Algorithms for red lesion detection in Diabetic Retinopathy: A review.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an outcome of prolonged diabetes which directly or indirectly affect the human vision. DR is asymptomatic in its early stages and the late diagnosis lead to undeviating loss of vision. The computer aided diagnosis with the assistance of medical images helps in timely and accurate treatment. Microaneurysms (MA) mark the onset of DR, thus a vital point in screening of this disease. This review discuses various state of the art methods available till date for automated computer aided analysis of microaneurysms and haemorrhages. The paper also highlights qualitative and quantitative comparison of the existing literature with limitations for analysis of microaneurysms and haemorrhages. It is an attempt to systematize the available algorithms for an easy gathering and guidance to researchers working in this domain for future research.

Standard operating procedure for audio visual recording of informed consent: an initiative to facilitate regulatory compliance.

The office of the Drugs Controller General (India) vide order dated 19 th November 2013 has made audio visual (AV) recording of the informed consent mandatory for the conduct of all clinical trials in India. We therefore developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that this is performed in compliance with the regulatory requirements, internationally accepted ethical standards and that the recording is stored as well as archived in an appropriate manner. The SOP was developed keeping in mind all relevant orders, regulations, laws and guidelines and have been made available online. Since, we are faced with unique legal and regulatory requirements that are unprecedented globally, this SOP will allow the AV recording of the informed consent to be performed, archived and retrieved to demonstrate ethical, legal and regulatory compliance. We also compared this to the draft guidelines for AV recording dated 9 th January 2014 developed by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. Our future efforts will include regular testing, feedback and update of the SOP.