PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF ETHYLCELLULOSE MICROSPHERES PREPARED BY SOLVENT EVAPORATION TECHNIQUE

Losartan is high specific angiotensin 2 type receptor antagonist with antihypertensive activity was formulated as microspheres by using Ethyl cellulose as carrier. These Ethyl cellulose microspheres were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. The prepared microspheres were subjected to various evaluation and in vitro release studies. Highest percentage of loading was obtained by increasing the amount of Losartan with respect to polymer. The particle sizes of the prepared microspheres were determined by optical microscopy and SEM analysis. The prepared microspheres had good spherical geometry with smooth surface as evidence by SEM. The in vitro release studies showed that Losartan microspheres of 1:5 ratios showed better sustained effect over a period of 12 hours

Machine Learning Based Diagnostic Paradigm in Viral and Non-Viral Hepatocellular Carcinoma

© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Viral and non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is becoming predominant in developing countries. A major issue linked to HCC-related mortality rate is the late diagnosis of cancer development. Although traditional approaches to diagnosing HCC have become gold-standard, there remain several limitations due to which the confirmation of cancer progression takes a longer period. The recent emergence of artificial intelligence tools with the capacity to analyze biomedical datasets is assisting traditional diagnostic approaches for early diagnosis with certainty. Here we present a review of traditional HCC diagnostic approaches versus the use of artificial intelligence (Machine Learning and Deep Learning) for HCC diagnosis. The overview of the cancer-related databases along with the use of AI in histopathology, radiology, biomarker, and electronic health records (EHRs) based HCC diagnosis is given.Peer reviewe

Carbon Nanotubes Integrated Hydroxyapatite Nano-Composite for Orthopaedic and Tissue Engineering Applications

The reassessment of the literature stipulates that an increasing amount of research in exploring the Hydroxyapatite Carbon Nanotubes (HA-CNT) system for orthopedic application. Chemical precipitation, CNT functionalization, and spray drying are the routinely used methods for CNT dispersal in HA matrix for the application such as bone tissue engineering, nanostructured scaffolds, dental regeneration, myocardial regeneration, and skin regeneration. Although mechanical strength and biocompatibility is a substantial concern for the fabrication of structures. Developing composite and bioceramic scaffolding with different natural and synthetic biomaterials are the futuristic approach in the biomedical engineering field. The problems such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical resistance can be solved by combining natural, and artificial biomaterials. The natural biomaterials, such as collagen, cellulose, chitosan, have a close resemblance to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). These materials are biocompatible, biodegradable. The artificial biomaterials, such as Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP), Poly Capro Lactone (PCL), Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG), and Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) are also the material of choice for the fabrication of the composite materials. Additional effort is necessary to fabricate biocompatible composite scaffolding for tissue engineering. Moreover, vascularization, differentiation, cellular proliferation, and cells to scaffold interaction are the foremost challenges in the area of tissue engineering that remains to overcome

Design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation of novel Se-NSAID hybrid molecules: Identification of a Se-indomethacin analog as a potential therapeutic for breast cancer

A total of twenty-five novel carboxylic acid, methylester, methylamide or cyano nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) derivatives incorporating Se in the chemical form of selenoester were reported. Twenty Se-NSAID analogs exhibited an increase in cytotoxic potency compared with parent NSAID scaffolds (aspirin, salicylic acid, naproxen, indomethacin and ketoprofen). Top five analogs were selected to further study their cytotoxicity in a larger panel of cancer cells and were also submitted to the DTP program of the NCI’s panel of 60 cancer cell lines. Compounds 4a and 4d stood out with IC50 values below 10 μM in several cancer cells along with a selectivity index higher than 5 in breast cancer cells. Remarkably, analog 4d was found to inhibit cell growth notably in two breast cancer cell lines by inducing apoptosis, and to be metabolized to release the parent NSAID along with the Se fragment. Taken together, our results show that Se-NSAID analog 4d could be a potential chemotherapeutic drug for breast cancer

Influence of oral contrast type and volume on patient experience and quality of luminal distension at MR Enterography in Crohn's disease:an observational study of patients recruited to the METRIC trial

