Simultaneous determination of sulpiride and mebeverine by HPLC method using fluorescence detection: application to real human plasma

A new simple, rapid and sensitive reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of sulpiride (SUL) and mebeverine Hydrochloride (MEB) in the presence of their impurities and degradation products. The separation of these compounds was achieved within 6 min on a 250 mm, 4.6 mm i.d., 5 m particle size Waters®-C18 column using isocractic mobile phase containing a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.01 M dihydrogenphosphate buffer (45:55) at pH = 4.0. The analysis was performed at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with fluorescence-detection at excitation 300 nm and emission at 365 nm. The concentration-response relationship was linear over a concentration range of 10- 100 ng/mL for both MEB and SUL with a limit of detection 0.73 ng/mL and 0.85 ng/mL for MEB and SUL respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of both MEB and SUL in bulk with average recoveries of 100.22 ± 0.757% and 99.96 ± 0.625% respectively, and in commercial tablets with average recoveries of 100.04 ± 0.93% and 100.03 ± 0.376% for MEB and SUL respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of MEB metabolite (veratic acid) in real plasma simultaneously with SUL. The mean% recoveries (n = 3) for both MEB metabolite (veratic acid) and SUL were 100.36 ± 2.92 and 99.06 ± 2.11 for spiked human plasma respectively. For real human plasma, the mean% recoveries (n = 3) were and respectively

Enhancing the quality of life for physical therapists: insights from a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPhysical Therapy profession is known for its demanding physical requirements. This increases the risk of attrition and work-related accidents and disorders that affect physical therapists’ quality of life and work performance. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of physical activity level and other contributing factors on quality of life of physical therapists.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among practicing physical therapists (n = 258). The International Physical Activity Questionnaires-Short Form was used to measure physical activity levels and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire short form was used to measure the quality of life among physical therapists. Data was collected through a self-administered online survey using Microsoft Forms.ResultsThe eligible participants were 258 out of 297. The highest percentage of physical therapists had a moderate physical activity level (45.35%) and the median for overall quality of life score was 63.27(52.73–73.59). There was a significant positive correlation between physical activity and age with overall quality of life score (rs = 0.41, p < 0.001; rs = 0.13, p < 0.036) respectively and a significant negative correlation between body mass index and overall quality of life score (rs = −0.13, p < 0.04).ConclusionThe results obtained revealed that physical therapists mostly have moderate physical activity level and relatively good perceived quality of Life. Furthermore, our study identified significant correlations between physical activity, age, body mass index, and the overall quality of life among practicing physical therapists

Validated spectrophotometric methods for determination of Alendronate sodium in tablets through nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alendronate (ALD) is a member of the bisphosphonate family which is used for the treatment of osteoporosis, bone metastasis, Paget's disease, hypocalcaemia associated with malignancy and other conditions that feature bone fragility. ALD is a non-chromophoric compound so its determination by conventional spectrophotometric methods is not possible. So two derivatization reactions were proposed for determination of ALD through the reaction with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) and 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) as chromogenic derivatizing reagents.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three simple and sensitive spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of ALD. Method I is based on the reaction of ALD with NBD-Cl. Method II involved heat-catalyzed derivatization of ALD with DNFB, while, Method III is based on micellar-catalyzed reaction of the studied drug with DNFB at room temperature. The reactions products were measured at 472, 378 and 374 nm, for methods I, II and III, respectively. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration ranges of 1.0-20.0, 4.0-40.0 and 1.5-30.0 μg/mL with lower limits of detection of 0.09, 1.06 and 0.06 μg/mL for Methods I, II and III, respectively. The proposed methods were applied for quantitation of the studied drug in its pure form with mean percentage recoveries of 100.47 ± 1.12, 100.17 ± 1.21 and 99.23 ± 1.26 for Methods I, II and III, respectively. Moreover the proposed methods were successfully applied for determination of ALD in different tablets. Proposals of the reactions pathways have been postulated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The proposed spectrophotometric methods provided sensitive, specific and inexpensive analytical procedures for determination of the non-chromophoric drug alendronate either per se or in its tablet dosage forms without interference from common excipients.</p> <p>Graphical abstract</p> <p><display-formula><graphic file="1752-153X-6-25-i3.gif"/></display-formula></p

