Introduction: Management of medication regimens and improvement of medication-taking behaviours may require various levels of support, education, engagement and barrier reduction from health services and or pharmacists. The use of dose administration aids (DAAs) may improve medication management for some people, and therefore may facilitate positive health benefits. This Australian study was informed by a literature review that found there was a dearth of data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' use of DAAs. This study therefore aimed to understand the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living on the North Coast of New South Wales with DAAs and if the provision of DAAs supported medication-taking behaviours. Methods: A mixed-methods approach that included data collected from a questionnaire and a series of focus groups was used in this study. Analysis was completed at three stages throughout the study. Results: A total of 30 Aboriginal participants participated in the study. Participants lived in the area ranging from Tweed Heads to Port Macquarie. Twenty-six participants completed the questionnaire and 20 participated in the focus groups; 16 completed both. Participants felt they were managing their medications well. The study noted that, despite this assessment, 45% of focus group participants (9/20) missed taking medications regularly for various reasons. The medication regimens of participants were varied and potentially complex; for example, some participants were taking up to 23 individual doses of oral medications and insulin injections daily as a part of these regimens. Participants described their use of DAAs and how they supported their medication-taking both functionally and financially. Most participants reported that DAAs helped them manage their medications. The weekly or fortnightly provision of DAAs provided regular opportunities for pharmacists to interact with patients and/or their caregivers, supporting improved therapeutic relationships and possibly better health outcomes. Conclusion: DAAs were an important tool for improving medication management for most study participants. DAAs provided affordable and appropriate in-home support for patients to follow prescribed medication regimens. For the participants from this small study who used DAAs and viewed them as an important tool for managing medications, removal of financial subsidies that assist the provision of DAAs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would have a negative effect on their ability to access them. This in turn may affect their medication-taking behaviours, potentially negatively affecting their long-term health outcomes. Further study regarding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient experience of the use of DAAs over a longer period tracking medication adherence, and for a larger cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, would be beneficial to understanding experience of use of DAAs on a wider scale.

Although the diagnostic application of echoplanar imaging (EPI) has until now been limited, recent technical advances provide anatomic resolution and signal-to-noise ratios comparable to that of conventional MR imaging. The purpose of this study was to investigate approved aqueous gastrointestinal contrast agents for use in abdominal EPI. Conventional and echoplanar MR imaging experiments were performed with 1.0 Tesla whole body systems. Phantom measurements of Gastrografin, barium sulfate suspension, oral gadopentetate dimeglumine, water, and saline were performed. Signal intensity (SI) of aqueous oral barium sulfate and iodine based CT contrast agents was lower on conventional spin-echo (SE), Flash, and Turbo-Flash images than on EP images. The contrast agents exhibited higher SI on T2-weighted SE PE images and TI-time dependence on inversion recovery EP-images. The barium sulfate suspension was administered in volunteers to obtain information about bowel lumen enhancement and susceptibility artifacts. Oral administration of the aqueous barium sulfate suspension increased bowel lumen signal and reduced susceptibility artifacts. Approved aqueous gastrointestinal contrast media or flavored saline with long relaxation times may serve as safe, simple, and effective gastrointestinal contrast agents in abdominal EPI.

Surface structure of dextran-coated superparamagnetic particles is studied as a biodistribution-defining factor. Colloidal particle and polymer molecule of the same size and similar outer structure are shown to possess similar biokinetics and biodistribution. A dense dextran layer on the particle surface is identified as a structure responsible for particle accumulation in the lymph nodes.

A variety of adrenal imaging agents have been used in nuclear medicine, but no agent has been developed for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The authors have previously observed accumulation of aminated macromolecules in adrenal glands. They now report the synthesis of a model polymeric aminated contrast agent for enhanced MR imaging of the adrenal glands. The model agent consisted of a poly‐L‐lysine conjugate (molecular weight, 245kd) that had 70% free epsilon amino groups and 30% diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)‐deriv‐atized amino groups to bind indium‐111 or gadolinium. One hour after intravenous administration of this compound, adrenal uptake was 10.1% ± 0.7 of injected dose per gram of tissue. When all free epsilon amino groups of the polylysine were completely substituted with DTPA, adrenal uptake was 3.4 times lower, indicating the importance of free amino groups for adrenal uptake. MR imaging in rats showed that a dose of 0.08 mmol of gadolinium per kilogram of the agent was sufficient to enhance the signal intensity of adrenal glands. Three hours after intravenous administration of the agent, signal intensity of the adrenal glands was 186% of precon‐trast values (liver, 165%; kidney, 91%). Fluorescence microscopy showed that the agent accumulated primarily in the cortical zona glomerulosa and in the adrenal medulla. These initial studies demonstrate the feasibility of designing contrast agents for MR imaging of the adrenal glands.