Delivery of drugs to the targeted ocular tissues is restricted by various precorneal, dynamic and static ocular barriers. Also, therapeutic drug levels are not maintained for longer duration in target tissues. In the past two decades, ocular drug delivery research acceleratedly advanced towards developing a novel, safe and patient compliant formulation and drug delivery devices/techniques, which may surpass these barriers and maintain drug levels in tissues. Anterior segment drug delivery advances are witnessed by modulation of conventional topical solutions with permeation and viscosity enhancers. Also, it includes development of conventional topical formulations such as suspensions, emulsions and ointments. On the other hand, for posterior ocular delivery, research has been immensely focused towards development of drug releasing devices and nanoformulations for treating chronic vitreoretinal diseases. These occuserts formulations may help to surpass ocular barriers and associated side effects with conventional topical drops. Also, these novel devices and/or formulations are easy to formulate, no/negligibly irritating, possess high precorneal residence time, sustain the drug release, and enhance ocular bioavailability of therapeutics. An update of current research advancement in ocular drug delivery necessitates and helps drug delivery scientists to modulate their think process and develop novel and safe drug delivery strategies.

Psychiatry and primary health services in developing and developed countries M. NIMBIn most developing countries. psychiatric and other mental health services are in a very weak position, not only in relation to other branches of medicine, but tend to have followed European institutional models, which only respond poorly to the overall mental health needs of the people. It is difficult to visualize any broad coverage of mental health services unless these become despecialized, decentralized and deinstitutionalized and from the ground level integrated with existing or planned general primary health services.In developed countries existing institutions have been upgraded and modernized to a considerable extent over the last decades. But the mental health component of the primary health services still leaves much to be desired. Much of the primary mental health services in industrialized countries are today being taken care of by the administrators and practitioners of the social welfare system. These services would have much to gain through a closer collaboration with the psychiatrists, who have so far had little influence in this important sphere.