Design and preparation of a novel colon-targeted tablet of hydrocortisone

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to design a new colon-targeted drug delivery system based on chitosan. The properties of the films were studied to obtain useful information about the possible applications of composite films. The composite films were used in a bilayer system to investigate their feasibility as coating materials. Tensile strength, swelling degree, solubility, biodegradation degree, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) investigations showed that the composite film was formed when chitosan and gelatin were reacted jointly. The results showed that a 6:4 blend ratio was the optimal chitosan/gelatin blend ratio. In vitro drug release results indicated that the Eudragit- and chitosan/gelatin-bilayer coating system prevented drug release in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) and simulated gastric fluid (SGF). However, the drug release from a bilayer-coated tablet in SCF increased over time, and the drug was almost completely released after 24h. Overall, colon-targeted drug delivery was achieved by using a chitosan/gelatin complex film and a multilayer coating system

WHO global research priorities for antimicrobial resistance in human health

The WHO research agenda for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human health has identified 40 research priorities to be addressed by the year 2030. These priorities focus on bacterial and fungal pathogens of crucial importance in addressing AMR, including drug-resistant pathogens causing tuberculosis. These research priorities encompass the entire people-centred journey, covering prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of antimicrobial-resistant infections, in addition to addressing the overarching knowledge gaps in AMR epidemiology, burden and drivers, policies and regulations, and awareness and education. The research priorities were identified through a multistage process, starting with a comprehensive scoping review of knowledge gaps, with expert inputs gathered through a survey and open call. The priority setting involved a rigorous modified Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative approach, ensuring global representation and applicability of the findings. The ultimate goal of this research agenda is to encourage research and investment in the generation of evidence to better understand AMR dynamics and facilitate policy translation for reducing the burden and consequences of AMR

An Ink Spreading Model for Dot-On-Dot Spectral Prediction

Due to increasing printing accuracies and the possibility of printing several droplets at the same pixel location, there is a renewed interest in dot-on-dot printing models. In the present contribution, we improve a dot-on-dot spectral prediction model relying on the Yule-Nielsen modified Spectral Neugebauer model by taking into account ink spreading in all ink superposition conditions. Since ink spreading is different when ink dots are printed alone, printed in superposition with one ink or printed in superposition with two inks, we create for each superposition condition an ink spreading function mapping nominal to effective dot surface coverages. When predicting the reflection spectrum of a dot-on-dot halftone patch, its known nominal surface coverage values are converted into effective coverage values by weighting the contributions from different ink spreading functions according to the corresponding ratio of colorant surface coverages. We analyze the colorimetric prediction improvement brought by our ink spreading model for dot-on-dot thermal transfer prints and for ink-jet prints. Accounting for ink spreading according to different ink superposition conditions considerably improves the prediction accuracy. In the case of ink jet prints at 120 lpi, the mean DeltaE_94 difference between predictions and measurements is reduced from 4.54 to 1.55 (accuracy improvement factor: 3). Due to the slight misregistration between the ink layers, spectral predictions accounting for ink spreading in the case of dot-on-dot screens are less accurate than corresponding predictions for classical mutually rotated screens

Distribution patterns of 104 kDa stress-associated protein in rice

10.1023/A:1006099715375Plant Molecular Biology376911-919PMBI

Influence of a PbS layer on the optical and electronic properties of ZnO@PbS core–shell nanorod thin films

In the present study, ZnO@PbS core–shell thin film based solar cells have been fabricated by the successive ionic layer absorption and reaction method (SILAR). The assembly consists of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods as the core and PbS as the shell, and the thickness of the PbS layer was controlled by varying the number of dipping cycles. The varied PbS layer thicknesses resulted in the shifting of the absorption of ZnO@PbS from the ultraviolet region to the visible region. The PbS layer suppressed the visible emission of ZnO and enhanced the charge separation at the interface. By introducing PbS layers, the charge generation and separation within the ZnO@PbS core–shell nanorod has been improved. The PbS shell on ZnO nanorods improved the short-circuit current (Jsc), open circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) that resulted in an enhancement of the photovoltaic device efficiency. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 6.59% was achieved with ten layers of PbS in the ZnO@PbS@dye thin film based solar cell

Fibre Bragg grating-based sensing device for petrol leak detection

Fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) have emerged in recent years as important sensor elements for various applications. In this communication application of an FBG sensor using a surgical rubber as transducer element for petrol leak detection in pipelines and tanks is presented. The rubber, which is in tubular form and is bonded with the fibre containing FBG, reversibly swells in the presence of petrol thus resulting in Bragg wavelength shift. The shift is measured using an interrogator with a swept fibre laser source (1520-570 nm). The design aspects and experimental procedure along with analysis of results obtained and the potential for distributed sensing have been discussed