EUDRAGIT® RL100 MICROSPHERES AS DELAYED-RELEASE SYSTEM FOR IBUPROFEN: IN VITRO EVALUATION

Objective: The objective of this study was to encapsulate ibuprofen in microspheres made of Eudragit® RL100 as the polymer and evaluate it in vitro. Methods: Microspheres were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. Significant parameters in the evaluation of microencapsulation are yield, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, swelling index, uniformity factor and buoyancy. The in vitro release studies were carried out in phosphate buffer solution pH 7.4 at 37±1 ᵒC. Results: Microspheres containing higher ratio of polymer had higher yields as high as 89.25%. The external diameter ranged from 300 to 550 μ, with geometric mean close to 420 μ. Evidently, the formulation containing higher concentration of Eudragit® RL100 had a larger diameter, indicating greater cross-linking and a larger sphere, signifying a higher loading capacity. The loading efficiency was above 81%, while the swelling index was found to be between 29% to 36%, with buoyancy factor of 74.53% for the superior batch. The results suggest that ibuprofen was successfully and efficiently encapsulated. The release rates of drug-loaded microspheres are related to the amount of polymer, thus, to get extended drug release while reducing the ill effects of the drug in the stomach. In vitro release was compared with marketed product, divulging better data for the indigenously prepared samples. Conclusion: Data obtained by matching the in vitro release for the superior microspheres, so prepared and one of the commercial products showed the indigenous preparation of ibuprofen microspheres to be a better performer in the simulated gastric environment of phosphate buffer solution pH 7.4 at 37±1 ᵒC

Sources of vibration and their treatment in hydro power stations-A review

AbstractVibration condition monitoring (VCM) enhances the performance of Hydro Generating Equipment (HGE) by minimizing the damage and break down chances, so that equipment stay available for a longer time. The execution of VCM and diagnosing the system of an HPS includes theoretical and experimental exploitation. Various studies have made their contribution to find out the vibration failure mechanism and incipient failures in HPS. This paper gives a review on VCM of electrical and mechanical equipment used in the HPS along with a brief explanation of vibration related faults considering past literature of around 30years. Causes of the vibrations on rotating and non-rotating equipment of HPS have been discussed along with the standards for vibration measurements. Future prospectus of VCM is also discussed

Analysis of the causes of maternal death in eclampsia

Abstract: Objective: To analyze the causes of maternal death in eclamptic mothers. Materials and method: The study was conducted over a period of one year 1.1.2012-31.12.201

Whole-Genome Sequence of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strain S7, Isolated from a Patient with Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Over the past decades, drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains have presented a significant challenge, with inadequate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) cases. Here, we report the draft whole-genome sequence of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strain S7, which was isolated from a patient from Tripura, India, who was diagnosed with pulmonary TB

Eff ect of participatory women’s groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background A quarter of the world’s neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in India. Few community-based strategies to improve maternal and newborn health have been tested through the country’s government-approved Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). We aimed to test the eff ect of participatory women’s groups facilitated by ASHAs on birth outcomes, including neonatal mortality. Methods In this cluster-randomised controlled trial of a community intervention to improve maternal and newborn health, we randomly assigned (1:1) geographical clusters in rural Jharkhand and Odisha, eastern India to intervention (participatory women’s groups) or control (no women’s groups). Study participants were women of reproductive age (15–49 years) who gave birth between Sept 1, 2009, and Dec 31, 2012. In the intervention group, ASHAs supported women’s groups through a participatory learning and action meeting cycle. Groups discussed and prioritised maternal and newborn health problems, identifi ed strategies to address them, implemented the strategies, and assessed their progress. We identifi ed births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths, and interviewed mothers 6 weeks after delivery. The primary outcome was neonatal mortality over a 2 year follow up. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN31567106. Findings Between September, 2009, and December, 2012, we randomly assigned 30 clusters (estimated population 156 519) to intervention (15 clusters, estimated population n=82 702) or control (15 clusters, n=73 817). During the follow-up period (Jan 1, 2011, to Dec 31, 2012), we identifi ed 3700 births in the intervention group and 3519 in the control group. One intervention cluster was lost to follow up. The neonatal mortality rate during this period was 30 per 1000 livebirths in the intervention group and 44 per 1000 livebirths in the control group (odds ratio [OR] 0.69, 95% CI 0·53–0·89). Interpretation ASHAs can successfully reduce neonatal mortality through participatory meetings with women’s groups. This is a scalable community-based approach to improving neonatal survival in rural, underserved areas of India

Inflammation-Induced Oxidative Stress Mediates Gene Fusion Formation in Prostate Cancer.

