SENSITIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC ASSAY OF MUSCARINIC RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST TOLTERODINE TARTRATE IN BULK DRUG AND PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS

Objective: Simple, sensitive, and accurate spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the assay of tolterodine tartrate (TOL) in bulk drugand pharmaceutical formulations.Methods: The proposed methods are based on oxidation reaction of TOL with a known excess of cerium(IV) ammonium sulfate as an oxidizing agentin acid medium followed by determination of unreacted oxidant by adding a fixed amount of dye, e.g., amaranth (AM), rhodamine 6G (Rh6G), andindigo carmine (IC) followed by measuring the absorbance at 520, 530, and 610 nm, respectively. The effect of experimental conditions was studiedand optimized.Results: The Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration ranges of 1.0-10, 1.0-12, and 0.5-9.0 μg/mL using AM, Rh6G, and IC dyes, respectively, witha correlation coefficient ≥0.9995. The calculated molar absorptivity values are 1.868×104, 1.008×104, and 1.623×104 L/mol/cm using AM, Rh6G, andIC dyes, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were reported. Intraday and interday accuracy and precision of the methods have beenevaluated. No interference was observed from the additives.Conclusion: The proposed methods were successfully applied to the assay of TOL in tablets preparations, and the results were statistically comparedwith those of the reported method by applying Student's t-test and F-test. The reliability of the methods was further ascertained by performingrecovery studies using the standard addition method

Knowledge and practice of folic acid supplementation and impact of income level on awareness among women of child-bearing age in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To investigate the knowledge of Saudi women (pregnant and non-pregnant) about the significance of folic acid (FA) supplementation and to determine how income levels affects this knowledge and its implementation. Methods: The study was conducted among women of child-bearing age attending Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital and Khaliss General Hospital (both in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) for pregnant women and Omm Al-Qura University in Makkah Governorate (Saudi Arabia) for non-pregnant women. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and to analyze levels of FA knowledge, including general awareness, proper timing of its use, information source, FA benefits, and the perils of FA deficiency. A chi-square test was performed to test the differences between variables. Results: Analysis of the survey data revealed that 81.1 % of non–pregnant and 91.1 % of pregnant women were aware of the term, FA (p < 0.05). Moreover, 71.1 % of the pregnant compared to 35.6% of non-pregnant women knew that this supplement must be taken before becoming pregnant and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). For pregnant women, doctors and previous pregnancies were the main sources of FA knowledge, while mass media was the most frequently reported source for non-pregnant women (p < 0.05). Income level was not associated with FA knowledge in either group. Conclusions: This study illustrates a deficiency in the knowledge and consumption of this important micronutrient in women of childbearing age, the population most in need of this information. Nutrition education should be provided to increase the understanding and practice of FA supplementation periconceptionally and during pregnancy

EFFECT OF SPROUTING USING SALINE WATER ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PROTEIN QUALITY AND FRACTIONATIONS OF EGYPTIAN CLOVER SPROUTS

The effect of salt stress on growth proximate analysis, amino acid profile, protein quality and fractionations in 3 days etiolated clover sprout samples was investigated. Sterilized and non-sterilized clover seeds were sprouting using tap water 1000 ppm and 2000 ppm NaCl solution. The results showed reduction effect of clover sprout characters with higher NaCl concentration. Clover seed sprouting increased the crude protein content using tap water or saline water for sprouting as compared with dry seeds. However using non-sterilized clover seeds for sprouting recorded the higher values of protein (44.73%), lipids (6.21%) and energy (318.51 kcal/g) in etiolated sprouts, while using sterilized seeds recorded higher carbohydrate (21.28%), fiber (14.57%) and  ash (4.46%). For amino acids, aspartic acid followed by glutamic acid were the most abundant, while Cysteine and methionine were the least in clover etiolated sprouts. Using saline water for clover seed sprouting caused increases in all amino acid compared with tap water except Methionine, aspartic acid and cysteine. For protein efficiency ratio (PER), essential amino acid index (EAAI%) and biological value (BV), from using saline water for sprouting had the higher values than sprouts from using tap water, but the values are less than dry seeds. On the other hand nutritional index (NI) recorded the higher values in salt stress compared with both using tap water and dry clover seeds. For protein fraction in etiolated clover sprouts albumin was the major protein fraction extracted from NaCl 2000ppm sprout fallowed by prolamin from tap water sprouts, glutelin from NaCl 1000 ppm sprout and globulin from tap water sprout. The clover sprout protein isolated and its fractions could have excellent applications for future product development by virtue of their nutritional and functional properties

