TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY TO CANCER CELLS: ADVANCES IN NANOTECHNOLOGY

Advancement in science and technology has brought a remarkable change in therapy of cancer. Particles are engineered in such a way so that they are attracted to diseased cells, which allows direct treatment of cancer cells. Drug delivery systems control the location in the body where it is released and the rate at which a drug is released. Conventional chemotherapeutic possess some serious side effects, including damage of the immune system and other various types of organs with rapidly proliferating cells due to nonspecific targeting, lack of solubility, and inability to enter the core part of the tumor which results in impaired treatment with the reduced dose and low survival rate. Nanoparticles can be programmed in such a way so that it can recognize the cancerous cells by giving selective and accurate drug delivery avoiding interaction with the healthy cells. The main aim of this review focuses on various strategies for cancer cell targeting. It also discusses specific drug delivery by nanoparticles inside the cells, illustrating many successful research in the field of cancer therapy

How should plastic-packaging companies apply artificial proofs and topics of invention to communicate sustainability? : a heuristic developed on the basis of rhetorical analysis

This study examines how the ten plastic-packaging companies use artificial proofs and topics of invention to communicate sustainability-related information. The objective of this study was to answer the following research questions: (i) Do plastic-packaging companies define sustainability on their website? (ii) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in these companies\u27 sustainability-related communications? (iii) What invention strategies should technical marketing communicators use to communicate company\u27s sustainable practices? To answer these questions, I analyzed the sustainability-related documents available on the websites of the ten companies. On the basis of this analysis, I developed an invention heuristic that can be used by technical marketing communicators to communicate sustainability-related information on their website --Abstract, page iii

IBUPROFEN AND ITS DIFFERENT ANALYTICAL AND MANUFACTURING METHODS: A REVIEW

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and many of its similar class includes aspirin, indomethacin (Indocin), naproxen (Aleve), nabumetone (Relafen), and many others. This drug is used in moderate pain, fever, and inflammation, which is promoted by the release in the body of chemicals called prostaglandins. According to the IUPAC, it is (RS)-2-(4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl)propanoic acid. The original synthesis of ibuprofen by the Boots Group started with the compound 2-methylpropyl benzene. Ibuprofen blocks the enzyme that makes prostaglandins (cyclooxygenase), resulting in lower levels of prostaglandins that help in reducing inflammation, pain, and fever. This review is focused on various chemical and functional properties and experimental studies of ibuprofen including various detection methods such as potentiometric, ultraviolet spectrophotometric, gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and reverse-HPLC which can also be used for the extraction, quantification, and quality analysis

Evaluating Providers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Utilizing First Post-Discharge Visit Checklist in Primary Care to Reduce Readmissions in Heart Failure Patients

Background and Significance: Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 6.2 million adults in the United States and 40 million people globally. HF is one of the leading causes of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in adults. Twenty percent of patients admitted for HF are readmitted within thirty days, and up to fifty percent are readmitted by six months. A First Post-Discharge Visit checklist could help mitigate the problem of readmission. Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate primary care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and intentions towards utilizing the First Post-Discharge Visit checklist to reduce hospital readmissions among HF patients. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, a one-group pretest-posttest design was used to assess APRNs knowledge, attitudes, and intentions regarding the use of the First Post-Discharge Visit checklist in heart failure (HF) patients. The data was gathered via a convenience sample through the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Midwives listserv. The evaluation occurred through a survey before and after a five-minute educational module on the First Post-Discharge Visit checklist. Results: At both assessments, almost all providers agreed readmission among HF patients is an issue. Few were aware of the checklist prior to the educational module (15%), which significantly increased post-education (80%, p = .008). There was also a significant increase in intentions to use the checklist (15% pre vs. 85% post, p = .004).] Conclusions: The awareness and intention to use the First Post-Discharge Visit checklist improved after viewing training module, which suggests education was effective. Whatever it takes to get providers to use this evidence-based checklist that improves the patient outcomes we need to do. A brief web-based training module about it may be effective in increasing awareness and utilization

Diaconal Work for Women Empowerment by the Christian Organization; HimalPartner in Nepal

