The objective of this article is to review published clinical data on diclofenac epolamine topical patch 1.3% (DETP) in the treatment of acute soft tissue injuries, such as strains, sprains, and contusions. Review of published literature on topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), diclofenac, and DETP in patients with acute soft tissue injuries was included. Relevant literature was identified on MEDLINE using the search terms topical NSAIDs, diclofenac, diclofenac epolamine, acute pain, sports injury, soft tissue injury, strain, sprain, and contusion, and from citations in retrieved articles covering the years 1978–2008. Review of published, randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses shows that topical NSAIDs are significantly more effective than placebo in relieving acute pain; the pooled average relative benefit was 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.5–1.9). In a limited number of comparisons, topical and oral NSAIDs provided comparable pain relief, but the use of topical agents produced lower plasma drug concentrations and fewer systemic adverse events (AEs). The physical–chemical properties of diclofenac epolamine make it well suited for topical use. In patients with acute soft tissue injuries treated with DETP, clinical data report an analgesic benefit within hours of the first application, and significant pain relief relative to placebo within 3 days. Moreover, DETP displayed tolerability comparable with placebo; the most common AEs were pruritus and other application site reactions. Review of published literature suggests that DETP is generally safe and well tolerated, clinically efficacious, and a rational treatment option for patients experiencing acute pain associated with strains, sprains, and contusions, and other localized painful conditions.

Background:Sports-related injuries, such as sprains and strains, commonly occur during exercise and athletic events. Current therapy includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which have a high incidence of upper gastrointestinal side effects. The present study assessed the efficacy and safety of the diclofenac epolamine topical patch (DETP, 1.3%), a topical NSAID for the treatment of acute minor sprains and strains.Methods:This multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study enrolled adult patients (n = 134) with acute ankle pain (due to a minor sprain) occurring less than 48 hours prior to entering the study. Patients were treated with either the DETP or a placebo topical patch daily for seven days. Pain intensity was evaluated during the first six hours after application of the patch, and on treatment days 1, 2, 3, and 7.Results:Patients treated with the DETP experienced a significantly greater reduction in pain associated with their ankle injury compared with placebo, beginning four hours after the first patch application (P = 0.02). The DETP was well tolerated and was comparable with placebo in terms of safety.Conclusion:Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the DETP is an effective analgesic for local treatment of pain in mild acute ankle sprain.

The Gamma Ray Energy Tracking In-Beam Nuclear Array (GRETINA), a germanium detector system capable of measuring energy and position (within better than 2mm rms) of gamma-ray interaction points and tracking multiple gamma-ray interactions, has been built. GRETINA is composed of seven detector modules, each with four highly pure germanium crystals. Four custom designed electronics support the operation of the detectors: DigitizerlDigital Signal Processing (DSP), TriggerlTiming, Breakout Chassis and the Detector Interface Box. The DigitizerlDSP converts the analog information with 14-bit analog to digital converters operating at 100 MS/s, and digitally processes the data to determine the energy and timing information of the gamma interactions within a crystal. The computing system is composed of VME readout CPUs running VxWorks, which communicate with 62 dual-processor farm (each processor with four cores) through a 10 Gb/s Ethernet switch. The CPUs read out the digitizerlDSPs and send the data to the farm. The processors compute the position and track of the interactions of the gamma-ray inside the crystals. The processor farm is capable of processing in real-time the position of 20,000 gamma-ray/so In this paper we will present the details of the implementation and performance of the electronics and computing system of GRETINA.