Angle Kappa Influence on Multifocal IOL Outcomes.

Purpose: To characterize angle kappa and study the relationship between preoperative angle kappa and postoperative refractive accuracy, visual outcomes, and patient satisfaction in a large population of eyes with multifocal intraocular lens (MIOL) implantation.

Methods: A comprehensive electronic medical record chart review of 26,470 consecutive eyes that underwent immediate sequential bilateral cataract or refractive lens exchange with MIOLs was conducted. The primary outcome measures were postoperative monocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), manifest refraction sphere and cylinder, spherical equivalent (SEQ), defocus equivalent (DEQ), subjective quality of vision at near, intermediate, and distance, and the likelihood of recommending the procedure.

Wearable Neck Surface Accelerometers for Occupational Vocal Health Monitoring: Instrument and Analysis Validation Study.

Background: Neck surface accelerometer (NSA) wearable devices have been developed for voice and upper airway health monitoring. As opposed to acoustic sounds, NSA senses mechanical vibrations propagated from the vocal tract to neck skin, which are indicative of a person's voice and airway conditions. NSA signals do not carry identifiable speech information and a speaker's privacy is thus protected, which is important and necessary for continuous wearable monitoring.

Pediatric Vocal Fold Paresis and Paralysis: A Narrative Review.

Importance: Vocal fold paralysis (VFP) results from the disruption of neural motor outputs to laryngeal muscles. Children with VFP manifest various degrees of difficulties in phonation, breathing, and swallowing. Although the etiologic characteristics and symptoms of VFP are well established in adults, corresponding clinical profiles are notably different in children.

Surface-reacted calcium carbonate microparticles as templates for lactoferrin encapsulation.

Microencapsulation helps to improve bioavailability of a functional whey protein, lactoferrin (Lf), in adults. Herein, we report the Lf loading capacity (LC) and retention efficiency (RE) in the microparticles of surface-reacted calcium carbonate (SRCC) of different types and compare them to those of widely used vaterite microparticles. The LCs and REs are analyzed in connection to the total surface area and the volume of intraparticle pores.

Simultaneous investigation of the liquid transport and swelling performance during tablet disintegration.

Fast disintegrating tablets have commonly been used for fast oral drug delivery to patients with swallowing difficulties. The different characteristics of the pore structure of such formulations influence the liquid transport through the tablet and hence affect the disintegration time and the release of the drug in the body. In this work, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and terahertz pulsed imaging were used as promising analytical techniques to quantitatively analyse the impact of the structural properties on the liquid uptake and swelling rates upon contact with the dissolution medium.

Predicting estrogen receptor binding of chemicals using a suite of in silico methods - Complementary approaches of (Q)SAR, molecular docking and molecular dynamics.

With the aim of obtaining reliable estimates of Estrogen Receptor (ER) binding for diverse classes of compounds, a weight of evidence approach using estimates from a suite of in silico models was assessed. The predictivity of a simple Majority Consensus of (Q)SAR models was assessed using a test set of compounds with experimental Relative Binding Affinity (RBA) data. Molecular docking was also carried out and the binding energies of these compounds to the ERα receptor were determined.

Teaching History of Pharmacy in U.S. Pharmacy Schools.

To determine how the standards for teaching pharmacy history were met by U.S. pharmacy schools, whether schools wanted to expand their commitment to pharmacy history, what pedagogical assistance, if any, was desired, and whether elective courses were offered.

Investigating elastic relaxation effects on the optical properties of functionalised calcium carbonate compacts using optics-based Heckel analysis.

Heckel analysis is a widely used method for the characterisation of the compression behaviour of pharmaceutical samples during the preparation of solid dosage formulations. The present study introduces an optical version of the Heckel equation that is based on a combination of the conventional Heckel equation together with the linear relationship defined between the effective terahertz (THz) refractive index and the porosity of pharmaceutical tablets. The proposed optical Heckel equation allows us to, firstly, calculate the zero-porosity refractive index, and, secondly, predict the in-die development of the effective refractive index as a function of the compressive pressure during tablet compression.

Characterisation of pore structures of pharmaceutical tablets: A review.

Traditionally, the development of a new solid dosage form is formulation-driven and less focus is put on the design of a specific microstructure for the drug delivery system. However, the compaction process particularly impacts the microstructure, or more precisely, the pore architecture in a pharmaceutical tablet. Besides the formulation, the pore structure is a major contributor to the overall performance of oral solid dosage forms as it directly affects the liquid uptake rate, which is the very first step of the dissolution process.

Fast and non-destructive pore structure analysis using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

Pharmaceutical tablets are typically manufactured by the uni-axial compaction of powder that is confined radially by a rigid die. The directional nature of the compaction process yields not only anisotropic mechanical properties (e.g.

Contrasting liquid imbibition into uncoated versus pigment coated paper enables a description of imbibition into new-generation surface-filled paper.

