Two viruses, A− with a 13 amino acid deletion within the VP1 G-H

Two viruses, A− with a 13 amino acid deletion within the VP1 G-H loop and A+ with the native VP1 G-H loop, were derived from a Middle Eastern serotype A vaccine strain of FMDV by three rounds of plaque purification in BHK-21 cell cultures. Field isolates of FMDV serotype A, namely, A22/IRQ/24/64, A/IRN/2/87, A/IRN/41/2003, A/IRN/4/2005, A/IRN/5/2005, A/IRN/31/2001, A/IRN/6/2002, A/IRN/32/2004, A/KEN/2/2003, A/LAO/36/2003, A/MAY/2/2002,

A/PAK/9/2003, A/PAK/11/2003, INCB024360 order A/TAI/10/2003, and A/TUR/5/2003, were received as primary bovine thyroid cell culture supernatants from the World Reference Laboratory for FMD (WRLFMD) at Pirbright. These viruses were subsequently passaged once in BHK-21 monolayer cells in 175 cm2 flasks in order to increase the virus titre and volume. The sequence of the capsid coding regions which encode the VP1 G-H loops of the A+ and A− viruses were determined to confirm that the VP1 G-H loop was retained in the A+ and that the loop deletion remained in the A− following one passage on BHK-21 cells. Sequencing and comparison between the entire capsid coding regions of A+ and A− were click here also performed to resolve any other amino acid changes. Total RNA was obtained using RNeasy Kit (Qiagen) following the manufacturer’s guidelines. The capsid coding region was obtained using Ready-To-Go™ RT-PCR

beads (GE Healthcare) in seven overlapping fragments using a one-step reverse transcription polymerase

chain reaction (RT-PCR), 14 primers (LF, ACCCCTGGACACCGGACCCGTC, 516R, TGTTCGGTGGGGAGTTCCAAC, 252F, CGCCGACAAAAAGACAGAGG, 875R, TGGGTTGGGGCGATGTTGGCGT, 552F, CGCGTACATGAGAAATGGCTG, 1159R, TTGCAGCCAGGGAAACATCAAAC, 854F, ACGCCAACATCGCCCCAACCCA, 1438R, CTGCCACGTCAGACGCGGTGT, 1137F, GTTTGATGTTTCCCTGGCTGCAA, 1743R, GTGGGTCTGCATGAGGTCAATG, 1420F, ACCGCGTCTGACGTGGCAGA, 2088R, GTGGATGGTCGTGGCCCGAATT, 1728F, CCTCATGCAGACCCACCAACAC, NK61, GACATGTCCTCCTGCATCTG) and cycle parameters (50 °C for 30 min, 95 °C for 15 min, [94 °C – 1 min, 55 °C – 1 min, 72 °C – 1 min] × 35 cycles, for 72 °C – 10 min). All thermal treatments were performed on an Eppendorf mastercycler (Eppendorf). RT-PCR reactions were separated on an appropriate percentage agarose gel and the products visualised by ethidium bromide staining. RT-PCR products were purified using a GFX DNA purification kit (GE Healthcare) following manufacturer’s guidelines. PCR products were sequenced using the BigDye® Terminator v3.1 Cycle Sequencing Kit (Applied Biosystems) as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. The same 14 primers detailed for the RT-PCR were used for the sequencing reactions in conjunction with cycle parameters of 96 °C for 1 min, [96 °C for 10 s, 5 °C – 5 s, 60 °C – 4 min] × 25 cycles provided by an Eppendorf Mastercycler (Eppendorf). Subsequent sequencing was performed on an Applied Biosystems (ABI) 3730 DNA analyser.

