Liposomes for the delivery to the lungs.

This thesis consists of a study characterising preformed liposomes by the novel technique of low frequency dielectric spectroscopy, and a study investigating the gamma scintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of inhaled radiolabelled liposomes in healthy human volunteers. The low frequency dielectric spectroscopy of preformed liposomes based on L-di- palmitoylphosphatidylcholine (L-DPPC) was investigated. The dielectric response is of a modified Maxwell-Wagner type, and may be split into two regions corresponding electrically to two layers in series. Physically, these regions correspond to the lipid bilayers and the external aqueous phase of the liposomal system. This allows simultaneous monitoring of changes in both phases of a liposomal system. The effect on the dielectric response of the incorporation of cholesterol into the bilayers has been investigated. By examining the dielectric response at various temperatures of liposomes containing different amounts of cholesterol, a value for the phase transition temperature of L-DPPC liposomes was obtained, which was in agreement with published values. The effects of size, concentration and orientation of the phospholipid headgroup on the dielectric response of L-DPPC liposomes were also examined. The effects of the incorporation of a model water-soluble drug, ascorbic acid, into L-DPPC liposomes were studied. The release of entrapped ascorbic acid from L-DPPC liposomes was studied by low frequency dielectric spectroscopy. An aqueous phase radiolabel, 99mTechnetium chelated to diethylene triamine penta- acetic acid (DTPA), was used to investigate the deposition and clearance of inhaled 50:50 mole% L-DPPC:cholesterol liposomes in young healthy male volunteers. The liposomes were nebulised to the volunteers and activity monitored for 24 hours post-inhalation. Approximately 43 % of the radioactivity initially deposited remained associated with the lungs 24 hours post-inhalation, representing alveolar deposited intact vesicles. SPECT images were taken and used to assess the deposition of the liposomes in a three-dimensional fashion. The SPECT images indicated that the liposomes were distributed widely throughout the lungs

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Feminist Economics, Setting out the Parameters

___Introduction___ Feminist economics has developed its position over the past decade, towards a firmer embeddedness in economic science and a source of inspiration for activists, policy makers, and social science researchers in a wide variety of fields of research. This development has come about in a relatively short period of time, as is reflected, for example, in the follow-up book of the feminist economic primer Beyond Economic Man (Ferber/Nelson 1993), published ten years later: Feminist Economics Today (Ferber/Nelson, 2003) The strengthened position of feminist economics also shows in the 10-year anniversary of the prize-winning journal Feminist Economics, the flourishing of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), as well as the more regular demand for feminist economic policy advise by institutions like the UN, OECD and governments in developed and developing countries, and in well-established training courses in feminist economics, such as at the Institute of Social Studies and University of Utah . It is impossible to give a fair overview of the state of the art of feminist economics in the number of pages available, even when limited to issues pertaining to development and macroeconomics . As a consequence, this is a very sketchy and subjective overview of what I perceive to be recent developments in feminist economics that have relevance for feminist development analysis and policy. The next section recognizes three trends in feminist economics, in particular the engagement of feminist economists with heterodox schools of economics. The following sections will briefly review developments in methodology and methods in feminist economics. These will be followed by three sections on topics that have recently become key themes or areas of research in feminist economics, in particular in the area of development economics: unpaid labour and the care economy; the two-way relationship between gender and trade; and gender, efficiency and growth. Each of these topics will be introduced, with references to the main literature, and some links to policy recommendations. The paper will end with a conclusion

Development of micro-fibrous solid dispersions of poorly water-soluble drugs in sucrose using temperature-controlled centrifugal spinning

Solid dispersion technology represents a successful approach to addressing the bioavailability issues caused by the low aqueous solubility of many Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class II drugs. In this study, the use of high-yield manufacture of fiber-based dispersion is explored as an alternative approach to monolith production methods. A temperature-controlled solvent-free centrifugal spinning process was used to produce sucrose-based microfibers containing the poorly water-soluble drugs olanzapine and piroxicam (both BCS Class II); these were successfully incorporated into the microfibers and the basic characteristics of fiber diameter, glassy behavior, drug loading capacity and drug-sucrose interaction assessment were measured. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that bead-free drug-loaded microfibers with homogenous morphology and diameter in the range of a few micrometers were prepared using our process. Differential scanning calorimetric and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that both drug and carrier were present in the amorphous state in the microfibers, although in the case of piroxicam-loaded microfibers, the presence of small amounts of crystalline drug was observed under polarized light microscopy and in Fourier transform infrared spectra. Drug dissolution performance was evaluated under both sink and non-sink conditions and was found to be significantly enhanced compared to the corresponding crystalline physical mixtures and pure drugs, with evidence of supersaturation behavior noted under non-sink conditions. This study has demonstrated that microfiber-based dispersions may be manufactured by the centrifugal spinning process and may possess characteristics that are favorable for the enhanced dissolution and oral absorption of drugs. © 2016 The Authors

Psychology and aggression

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68264/2/10.1177_002200275900300301.pd

Abstracts from the NIHR INVOLVE Conference 2017

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