Clinical challenges with excipients in insulin formulations and role of concentrated insulin

Most of the insulin formulations in clinical use contain phenol, meta-cresol or both as excipients. These excipients in insulin preparations provide stability and have antimicrobial properties. However, they are reported to be associated with undesirable side-effects especially localised allergic reactions. Amount of excipients injected per unit dose of insulin is a major determining factor in causation of these reactions. This review discusses the excipients in different insulin formulations available in India with potential of precipitating undesirable effects and the use of concentrated insulins to reduce these complications. To avoid the detrimental effects associated with excipients, removal of preservatives or use of insulin preparations devoid of excipients can be an option. Besides these approaches, one approach that can be considered is the use of concentrated insulin to reduce the volume of insulin dose and thereby the excipients. Concentrated insulins address the high insulin requirements of the growing population of patients with type 2 diabetes who require higher insulin doses. Concentrated insulins help in reduction of dose volume as well as amount of excipients injected per unit dose of insulin. U200 (concentrated r-DNA Human Insulin Premix 30/70-200 IU/ml) can be advantageous with better absorption from smaller quantity injected, lesser variability in absorption, lesser pain and discomfort due to smaller quantity, lesser chances of hypoglycaemia all of which can lead to better patient compliance. Thus, concentrated insulin U200 can be one of the alternatives to prevent/reduce clinical complications with excipients in insulins

Proteinase inhibitors of pigeonpea cv. BSMR 736: Characterization and bioefficacy against Helicoverpa armigera

Pigeonpea is an agriculturally important leguminous crop with high vulnerability to insect pest attack specifically, Helicoverpa armigera. The proteinase inhibitors (PIs) mediated host plant resistance against insect pests is a promising sustainable agricultural research practice. The current study was carried out to perceive biochemical characterization of proteinase inhibitors named PPTI in the pigeonpea (cv. BSMR 736). The purification of PPTI from crude protein seed extract was achieved by acetone precipitation, N-LP-IEF, and trypsin affinity chromatography. It was found to inhibit bovine trypsin and HaGPs in vitro. The optimal conditions for inhibition were pH 8 and temperature 40ºC. The PPTI showed four isoinhibitors bands on native, non-reducing and reducing SDS-PAGE in the range of 26.7–19.3 KDa. Upon resolution on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), PPTI produced nine pI variant spots having isoelectric point (pI) 6.6, 6.6, 6.3, 6.1, 5.9, 5.8, 5.7, 5.6 and 5.6. An artificial diet containing PPTI reduced the H. armigera larval weight about 69%, with 25% mortality. For eco-friendly sustainable agricultural practices, natural compounds like PPTI could be expressed in transgenic crops to prevent the invasion of H. armigera in pigeonpea

Design and development of a 20 kW cleaning and cooling system for a wood-chip gasifier

The present study was undertaken with the objectives to develop a filter system for a 20 kW engine application and to test the filter. It was observed that tar content in the gas ranged from 12.4 to 85 mg/m3 , which was considered on the higher side, in some cases, compared from an accepted limit of 50 mg/m3 . The 20 kW cleaning and cooling system for cleaning of producer gas was developed by calculating the gas flow and maximum retention time in the filter. The diameter of these three filters, viz., water scrubber, wet filter and dry filter was calculated from retention time and velocity in the filter, which was found to be 0.20, 0.40 and 0.50 m respectively, with filter height of 0.80 m. The developed filter was evaluated for reduction of tar in the producer gas after cleaning. The tar content in the producer gas after filtration by using the system varies from 24 to 53.52 mg/m3 . The tar absorption using this filter system was 99.35%, while the pressure drop varied between 10 to 25 mm of the water column. The system was also operated by coupling with a small capacity IC engine. The diesel replacement was found to be in the range of 65.66 %

Design and development of a 20 kW cleaning and cooling system for a wood-chip gasifier

The present study was undertaken with the objectives to develop a filter system for a 20 kW engine application and to test the filter. It was observed that tar content in the gas ranged from 12.4 to 85 mg/m3 , which was considered on the higher side, in some cases, compared from an accepted limit of 50 mg/m3 . The 20 kW cleaning and cooling system for cleaning of producer gas was developed by calculating the gas flow and maximum retention time in the filter. The diameter of these three filters, viz., water scrubber, wet filter and dry filter was calculated from retention time and velocity in the filter, which was found to be 0.20, 0.40 and 0.50 m respectively, with filter height of 0.80 m. The developed filter was evaluated for reduction of tar in the producer gas after cleaning. The tar content in the producer gas after filtration by using the system varies from 24 to 53.52 mg/m3 . The tar absorption using this filter system was 99.35%, while the pressure drop varied between 10 to 25 mm of the water column. The system was also operated by coupling with a small capacity IC engine. The diesel replacement was found to be in the range of 65.66 %

Lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation during static and dynamic seated tasks on a novel dynamic ergonomic chair

peer-reviewedLow back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder and prolonged sitting often aggravates LBP. A novel dynamic ergonomic chair (‘Back App’), which facilitates less hip flexion while sitting on an unstable base has been developed. This study compared lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation on this novel chair with a standard backless office chair. Twelve painfree participants completed a typing task on both chairs. Lumbar posture and trunk muscle activation were collected simultaneously and were analysed using paired t-tests. Sitting on the novel dynamic chair significantly (p 0.05) between chairs. Maintaining lordosis with less muscle activation during prolonged sitting could reduce the fatigue associated with upright sitting postures. Studies with longer sitting durations, and in people with LBP, are required. Practitioner Summary: Sitting on a novel dynamic chair resulted in less lumbar flexion and less back muscle activation than sitting on a standard backless office chair during a typing task among pain-free participants. Facilitating lordotic sitting with less muscle activation may reduce the fatigue and discomfort often associated with lordotic sitting postures.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

