharmacy profession has expanded significantly in terms of professional services delivery and now has been recognized as an important profession in the multidisciplinary provision of health care. In contrast to the situation in developed countries, pharmacists in developing countries are still underutilized and their role as health care professionals is not deemed important by either the community or other health care providers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the role of pharmacists in developing countries, particularly in Pakistan. The paper draws on the literature related to the socioeconomic and health status of Pakistan's population, along with background on the pharmacy profession in the country in the context of the current directions of health care

Taking Advantage of Hg−C Bonds: Synthesis of the First Homoleptic Bis-β-diketiminate Complex Bound through the γ-Carbons

The most common β-diketiminate ligand, [{N(2,6-iPr2C6H3)C(Me)}2CH]− (BDI), was used to synthesize a new mercury complex in which two BDI ligands are bound to the metal through the γ-carbons in the solid state. In solution, one of the BDI ligands switches to an N,N′-binding mode; this complex is in equilibrium with the homoleptic species. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH° (−2.52 kcal mol−1), ΔS° (−9.24 cal mol−1 K−1), and ΔG°298 (0.23 kcal mol−1), were measured using variable-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy