Advances in intravesical drug delivery systems to treat bladder cancer

Chemotherapeutic agents administered intravesically to treat bladder cancer have limited efficacy due to periodic dilution and wash-out during urine formation and elimination. This review describes the pathophysiology, prevalence and staging of bladder cancer, and discusses several formulation strategies used to improve drug residence within the bladder. These include the use of amphiphilic copolymers, mucoadhesive formulations, hydrogels, floating systems, and liposomes. Various in vitro and in vivo models recently employed for intravesical drug delivery studies are discussed. Some of the challenges that have prevented the clinical use of some promising formulations are identified

An Empirical Comparison of Consumer Innovation Adoption Models: Implications for Subsistence Marketplaces

So called “pro-poor” innovations may improve consumer wellbeing in subsistence marketplaces. However, there is little research that integrates the area with the vast literature on innovation adoption. Using a questionnaire where respondents were asked to provide their evaluations about a mobile banking innovation, this research fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of the applicability of existing innovation adoption models in subsistence marketplaces. The study was conducted in Bangladesh among a geographically dispersed sample. The data collected allowed an empirical comparison of models in a subsistence context. The research reveals the most useful models in this context to be the Value Based Adoption Model and the Consumer Acceptance of Technology model. In light of these findings and further examination of the model comparison results the research also shows that consumers in subsistence marketplaces are not just motivated by functionality and economic needs. If organizations cannot enhance the hedonic attributes of a pro-poor innovation, and reduce the internal/external constraints related to adoption of that pro-poor innovation, then adoption intention by consumers will be lower

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Not AvailableExperiment on heterosis in bottle gourd was conducted involving 9 parents, their 36 F1 hybrids and one standard check. The crop was raised in RBD with three replications under four environments. The analysis of variance indicated presence of significant genetic variability in the experimental material. Mean squares due to genotypes as well as parents and hybrids, environments and their interaction effects were significant. Hybrids, Banswara Local-1 x IC 92374, Banswara Local-1 x Pusa Naveen and IC 92374 x PSPL were superior and exhibited significant economic heterosis for fruit yield per plant, number of fruits per plant and its contributing traits in all the environments. Most of the heterotic crosses were also heterobeltiotic.Not Availabl