CSD is wicking agent, which initiated and propagated

CSD is wicking agent, which initiated and propagated www.selleckchem.com/products/i-bet151-gsk1210151a.html water channel by swelling and ultimately enhanced drug dissolution and release in micro levels. This mechanism facilitated drug permeation from acrylate-co-polymer adhesive matrix. From release pattern of all formulation and other study of the prepared patches it can be concluded that formulation code F9 can be considered as optimized formulation amongst all which showed the lag time of 3.64 h ( Table 4). Different kinetic modeling of drug permeation data revealed that formulation code F9 followed the Higuchi model (R2 = 0.9965) which indicated the drug release pattern is diffusion mechanism. The value of n for the formulation code F9 is

higher than 1 indicating super case II transport diffusion which could be observed when there is presence of the influence of polymer relaxation on molecules’ movement in the matrix. The cumulative in-vitro drug release of optimized formulation code F9 was determined by using human cadaver epidermis and compared against permeation through rat

skin ( Fig. 3) showed 612.37 μg/cm2 releases at the end of 24 h ( Table 5). This decreased permeation might be due to the presence of lesser hair follicle on human JQ1 cadaver skin as compared to rat skin. The theoretical input rate required for FVS from transdermal therapeutic matrix system can be calculated by the equation: in vivo input = in vivo output = Css × Vd × Ke × 70. The equation derived value is 144.398 μg/h. It was possible to release the drug with the release rate 26.63 μg/cm2/h by formulation

code F9. So that, it can be concluded that a transdermal patch with the area of 5.42 cm2 should be able to maintain input rate of FVS for the period of 24 h. From Table 4, higher skin irritation extent for the placebo patch shown by formulation F6 which might be due to higher concentration of DT 9301. In PSA there is minute presence of monomer, which initiates sensitization Astemizole during patch application. The problem was subsequently eliminated in the further formulation when lesser concentration of Durotak was used in compositions. Optimized formulation F9 did not reported any type of irritation. Stability study carried out for flux determination showed 28.87 ± 0.46 μg/cm2/h drug permeation rate at the end of 3 months. Comparison of in-vitro permeation profile of optimized patch after 180 days has been carried out against unconstrained condition patch have shown no significant difference in their release profile (p > 0.05). In the present work, new approach has been created for the relief of hypercholesterolemia by developing matrix type transdermal drug delivery system of fluvastatin sodium. From the experimental studies and physicochemical characterizations of drug-polymer, combination of DT 9301 and E RL 100 proved its effectiveness to fabricate them in transdermal patch.

p ) inoculation with 1 × 107 PFU vaccinia virus expressing EBOV G

p.) inoculation with 1 × 107 PFU vaccinia virus expressing EBOV GP. Spleens were removed five days later and assayed for each individual mouse by ELISPOT (Fig. 2B). For analysis of humoral immunity, groups of five Balb/c mice were immunized at day 0 (1×) or day 0 and 14 (2×) with 10 μg of single inactivated vaccines or 20 μg of co-formulated INAC-RV-GP + INAC-RV-HC50 (10 μg each virus). For analysis of the ability to induce EBOV GP-specific humoral immunity in the presence of RABV immunity, groups of five Balb/c mice were immunized AZD5363 ic50 with 10 μg INAC-RV-HC50 followed by immunization with 10 μg INAC-RV-GP 28 days later. In these experiments, serum was collected four to six

weeks post-immunization for individual analysis, although volume restraints required sera to be pooled for the HC50 group. Single cell

suspensions of splenocytes were prepared as previously described [22]. The mouse IFNγ ELISPOT kit (R&D Systems) was used for this assay. Plates were blocked with complete medium (Iscoves MDM supplemented with 10% FBS and 50 μM beta-mercaptoethanol) for 2 h at room temperature. Blocking media was removed and antigens diluted in fresh complete media were added to respective wells: an EBOV GP peptide pool or Influenza NP (a.a. 147–155; TYQRTRALV) at 10 μg/ml. The EBOV GP peptide pool consisting of 167 15mers overlapping by 11 amino acids was acquired from JPT Peptide Technologies. Unstimulated wells contained complete media

only. One hundred thousand cells were added to each well, and plates were incubated for 24 h see more in a humidified incubator at 37 °C, 5% CO2. Plates were then washed and processed according to manufacturer’s instructions, and spots were enumerated using an ImmunoSpot reader and ImmunoSpot software (Cellular Technology Ltd.). Humoral immunity was assessed by ELISA against RABV G, EBOV GP, and botulinum neurotoxin HC50. Briefly, Maxisorp 96 well ELISA plates (Nunc) were coated with respective antigen overnight at 4 °C as previously described [13] and [18]. Coating buffer was removed, and plates were washed 4× with PBS + 0.1% Tween. Sera were diluted in three- or four-fold increments, and plates were incubated overnight at 4 °C. Washes were repeated, Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II and secondary HRP-conjugated antibodies were added respectively. After 1 h at RT, washes were repeated, and substrate was added to each well. Plates were incubated for 2–15 min at room temperature. Stop solution was added and OD490 was determined using a plate reader. Data were analyzed by Prism software (Graphpad). For ELISPOT results, groups were compared via one-way ANOVA and with Dunnett’s Multiple Comparison test using RVA as the control. Unpaired two-tailed t-tests were used for ELISA data analysis with Welch’s correction if variances were unequal.

