GASTRO RETENTIVE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A SIGNIFICANT TOOL TO INCREASE THE GASTRIC RESIDENCE TIME OF DRUGS

Writing the review on gastro retentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) was to start up the current literature with a special consequence on several gastro retentive approaches that have become main mode in the field of site-specific orally conduct sustained/controlled release drug delivery. Multi-furious ways have been made in research and development to rate-controlled oral drug delivery systems to solve physiological difficulties, like short gastric residence times (GRT) and unpredictable gastric emptying times (GET). GRDDS is a tool to prolong the GRT, thereby targeting site-specific drug release in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) for local or systemic effect. Oral dosage forms as low bioavailability issues because of their swift gastric transition from the stomach, particularly in the case of drugs that are less soluble at an alkaline pH of the intestine. The drugs that produce their local action in the stomach get quickly emptied and don’t get enough residence time in the stomach. Many efforts have been made to extend the retention time of a drug delivery system to reduce the frequency of dose administration. GRDDS not only prolong dosing intervals but also increase patient compliance beyond the level of existing controlled release dosage forms. This article gives an overview of the advantages, disadvantages, and characterization of gastro retentive drug delivery systems. This also includes commercially available gastro retentive products and patents

A Guide to in silico Identification of miRNAs and their Targets

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding RNA molecules that play a critical role in gene regulation including translational repression in animals and mRNA cleavage in plants. MicroRNAs control various cellular, metabolic and physiological processes in living organisms. In this paper, we provide an overview on the significance of miRNA, nomenclature, their biogenesis and the pipelines for prediction of miRNA and their targets. These tools are important for identification of conserved miRNAs in crops where miRNAs have not been previously discovered. The newlyidentified miRNAs and their targets play an important role in understanding regulation of growth, development and gene silencing in various life forms

Enrichment of Genetic Linkage Maps and Mapping QTLs Specific to Seed Strength-Hardness/Softness-In Guava (Psidium guajava L.)

The present research focuses mainly on molecular mining and morphological evaluation of guava genome within a full-sib population and, thereby, mapping of quantitative trait loci related to fruit quality traits, viz., seed strength (hardness/softness) and average fruit weight. Linkage maps were enriched for both parental lines, 'Kamsari' and 'Purple Local' using a set of 60 RAPD markers following the pseudo-testcross strategy on a panel of 94 progeny. A total of 480 scorable markers were identified, of which 131 were specific to 'kamsari' and 28 to 'Purple Local', segregating as test cross markers, and, 321 showing intercross pattern common to both. 'Kamsari' spanned a total length of 1959.1cM with average marker interval distance of 3.93cM, while 'Purple Local' spanned a length of 1537.9cM with average marker interval distance of 3.29cM, by forming 11 linkage groups. Estimated genome length observed was 93.02% and 92.77% in 'Kamsari' and 'Purple Local', respectively. Composite Interval Mapping (CIM) was computed at significance of 0.05 and LOD threshold greater than 3.0, which led to detection of one major QTL for the trait of average fruit weight, and, four QTLs for the trait of seed strength (hardness/softness). Of these, two were major and two minor QTLs. Our study provides molecular mapping information on marker-assisted selection for improvement of guava in a breeding program

Bulk Viscosity of Magnetized Neutron Star Matter

We study the effect of magnetic field on the bulk viscosity of nuclear matter in neutron stars. We employ the framework of relativistic mean field theory to observe the dense nuclear matter in neutron stars. The effects are first studied for the case when the magnetic field does not exceed the critical value to confine the electrons to the lowest Landau levels. We then consider the case of intense magnetic field to evaluate viscosity for the URCA processes and show that the inequality $p_{F}(e)+p_{F}(p)\geq p_{F}(n)$ is no longer required to be satisfied for the URCA processes to proceed.Comment: Latex 2e file with four postscripts figure

Studies on Genetic Divergence in Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Using SRAP Markers