Spectrophotometric determination of tizanidine and orphenadrine via ion pair complex formation using eosin Y

A simple, sensitive and rapid spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the determination of two skeletal muscle relaxants namely, tizanidine hydrochloride (I) and orphenadrine citrate (II) in pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method is based on the formation of a binary complex between the studied drugs and eosin Y in aqueous buffered medium (pH 3.5). Under the optimum conditions, the binary complex showed absorption maxima at 545 nm for tizanidine and 542 nm for orphenadrine. The calibration plots were rectilinear over concentration range of 0.5-8 μg/mL and 1-12 μg/mL with limits of detection of 0.1 μg/mL and 0.3 μg/mL for tizanidine and orphenadrine respectively. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the complex were studied and optimized. The method was successfully applied for determination of the studied drugs in their dosage forms; and to the content uniformity test of tizanidine in tablets

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

A synchronous spectrofluorometric technique for simultaneous detection of alfuzosin and tadalafil: applied to tablets and spiked biological samples

A facile, accurate, eco-friendly and sensitive spectrofluorometric method was evolved to assay alfuzosin hydrochloride (AFH) and tadalafil (TDF) in different matrices. Such a co-administered combination is clinically used for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms. Both compounds are characterized by their native fluorescence spectra upon excitation at specific wavelengths. Their characteristic fluorescence spectra were used for sensitive assay of the studied analytes in tablets and human biological samples. The assay principle is based on first-order synchronous spectrofluorometric scan using Δλ = 60 nm in which AFH peaks were recorded at 366 nm. Meanwhile, TDF measurements were recorded at 293 nm in the same scans without overlap with AFH spectra. Recent analytical chemistry trends were implemented to lessen occupational and environmental perils, using ethanol as a diluting solvent for method optimization and application. Linearity ranges were 5.0–90.0 and 10.0–100.0 ng ml−1 for AFH and TDF, respectively in their raw materials with average % recoveries of 100.44% and 99.73% in raw materials, 100.15% and 100.20% in spiked plasma, and 97.14% and 99.99% in spiked urine. The proposed method was successfully applied to Prostetrol and Starkoprex commercial tablets with no interference with common tablet additives

Effect of BPA on CYP450s expression, and nicotine modulation, in fetal rat brain

Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) is mainly due to migration from plastic packaging into food and beverages. Studies reported BPA endocrine disruptions through interactions with different nuclear receptors, including the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR). AhR mediates xenobiotic responses and regulates expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), including many CYP450s. This study aimed to assess the effects of BPA maternal exposure on CYP450s expression in fetal brain. Sprague-Dawley dams were exposed to BPA concentrations of 0, 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/L in drinking water, individually, and with nicotine. Fetal brains were isolated at gestational days GD14 and GD19, and protein expression was assessed by Western blotting. Results showed a BPA-induced significant decrease in CYP1B1 expression levels at GD14 (p = 0.001), and CYP19A1 (aromatase) expression at both mid- and late-stage development (p < 0.001). In addition, nicotine individually decreased expression levels of all examined protein targets, significantly for CYP1B1 (p < 0.001), CYP19A1 (p = 0.010), AhRR (p = 0.042), and ARNT (p < 0.001), compared to control. When combined with BPA, nicotine suppressive effects were attenuated at both GD14 and GD19. In conclusion, BPA suppresses CYP1B1 and CYP19A1 expression in fetal brain, and attenuates the suppressive effects of nicotine. Observed effects may be mediated by AhR-ARNT independent mechanisms that need further examination.This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon (LCNRS) and the American University of Beirut Research Board (URB)