OBJECTIVES: To compare the distention quality and patient experience of oral mannitol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for MRE. METHODS: This study is a retrospective, observational study of a subset of patients enrolled in a multicentre, prospective trial evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of MRE for small bowel Crohn’s. Overall and segmental MRE small bowel distention, from 105 patients (64 F, mean age 37) was scored from 0 = poor to 4 = excellent by two experienced observers (68 [65%] mannitol and 37 [35%] PEG). Additionally, 130 patients (77 F, mean age 34) completed a questionnaire rating tolerability of various symptoms immediately and 2 days after MRE (85 [65%] receiving mannitol 45 [35%] receiving PEG). Distension was compared between agents and between those ingesting ≤ 1 L or > 1 L of mannitol using the test of proportions. Tolerability grades were collapsed into “very tolerable,” “moderately tolerable,” and “not tolerable.” RESULTS: Per patient distension quality was similar between agents (“excellent” or “good” in 54% [37/68] versus 46% [17/37]) with mannitol and PEG respectively. Jejunal distension was significantly better with mannitol compared to PEG (40% [27/68] versus 14% [5/37] rated as excellent or good respectively). There was no significant difference according to the volume of mannitol ingested. Symptom tolerability was comparable between agents, although fullness following MRE was graded as “very tolerable” in 27% (12/45) of patients ingesting PEG, verses 44% (37/84) ingesting mannitol, difference 17% (95% CI 0.6 to 34%). CONCLUSION: Mannitol-based solutions and PEG generally achieve comparable distension quality and side effect profiles, although jejunal distension is better quality with mannitol. Neither distension quality nor side-effect profile is altered by ingestion of more than 1 L of mannitol. KEY POINTS: • Mannitol-based and PEG-based oral preparation agents generally achieve comparable distension quality for MRE with the exception of the jejunum which is better distended with mannitol. • Mannitol-based and PEG-based oral preparation agents used for MRE have similar side effect profiles. • Neither distension quality nor side-effect profile is altered by ingestion of more than 1 L of mannitol. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00330-022-08614-9

New genomic regions identified for resistance to spot blotch and terminal heat stress in an interspecific population of triticum aestivum and T. spelta

Wheat is one of the most widely grown and consumed food crops in the world. Spot blotch and terminal heat stress are the two significant constraints mainly in the Indo–Gangetic plains of South Asia. The study was undertaken using 185 recombinant lines (RILs) derived from the interspecific hybridization of ‘Triticum aestivum (HUW234) × T. spelta (H+26)’ to reveal genomic regions associated with tolerance to combined stress to spot blotch and terminal heat. Different physiological (NDVI, canopy temperature, leaf chlorophyll) and grain traits (TGW, grain size) were observed under stressed (spot blotch, terminal heat) and non-stressed environments. The mean maturity duration of RILs under combined stress was reduced by 12 days, whereas the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was 46.03%. Similarly, the grain size was depleted under combined stress by 32.23% and thousand kernel weight (TKW) by 27.56% due to spot blotch and terminal heat stress, respectively. The genetic analysis using 6734 SNP markers identified 37 significant loci for the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and NDVI. The genome-wide functional annotation of the SNP markers revealed gene functions such as plant chitinases, NB-ARC and NBS-LRR, and the peroxidase superfamily Cytochrome P450 have a positive role in the resistance through a hypersensitive response. Zinc finger domains, cysteine protease coding gene, F-box protein, ubiquitin, and associated proteins, play a substantial role in the combined stress of spot blotch and terminal heat in bread wheat, according to genomic domains ascribed to them. The study also highlights T. speltoides as a source of resistance to spot blotch and terminal heat tolerance

System of crop intensification for more productive, resource-conserving, climate-resilient, and sustainable agriculture: experience with diverse crops in varying agroecologies

With continually increasing demand for food accompanied by the constraints of climate change and the availability and quality of soil and water, the world’s farmers are challenged to produce more food per hectare with less water, and with fewer agrochemical inputs if possible. The ideas and methods of the system of rice intensification which is improving irrigated rice production are now being extended/adapted to many other crops: wheat, maize, finger millet, sugarcane, tef, mustard, legumes, vegetables, and even spices. Promoting better root growth and enhancing the soil’s fertility with organic materials are being found effective means for raising the yields of many crop plants with less water, less fertilizer, reduced seeds, fewer agrochemicals, and greater climate resilience. In this article, we review what is becoming known about various farmer-centred innovations for agroecological crop management that can contribute to agricultural sustainability. These changes represent the emerging system of crop intensification, which is being increasingly applied in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. More research will be needed to verify the efficacy and impact of these innovations and to clarify their conditions and limits. But as no negative effects for human or environmental health have been identified, making these agronomic options more widely known should prompt more investigation and, to the extent justified by results, utilization of these methodologies