The transport of print fluids into paper is directly dependent on the imbibition characteristic of the paper including both the z-, x- and y-directions. As the measurement of free liquid imbibition into the paper thickness (z-direction) is difficult experimentally, due to the thin nature of paper, in this paper we resort to imbibition along the y-direction of paper to analyse and explore the possibility of understanding the mechanistic differences between wicking into uncoated unfilled paper versus that of controllable pigment-filled paper and paper coating. Considering the classical imbibition dynamic, the measured imbibition was characterised firstly with respect to [Formula: see text] and secondly with respect to linear t.

The Unrecognized Epidemic of Electronic Cigarette Burns.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are novel battery-operated devices that deliver nicotine as an inhaled aerosol. They originated from China in 2007 and their use has rapidly increased worldwide in the past decade, yet they remain largely unregulated. Reports of injuries associated with their use have appeared as unusual events in the news media and as case reports in the medical literature.

On the role of API in determining porosity, pore structure and bulk modulus of the skeletal material in pharmaceutical tablets formed with MCC as sole excipient.

The physical properties and mechanical integrity of pharmaceutical tablets are of major importance when loading with active pharmaceutical ingredient(s) (API) in order to ensure ease of processing, control of dosage and stability during transportation and handling prior to patient consumption. The interaction between API and excipient, acting as functional extender and binder, however, is little understood in this context. The API indomethacin is combined in this study with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) at increasing loading levels.

Optics-based compressibility parameter for pharmaceutical tablets obtained with the aid of the terahertz refractive index.

The objective of this study is to propose a novel optical compressibility parameter for porous pharmaceutical tablets. This parameter is defined with the aid of the effective refractive index of a tablet that is obtained from non-destructive and contactless terahertz (THz) time-delay transmission measurement. The optical compressibility parameter of two training sets of pharmaceutical tablets with a priori known porosity and mass fraction of a drug was investigated.

Responsiveness of cats (Felidae) to silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and catnip (Nepeta cataria).

Background: Olfactory stimulation is an often overlooked method of environmental enrichment for cats in captivity. The best known example of olfactory enrichment is the use of catnip, a plant that can cause an apparently euphoric reaction in domestic cats and most of the Pantherinae. It has long been known that some domestic cats and most tigers do not respond to catnip.

Porous calcium carbonate as a carrier material to increase the dissolution rate of poorly soluble flavouring compounds.

Two different food grade functionalised porous calcium carbonates (FCC), with different pore size and pore size distributions, were characterised and used as carrier materials to increase the dissolution rate of poorly soluble flavouring compounds in aqueous solution. The loading level was varied between 1.3% by weight (wt%) and 35 wt%, where the upper limit of 35 wt% was the total maximum loading capacity of flavouring compound in FCC based on the fraction of the total weight of FCC plus flavouring compound.

Characterization of the Pore Structure of Functionalized Calcium Carbonate Tablets by Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy and X-Ray Computed Microtomography.

Novel excipients are entering the market to enhance the bioavailability of drug particles by having a high porosity and, thus, providing a rapid liquid uptake and disintegration to accelerate subsequent drug dissolution. One example of such a novel excipient is functionalized calcium carbonate, which enables the manufacture of compacts with a bimodal pore size distribution consisting of larger interparticle and fine intraparticle pores. Five sets of functionalized calcium carbonate tablets with a target porosity of 45%-65% were prepared in 5% steps and characterized using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and X-ray computed microtomography.

Magnitude and determinants of change in objectively-measured physical activity, sedentary time and sleep duration from ages 15 to 17.5y in UK adolescents: the ROOTS study.

Background: Self-reported physical activity (PA) and sleep duration (SLP) change markedly throughout adolescence. We sought to quantify changes in objectively-measured PA, sedentary time (ST) and SLP through adolescence, and to investigate baseline body composition and baseline activity levels as determinants of change.

Methods: Individually calibrated combined heart rate and movement sensing was used to estimate PA energy expenditure (PAEE), SLP, daily ST and time in light (LPA), moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in 144 adolescents (50% boys) of mean age 15.

Prospective associations between sedentary time, sleep duration and adiposity in adolescents.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether objectively measured sedentary time and sleep duration are associated with changes in adiposity from mid- to late adolescence.

Methods: Students (n = 504, 42% boys) were recruited from schools in Cambridgeshire, UK. At baseline (mean age 15.

Objectively measured physical activity and longitudinal changes in adolescent body fatness: an observational cohort study.

Background: The data regarding prospective associations between physical activity (PA) and adiposity in youth are inconsistent.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate associations between baseline levels of objectively measured PA and changes in adiposity over 2.5 years from mid-to-late adolescence.

Antioxidant and associated capacities of Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia): a systematic review.

An aging population in the United States presents important challenges for patients and physicians. The presence of inflammation can contribute to an accelerated aging process, the increasing presence of comorbidities, oxidative stress, and an increased prevalence of chronic pain. As patient-centered care is embracing a multimodal, integrative approach to the management of disease, patients and physicians are increasingly looking to the potential contribution of natural products.