Pomegranate genotypes have been characterized mainly on the basis of morphological traits; but, these traits are affected to a large extent by environmental and cultivation conditions, resulting in their ambiguous discrimination. Molecular markers are more suited for accurate discrimination of genotypes and cultivars. Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used in the present study to analyze polymorphism among the important pomegranate genotypes grown in India. The total number of bands generated by 30 SRAP primers for 12 genotypes was 1448, with an average of 48.3 bands per primer. Polymorphism varied from 2.7 to 73.9, with an average of 40.95%. Similarity-value based on Jaccard's Coefficient ranged from 0.63 (between cvs. Naina and Amlidana) to 0.95 (between cvs. Kabul Yellow and Jalore Seedless). UPGMA (un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean) analysis was performed and a dendrogram was constructed using Jaccard's similarity matrix. The 12 genotypes used grouped into 5 clusters. SRAP markers were found suitable for determining variability among the pomegranate genotypes studied

Neutrino opacity in magnetised hot and dense nuclear matter

We study the neutrino interaction rates in hot matter at high densities in the presence of uniform magnetic field. The neutrino cross-sections involving both the charged current absorption and neutral current scattering reactions on baryons and leptons have been considered. We have in particular considered the interesting case when the magnetic field is strong enough to completely polarise the protons and electrons in supernovae and neutron stars. The opacity in such a situation is considerably modified and the cross-section develops anisotropy. This has implications for phenomenon invoked in the literature to explain the observed pulsar kicks.Comment: 22 latex pages and 7 postscript figure

Protocol for a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of an online e-health application compared to attention placebo or sertraline in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder

Background: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a high prevalence, chronic psychiatric disorder which commonly presents early in the lifespan. Internet e-health applications have been found to be successful in reducing symptoms of anxiety and stress for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, social phobia and depression. However, to date, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of e-health applications in adult GAD. There are no studies which have directly compared e-health applications with recognised evidence-based medication. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of a web-based program for treating GAD relative to sertraline and attention placebo.Methods/Design: 120 community-dwelling participants, aged 18-30 years with a clinical diagnosis of GAD will be recruited from the Australian Electoral Roll. They will be randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (i) an online treatment program for GAD, E-couch (ii) pharmacological treatment with a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI), sertraline (a fixed-flexible dose of 25-100 mg/day) or (iii) an attention control placebo, HealthWatch. The treatment program will be completed over a 10 week period with a 12 month follow-up.Discussion: As of February 2010, there were no registered trials evaluating the effectiveness of an e-health application for GAD for young adults. Similarly to date, this will be the first trial to compare an e-health intervention with a pharmacological treatment.Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN76298775

Protective Effects of a Rhodiola Crenulata Extract and Salidroside on Hippocampal Neurogenesis against Streptozotocin-Induced Neural Injury in the Rat

Previously we have demonstrated that a Rhodiola crenulata extract (RCE), containing a potent antioxidant salidroside, promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus of depressive rats. The current study was designed to further investigate the protective effect of the RCE on neurogenesis in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) induced by an intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ), and to determine whether this neuroprotective effect is induced by the antioxidative activity of salidroside. Our results showed that pretreatment with the RCE significantly improved the impaired neurogenesis and simultaneously reduced the oxidative stress in the hippocampus of AD rats. In vitro studies revealed that (1) exposure of neural stem cells (NSCs) from the hippocampus to STZ strikingly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, induced cell death and perturbed cell proliferation and differentiation, (2) hydrogen peroxide induced similar cellular activities as STZ, (3) pre-incubation of STZ-treated NSCs with catalase, an antioxidant, suppressed all these cellular activities induced by STZ, and (4) likewise, pre-incubation of STZ-treated NSCs with salidroside, also an antioxidant, suppressed all these activities as catalase: reduction of ROS levels and NSC death with simultaneous increases in proliferation and differentiation. Our findings indicated that the RCE improved the impaired hippocampal neurogenesis in the rat model of AD through protecting NSCs by its main ingredient salidroside which scavenged intracellular ROS

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Not AvailableMicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding RNA molecules that play a critical role in gene regulation including translational repression in animals and mRNA cleavage in plants. MicroRNAs control various cellular, metabolic and physiological processes in living organisms. In this paper, we provide an overview on the significance of miRNA, nomenclature, their biogenesis and the pipelines for prediction of miRNA and their targets. These tools are important for identification of conserved miRNAs in crops where miRNAs have not been previously discovered. The newlyidentified miRNAs and their targets play an important role in understanding regulation of growth, development and gene silencing in various life forms.Not Availabl