ABSTRACT
Background: Health disparities and mental health issues have not been fully explored among sexual minorities. This study aims to examine health disparities and severity of depression among sexual minorities using a nationally representative sample of the US population. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2011 to 2016 were analyzed. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to examine the severity of depression among sexual minorities compared to heterosexuals. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics and associations using the Chi-squared test. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the magnitude of association between severity of depression and demographic characteristics. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among 7826 participants included, 426 (5.4%) were identified as a sexual minority. Moderately severe to severe depression was observed among 9.3% of sexual minorities with women having higher rates (64.2%) than men. Similarly, sexual minorities were two times more likely to have moderately severe to severe depression, two and half times more likely to see a mental health professional, and one and half times more likely to have genital herpes and be a user of illicit drugs than heterosexuals. In addition, they were less likely to be married and more likely to have been born in the United States, be a U.S. citizen, and earn less than USD 25,000 (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Sexual minorities are affected by a range of social, structural, and behavioral issues impacting their health. The screening of individuals with depression who are sexual minorities (especially females), illicit drug users, poor, or aged over 39 years may benefit from early intervention efforts.
ABSTRACT
Instrumentation has become an integral function for any compounding operation, particularly for hard-gelatin capsules. This study examined the use of a capsule machine in a simulated compounding operation. It is an instrument that is reasonably priced and can deliver 24 capsules within ten minutes of operation. Capsule Connection LLC suggests the use of this machine for filling capsules with herbal or vitamin preparations. Moreover, this instrument may be used for training pharmacy students in a pharmaceutics/compounding laboratory. The main objective of the research was to calibrate and validate a capsule formulation for acetaminophen using the Capsule Machine from Capsule Connection LLC. Twenty Capsule Machines were purchased from Capsule Connection LLC. The machines were first calibrated and then validated using spray-dried lactose monohydrate powder. Based on the results obtained from the calibration and validation process, a powder mixture containing acetaminophen was prepared by mixing acetaminophen with lactose in a glass mortar using the geometric dilution method. The labeled amount of acetaminophen per capsule was 81 mg. Capsules generated from this compounding operation were tested using the United States Pharmacopeia content uniformity test. The calibration and validation processes were repeated twice with lactose monohydrate. The overall average weights for size-0 capsule shells and lactose-filled capsules were 94.61 mg and 545.77 mg, respectively. On average, the content of a capsule was estimated to be 451.16 mg of powder. A powder mixture was prepared to make 480 capsules (20 machines, each producing 24 capsules). This mixture was made of 38.88 g of acetaminophen and 177.68 g of lactose. A 3% amount of additional powder was added to account for the powder loss during the operation. All capsule machines passed the United States Pharmacopeia content uniformity test. The average amount of acetaminophen per capsule was 98.91% of the labeled amount. Only less than 5% of the capsules were lost during the filling operation of lactose in capsules and none lost with the acetaminophen capsules. The Capsule Machine from Capsule Connection LLC produced capsules containing acetaminophen with high reproducibility and accuracy.
