DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED DISPOSABLE STATIC DIFFUSION CELL FOR DRUG DIFFUSION/PERMEABILITY STUDIES

Objectives: The present study describes a disposable static diffusion cell for in vitro diffusion studies to achieve better results as compared to well existing Franz diffusion cell (FDC) in terms of the absence of bubbles, variable receptor compartment, ease of handling, and faster results.Materials and Methods: The cell consists of a cup-shaped donor compartment made of semi permeable that could be either cellophane membrane or, animal skin fitted to a rigid frame, which is supported on a plastic plate that contains a hole for the sample withdrawal. The receptor compartment is a separate unit, and it could be any container up to 500ml volume capacity. The most preferred receptor compartment is glass beaker. In the present study, goatskin was used as semi-permeable membrane and verification of its performance was carried out through diffusion studies using gel formulations of one each of the four-selected biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class drugs. Metronidazole, diclofenac sodium, fluconazole, and sulfadiazine were used as model drugs for BCS Class I, II, III, and IV, respectively.Results: The newly developed diffusion cell (NDDC) was found to provide faster and more reproducible results as compared to FDC. At the time interval of 24 h, the cell was found to exhibit a higher diffusion of metronidazole, diclofenac sodium, fluconazole, and sulfadiazine by 0.65, 0.65, 0.32, and 0.81 folds, respectively. The faster release obtained with NDDC was attributed to a larger surface area of skin as compared to that in FDC.Conclusion: It was concluded that better reproducibility of results could be achieved with NDDC

Tuberculous dilated cardiomyopathy: an under-recognized entity?

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a common public health problem in many parts of the world. TB is generally believed to spare these four organs-heart, skeletal muscle, thyroid and pancreas. We describe a rare case of myocardial TB diagnosed on a post-mortem cardiac biopsy. CASE PRESENTATION: Patient presented with history suggestive of congestive heart failure. We describe the clinical presentation, investigations and outcome of this case, and review the literature on the involvement of myocardium by TB. CONCLUSION: Involvement of myocardium by TB is rare. However it should be suspected as a cause of congestive heart failure in any patient with features suggestive of TB. Increasing recognition of the entity and the use of endomyocardial biopsy may help us detect more cases of this "curable" form of cardiomyopathy

CONQUER Scleroderma: Association of Gastrointestinal Tract Symptoms in Early Disease With Resource Utilization

OBJECTIVES: SSc is associated with increased health-care resource utilization and economic burden. The Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER) is a US-based collaborative that collects longitudinal follow-up data on SSc patients withparticipants. METHODS: CONQUER participants who had completed a baseline and 12-month Gastrointestinal Tract Questionnaire (GIT 2.0) and a Resource Utilization Questionnaire (RUQ) were included in this analysis. Patients were categorized by total GIT 2.0 severity: none-to-mild (0-0.49); moderate (0.50-1.00), and severe-to-very severe (1.01-3.00). Clinical features and medication exposures were examined in each of these categories. The 12-month RUQ responses were summarized by GIT 2.0 score categories at 12 months. RESULTS: Among the 211 CONQUER participants who met the inclusion criteria, most (64%) had mild GIT symptoms, 26% had moderate symptoms, and 10% severe GIT symptoms at 12 months. The categorization of GIT total severity score by RUQ showed that more upper endoscopy procedures and inpatient hospitalization occurred in the CONQUER participants with severe GIT symptoms. These patients with severe GIT symptoms also reported the use of more adaptive equipment. CONCLUSION: This report from the CONQUER cohort suggests that severe GIT symptoms result in more resource utilization. It is especially important to understand resource utilization in early disease cohorts when disease activity, rather than damage, primarily contributes to health-related costs of SSc

Calibration of the CMS hadron calorimeters using proton-proton collision data at root s=13 TeV

Methods are presented for calibrating the hadron calorimeter system of theCMSetector at the LHC. The hadron calorimeters of the CMS experiment are sampling calorimeters of brass and scintillator, and are in the form of one central detector and two endcaps. These calorimeters cover pseudorapidities vertical bar eta vertical bar ee data. The energy scale of the outer calorimeters has been determined with test beam data and is confirmed through data with high transverse momentum jets. In this paper, we present the details of the calibration methods and accuracy.Peer reviewe

The Camera: Capturing a Moment in Time

Through the information displayed within this project, we wanted to take the reader through a journey of the history of the Camera as used for photography, illustrating the art that is capturing a moment in time. With the underlying theme ‘Joy in the Mundane’, capturing a photo as we all do mindlessly everyday with our smartphones, we decided to dive into the history of the camera and its journey to the present day. The information is displayed through three time periods chronologically beginning with the invention of the first camera in 1816, taking the reader all the way to present day photography. The time periods included are 1816-1974, 1974-200, and 2000- the present. In addition to the chronological display of information, within each time period we have included tags on each icon talking about how the camera as a piece of technology has evolved, the way society has been influenced by the camera and lastly, how the quality of the images have changed as well

Vision Loss Associated with Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: A Systematic Review of Literature

Background: With the global increase in the use of injectable fillers, more cases with serious adverse events such as skin ischemia and vision loss are being reported. This article aims to review the role of HA fillers, as a subgroup separate from fat graft and non-HA fillers, in causing vision loss and to elucidate various features and outcomes of post-HA filler vision loss. Methods: The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to report this review. A total of 29 articles presenting 60 unique cases of post-HA filler vision loss were identified in the literature. Based on various inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 articles with details of 44 cases were included in this study. Results: The majority of cases were seen in women and in the 20\u201340\ua0years age group. The maximum number of cases was reported from Korea, followed by China. Nearly half of the cases reported after HA filler-related visual complications had partial loss of sight, hence \u2018partial vision loss\u2019 and \u2018complete vision loss\u2019 were used as differentiating descriptive terms to the degree of \u2018blindness.\u2019 Nearly all the cases were unilateral, with immediate onset of visual signs and symptoms. The nose, glabella, and forehead were the most commonly implicated areas, while no cases of post-HA filler vision loss were reported from lower face anatomical areas, including the chin, jawline, and lips. Partial vision loss after HA filler has a better prognosis than complete vision loss. HA filler volumes as low as 0.2\ua0ml can cause permanent, complete vision loss, which is suggestive of the embolic nature of HA filler blockage. Ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO) and central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) were the two most commonly involved arterial obstruction patterns followed by branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO). BRAO is the most favorable involved arterial pattern for a chance of recovery after HA filler-related vision loss while CRAO and OAO patterns carry a very poor prognosis. Conclusion: Post-HA filler vision loss is nearly always of immediate onset. Partial vision loss after HA filler injection with the involvement of smaller branches of the retina, other than central retinal artery or ophthalmic artery, has more favorable visual outcomes. Level of Evidence III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266