This has discussed and analyzed the diaconal activities for women empowerment in Nepalese societies by Christian organization HimalPartner. Large numbers of women are discriminated and marginalized by gender discriminations and domestic violence in rural areas of Nepalese societies. HimalParner have been working with local and international partners to empower discriminated and marginalized women with different diaconal activities

(1R,2R,3S,6aS,7R,8R,9S,12aS)-1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexahydroxy­perhydro­dipyrido[1,2-a:1′,2′-d]pyrazine-6,12-dione

The crystal structure of the title compound, C12H18N2O8, exists as O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonded layers of mol­ecules running parallel to the ab plane. Each mol­ecule is a donor and acceptor for six hydrogen bonds. The absolute stereochemistry was determined by the use of d-glucuronolactone as the starting material

Human Swarm Interaction for Radiation Source Search and Localization

This study shows that appropriate human interaction can benefit a swarm of robots to achieve goals more efficiently. A set of desirable features for human swarm interaction is identified based on the principles of swarm robotics. Human swarm interaction architecture is then proposed that has all of the desirable features. A swarm simulation environment is created that allows simulating a swarm behavior in an indoor environment. The swarm behavior and the results of user interaction are studied by considering radiation source search and localization application of the swarm. Particle swarm optimization algorithm is slightly modified to enable the swarm to autonomously explore the indoor environment for radiation source search and localization. The emergence of intelligence is observed that enables the swarm to locate the radiation source completely on its own. Proposed human swarm interaction is then integrated in a simulation environment and user evaluation experiments are conducted. Participants are introduced to the interaction tool and asked to deploy the swarm to complete the missions. The performance comparison of the user guided swarm to that of the autonomous swarm shows that the interaction interface is fairly easy to learn and that user guided swarm is more efficient in achieving the goals. The results clearly indicate that the proposed interaction helped the swarm achieve emergence

Vascular Surgery in COVID-19 Period and Beyond: Acknowledging the New Normal

The first infected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) in Nepal was diagnosed on 23 January, 2020 which was also the first recorded case in South Asia, but after confirmation of subsequent cases on March 23 and 24, the entire nation was put under lock down. Between January and March, the government took preventive measures by upgrading health infrastructure, setting up health desks atimportant public spaces like airports, spreading public awareness through various means, sealing off of international borders. Initially, our optimism stemmed from the slow rise in cases compared to our neighbors which delivered hope that things will be back on track soon. But with consistently escalating infection rates it was clear that we are as vulnerable to this as any other nation. For us, it reflected in thinning out of emergency and urgent cases. This was sure to have a significant impact on patients’ lives. On one hand, owing to confinement measures, to avail specialty services was becoming a challenge for them, especially those from remote, rural areas where transportation even if desired is accessible on select occasions. On the other, phobiaof coronavirus led patients to defer going to distant tertiary hospital as far as possible

Collaborative Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Network Longevity

This study proposes a new parameter for evaluating longevity of wireless sensor networks after showing that the existing parameters do not properly evaluate the performance of algorithms in increasing longevity. This study also proposes an ant inspired Collaborative Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Network Longevity (CRAWL) that has scalability and adaptability features required in most wireless sensor networks. Using the proposed longevity metrics and implementing the algorithm in simulations, it is shown that CRAWL is much more adaptive to non-uniform distribution of available energy in sensor networks. The performance of CRAWL is compared to that of a non-collaborative algorithm. Both algorithms perform equally well when the available energy distribution is uniform but when the distribution is non-uniform, CRAWL is found to have 20.2% longer network life. CRAWL performance degraded by just 10.1% when the available energy was unevenly distributed in the sensor network proving the algorithms adaptability

Demographic Impacts on Environmentally Friendly Purchase Behaviors

Researchers have continued to study green consumer demographics with mixed results. The relevant literature since 1998 (the last review) was summarized to determine what demographics seemed to impact environmental purchasing. The greatest consistency was found for gender with women more likely to exhibit green behaviors. This research article analyzed survey responses to determine the environmentally friendly behaviors of consumers and their relationships to demographics. Several demographics were found to be related to a number of specific environmentally friendly behaviors, more than in prior research. The authors concluded that using specific behaviors, in contrast to general statements or attitudes, may be more sensitive to the effects of demographics