Formulation, evaluation and optimization of miconazole nitrate tablet prepared by foam granulation technique

The aim of our study was to utilize novel foam granulation technique in formulation of miconazole nitrate; a model hydrophobic drug as oral disintegrating tablets "ODT" particularly to enhance its bioavailability. Foam granulation technique has additional advantages over the other traditional granulation technique since; it enhances the granulation process and produce acceptable tablets. Fractional factorial design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and processing variables on the prepared miconazole ODT. The prepared granules were evaluated by measuring their density, flowability, granules size and shape, and granules wetting time. The quality attributes of the prepared tablets; drug content, tablet thickness, uniformity of weight, tablet tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and dissolution were also evaluated. The results indicated that, the prepared granules showed acceptable characteristics and is significantly affected by the disintegrant type, urea concentration, and the lubricant type. The quality attributes of the tablets were not affected by the processing parameters. From the prepared formulas; F20, F19, F12, and F20 displayed 18, 35, 35, and 40 seconds disintegration time respectively and the percent of dissolution after 15 minutes ranged from 94.4-100%. These results ascertained that foam granulation technique fulfill the requirement in preparation of miconazole ODT. Key words: miconazole nitrate, foam granulation, oral disintegrating tablet

Vaccine-like and Prophylactic Treatments of EAE with Novel IDomain Antigen Conjugates (IDAC): Targeting Multiple Antigenic Peptides to APC

The objective of this work is to utilize novel I-domain antigenic-peptide conjugates (IDAC) for targeting antigenic peptides to antigen-presenting cells (APC) to simulate tolerance in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). IDAC-1 and IDAC-3 molecules are conjugates between the I-domain protein and PLP-Cys and Ac-PLP-Cys-NH2 peptides, respectively, tethered to N-terminus and Lys residues on the I-domain. The hypothesis is that the I-domain protein binds to ICAM-1 and PLP peptide binds to MHC-II on the surface of APC; this binding event inhibits the formation of the immunological synapse at the APC-T-cell interface to alter T-cell differentiation from inflammatory to regulatory phenotypes. Conjugation of peptides to the I-domain did not change the secondary structure of IDAC molecules as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The efficacies of IDAC-1 and -3 were evaluated in EAE mice by administering i.v or s.c. injections of IDAC in a prophylactic or a vaccine-like dosing schedule. IDAC-3 was better than IDAC-1 in suppressing and delaying the onset of EAE when delivered in prophylactic and vaccine-like manners. IDAC-3 also suppressed subsequent relapse of the disease. The production of IL-17 was lowered in the IDAC-33 treated mice compared to those treated with PBS. In contrast, the production of IL-10 was increased, suggesting that there is a shift from inflammatory to regulatory T-cell populations in IDAC-33treated mice. In conclusion, the Idomain can effectively deliver antigenic peptides in a vaccine-like or prophylactic manner for inducing immunotolerance in the EAE mouse model

An unusual presentation of hemoglobin SD Punjab in a Saudi Arabian adult

HbDPunjab is an uncommon variant hemoglobin that does not result in significant pathology when inherited as a homozygous disorder. When inherited with other hemoglobinopathies, it may result in varying disease phenotypes. HbSDPunjab has been rarely reported in Saudi Arabia, coexisting with alpha or beta thalassemia. In this report, we discuss the case of a 39 years old male who presented with severe anemia and renal injury and was later diagnosed with HbSDPunjab through electropheresis and genetic testing

The Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on the Fracture Characteristics of Lightweight Aggregate Crumb Rubber Concrete Composites

The increasing use of rubber tires and their low recycling ratio have made them a serious environmental problem. This work aims to develop and investigate enhanced lightweight aggregate crumb rubber concrete (PFLWACRC) composites regarding the fracture properties of concrete. Polypropylene (PP) fibers are commonly familiar with increased crack growth endurance of concrete. On the other hand, the reuse of waste rubber in concrete plays a major role in the mitigation of the effects of climate change. Various concrete mixtures were designed with conventional Portland cement and common lightweight coarse aggregates. The variables considered in this study are PP fibers in different percentages (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% volume fraction), and crumb rubber with various substitution proportions (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of fine aggregates). Cement with 450kg/m3 density with 10% silica fume was used. The fracture characteristics, which involve fracture toughness (KIC) and fracture energy generation (GF), of all concrete mixtures were evaluated by testing two types of samples, i.e. 54 notched concrete beams with dimensions of 10×10×52cm and 54 cylinders with diameter×height equal to 15×30cm. The results showed that the fracture toughness generation addresses the energy scattering limit of concrete mixtures. The findings showed that the existence of PP fibers increased the fracture energy and critical Crack Mouth Opening Displacement (CMOD)c. The PP fibers had a limited effect on the compressive strength and may even reduce it, but a remarkable enhancement of the energy absorption was observed

Formulation, evaluation and optimization of miconazole nitrate tablet prepared by foam granulation technique