Geological and geophysical investigation of Kamil crater, Egypt

We detail the Kamil crater (Egypt) structure and refine the impact scenario, based on the geological and geophysical data collected during our first expedition in February 2010. Kamil Crater is a model for terrestrial small-scale hypervelocity impact craters. It is an exceptionally well-preserved, simple crater with a diameter of 45 m, depth of 10 m, and rayed pattern of bright ejecta. It occurs in a simple geological context: flat, rocky desert surface, and target rocks comprising subhorizontally layered sandstones. The high depth-to-diameter ratio of the transient crater, its concave, yet asymmetric, bottom, and the fact that Kamil Crater is not part of a crater field confirm that it formed by the impact of a single iron mass (or a tight cluster of fragments) that fragmented upon hypervelocity impact with the ground. The circular crater shape and asymmetries in ejecta and shrapnel distributions coherently indicate a direction of incidence from the NW and an impact angle of approximately 30 to 45 . Newly identified asymmetries, including the off-center bottom of the transient crater floor downrange, maximum overturning of target rocks along the impact direction, and lower crater rim elevation downrange, may be diagnostic of oblique impacts in well-preserved craters. Geomagnetic data reveal no buried individual impactor masses >100 kg and suggest that the total mass of the buried shrapnel >100 g is approximately 1050–1700 kg. Based on this mass value plus that of shrapnel >10 g identified earlier on the surface during systematic search, the new estimate of the minimum projectile mass is approximately 5 t.Published1842–18683.8. Geofisica per l'ambienteJCR Journalrestricte

A standardised study to compare prostate cancer targeting efficacy of five radiolabelled bombesin analogues

Purpose: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer (PC) has dramatically increased early diagnosis. Current imaging techniques are not optimal to stage early PC adequately. A promising alternative to PC imaging is peptide-based scintigraphy using radiolabelled bombesin (BN) analogues that bind to gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPR) being overexpressed in PC. When labelled to appropriate radionuclides BN targeting of GRPRs may also provide applications for peptide radionuclide receptor therapy (PRRT). Assessment studies under identical experimental conditions allowing a reliable comparison of the potential of such analogues are lacking. This study was performed to evaluate and directly compare five promising radiolabelled BN analogues for their targeting efficacy for PC under standardised conditions. Methods: The BN agonists [111In]DOTA-PESIN, [111In]AMBA, [111In]MP2346 and [111In]MP2653 and one antagonist [99mTc]Demobesin-1 were evaluated in GRPR-overexpressing human PC-3 tumou

"One for Sorrow, Two for Joy?": American embryo transfer guideline recommendations, practices and outcomes for gestational surrogate patients

In January 2016, Melissa Cook, a California gestational surrogate experiencing a multiple birth pregnancy following the in vitro fertilization (IVF) transfer of three embryos comprised of donor eggs and sperm provided by the intended father went to the media when the intended father requested that she undergo a fetal reduction because twins were less expensive to raise than triplets. Much of the legal interest in this case to date has centered on the enforceability of surrogacy contracts. However, the Cook case also raises troubling issues about fertility treatment practices involving gestational surrogates, twin preference, and third-party reproduction medical decision-making. This paper focuses on multipleembryo transfers in the context of U.S. surrogacy arrangements. Offering an original analysis of data obtained from the U.S. national assisted reproduction registry, it examines single- and multiple-embryo transfer trends over an eleven-year period (2003 to 2014). Findings reveal that recommended guidelines were followed in less than 42% of cases in 2014. The paper argues that ensuring equitable medical treatment for all recipients of IVF requires the adoption of treatment guidelines tailored to, and offering protections for, specific patient groups, and that, once in place, guidelines must be robustly implemente

Numerical optimization of geometry parameters for shaped film cooling holes

[abstract not available]https://fount.aucegypt.edu/faculty_book_chapters/1266/thumbnail.jp