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Clinical outcome in patients with ischemic heart disease can be significantly improved with the implementation of targeted drug delivery into the ischemic myocardium. The purpose of this paper is to review the data of recent literature and present original findings relevant to the problem of therapeutic heart targeting with use of nanoparticles.

For literature review, a public‐domain database (Medline) was searched using a web‐based search engine (PubMed) and the following key words: “nanoparticles”, “nanocarriers”, and “targeted drug delivery”. Experimental approaches included fabrication of carbon and silica nanoparticles, their characterization and surface modification. The acute hemodynamic effects of nanoparticle formulation as well as nanoparticle biodistribution were studied on male Wistar rats.

Carbon and silica nanoparticles are biocompatible materials that can be used as carriers for heart‐targeted drug delivery. Concepts of passive and active targeting can be applied to the development of targeted drug delivery to the ischemic myocardial cells.

The present paper is believed to be the first on ligand‐directed targeted drug delivery into the damaged myocardium.

This paper seeks to present an investigation on building controlled drug delivery device (DDD) matrix using fused deposition modelling (FDM) rapid prototyping (RP) process. The focus of the study is on the effect of FDM fabricated macro‐features of reservoir‐matrix DDD models on the drug release rates through the diffusion process.

Using various parameters involved with FDM, polymeric DDD matrices with different macro‐features are designed and fabricated on the FDM3000 machine. Experiments are conducted to study the release characteristics and porosity of the fabricated models with a model drug and to see how they are affected by FDM build parameters.

Experimental results show that FDM parameters, raster gap and raster angle, play significant roles in controlling the structure and drug release characteristics of the FDM fabricated DDDs. The experimental observations reveal that appropriate FDM parameters can be selected to fabricate controlled DDD device with desired release rate of drug and the desired period of operation of the device.

The paper introduces a novel application of FDM RP system in the development and fabrication of polymeric controlled DDDs. The controlled release of drugs is an important area in which RP techniques can be successfully used in developing models of release matrix for DDDs with added benefits of accuracy, uniformity and low costs compared with conventional methods.

Over the years, electrical stimulation in drug delivery system holds particular interest in producing spatially and temporally controlled release mechanism. These systems helped in localized doses drugs to be administrated and response efficiently at target site to achieve excellent healing effect in control microenvironment. Extensive research is needed in order to develop versatile electroactive biomaterials in the field of therapeutics applications. This paper aims to discuss this issue.

This work reports the development of polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun coated with pectin/polyaniline (PANi) composite, which has been characterized and whose drug delivery application is ascertained. The composite has been characterized on its mechanical conductivity and wettability properties to evaluate best formulation. The analysis on morphological properties using scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed the formation of the dual-layer electro-responsive composite.

Among different formulations studied, the pectin/PANi composition (12 percent/3 percent) was found to be an optimized composition with ultimate tensile strength of 55.48±0.65 MPa and modulus strength of 63.30±0.43 MPa with 2.41×10^–3 Scm⁻¹ electrical percolation. The hydrophobic PCL electrospun reduced as coating material was introduced on top with optimum of 85.3 percent degree of swelling and water contact angle at 39.17±0.67°. SEM micrograph revealed strong interaction between dual-layer structures with interconnected porous of uniform fibers.

Overall, these data present a multiangle initial characterization of this novel dual-layer electro-responsive composite for applications in drug delivery. However, additional analysis should be performed in order to provide a clear verification as drug delivery scaffold.

Rapid prototyping (RP) technology has been widely applied in biomedical research. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a scaffold composite drug delivery system (DDS) was fabricated using a nano composite deposition system (NCDS).

A biocompatible and biodegradable thermoplastic polymer (poly(DL‐lactide‐co‐glycolide acid)) was used as the matrix, and a mixture of anti‐cancer drug (5‐fluorouracil) and bio‐ceramic (hydroxyapatite – HA) was added to the polymer to form a bio‐composite material for the DDS. An in vitro drug release test showed that the release rate of the drug composite could be controlled by the amount of HA for 50 days.

Faster release was observed for the DDS with higher weight percent of HA. The relationship between release rate and the amount of HA showed a bi‐linear manner, and bi‐linear drug release models were developed based on the experimental results.

Cylindrical scaffolds were fabricated with polymer/drug/additive using an NCDS. A series of in vitro drug release tests was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the additive, HA. Drug release models were developed based on the experimental results.

This paper aims to provide an integrated production-routing model in a three-echelon supply chain containing a two-layer transportation system to minimize the total costs of production, transportation, inventory holding and expired drugs treatment. In the proposed problem, some specifications such as multisite manufacturing, simultaneous pickup and delivery and uncertainty in parameters are considered.

At first, a mathematical model has been proposed for the problem. Then, one possibilistic model and one robust possibilistic model equivalent to the initial model are provided regarding the uncertain nature of the model parameters and the inaccessibility of their probability function. Finally, the performance of the proposed model is evaluated using the real data collected from a pharmaceutical production center in Iran. The results reveal the proper performance of the proposed models.

The results obtained from applying the proposed model to a real-life production center indicated that the number of expired drugs has decreased because of using this model, also the costs of the system were reduced owing to integrating simultaneous drug pickup and delivery operations. Moreover, regarding the results of simulations, the robust possibilistic model had the best performance among the proposed models.

