Evaluation of laser direct infrared imaging for rapid analysis of pharmaceutical tablets.

Vibrational spectroscopic chemical imaging is an important tool in the pharmaceutical industry for characterising the spatial distribution of components within final drug products. The applicability of these techniques is currently limited by the long data acquisition times required to obtain high-definition chemical images of a sample surface. Advancements in quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology have provided an exciting new opportunity for infrared (IR) imaging. Instead of collecting a full IR spectrum at each point, it is possible to focus on distinct spectral bands to reduce imaging data collection time. This study explores a laser direct infrared (LDIR) chemical imaging approach that couples QCL technology with rapid scanning optics to provide high-definition chemical images at an order of magnitude faster than traditional imaging techniques. The capabilities of LDIR chemical imaging were evaluated for pharmaceutical formulations and compared with other established spectroscopic chemical imaging techniques including Raman, near-infrared (NIR) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) spectroscopy with regards to data acquisition time and image quality. The study showed that LDIR imaging provided high-definition component distribution maps comparable to Raman and SEM-EDX at orders of magnitude faster in terms of time. The ability to obtain high-definition chemical images of the whole tablet surface in relatively fast time frames indicates LDIR imaging could be a promising tool in the pharmaceutical industry to rapidly characterise the size and distribution of components within tablets and could help enhance drug product manufacturing understanding.

Comparison of Raman and Near-Infrared Chemical Mapping for the Analysis of Pharmaceutical Tablets.

Raman and near-infrared (NIR) chemical mapping are widely used methods in the pharmaceutical industry to understand the distribution of components within a drug product. Recent advancements in instrumentation have enabled the rapid acquisition of high-resolution images. The comparison of these techniques for the analysis of pharmaceutical tablets has not recently been explored and thus the relative performance of each technique is not currently well defined. Here, the differences in the chemical images obtained by each method are assessed and compared with scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX), as an alternative surface imaging technique to understand the ability of each technique to acquire a chemical image representative of the sample surface. It was found that the Raman data showed the best agreement with the spatial distribution of components observed in the SEM-EDX images. Quantitative and qualitative comparison of the Raman and NIR images revealed a very different spatial distribution of components with regards to domain size and shape. The Raman image exhibited sharper and better discriminated domains of each component, whereas the NIR image was heavily dominated by large pixelated domains. This study demonstrated the superiority of using Raman chemical mapping compared with NIR chemical mapping to produce a chemical image representative of the sample surface using routinely available instrumentation to obtain a better approximation of domain size and shape. This is fundamental for understanding knowledge gaps in current manufacturing processes; particularly relating the relationship between components in the formulation, processing condition, and final characteristics. By providing a means to more accurately visualize the components within a tablet matrix, these areas can all be further understood.

Economic impact of converting an interventional pain medicine physician office-based practice into a provider-based ambulatory pain practice.

BACKGROUND: One consequence of the shifting economic health care landscape is the growing trend of physician employment and practice acquisition by hospitals. These acquired practices are often converted into hospital- or provider-based clinics. This designation brings the increased services of the hospital, the accreditation of the hospital, and a new billing structure verses the private clinic (the combination of the facility and professional fee billing). One potential concern with moving to a provider-based designation is that this new structure might make the practice less competitive in a marketplace that may still be dominated by private physician office-based practices. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the provider-based/hospital fee structure on clinical volume. OBJECTIVE: Determine the effect of transition to a hospital- or provider-based practice setting (with concomitant cost implications) on patient volume in the current practice milieu. SETTING:   Community hospital-based academic interventional pain medicine practice. STUDY DESIGN: Economic analysis of effect of change in price structure on clinical volumes. METHODS: The current study evaluates the effect of a change in designation with price implications on the demand for clinical services that accompany the transition to a hospital-based practice setting from a physician office setting in an academic community hospital. RESULTS: Clinical volumes of both procedures and clinic volumes increased in a mature practice setting following transition to a provider-based designation and the accompanying facility and professional fee structure. Following transition to a provider-based designation clinic visits were increased 24% while procedural volume demand did not change. LIMITATIONS: Single practice entity and single geographic location in southeastern United States. CONCLUSIONS: The conversion to a hospital- or provider-based setting does not negatively impact clinical volume and referrals to community-based pain medicine practice. These results imply that factors other than price are a driver of patient choice.  

Chemical images: technical approaches and issues.

Chemical mapping techniques using Raman microscopy are introduced, and using an example of a pharmaceutical tablet, the practical aspects of data collection and processing to produce a chemical image of the sample are detailed. Issues related to data processing, instrument standards, chemical image reportable errors, and the interpretation of chemical images are presented to encourage debate, develop solutions, and promote use in other challenging scientific applications. applications.

HERMES : Heuristic emergency response management expert system

HERMES, a prototype expert system to provide advice and assistance in the management of emergencies involving hazardous materials, was developed by the Alberta Research Council, Alberta Public Safety Services, and Emergency Preparedness Canada. This system was implemented on the symbolics artificial inteligence workstation, using the ART (AutomatedReasoning Tool) software. (AU)