The Impact Interaction of Three Different Tillage Methods and Rice Residual Management on Soil Physical Properties and Rice Growth

One of the major problems of rice cultivation in Guilan is traditional rice cultivation along with autumn tillage and burning last year’s residual, which besides wasting this valuable organic source is followed by environmental pollution in September and October each year. This study aimed to evaluate three different methods of tillage as far as soil physical properties and rice growth under crop residual burning and conservation conditions are concerned. Therefore, an area of 1,800 square meters was chosen in Islamabad Village, Pirbazar District, Rasht. A factorial experiment was designed and conducted in a randomized complete block design with 6 treatments in 3 replications and in 18 plots (each plot = 10 × 10 square meters). Treatments included tillage factor with no-tillage, autumn and winter tillage methods; and residue management factor included crop residual burning and conservation. The results showed that the amount of soil organic matter in residual burning and residual conservation was 2.18% and 2.69%, respectively, showing a 0.51% increase in organic matter. The amount of organic matter in no-tillage method (2.20%) showed a signifiant decrease of 0.32% and 0.38% compared with autumn tillage (2.52%) and winter tillage (2.58%), respectively. Surface water infitration in soil before performing treatments was 2.01 mm per minute, which was signifiantly increased by 2.81 mm per minute in crop residual conservation treatment, 2.91 mm per minute in winter tillage and 2.38 mm per minute in autumn tillage. Rice grain weight was signifiantly increased in residual conservation and no-tillage conditions. According to the results of this study, incorporation of rice residues into the soil by plowing can be recommended

SIMPLE AND RAPID HPLC METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS QUANTIFICATION OF LEVODOPA AND CARBIDOPA IN A FAST DISINTEGRATING TABLET FORMULATION

Objective: Fast disintegrating tablets (FDTs) are found helpful in dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) especially in Parkinson patients. Levodopa is still the first choice in Parkinson disease treatment and is co-administered by carbidopa for better efficacy. Methods: In the present study, a rapid and simple isocratic Reverse Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of levodopa and carbidopa in optimized Fast Disintegrating Tablets (FDTs). The linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method were determined. FDTs were prepared using direct compression, dry and wet granulation and were optimized for faster disintegration time. Tablets thickness, weight, hardness, friability, drug content and dissolution profile were also evaluated. Results: A RP-HPLC system with C18 column and mobile phase 90:10 (v/v) phosphate buffer: methanol was used. The method linearity was found to be within the concentration range of 3.125-50 μg/ml for levodopa, and 3.125-25 μg/ml for carbidopa. The intra and inter-day precision and accuracy were acceptable. LOD and LOQ of levodopa-carbidopa were 0.2-0.8 μg/ml and 0.5-2.4 μg/ml, respectively. The total chromatographic run time was 5 min. The optimized FDTs hardness was 3.81±0.4 and tablets were disintegrated within 30 sec. Levodopa and carbidopa were dissolved in dissolution media within 5 min. Conclusion: Results indicated that this method was suitable for simultaneous quantification of levodopa and carbidopa in the presence of different ingredients of a pharmaceutical solid dosage form. Therefore, this method could be applied in pharmaceutical quality control for rapid quantification of structurally similar substances with different physicochemical properties

