"When I finished my film, I realized that people really needed me there": the transformative power of Collaborative Filmmaking.

Collaborative Filmmaking (CF) is a relatively new, participatory, visual research method in which participants are trained in digital filmmaking to collect and analyze their own data in the form of creative short films and to disseminate their findings through film screenings and discussions. In this comment article, we present qualitative insights that delve into the perspectives of a group of CF participants as they reflect upon their experiences using CF and the impact that the method had on them as project participants. Participants were young adult educators who used CF to explore and evaluate the process of building community support for a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program in rural Madagascar.

Exploring the multi-level impacts of a youth-led comprehensive sexuality education model in Madagascar using Human-centered Design methods.

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is recognized as a critical tool for addressing sexuality and reproductive health challenges among adolescents. However, little is known about the broader impacts of CSE on populations beyond adolescents, such as schools, families, and communities. This study explores multi-level impacts of an innovative CSE program in Madagascar, which employs young adult CSE educators to teach a three-year curriculum in government middle schools across the country.

Creating a difference - a role for the arts in addressing child wellbeing in conflict-affected areas.

Background: Details findings from a project on the potential for arts activities and art therapy to support the mental health and wellbeing of children living in Kashmir.

Methods: The intervention engaged 30 school children over the course of one year who produced various forms of artwork and performances. In this paper, we report on project impacts, drawing on some of our qualitative measures including observations and interviews.

Spirituality and the recovery of quality of life following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: Spirituality has been linked to improved adjustment and functioning in individuals with cancer; however, its effect on quality of life following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has not been well-studied. This study investigated changes in spirituality in hematologic cancer patients recovering from HSCT and relationships between spirituality and dimensions of quality of life following HSCT.

Methods: Participants (N = 220) completed measures of two dimensions of spirituality (meaning/peace and religious faith), depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and physical and functional well-being prior to transplant and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months posttransplant.

Development of a new controlled-release formulation of chlorpheniramine maleate using in vitro/in vivo correlations.

Development of a controlled-released formulation of chlorpheniramine maleate is described, using in vitro/in vivo correlates, according to a process that has been termed "biorelevant dissolution". The process begins with simulations using several possible input rates combined with known disposition parameters of chlorpheniramine maleate. Based on desired plasma concentrations, an input rate is selected for further development which consists of a combination of clinical bioequivalence studies and further in vitro testing and simulations.

The development of USP dissolution and drug release standards.

Dissolution tests have been in use in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years, and they are official in The United States Pharmacopeia since the early 1960s. The dissolution test, reviewed primarily as a quality control tool, replaced the use of disintegration tests which had been official in The United States Pharmacopeia since 1950. Refinements in the dissolution test equipment and methodology have occurred over the years in order to enhance its relevance.

Phenotypic differences in dextromethorphan metabolism.

Polymorphic differences in dextromethorphan metabolism were observed in three studies conducted in a total of 44 subjects (of Dutch origin) administered 60 mg dextromethorphan hydrobromide as an OROS tablet. Mean plasma dextromethorphan (DM) concentrations after a single dose and at steady state were 4-75 times higher in the poor metabolizers (PM) relative to the extensive metabolizers (EM). Following a single dose, the mean areas under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC, 0-24 hr) of DM, total dextrorphan (DR), and total 3-hydroxymorphinan (HM) were 6.

The in vitro development of extended-release solid oral dosage forms.

A system is described for developing extended-release products, based upon predicting or simulating the entire plasma level-time curve to be expected from the administration of a controlled-release oral dosage form. Termed "biorelevant dissolution," it employs the product's in vitro dissolution behavior and the drug's pharmacokinetic parameters in conjunction with a classical pharmacokinetic model. The basic system is described along with some pertinent examples.

Oros controlled-release formulations of metoprolol: an approach to the development of a system for once daily administration.

A combined biopharmaceutical and haemodynamic approach to the development of a metoprolol Oros controlled-release delivery system for once daily administration is reported. Two studies, each involving 18 healthy volunteers, were performed in which twice daily administration of 100 mg conventional metoprolol tartrate tablets was compared with once daily administration of Oros systems containing 190 mg metoprolol fumarate but with different drug release rates. Plasma drug concentrations and beta-adrenoceptor blocking effects were measured over 24 h on days 1 and 5 of each treatment, and pre-dose in the interval between the main study days.

Coexistence of pheochromocytoma, adrenal adenoma and hypokalemia.

A 56-year-old woman had a 22-year history of hypertension. Investigation showed hypokalemia and kaliuresis without pronounced suppression of plasma renin activity or elevation of urinary aldosterone excretion. There was biochemical evidence of catecholamine metabolite excess but the usual clinical features of pheochromocytoma were absent.

The objective and timing of drug disposition studies, appendix IV. Phenylbutazone formulations: in vitro dissolution and in vivo performance.

Human plasma level studies were conducted on various phenylbutazone formulations. The resultant data indicated that the nature of the formulation had a marked influence on the rate of phenylbutazone absorption. An in vitro dissolution rate apparatus was employed in an attempt to predict potential absorption of phenylbutazone from a given formulation.