Teleophthalmology in Diabetic Retinopathy

Over the past decade, there have been rapid strides in progress in the fields of telecommunication and medical imaging. There is growing evidence regarding use of teleophthalmology for screening of diabetic retinopathy. This article highlights some pertinent questions regarding use of telescreening for diabetic retinopathy. It deals with evidence regarding accuracy of diagnosis, patients satisfaction and cost-effectiveness. The American Telemedicine Association have given certain guidelines for teleheath practices for diabetic retinopathy. The article discusses regarding these guidelines. Finally, a working model for diabetic retinopathy screening through teleophthalmology has been described. Telescreening for diabetic retinopathy seems to be a cost-effective, accurate, and reliable method for screening for diabetic retinopathy. The American Telemedicine Association has set up guidelines for telescreening that should be adhered to provide quality screening services to people with diabetes.     

The Impact of Hot Melt Extrusion and Spray Drying on Mechanical Properties and Tableting Indices of Materials Used in Pharmaceutical Development

The impact of melt extrusion (HME) and spray drying (SD) on mechanical properties of hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS), copovidone, and their formulated blends was studied and compared with that of reference excipients. Tensile strength (TS), compression pressure (CP), elastic modulus (E), and dynamic hardness (H_d) were determined along with Hiestand indices using compacts prepared at a solid fraction of ～0.85. HPMCAS and copovidone exhibited lower H_d, lower CP, and lower E than the reference excipients and moderate TS. HPMCAS was found to be highly brittle based on brittle fracture index values. The CP was 24% and 61% higher for HPMCAS after SD and HME, respectively, than for unprocessed material along with a higher H_d. Furthermore, the TS of HPMCAS and copovidone decreased upon HME. Upon blending melt-extruded HPMCAS with plastic materials such as microcrystalline cellulose, the TS increased. These results suggest that SD and HME could impact reworkability by reducing deformation of materials and in case of HME, likely by increasing density due to heating and shear stress in a screw extruder. A somewhat similar effect was observed for the dynamic binding index (BI_d) of the excipients and formulated blends. Such data can be used to quantitate the impact of processing on mechanical properties of materials during tablet formulation development.     

Prospective randomized controlled trial evaluating cap-assisted colonoscopy vs standard colonoscopy

AIM: To study the significance of cap-fitted colonoscopy in improving cecal intubation time and polyp detection rate. METHODS: This study was a prospective randomized controlled trial conducted from March 2008 to February 2009 in a tertiary referral hospital at Sydney. The primary end point was cecal intubation time and the secondary endpoint was polyp detection rate. Consecutive cases of total colonoscopy over a 1-year period were recruited. Randomization into either standard colonoscopy (SC) or cap-assist...