Approximately 50% of prostate cancers are associated with gene fusions of the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 to the oncogenic erythroblast transformation-specific (ETS) transcription factor ERG. The three-dimensional proximity of TMPRSS2 and ERG genes, in combination with DNA breaks, facilitates the formation of TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusions. However, the origins of DNA breaks that underlie gene fusion formation in prostate cancers are far from clear. We demonstrate a role for inflammation-induced oxidative stress in the formation of DNA breaks leading to recurrent TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusions. The transcriptional status and epigenetic features of the target genes influence this effect. Importantly, inflammation-induced de novo genomic rearrangements are blocked by homologous recombination (HR) and promoted by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathways. In conjunction with the association of proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA) with human prostate cancer, our results support a working model in which recurrent genomic rearrangements induced by inflammatory stimuli lead to the development of prostate cancer

Dimensional analysis of MINMOD leads to definition of the disposition index of glucose regulation and improved simulation algorithm

BACKGROUND: Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test (FSIVGTT) together with its mathematical model, the minimal model (MINMOD), have become important clinical tools to evaluate the metabolic control of glucose in humans. Dimensional analysis of the model is up to now not available. METHODS: A formal dimensional analysis of MINMOD was carried out and the degree of freedom of MINMOD was examined. Through re-expressing all state variable and parameters in terms of their reference scales, MINMOD was transformed into a dimensionless format. Previously defined physiological indices including insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and first and second phase insulin responses were re-examined in this new formulation. Further, the parameter estimation from FSIVGTT was implemented using both the dimensional and the dimensionless formulations of MINMOD, and the performances were compared utilizing Monte Carlo simulation as well as real human FSIVGTT data. RESULTS: The degree of freedom (DOF) of MINMOD was found to be 7. The model was maximally simplified in the dimensionless formulation that normalizes the variation in glucose and insulin during FSIVGTT. In the new formulation, the disposition index (Dl), a composite parameter known to be important in diabetes pathology, was naturally defined as one of the dimensionless parameters in the system. The numerical simulation using the dimensionless formulation led to a 1.5–5 fold gain in speed, and significantly improved accuracy and robustness in parameter estimation compared to the dimensional implementation. CONCLUSION: Dimensional analysis of MINMOD led to simplification of the model, direct identification of the important composite factors in the dynamics of glucose metabolic control, and better simulations algorithms

Effect of participatory women's groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists on birth outcomes in rural eastern India: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background: A quarter of the world's neonatal deaths and 15% of maternal deaths happen in India. Few community-based strategies to improve maternal and newborn health have been tested through the country's government-approved Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). We aimed to test the effect of participatory women's groups facilitated by ASHAs on birth outcomes, including neonatal mortality. Methods: In this cluster-randomised controlled trial of a community interve

False recognition in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's Disease - Disinhibition or amnesia?

Episodic memory recall processes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) can be similarly impaired, whereas recognition performance is more variable. A potential reason for this variability could be false-positive errors made on recognition trials and whether these errors are due to amnesia per se or a general over-endorsement of recognition items regardless of memory. The current study addressed this issue by analysing recognition performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) in 39 bvFTD, 77 AD and 61 control participants from two centers (India, Australia), as well as disinhibition assessed using the Hayling test. Whereas both AD and bvFTD patients were comparably impaired on delayed recall, bvFTD patients showed intact recognition performance in terms of the number of correct hits. However, both patient groups endorsed significantly more false-positives than controls, and bvFTD and AD patients scored equally poorly on a sensitivity index (correct hits—false-positives). Furthermore, measures of disinhibition were significantly associated with false positives in both groups, with a stronger relationship with false-positives in bvFTD. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed similar neural correlates of false positive endorsement across bvFTD and AD, with both patient groups showing involvement of prefrontal and Papez circuitry regions, such as medial temporal and thalamic regions, and a DTI analysis detected an emerging but non-significant trend between false positives and decreased fornix integrity in bvFTD only. These findings suggest that false-positive errors on recognition tests relate to similar mechanisms in bvFTD and AD, reflecting deficits in episodic memory processes and disinhibition. These findings highlight that current memory tests are not sufficient to accurately distinguish between bvFTD and AD patients