Gastrointestinal Behavior of Weakly Acidic BCS Class II Drugs in Man--Case Study of Diclofenac Potassium.

This study aimed to investigate the gastrointestinal supersaturation and precipitation behavior of a weakly acidic Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class II drug in healthy volunteers. For this purpose, a tablet containing 50 mg diclofenac potassium (Cataflam(®)) was predissolved in 240 mL of water and this solution was subsequently orally administered to five healthy volunteers under fasted and fed state conditions with or without concomitant use of a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) (40 mg esomeprazole, Nexiam(®)). Subsequently, total diclofenac content and dissolved intraluminal drug concentrations as well as drug thermodynamic solubility were determined in gastrointestinal aspirates.

Medical imaging part of multi-media.

The main objective of CEN/TC251/WG4 is to create standards for image communication to allow interoperability between heterogeneous systems in a distributed environment. The scope includes all forms of medical imaging (not only radiology) and also the image related data. The Working Group (WG) is monitoring developments in the whole field of medical imaging and multimedia, in particular image formats, image management, image processing, interface control, security and multimedia (including related standards).

European Integrated Picture Archiving and Communication Systems, CEC/AIM.

A Picture Archiving and Communication System, supported by a multi-media medical distributed image data-base, will be integrated with all other components of a Hospital Information System (HIS). Several services will be set up for intra- and inter-hospital communication. A EurIPACS infrastructure will be implemented, validated and demonstrated.

Standardization of medical imaging in Europe: an integrated initiative.

The successful implementation of PACS (or IMACS) depends on the integration of image and image related data handling systems in an overall hospital information system (HIS) and other departmental information systems (DIS), one of which is radiology information system (RIS). With respect to standardization in the medical imaging field, this integration cannot be looked at separately from the overall prospect of standardization in medical informatics. All relevant standardization work done outside health care should be taken into account.

European standardization efforts: an important framework for medical imaging.

For several years now, users have been waiting for standards allowing medical images to be exchanged, managed, stored and manipulated. Standards are prerequisites for the development of PACS and IMACS systems. It is because of the lack of standards that PACS have not yet widely been implemented.

Multi media and broadband communication services: a new paradigm for medical imaging.

This paper is attempting given a summery of the major building blocks and driving forces in the developments of medical informatics and medical imaging in special. The role of multi-media and broadband communication will be described. The paper should give an indication where the author sees medical imaging in the world of informatics, focusing from R&D to product developments, with emphases on standards and prototyping.

Detecting clustered microcalcifications in the female breast: secondary digitized images versus mammograms.

We compared the detection of clustered microcalcifications by means of conventional mammograms and by means of secondary digitized images with a spatial resolution of 2048 x 1684 pixels and a contrast resolution of 12 bit. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) study was carried out using a cadaver breast showing phantom microcalcifications. A set of 100 mammograms was evaluated by two experienced senior radiologists.

The impact of standards.

The development of standards in the field of PACS is essential. This paper explains why and describes the current activities in this field. Special emphasis is put on the European activities, i.

The European Community: standardization in medical informatics and imaging.

The use of informatics and telecommunications in health care and medicine has reached a stage where the application of standards is an absolute requirement. The AIM Programme of the CEC DGXIII stimulated the study of the subject, and has supported the set up of an official European platform for standardization in this field, the CEN TC251. The needs for standardization in one of the subareas, medical imaging, are described in detail.

User requirements and standards for PACS. 2nd Japan-Nordic PACS Symposium.

PACS has been regarded as a system which will bring a new era to image handling, radiology departments and its services to other departments of the hospital. However, many recently held international conferences indicate that a worldwide consensus on 'what is PACS, why is PACS needed and who is PACS for' has not been established. Although the actual PACS implementation will vary among the countries and according to each situation, a worldwide consensus of PACS should be possible.

[Induction of lung maturation in pending premature delivery and scheduled premature delivery].

At the Women's Hospital of the Medical Academy of Erfurt we have examined the efficiency of dexamethasone on fetal lungs maturation at imminent premature birth and planned untimely delivery. Dexamethasone was given in a randomized series at a dosage of 12-mg per day orally on three successive days. The effectiveness of induction was measured at the percentage of the total phospholipid fraction in the amniotic fluid and at the mortality of RDS in both groups.

[Evaluation of fetal maturity using various components of amniotic fluid].

It is reported on the lecithin-sphingomyelin-ratio, the total phospholipids, creatinine, glucose and content of orange cells in the liquor amnii in dependence on the age of pregnancy. All methods are criticized in their value for the diagnosis of fetal maturity. Basing on the results of this report is proposed a table of points of maturity like the model of womens hospital at the University of Halle (GDR).

[Practical significance of umbilical cord complications for the management of delivery].

In the Gynecological Hospital of the Academy Erfut, the deliveries of the year 1973 were analysed prospectively in regard of the frequency of umbilical cord complications and their effects to the fetus. At a frequency of 39.3%--i.