Ultrahigh molecular weight ethylene/1-octene block copolymers were prepared from ethylene pressure pulse feeding policies in living coordination polymerization.

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AbstractDynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) offers several advantages over prevailing methods in the characterization of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) typically used for improving the delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. This method of analysis, though underutilized in the study of pharmaceutical systems, is particularly attuned to rheological investigations of thermal and mechanical properties of solids such as ASDs. Its ability to determine the viscoelastic properties of systems across a wide range of temperatures and shear conditions provides useful insight for the development and processing of ASDs. The response of materials to an imposed stress, captured by DMA, can help identify proper conditions for preparing homogenous extrudates of the polymer and active pharmaceutical ingredient through hot melt extrusion (HME). As HME continues to gain utility within the pharmaceutical industry, the ability to tailor process conditions will become increasingly important for the efficient design and production of ASD products for poorly water-soluble drugs. Furthermore, DMA can be used to probe molecular mobility and its link to physical stability of ASDs. Establishing the link between molecular mobility and crystallization kinetics is central to predicting the physical stability of ASDs. Therefore, increasing the understanding of material properties through DMA will enable the successful development of more stable amorphous drug products. This review summarizes current characterization tools for ASDs and discusses the potential of utilizing DMA as a robust alternative to traditional methods.

Background Suspension of cancer screening and treatment programs were instituted to preserve medical resources and protect vulnerable populations. This research aims to investigate the implications of COVID-19 on cancer management and clinical outcomes for patients with prostate and colorectal cancer in Canada. Methods We examined hospital cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, length of stay, and mortality data among prostate and colorectal cancer patients between April 2017 and March 2021. Baseline trends were established with data between April 2017 and March 2020 for comparison with data collected between April 2020 and March 2021. Scenario analyses were performed to assess the incremental capacity requirements needed to restore hospital cancer care capacities to the pre-pandemic levels. Results For prostate cancer, A 12% decrease in diagnoses and 5.3% decrease in treatment activities were observed during COVID-19 between April 2020 and March 2021. Similarly, a 43% reduction in colonoscopies, 11% decrease in diagnoses and 10% decrease in treatment activities were observed for colorectal cancers. An estimated 1,438 prostate and 2,494 colorectal cancer cases were undiagnosed, resulting in a total of 620 and 1,487 unperformed treatment activities for prostate and colorectal cancers, respectively, across nine provinces in Canada. To clear the backlogs of unperformed treatment procedures will require an estimated 3%-6% monthly capacity increase over the next 6 months. Interpretation. A concerted effort from all stakeholders is required to immediately ameliorate the backlogs of cancer detection and treatment activities. Mitigation measures should be implemented to minimize future interruptions to cancer care in Canada.