New Approach for the Application of USP Apparatus 3 in Dissolution Tests: Case Studies of Three Antihypertensive Immediate-Release Tablets.

The USP Apparatus 3 is a compendial dissolution Apparatus that has been mainly used to assess the performance of modified-release drug products. However, this Apparatus can be applied to dissolution testing of immediate-release tablets as well, with several advantages such as lower consumption of dissolution media, reduced setup time in quality control routine, and minimized hydrodynamic issues. In this work, three immediate-release (IR) tablets containing antihypertensive drugs of different Biopharmaceutic Classification System (BCS) classes were evaluated in order to assess the possible interchangeability between the official dissolution method using typical USP Apparatus 1 or 2 and the proposed methods using USP Apparatus 3.

Use of herbal remedies by multiple sclerosis patients: a nation-wide survey in Italy.

Though recent progress in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment is remarkable, numerous unmet needs remain to be addressed often inducing patients to look for complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), especially herbal remedies (HR). HR use, scarcely investigated in MS, may cause adverse reactions (AR) and interfere with conventional treatment. We performed a survey aimed at evaluating use and attitudes towards HR and factor associated to HR use.

Determinants of on-the-job-barriers in employed persons with multiple sclerosis: the role of disability severity and cognitive indices.

Background: Literature has shown that work maintenance is central in order to guarantee participation to persons with disability. Knowledge about potential sources of difficulties and obstacles is then crucial in order to prevent barriers and facilitate work maintenance and career development for persons with disabilities.

Objective: Studies analyzing on-the-job barriers among employed people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have found evidence for a role of clinical determinants.

The direct cost of patients with multiple sclerosis: a survey from Italian MS centres.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive disease of the CNS causing disability and neurological symptoms that carry a substantial burden. Previous Italian studies appear outdated, and investigation on the burden of recently marketed drug treatments should provide further economic evidence for policy makers. The objective of the study was to investigate patterns of care, resource consumption and direct medical cost of MS, in the perspective of the public health-care provider.

Safety and efficacy of natalizumab in children with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To describe the effect of natalizumab in the treatment of subjects with active multiple sclerosis (MS) treated before the age of 18 years.

Methods: Nineteen pediatric subjects with MS (mean age 14.6 +/- 2.