This research considers a two-layer vehicle routing in a production-routing problem with inventory planning. Moreover, multisite manufacturing, simultaneous pickup of the expired drugs and delivery of the drugs to the distribution centers are considered. Providing a robust possibilistic model for tackling the uncertainty in demand, costs, production capacity and drug expiration costs is considered as another remarkable feature of the proposed model.

Institutional pharmaceutical services have widely evolved over the past 20‐30 years. Hospital pharmacy practice has changed from a profession concerned chiefly with the bulk preparation and distribution of drug products to one centred on ensuring optimal drug therapy. Whereas hospital pharmacists were charged with maintaining large drug stock on nursing units, many of them now provide individualised patient therapies. The practice of hospital pharmacy has therefore become one encompassing all aspects of drug therapy, from the procurement of drugs and drug delivery devices, their preparation and distribution, to their most appropriate selection and use for each patient. Hospital pharmacy services have traditionally had little involvement at the key stages in patients’ hospital care. This leads to the conclusion that the model of clinical pharmacy practice adopted by many pharmacy department hospitals is no longer appropriate for the demands of today’s health‐care services. Reviews many new models proposed for clinical pharmacy practice including an integrated model for providing a pharmaceutical care management approach in the health‐care system. This model is a response to the failures of traditional drug therapy. It is primarily an idea about how health professionals and patient should integrate their work to obtain outcomes important to patients and clinicians.

It is unclear how consumer participation (CP) can be optimised to transform drug and alcohol treatment services and improve health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a systematic review examining the types and benefits of activities, and the factors that facilitate CP in drug treatment services.

A structured search of four databases was undertaken to identify peer reviewed primary research literature in English. Screened articles were appraised. A content analysis was applied to examine the types and outcomes of CP and the associated factors affecting the process. In total, 16 articles were included for review.

A range of CP activities were identified, and benefits included increased consumer satisfaction, and improved health service delivery. Factors that facilitated the process of CP included positive attitudes of both consumers and providers and employment of people with a lived experience of drug use. However, the lack of consumer and organisational capacity, negative attitudes of providers and power imbalances between consumers and providers constrained CP efforts.

To maximise the benefits of CP in drug and alcohol treatment services, negative attitudes about CP and power dynamics between consumers and health providers need to be addressed. This can be achieved by the strategic use of strengths-based interventions and consumer led education to enhance social capital.

This is the first known review to examine the benefits and facilitators of CP in drug treatment services.

The paper covers:• nature of the drug problem ‐ drug dependence, prevalence of misuse, distribution of problematic drug‐users (PDUs) across NOMS and how drug‐related offending manifests itself• drug strategy in prisons ‐ demand reduction, supply reduction and establishing through‐care linkages, clinical services, counselling, assessment, referral, advice and through‐care services (CARATs), drug rehabilitation programmes, drug testing programmes, supply reduction initiatives, DIP linkages and wider resettlement agenda• assessing need and planning for the future ‐ needs analysis, development of the collaborative drug treatment vision, initiatives planned or under way to improve quality and amount of treatment available, and mainstreaming/integration of services to reduce re‐offending and make public environment safer.

The objective of this paper is to propose an approach to comparatively analyze the performance of drugs and consumable products warehouses belonging to different healthcare institutions.

A Cluster Analysis is completed in order to classify warehouses and identify common patterns based on similar organizational characteristics. The variables taken into account are associated with inventory levels, the number of SKUs, and incoming and outgoing flows.

The outcomes of the empirical analysis are confirmed by additional indicators reflecting the demand level and the associated logistics flows faced by the warehouses at issue. Also, the warehouses belonging to the same cluster show similar behaviors for all the indicators considered, meaning that the performed Cluster Analysis can be considered as coherent.

The study proposes an approach aimed at grouping healthcare warehouses based on relevant logistics aspects. Thus, it can foster the application of statistical analysis in the healthcare Supply Chain Management. The present work is associated with only one regional healthcare system.

The approach might support healthcare agencies in comparing the performance of their warehouses more accurately. Consequently, it could facilitate comprehensive investigations of the managerial similarities and differences that could be a first step toward warehouse aggregation in homogeneous logistics units.

This analysis puts forward an approach based on a consolidated statistical tool, to assess the logistics performances in a set of warehouses and, in turn to deepen the related understanding as well as the factors determining them.

The purpose of this paper is to print a thermolabile drug-containing tablet using the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique and analyze its mechanical, pharmaceutical and environmental feasibility using a variety of tests.

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is the thermally-sensitive drug impregnated into polyvinyl alcohol excipient using ethanol-water mixture and printed by an FDM printer by varying three parameters without using any external stabilizing agent. Afterward, Taguchi analysis has been performed on these parameters to recognize the significant factors and interactions. Besides this, a regression model has been obtained based on the dissolution data. Various thermo-mechanical and pharmaceutical tests have been carried out to confirm the feasibility. Finally, a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis has been carried out to compare it with the existing tableting method by considering the environmental impacts.

The dissolution profile was found to follow the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, where the drug release occurred both by dissolution and erosion. Further, the infill percent has been found as the most significant parameter. The characterization tests and imaging outputs proved the fidelity of this attempt. Finally, the three-dimensional printed method was found to be more environmentally sustainable than the existing conventional tableting process.

LCA on a printed tablet is a one-of-a-kind attempt. Thus, this research attempt delivered another approach to print personalized tablets at a temperature lower than prescribed temperatures with required release behavior and can contribute toward the quest of sustainable personalized medication.