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Background: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and life-limiting condition. It has no cure hence it is vital to establish effective methods of improving the quality of remaining life in these patients. One of the key components of improving quality of life is pulmonary rehabilitation. However little research has been conducted to understand the perspectives and lived experience of people with IPF on pulmonary rehabilitation. Hence, we aim to fill this gap in the existing literature. Methods: We sought to understand how patients coped with pulmonary rehabilitation. A patient-centred approach was used to explore the physical and psychological impact of pulmonary rehabilitation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by experienced academics. Interviews used a topic guide but mostly led by the participants. An inductive thematic approach was used to analyse data, allowing us to identify common themes in the participants' experiences. Results: Of fifty invited participants, ten took part in the study (aged 53 -81 years). Inductive analysis of interviews identified seven second-order themes and eleven first-order themes, represented by two General Dimensions: "motivation" and "Advantages and disadvantages". Overall, participants found the pulmonary rehabilitation programme to be useful and they experienced an increase in their quality of life following rehabilitation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, life-limiting with an average life expectancy of 05 years following the onset of the disease, with no curative treatments. These patients need palliative care and rehabilitation is one of the methods that can be used to improve quality of life (QoL) among these patients. Yet the research conducted to assess benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in terms of improving physical activity and QoL in IPF patients remains limited. Hence this study aims to evaluate the effect of a bespoke pulmonary rehabilitation programme, on the physical, physiological and psychological parameters and improvements of QoL among IPF patients. Eleven (11) subjects with IPF received 6 weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation. An interviewer administered quality of life questionnaire, six-minute walking test (6MWT), Incremental bicycle exercise tests were performed, and cardiac and respiratory parameters were assessed pre-and post-rehabilitation. The 6MWT was significantly increased following training (Pre 312.55 ± 89.99; Post, 380.73 ± 59.60). A significant improvement was observed in overall QoL (2.226 ± 0.026), dyspnoea (−0.455 ± 0.004) anxiety (−2.070 ± 0.038), depression (−2.217 ± 0.027) scores. No significant changes were found in the VO 2 max and other cardiopulmonary parameters, while non-significant improvement was seen in SpO 2 at peak exercise from 85.8-86.5.

Disintegrants are agents which are integrated to tablets and some encapsulated formulations in order to promote the breakup of the tablet and capsule “slugs” into more small fragments in an aqueous environment which thereafter increment the available surface area and promoting a more rapid release of the drug substance.  The development of new excipients for potential use as disintegrant agent in tablet formulations continues to be of interest. This is because different disintegrant agents can be useful in promoting penetration of moisture and dispersion of the tablet matrix and disintegration of tablet has received considerable attention at present as an essential step in obtaining fast drug release. Natural polymers such as starches, gums, mucilage, and dried fruits utilized as binder, diluent, and disintegrants to increase the solubility of poorly water-soluble drug, decrease the disintegration time, and provide nutritional supplement. Natural disintegrants are safe and economical than synthetic disintegrants such as Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Therefore, in the present review, an attempt has been made to reveal the importance of the natural disintegrants in the pharmaceutical formulations.

This article explores various cutting-edge strategies Sri Lanka might use to modernize its nursing curriculum in order to tackle contemporary issues. Employers search the world over for nursing experts who have the skills necessary to meet the modern requirements of the world healthcare system. It is now vital to enhance nursing education in order to extend its focus, deliver more remarkable patient care, and increase the retention and persistence of the students. Nursing students in Sri Lankan institutions place a premium on academic achievement. Meanwhile, many factors that impact nursing students' academic success have been studied, yet many issues still exist. The current study employed a review technique to examine the literature on undergraduate nursing students' academic performance in a Sri Lankan university context, as well as numerous factors influencing nursing students' performance. The relevant literature for the article was gathered from the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search was restricted to the English language. The paper illustrates how both internal and external factors have an impact on academic performance and outlines measures to enhance the grades of nursing students. Internal factors include student-related factors, while external factors include teacher-related, institutional-related, and home-related factors. The student-related factors were investigated by allowing the students themselves to understand the factors and implement actions to improve their academic performance. Teachers play a major role in enhancing performance. This could be done by allowing them to identify problems encountered by students that impact their performance. The relevant educational institutions can promote different workshops and activities to enhance the thinking skills of students, as well as help teachers, understand the influences of their student's preferred learning methods that will enhance their performances. Parents can identify the matters that pertain to the studies of their children and enhance their performance by giving them support. The study has the benefit of identifying the factors affecting performance and giving suggestions for producing intelligent and skilled nursing graduates for the nation.