Three-dimensional printing (3DP) by fused deposition modeling (FDM) has gained momentum as a promising pharmaceutical manufacturing method due to encouraging forward-looking perspectives in personalized medicine preparation. The current challenges the technology has for applicability in the fabrication of solid dosage forms include the limited range of suitable pharmaceutical grade thermoplastic materials. Hence, it is important to investigate the implications of variable properties of the polymeric carrier on the preparation steps and the final output, as versatile products could be obtained by using the same material. In this study, we highlighted the influence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particle size on the residence time of the mixtures in the extruder during the drug-loaded filament preparation step and the consequent impact on drug release from the 3D printed dosage form. We enhanced filament printability by exploiting the plasticizing potential of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and we explored a channeled tablet model as a design strategy for dissolution facilitating purposes. Our findings disclosed a new perspective regarding material considerations for the preparation of PVA-based solid dosage forms by coupling hot melt extrusion (HME) and FDM-3DP.

The rapid expansion of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) in the lowland counties in Hungary, started around 1970. The dispersal of the species seems to be connected with the afforestation of the Great Hungarian Plain, therefore, we selected Bács-Kiskun county as our study area. Based on its population parameters and the proportion of forested areas, we examined red deer’s expansion between 1998 and 2018. A geospatial grid covering the county’s central area was divided into 24 cells. Every cell contained the annual Red deer hunting bag density and the proportion of forest cover for four years. We determined the population multiplier (λ) values based on the bag densities. After that, our data were classified into four groups. We compared the forest cover categories based on the distribution of population dynamics and hunting bag density data. Our findings revealed significant differences between forest cover-classes by population dynamics and bag density. At the lowest forest coverage (<25%), the population dynamics of red deer were rather hectic, and these habitats are functioning as “blinking” sink-patches in a source-sink type metapopulation. At a slightly higher forest coverage, (25-50%) population growth was common. The density of these new populations or subpopulations is low in most cases. Therefore, if necessary, the game managers need to effectively reduce the red deer density by increasing the actual hunting pressure on these areas.