POROGEN EFFECTS ON AEROSOLIZATION PROPERTIES OF FLUCONAZOLE LOADED PLGA LARGE POROUS PARTICLES

Objective: The most common fungal infection, which is usually occurs in immunocompromised patients, is pulmonary cryptococcosis. Fluconazole (FLZ) is a first-generation triazole which is used for the treatment of pulmonary cryptococcal infection during 6-12 mo. A non-invasive and targeted medication delivery to lung is highly desirable due to lower delivered dose and reduced systemic effects. Large Porous Particles (LPPs) have shown lower phagocytic clearance and higher bioavailability compared to non-porous particles of the same size with a remarkable safety profile. Methods: In the present study, the effect of two different porogen agents with different mechanisms on FLZ loaded PLGA LPPs properties were evaluated using design expert software®. These properties included volume diameter, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, mass median aerodynamic diameter (MAAD), geometric standard deviation (GSD) and fine particle fraction (FPF). Results: All FLZ-loaded PLGA LPPs (FLZ-PLGA LPPs) showed acceptable volume diameter, drug loading and encapsulation efficiency with rapid FLZ release due to macroporous structure. Significant differences in aerosolization properties in which MAAD, GSD and FPF optimized formulation of the optimized formulation were 6.71±0.4 µm, 1.65±0.08 and 33.20±1.7%, respectively. Conclusion: It was suggested that gas foamed preparation technique using ammonium bicarbonate was a better technique to produce FLZ loaded PLGA LPPs with more suitable in vitro respirable properties

Introduction to Competing Risk Model in the Epidemiological Research

Background and aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health challenge worldwide, with adverse consequences of kidney failure, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death. The CKD leads to the end-stage of renal disease (ESRD) if late/not diagnosed. Competing risk modeling is a major issue in epidemiology research. In epidemiological study, sometimes, inappropriate methods (i.e. Kaplan-Meier method) have been used to estimate probabilities for an event of interest in the presence of competing risks. In these situations, competing risk analysis is preferred to other models in survival analysis studies. The purpose of this study was to describe the bias resulting from the use of standard survival analysis to estimate the survival of a patient with ESRD and to provide alternate statistical methods considering the competing risk. Methods: In this retrospective study, 359 patients referred to the hemodialysis department of Shahid Ayatollah Ashrafi Esfahani hospital in Tehran, and underwent continuous hemodialysis for at least three months. Data were collected through patient’s medical history contained in the records (during 2011-2017). To evaluate the effects of research factors on the outcome, cause-specific hazard model and competing risk models were fitted. The data were analyzed using Stata (a general-purpose statistical software package) software, version 14 and SPSS software, version 21, through descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The median duration of follow-up was 3.12 years and mean age at ESRD diagnosis was 66.47 years old. Each year increase in age was associated with a 98% increase in hazard of death. In this study, statistical analysis based on the competing risk model showed that age, age of diagnosis, level of education (under diploma), and body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with death (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.98, P < 0.001, HR = 0.99, P < 0.001, HR = 2.66, P = 0.008, and HR = 0.98, P < 0.020, respectively). Conclusion: In analysis of competing risk data, it was found that providing both the results of the event of interest and those of competing risks were of importance. The Cox model, which ignored the competing risks, presented the different estimates and results as compared to the proportional sub-distribution hazards model. Thus, it was revealed that in the analysis of competing risks data, the sub-distribution proportion hazards model was more appropriate than the Cox model

Knowledge, attitude and behavior towards using of microwave oven among women working at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical science and Health service in 2016

Background and Aims: Microwave oven, a household appliance that works with microwave, is one of the essential supplies in the kitchen because of ease and speed in cooking. Microwave users are required to be aware of its safety tips, and women are in the program's top priority due to more involvement. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior towards using microwave oven amongwomen working at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and health services in 2016.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, totally, 120 women working at Shahid Beheshti University of medical Sciences and Health Services were selected through clustering procedure. All stages of this research were conducted ethically. The consent forms were indeed completed. A reliable and valid questionnaire prepared by the research team was exploited for data collection. The questionnaire encompassed demographic, knowledge, attitude and behavior of using microwave oven questions. Finally, the obtained data was analyzed using SPSS22 statistical Software.Results: The mean age of women was 38.63 ± 9.19 years. About 58.35 percent of participants had associate's, bachelor's level education and 28.35 percent were of Master's degree. Approximately 68.35%of the total study group were married. Overall the mean score of knowledge was 15.80 out of 28. The mean score of attitude was 36.69 out of 50, and the mean score of behavior was 59.62 out of 75. There was no statistically significant relationship between age, marital status, education and knowledge and atti tude.Conclusion: The results of the study suggest the need for interventions to promote awareness, attitude and behavior