The aim of our study was to utilize novel foam granulation technique in formulation of miconazole nitrate; a model hydrophobic drug as oral disintegrating tablets "ODT" particularly to enhance its bioavailability. Foam granulation technique has additional advantages over the other traditional granulation technique since; it enhances the granulation process and produce acceptable tablets. Fractional factorial design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and processing variables on the prepared miconazole ODT. The prepared granules were evaluated by measuring their density, flowability, granules size and shape, and granules wetting time. The quality attributes of the prepared tablets; drug content, tablet thickness, uniformity of weight, tablet tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and dissolution were also evaluated. The results indicated that, the prepared granules showed acceptable characteristics and is significantly affected by the disintegrant type, urea concentration, and the lubricant type. The quality attributes of the tablets were not affected by the processing parameters. From the prepared formulas; F20, F19, F12, and F20 displayed 18, 35, 35, and 40 seconds disintegration time respectively and the percent of dissolution after 15 minutes ranged from 94.4-100%. These results ascertained that foam granulation technique fulfill the requirement in preparation of miconazole ODT. Key words: miconazole nitrate, foam granulation, oral disintegrating tablet

Synthesis and Biocidal Activity of Some Naphthalene-Based Cationic Surfactants

In this study, different cationic surfactants were prepared by reacting dodecyl bromide with tertiary amines to produce a series of quaternary ammonium salts that were converted subsequently to stannous and cobalt cationic complexes via complexing them with stannous (II) or cobalt (II) ions. Surface properties such as surface- and interfacial-tension, and the emulsifying power of these surfactants were investigated. The surface parameters including critical micelle concentration, maximum surface excess, minimum surface area, tension lowering efficiency and effectiveness were studied. The free energy of micellization and adsorption were calculated. Antimicrobial activity was determined via the inhibition zone diameter of the prepared compounds, which was measured against six strains of a representative group of microorganisms. The antimicrobial activity of some of the prepared surfactants against sulfate reducing bacteria was determined by the dilution method. FTIR spectra, elemental analysis and a H1 NMR spectrum were examined to confirm compound structure and purity. The results obtained indicate that these compounds have good surface properties and good biocidal effect on broad spectrum of micro organisms

Study of atmospheric pollution and health risk assessment: A case study for the sharjah and ajman emirates (uae)

Dust is a significant pollution source in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that impacts population health. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in the air in the Sharjah and Ajman emirates’ urban areas and assesses the health risk. Three indicators were used for this purpose: the average daily dose (ADD), the hazard quotient (HQ), and the health index (HI). Data were collected during the period April–August 2020. Moreover, the observation sites were clustered based on the pollutants’ concentration, given that the greater the heavy metal concentration is, the greater is the risk for the population health. The most abundant heavy metal found in the atmosphere was Zn, with a mean concentration of 160.30 mg/kg, the concentrations of other metals being in the following order: Ni \u3e Cr \u3e Cu \u3e Pb \u3e Cd. The mean concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cr were within the range of background values, while those of Cu, Ni, and Zn were higher than the background values, indicating anthropogenic pollution. For adults, the mean ADD values of heavy metals decreased from Zn to Cd (Zn \u3e Ni \u3e Cr \u3e Cu \u3e Pb \u3e Cd). The HQ (HI) suggested an acceptable (negligible) level of non-carcinogenic harmful health risk to residents’ health. The sites were grouped in three clusters, one of them containing a single location, where the highest concentrations of heavy metals were found

Detection of Cancer Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer: Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Study

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence supports the notion that the onset of tumorigenesis could occur through cancer stem cells (CSCs). These tumour cells show low proliferative rates, high self-renewal capacity, propensity to differentiate into active proliferating tumour cells & resistance to chemoradiotherapy thus, possibly causing local recurrences & metastasis formation. CD44 has been used as a marker to isolate CSCs from colorectal carcinoma (CRC).AIM: To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of cancer stem cells marker (CD44) in CRC and correlate its expression with the clinicopathological aspects, TNM staging and modified Dukes’ classification.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumour biopsies from colectomy specimens of 60 patients with CRC were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological evaluation then immunostained with monoclonal antibodies against CD44 which was detected in term of negative or positive expression.RESULTS: CD44 was demonstrated in 58.3% (35/60) of cases and showed statistically significant correlation with tumour site and histological type (p-value < 0.05). However, CD44 showed statistically insignificant inverse correlation with tumour invasiveness (T), lymph node status (N), grade, TNM stage grouping and modified Dukes’ classification, while it was directly correlated with distant metastasis (M) (p-value > 0.05). Chi-square /Fisher exact test proportion independence and the p-value are set significant at 0.05 level.CONCLUSION: the CD44 rate of expression is higher in the colon than rectum and in adenocarcinoma than mucinous and undifferentiated carcinoma. CD44 showed statistically insignificant relation with T, N, M, grade, TNM stage grouping and modified Dukes’ classification