19 There are two mechanistically distinct types of synergism 20,

19 There are two mechanistically distinct types of synergism.20, 21 and 22 Homosynergism, involves two compounds operating by the same mechanism and heterosynergism, arising from the

cooperative effect of antioxidants acting by different mechanisms. The latter category has found wide-spread application in the stabilization of hydrocarbon polymers, viz, combinations of chain-breaking antioxidants and preventive antioxidants of various types. In the case of a combination of two different chain-breaking antioxidants (homosynergism) that function by donation of hydrogen to a DPPH radical, the most check details likely mechanism of synergism would involve transfer of hydrogen from one antioxidant to the radical formed in the reaction of the other antioxidant with a DPPH radical. Typical Pfizer Licensed Compound Library in vitro examples are combinations of hindered phenols with other phenols,20 ascorbic acid,23 dialkylphosphonates24 and aromatic amines.25 In all these cases it is believed that the stronger antioxidant is regenerated from its radical by the less powerful antioxidant, serving as a reservoir of hydrogen for regeneration of the more effective chain-breaking antioxidant. It was also

shown that the concentration of the more effective antioxidant remains constant during the oxidation until complete consumption of the weak antioxidant occurred. In the combination of ascorbic acid and BA, it is believed that the stronger antioxidant, ascorbic acid, donates a proton to the DPPH radical (Fig. 1), and it is regenerated from its radical by the less powerful antioxidant, BA, serving as a reservoir of hydrogen for regeneration of the more only effective chain-breaking antioxidant. The BA radical thus formed is resonance stabilized as shown in Fig. 2. The poor antioxidant activity of betulinic acid may be explained as being due to lack of phenolic group in its structure. Most plant antioxidants generally have phenolic moiety, which can easily donate electrons

to reactive radicals because of the resonance stability of phenoxy radical and thus retard radical chain reactions. Crude plant extracts often have greater in-vitro and/or in-vivo antioxidant activity than isolated constituents at an equivalent dose because of positive interactions (synergism) between components of whole plant extracts, which may explain the high antioxidant activity of T. potatoria methanolic root extract, which contains flavonoid and tannin. Synergism between ascorbic acid and betulinic acid could be explained through chain-breaking electron transfer to DPPH by ascorbic acid and regeneration of ascorbic acid through proton transfer from betulinic acid resulting in a resonance stabilized betulinic acid radical. All authors have none to declare. We acknowledge Obafemi Awolowo University for research grant to J. K. Adesanwo. “
“In most rural communities of many developing countries, orthodox medicine are either not available or are expensive.

Additionally, efforts are made to ensure that the voting membersh

Additionally, efforts are made to ensure that the voting membership is balanced

according to geography, race and ethnicity, sex, disability and expertise. Members are appointed to overlapping terms of 4 years (i.e., each member serves a 4-year term, such that in any given year approximately 1/3 of the committee turns over http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Gemcitabine-Hydrochloride(Gemzar).html and new members are appointed for 4-year terms). The chair is appointed for a 3-year term from among members who have had at least 1 year’s experience as a voting member. Eight non-voting ex officio members represent other federal agencies. They can participate in discussions and, in the event that fewer than eight voting committee members are present and eligible to vote, may be designated temporarily as voting members. There are also 26 non-voting liaison members representing organizations with broad responsibility for administration of vaccines to various segments of the population, operation of immunization programs and vaccine development. Although they do not vote on policy recommendations, these representatives bring the perspective of vaccine program implementation, and thus provide important insights into the daily administration of immunization programs. They are required to bring the perspective of their organizations to the ACIP and to disseminate ACIP’s recommendations back to their membership. No payment is given to non-voting members, although travel