Captopril fast disintegrating tablets for children: formulation and quality control by HPLC

Captopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, which is used in hypertensive crises and heart failures as an emergency medication especially in pediatrics. Due to difficulty in swallowing of tablets and capsules, pediatric compliance for medication usage is a big challenge in formulation. Considering captopril instability in oral liquid media, it should be formulated as a solid dosage form. Using fast disintegrating tablets (FDTs) is an attractive strategy for solving this problem. According to captopril ultra violet absorption spectrum, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) seems to be an accurate, reproducible, and precise method for analysis. Captopril HPLC method was developed and validated for linearity, accuracy, and precision. Because of captopril unacceptable taste especially for children, Eudragit E was used as a taste masking polymer to prepare granules. Crospovidon and Ac-Di-Sol were used as super-disintegrants to reduce tablet disintegration time. Flavoring agents are important ingredients in formulating FDTs for children. Different FDT formulations were prepared by direct compression and granulation-compression method. Quality test of tablets such as thickness, weight, friability, hardness, disintegration time, dissolution profile, and taste masking power were also examined. HPLC validation was confirmed by r2=0.9994, accuracy of 97.4 ± 2.3%, and inter and intra-day precisions of 97.6±1.2 and 97.3± 2.1, respectively. The optimized tablets showed suitable friability (0.85%), hardness (4.1N), and disintegration time (40 sec) with a desirable taste related to presence of Eudragit E. An appropriate and complete dissolution profile within 30 min was also achieved. Results confirmed that captopril taste-masked FDTs would be a pleasant alternative for the available tablets in the market for using in children.</p

Formulation and evaluation of an Aloe vera -Licorice combination topical gel: a potential choice for wound healing

Wound healing is a natural body response to injury and consists of three steps; Inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. Natural products have always been attractive in pharmacy and drug delivery and have shown higher patient compliance in some treatments. Aloe vera and licorice extract have each been used to improve and accelerate wound healing. It seems that combination of these two natural products may show better and effective results. Aloe vera gel and licorice extract powder were standardized with their major and important components, Glycyrrhizin and Glucomannan, respectively. Three different polymers in three different concentrations were used to prepare topical gels containing Aloe vera gel and licorice extract powder. Gels were examined for different properties such as appearance, pH, viscosity, spreadability, drug content and in vitro release. Optimized formulations contained carbopol 2% (F3) and CMC 3% (F5) with pH (5.92 and 5.69), spreadability (51 and 55 mm), a shear thinning manner and in vitro release within 8 hours proper for topical use. Preclinical studies should be processed to determine the suitability of these gels for wound healing.</p

The Effect of Different Mixing Methods on the Properties of Calcium-enriched Mixture Cement: A Systematic Review of in Vitro Studies

Introduction: It has been shown that the mechanical and physical properties of Calcium Enriched Mixture (CEM) cement are influenced by the mixing methods. Despite several studies conducted on different mixing methods of CEM cement, there is no systematic review to summarize the results. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the effect of different mixing techniques on mechanical and physical characteristics of CEM cement. Methods and Materials: A professional librarian with skills in informatics conducted a systematic search by searching electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus and Ovid for English language peer-reviewed articles published between 1992 and April 2019. Results: Initial searches from all sources identified 1175 references. Two of the authors examined the titles, abstracts of these articles and the full reports of 20 studies were obtained, and data extraction was performed. Seven studies satisfied the eligibility criteria for the review. The effect of different mixing methods was investigated on bacterial microleakage, push-out bond strength, flow rate, compressive strength, solubility, pH, film thickness, dimensional changes, working time, setting time and quality of the apical plug. Conclusion: Based on the results of this systematic review, some of the important properties of CEM cement were affected by different mixing methods. Although none of these mixing methods could improve all the properties, mechanical and manual methods were more effective compared to ultrasonic method.  Keywords: Calcium-enriched Mixture Cement; Systematic Review; Ultrasoni