Laparoscopic laser lithotripsy inside the endocatch bag: An alternative technique for removal of large post lap pyelolithotomy calculi

Large staghorn calculi in unascended pelvic kidneys and in normally located kidneys with anatomy unsuitable for percutaneous nephrolithotomy have to be treated via pyelolithotomy. When performed laparoscopically, the extraction of these staghorn calculi, without extending skin incision at the port site is challenging. We describe the successful use of laparoscopic laser lithotripsy, intracorporeally, with the entrapped calculus inside the endocatch bag, for fragmentation and retrieval without extension of skin incision.     

Novel automated hematology parameters in clinical pediatric practice

Blood sampling in children is a challenging task, and to extract maximum possible information from these’ precious’ samples, the modernday automated hematology analyzers have been aided with much technological advancement. Various novel blood cell parameters are now available to narrow down the differential diagnoses. However, only few of these are available for routine clinical reporting. Knowledge about their interpretation and reference ranges can prove useful in challenging situations.     

Clinical integration of fast Raman spectroscopy for Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma

We present the first clinical integration of a prototype device based on integrated auto-fluorescence imaging and Raman spectroscopy (Fast Raman device) for intra-operative assessment of surgical margins during Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Fresh skin specimens from 112 patients were used to optimise the tissue pre-processing and the Fast Raman algorithms to enable an analysis of complete Mohs layers within 30 minutes. The optimisation allowed >95% of the resection surface area to be investigated (including the deep and epidermal margins). The Fast Raman device was then used to analyse skin layers excised from the most relevant anatomical sites (nose, temple, eyelid, cheek, forehead, eyebrow and lip) and to detect the three main types of BCC (nodular, superficial and infiltrative). These results suggest that the Fast Raman technique is a promising tool to provide an objective diagnosis “tumour clear yes/no” during Mohs surgery of BCC. This clinical integration study is a key step towards a larger scale diagnosis test accuracy study to reliably determine the sensitivity and specificity in a clinical setting.     

Non-Sink Dissolution Behavior and Solubility Limit of Commercial Tacrolimus Amorphous Formulations

An increasing number of drugs with low aqueous solubility are being formulated and marketed as amorphous solid dispersions because the amorphous form can generate a higher solubility compared to the crystalline solid. The amorphous solubility of a drug can be determined experimentally using various techniques. Most studies in this area investigate the drug in its pure form and do not evaluate any effects from other formulation ingredients. In this study, we use 6 marketed amorphous oral drug products, capsules containing 5 mg of tacrolimus, and various excipients, consisting of 1 innovator product and 5 generics. The amorphous solubility of tacrolimus was evaluated using different techniques and was compared to the crystalline solubility of the drug. Dissolution of the different products was conducted under non-sink conditions to compare the maximum achieved concentration with the amorphous solubility. Diffusion studies were performed to elucidate the maximum flux across a membrane and to evaluate whether there was any difference in the thermodynamic activity of the drug released from the formulation and the pure drug. The amorphous solubility of tacrolimus was found to be a factor of 35 higher than the crystalline solubility. The maximum concentration obtained after dissolution of the capsule contents in non-sink conditions was found to match the experimentally determined amorphous solubility of the pure drug. Furthermore, the membrane flux of tacrolimus following dissolution of the various formulations was found to be similar and maximized. This study demonstrates a link between key physicochemical properties (amorphous solubility) and in vitro formulation performance.     

Cost-Effectiveness of Autologous Stem Cell Treatment as Compared to Conventional Chemotherapy for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma in India

Recent innovations in treatment of multiple myeloma include autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) along with high dose chemotherapy (HDC). We undertook this study to estimate incremental cost per quality adjusted life year gained (QALY) with use of ASCT along with HDC as compared to conventional chemotherapy (CC) alone in treatment of multiple myeloma. A combination of decision tree and markov model was used to undertake the analysis. Incremental costs and effects of ASCT were compared against the baseline scenario of CC (based on Melphalan and Prednisolone regimen) in the patients of multiple myeloma. A lifetime study horizon was used and future costs and consequences were discounted at 5%. Consequences were valued in terms of QALYs. Incremental cost per QALY gained using ASCT as against CC for treatment of multiple myeloma was estimated using both a health system and societal perspective. The cost of providing ASCT (with HDC) for multiple myeloma patients was INR 500,631, while the cost of CC alone was INR 159,775. In the long run, cost per patient per year for ASCT and CC arms was estimated to be INR 119,740 and INR 111,565 respectively. The number of QALYs lived per patient in case of ASCT and HDC alone were found to be 4.1 and 3.5 years respectively. From a societal perspective, ASCT was found to incur an incremental cost of INR 334,433 per QALY gained. If the ASCT is initiated early to patients, the incremental cost for ASCT was found to be INR 180,434 per QALY gained. With current mix of patients, stem cell treatment for multiple myeloma is not cost effective at a threshold of GDP per capita. It becomes marginally cost-effective at 3-times the GDP per capita threshold. However, accounting for the model uncertainties, the probability of ASCT to be cost effective is 59%. Cost effectiveness of ASCT can be improved with early detection and initiation of treatment.