expenses are covered. Voting members, who are deemed to be Special Government Employees during their tenure on the committee, receive an honorarium of a maximum of US$250 per meeting Selleck BAY 73-4506 day (usually 6 days per year), plus reimbursement of travel expenses. Candidates for membership undergo careful screening for potential conflicts of interest before their names are submitted for final consideration. Stringent measures are taken not only to assure technical compliance with ethics statutes and regulations regarding financial conflicts but also to address more general concerns regarding any potential appearance of

conflict of interest. Screening is rigorous, and balances the possibility of bias caused by a conflict with the need for vaccine and immunization expertise. People with specific vaccine-related interests at the time of application are not considered for appointment many by the committee. Examples of such interests include direct employment of the candidate or an immediate family member by a vaccine manufacturer or someone holding a patent on a vaccine or related product. In addition, before their names are submitted for final consideration, potential members are asked to resign for their term of membership from any activities that are, or could be construed as, conflicts of interest. These activities include provision of advisory or consulting services to a vaccine manufacturer or acceptance of honoraria or travel reimbursement from a vaccine manufacturer.

The order in which the different course lengths were tested was r

The order in which the different course lengths were tested was randomised. One week later the participants repeated the two tests at the same time of the day but in the reverse order. Participants were recruited by the researchers (EB and IM) at a primary care physiotherapy practice specialised in COPD rehabilitation

in the south of the Netherlands. Prior to the 6MWT people attending the physiotherapy practice were screened by the researcher (EB). They SCR7 in vitro were considered eligible to participate if they had a confirmed diagnosis of COPD (by a pulmonologist or general practitioner) according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD 2010); were clinically stable (no signs of pulmonary exacerbation); were able to execute the 6MWT; and were able to understand the protocol instructions. All participants completed a health status questionnaire to record comorbidities and

the results of their most recent lung function test. On the day of testing all patients confirmed taking their prescribed medication (bronchodilators and Akt inhibitor review medication for co-morbidities). They were required to abstain from short-acting bronchodilators for at least two hours before spirometry and the 6MWTs (Brown and Wise 2007). Height, body weight, age, sex, and smoking habits were recorded. The intensity and frequency of physical activity in daily life was scored using the Physical Activity Questionnaire, with 0 to 3 being insufficiently active and 4 or above being sufficiently active (Gosselink et al 2008). Heart rate, resting found diastolic and systolic blood pressure were measured twice on both arms with a digital blood pressure monitora. Relative contra-indications for the 6MWT were a resting heart rate over 120 beats/min, systolic blood pressure above 180 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure above 100 mmHg. Spirometry was performed by one researcher (EB) using an electronic spirometerb

to measure forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1, and forced expiratory ratio (FEV1/FVC) according to the GOLD and ATS/ERS guidelines for spirometry (GOLD 2010). The results in litres were converted to a percentage of the predicted values reported by Quanjer and colleagues (1993). The severity of COPD was recorded by stage, defined by the GOLD criteria (GOLD 2010). Each patient performed the 6MWT four times. All 6MWTs were performed in accordance with the ATS guidelines (2002), except for the course length, which was adjusted as described above. Participants were asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes and make use of their usual walking aids (eg, walking stick or rollator) and oxygen supply (if applicable). All tests were performed between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in a quiet indoor hallway with a flat straight floor with marks at one metre intervals. Two traffic cones marked the turning points in the hallway. Participants were asked to walk at their own pace, while attempting to cover as much ground as possible within the allotted six minutes (ATS 2002).

The CARS microscope system had an axial spatial resolution of abo

The CARS microscope system had an axial spatial resolution of about 10 μm and a lateral spatial Venetoclax ic50 resolution of about 1 μm. Hyperspectral CARS imaging provides a method to rapidly and visually confirm the solid-state form on the surface of an oral dosage form, both pre- and post-dissolution. Hyperspectral CARS images were obtained by rapidly imaging the sample while slowly sweeping the wavelength of the OPO in discrete steps, so that each frame in the image stack corresponds to a different vibrational frequency [26]. A color look up table was then applied to the image stack, with a separate color

applied to each frame in the image. Finally, the frames were projected together, resulting in a single two-dimensional image wherein each material appears with a unique color. This process is illustrated as a diagram in Fig. 2. In this study, 512 × 512 pixel hyperspectral images were collected over a range of 100 cm−1 with each hyperspectral image taking approximately 2 min to record. CARS spectra shown in this article are pixel intensity profiles across the vibrational