Ethno-veterinary medicinal uses of garlic (Allium sativum) by livestock rearers

426-435Garlic (Allium sativum) is used as an important ingredient in the traditional veterinary ethno-medicine since long time among the farmers. The knowledge of the use of garlic individually or additively with other ingredients is scattered in different regions as well as literature. The study was undertaken during 2018-19 to screen the ITKs available in the different sources in which the use of garlic is predominant in ethno-veterinary practices and validate these ITKs with the experts. The validation of ITK was done with 30 experts having the experience in veterinary and ITK practices for their relevance in scientific scenario. The responses of experts for validation were taken on 3-point validity continuum. Out of 46 formulations of garlic with other herbal additives, 56.52% were claimed to have the score above 120 out of 150, showing their wider applicability and validity in ethno-veterinary practice. Ethno-veterinary use of garlic was found for curing cough, cold, fever, urinary problems like oliguria & anuria, bloat, foot and mouth disease, pleuropneumonia, otalgia, dog bite, snake bite, trembling, respiratory system disorder like pleuritis and pneumonia, yoke gall, bone fracture, flatulence, wounds and gangrene. Due to allicin and other sulfur compounds, garlic has antibiotic, antibacterial and antimycotic properties. Ready availability of garlic in every household can be a cost effective first aid or emergency prescription to the livestock rearers who have no immediate access to modern veterinary facilities

Validation of ethno-veterinary medicinal practices of onion (Allium cepa L.)

775-783Onion (Allium cepa) is an important medicinal herb apart from its culinary uses. It has wide array of uses in ethnoveterinary medicine since long time. The study was conducted to review, document and validate the ethno-veterinary practices in which onion is a dominant constituent. The validation of the ethno-veterinary practices was done with 30 experts from the relevant scientific field. The responses of experts for validation were taken on a three-point validity continuum. Among the 58 combinations of ingredients, 27.58% scored above 120 and 55.17% were scored ranging 100 to 120 out of 150, showing their wider applicability and validity in ethno-veterinary practices. The results showed that onions have a wide array of uses in ethno-veterinary practices, ranging from treating gastro-intestinal problems like tympany, indigestion and bloat to proven insecticidal anti-parasitic, repellant and antiseptic actions with different dosage and formulations. Onion is effective on various diseases due to unique combination of different compounds including fructans, flavonoids and organosulfur compounds. Validated practices of onion in ethno-veterinary medicine may be useful particularly among poor or remote livestock rearers who can neither afford nor may access expensive or distant conventional healthcare options

Finite Element Analysis of Two Wheeler Honda Bike Crank Shaft

The most important objective of this study is to study weight and cost reduction opportunities for a crankshaft. The necessity of load history in the FEM analysis necessitates performing a detailed load analysis. Therefore, this study consists of two major sections: (1) FEM and stress analysis of existing crankshaft, (2) optimization for weight and cost reduction. Crankshaft is one of the vital components for the effective and precise working of the internal combustion engine. In this study, a static simulation is conducted on a crankshaft from a single cylinder 4-stroke petrol engine. A three dimension model of crankshaft is created using CATIA software. Finite element analysis (FEA) is performed to get the variation of stress magnitude at critical locations of crankshaft. The preliminary static analysis will be done on existing design of crankshaft with FEA Software ANSYS. The boundary conditions are applied according to the engine mounting conditions. The deflection, stress and strain will be obtained from FEA study. The second step consists of Topology optimization of crankshaft for similar boundary conditions.nbspnbsp The main purpose of optimization study is to reduce the weight of a crankshaft. The optimization will be carried out in Altair Optistruct software. The existing design will be divided in design and non-design space. Geometry, material, and manufacturing processes will be optimized considering special constraints, developing feasibility, and cost. The optimization process include geometry changes well matched with the current engine, reduce weight compared to existing design, cost of the crankshaft, without changing other components.nbs

An experimental study of efficacy of Shala patra churna in contact poisoning due to Bhallataka taila in albino mice

Bhallataka (Semicarpus Anacaardium Linn. Anacardiaceae) is mentioned as a poisonous medical plant under drug and cosmetic act 1940. Local application of Bhallataka is more common as many people use Bhallataka as home remedy for relieving pain. Bhallataka oil is used commercially in industry for preparation of dyes etc. So, exposure to oil and contact poisoning of Bhallataka is quite common in India. According to Yogaratnakara, Shala Patra Churna, internally & externally application on the whole body immediately relieves the poisonous effect of Bhallataka. Aim: To study efficacy of Shala Patra Churna in contact poisoning due to Bhallataka Taila in Albino mice. Objective: To study antitoxic properties of Shala Patra Churna in contact poisoning due to Bhallataka Taila. Material and methods: Preparation, authentication, and standardization of Bhallatak Tail and Shala Patra Churna. 3 groups were made each of 6 mice. After application procedure, all mice were observed for 24 hours for any signs. Rating of skin reaction was evaluated as per the Indian Standard BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards )1992. Test sample and standard drug applied for 7 consecutive days. Observation and results: Observation done in 3 groups of animals for the duration of 7 days study. All the necessary precautions were taken to carry out each step during study. Conclusion: Effect of local application of Shala patra churna is equivalent to the standard drug (silver nitrate gel). Therefore, Shala plant can be significantly used for the treatment of Bhallataka induced contact poison.