VDD pacing with a single pass lead: Long term evaluation

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Comparative study of haematology of two teleost fish (Mugil cephalus and Carassius auratus) from different environments and feeding habits

Haematological parameters are valuable indicators of fish health status. This study is aimed to provide baseline data of the blood profile of two teleost fish species living in different environments and with divergent feeding behaviour, namely the flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758, a marine herbivorous fish, and the goldfish Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758), a freshwater omnivorous fish. Using an automated system coupled with flow cytometry and light microscopy, significant variations were found between M. cephalus and C. auratus blood parameters, except for haemoglobin concentration (Hgb). A significant increase in red blood cell count (RBC) and haematocrit (Hct) levels, associated with reduced mean corpuscular volume (MCV), was revealed in mullets in respect to goldfish. These data may be attributable to differences in fish species, or to their divergent physiological activeness as high RBC values are associated with fast movement and high activity with streamlined bodies, or to environmental factors such as water salinity, an increase in which may lead to erythropoiesis as an adaptive process in seawater fish. Additionally, lower values of white blood cell count (WBC) and thrombocyte count (TC) were recorded in mullets with respect to goldfish, and these changes may be due to divergent feeding habits of the two fish species, or to their different environments since increased salinity may inversely affect WBC. Overall, findings from this study provide a better understanding of the influences of divergent environmental conditions and feeding habits on fish blood parameters. The combined use of an automatic haematological count with flow cytometry was demonstrated to be effective for an early assessment of blood parameters in different fish species

Advanced Technologies for Oral Controlled Release: Cyclodextrins for oral controlled release

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, by means of inclusion complexes formation, with the following advantages for the drugs: (1) solubility, dissolution rate, stability and bioavailability enhancement; (2) to modify the drug release site and/or time profile; and (3) to reduce or prevent gastrointestinal side effects and unpleasant smell or taste, to prevent drug-drug or drug-additive interactions, or even to convert oil and liquid drugs into microcrystalline or amorphous powders. A more recent trend focuses on the use of CDs as nanocarriers, a strategy that aims to design versatile delivery systems that can encapsulate drugs with better physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the applications of the CDs and their hydrophilic derivatives on the solubility enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs in order to increase their dissolution rate and get immediate release, as well as their ability to control (to prolong or to delay) the release of drugs from solid dosage forms, either as complexes with the hydrophilic (e.g. as osmotic pumps) and/ or hydrophobic CDs. New controlled delivery systems based on nanotechonology carriers (nanoparticles and conjugates) have also been reviewed

Isoflavone aglycons-sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes: in solution and solid state studies

he effect of a polyanionic variably substituted sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CyD), complexation on the UV absorption of genistein (Gen) and daidzein (Dai) was studied in pure water. A phase solubility study was performed, according to the method reported by Higuchi and Connors, to evaluate the changes of isoflavones in the complexation state and type-AL solubility diagrams for both isoflavones were obtained suggesting that they form complexes with 1:1 molar ratio. These results were confirmed by Job's plot method. Complexation strongly increases the water solubility of isoflavones. The in vitro dissolution of isoflavones entrapped into SBE-β-CyD significantly surpassed that of the free isoflavones (over 90 % of the loaded Gen and Dai dissolved in 15 and 30 min, respectively). Finally, 1:1 molar ratio solid complexes were prepared by the kneading method and characterized in solid state by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, with particular regard to O-H and C=O stretching vibrations, achieving structural information on the modifications induced by complexation on the H-bond scheme, also by applying band decomposition and curve-fi