frequencies and were extracted from the hyperspectral image data. Further information about the collection of CARS spectra can be found in Garbacik et al. [26]. In situ CARS images (512 × 512 pixels) covering 350 × 350 μm were recorded every 1.12 s INCB018424 concentration others (roughly 4.3 μs/pixel dwell time) for the duration of the dissolution experiments (15 min). All in situ CARS images recorded during dissolution testing were recorded at 2952 cm−1 and were false colored green. This peak has been assigned to antisymmetric C–H stretching in the methyl groups [27] and provided a strong CARS signal for both TPa and TPm. A deuterium light source (DT-MINI-2, Ocean Optics, The Netherlands) was connected by an optical fiber to a Z-shaped flow cell (FIA-Z-SMA, Ocean Optics, The Netherlands) with a 10 mm path length An optical fiber connected the Z-shaped flow

cell to a CCD spectrometer (USB2000+, Ocean Optics, The Netherlands). Open loop channel flow through intrinsic dissolution was conducted using a peristaltic pump (Reglo, ISMATEC, Germany), which pumped dissolution medium (distilled water or methyl cellulose 0.45% w/v) through the custom built CARS microscopy dissolution flow cell and through the Z-shaped UV flow cell at a rate of 5 mL/min. UV spectra were collected at 290 nm every 30 s. Dissolution was conducted multiple times on each sample to check for consistency. CARS spectra of the C–H stretch region were collected prior to dissolution experiments on pure TPa and TPm to identify an appropriate vibrational frequency at which to record CARS images during dissolution experiments and for comparison to the before and after dissolution hyperspectral scans of the compacts.

sfu ca/about) Recently open access has been mandated by several

sfu.ca/about). Recently open access has been mandated by several major research funding bodies. The US National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust, the UK Medical Research Council, and the Australian NHMRC all Veliparib now require that reports of research funded by these agencies are given open access within 12 months of the initial publication. There are compelling ethical arguments to prefer open access publishing over traditional publishing models (Parker 2013), and there is evidence from a randomised trial that open access articles are much more widely read (Davis 2010). Now open access publishing has become well established in some areas of science. That is a good thing because it enables wide dissemination

of research findings to the clinicians and researchers and members of the general public who want to read about it. One major hurdle has so far prevented all core physiotherapy journals (Costa et al 2010) from instituting open access policies: someone has to pay, and in open access models that is usually the author. All major open access journals charge authors a fee to publish, and the fee is usually substantial. Publication fees present little problem when the research is supported by large grants, or by a pharmaceutical company, or by the producer of a medical device,

but they constitute a real impediment to publication for physiotherapy researchers, many of whom conduct their research with little or no funding support. If any of the existing physiotherapy journals was to charge a publication fee it would Selleckchem Dasatinib find that the number of manuscripts submitted for publication

dropped quickly. Consequently, while some non-core physiotherapy journals have embraced an open access model (www.doaj.org), and several core physiotherapy journals provide open access to content that is over one year old, none of the core physiotherapy journals (Costa et al 2010) has been made open access. The Board of Directors of the Australian Isotretinoin Physiotherapy Association has worked with the Editorial Board of Journal of Physiotherapy to create a new model of open access publishing in which (unlike in traditional publishing models) content is provided free to readers and (unlike existing open access models) publication is free to authors. The Association’s Board of Directors recognises that if its flagship journal is to be the world’s best physiotherapy journal it must exploit innovative publishing models. And the Association has embraced its role in providing the information infrastructure needed to support evidence-based practice. In this way the Australian Physiotherapy Association can build capacity in the physiotherapy profession in Australia, the region, and globally. The production and wide dissemination of a high quality journal is the ultimate demonstration to governments and health service providers that physiotherapy is a vibrant, research-based, scientific profession.

While we suggest that rational deliberation [21] must occur in or

While we suggest that rational deliberation [21] must occur in order to ensure that the ethical tensions are acknowledged and addressed, we do not suggest that this set of considerations is exhaustive or decisive.

The empirical context is directly relevant to bioethical deliberation, as there may be morally relevant facts that can inform how to weigh these considerations. Having said this, we agree with Verweij and Dawson that despite the fact that decisions are taken within a specific regulatory context in which there are empirical facts that need to be taken into account, “some agreement can be reached about which general norms should guide”, even when agreement about the interpretation Selleckchem Linsitinib of the ethical considerations remains contested [11]. We thus propose these ethical considerations as a starting place for ethical reflection and as a means to fostering deliberation, not closing down discussion. The utility of these considerations will require evaluation, as the conceptual nature of this research will require further refinement through empirical research and input from a community of scholars and regulators and the public [3]. It is hoped that these considerations will encourage regulators and researchers charged with the post-market monitoring of vaccines to consider the explicit articulation

of values in the decision-making and research-shaping process in this context. This research was funded Astemizole by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Catalyst Award no. 264153 from the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. Conflict of interest statement We declare that we Cyclopamine research buy have no conflicts of interest,

and that the funder (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) had no say in the design, interpretation or conclusions of this research. “
“Global eradication of disease has fired the imagination since the introduction of vaccination, a possibility that Jefferson brilliantly expressed in his letter to Jenner: ‘Medicine has never before produced any single improvement of such utility… Future nations will know by history only that the loathsome smallpox has existed and by you has been extirpated’ [1]. Whilst it was over 170 years before Jefferson’s dream was realised, smallpox was indeed globally eradicated by the end of the 1970s, and remains an iconic achievement of the twentieth century. In general, to eradicate a disease is to reduce to zero the incidence of the disease through deliberate efforts [2]. To eradicate a disease globally is to remove the disease threat from the whole world, permanently: in a recent consensus definition, “the worldwide absence of a specific disease agent in nature as a result of deliberate control efforts that may be discontinued where the agent is judged no longer to present a significant risk from extrinsic sources (e.g. smallpox)” [3]. This paper is concerned with the ethics of global disease eradication.

3 The biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) categorizes o

3 The biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) categorizes oral medications into four groups on the basis of their solubility and permeability characteristics.4 The use of pro-drugs, salt formation, and micronization, preparation of solid dispersions with soluble polymers or conversion of the crystalline drug to the amorphous form have all been suggested and used. The drug can be dispersed molecularly in amorphous particles (clusters) or in crystalline particles.5 The amorphous state is characterized Autophagy Compound Library purchase by the absence of the long-range, three-dimensional molecular order characteristic of the crystalline state. From a practical standpoint,

an amorphous material can be obtained in two ways: (i) by cooling the molten liquid until the molecular mobility is “frozen in,” thus producing the glass and (ii) by gradually inducing defects in the crystal until the amorphous form is attained. At industrial scale amorphous solid dispersions can be prepared by processes such as fusion method, rapid solvent evaporation method (spray drying, vacuum drying, freeze drying) and spray congealing method. However, they may not be amenable to conventional High Content Screening dosage form manufacturing processes due to the typical soft, tacky nature and sensitivity to stress as a trigger for instability. The salient features for design of solid dispersions would include judicious selection of carrier,

drug-carrier ratio and understanding the drug release mechanism from matrix. The thermal, chemical and mechanical stress applied during processing can spontaneously induce the recrystallization process. In the changing paradigm of drug discovery, amorphization of drug provides an attractive option for overcoming solubility limitations for ‘difficult to deliver’ drugs. Accompanied with a molecular level understanding of amorphous systems, we can design systems

with predictable stability and performance. Of these approaches, amorphous materials are attractive as they are broadly applicable only and fit the generic criteria established for good formulation approaches.6 ASD is broadly applicable to acidic, basic, neutral, and zwitterionic drugs.7 The characterization of amorphous solids differs from that for crystalline solids. It is customary to characterize an amorphous material both below and above the glass transition temperature, i.e., both as the frozen solid and as the supercooled viscous liquid. The physical characterization of amorphous solids utilizes a wide range of techniques and offers several types of information.15 Powder X-ray diffraction can be used to qualitatively detect material with long-range order.16 Sharper diffraction peaks indicate more crystalline material. Diffraction techniques are perhaps the most definitive method of detecting and quantifying molecular order in any system, and conventional, wide-angle and small-angle diffraction techniques have all been used to study order in systems of pharmaceutical relevance.