Spray-dried powder of for control of rice sheath blight disease: Formulation protocol and efficacy testing in laboratory and greenhouse

A spray-dried powder containing Bacillus megaterium was developed and tested for control of rice sheath blight disease in the greenhouse. The formulation consisted of 20 ml of an endospore suspension of B. megaterium, 20% w/v of skim milk powder and 1.25% w/v of polyvinyl pyrrolidone k-90, that were mixed and spray dried at 120 °C. The powder displayed good physical characteristics, such as a low-moisture content and a high solubility in water. Bacterial viability in the powder was 3.5±0.1 × 1011 cfu/g after production and remained relatively stable (at 2.2±0.1 × 1010 cfu/g) after 12 months of storage at room temperature. In the laboratory, a 0.1% (w/v) aqueous solution of the formulation was effective in inhibiting the mycelia growth of Rhizoctonia solani (98.5±0.1% inhibition). Under greenhouse conditions, a 0.1% (w/v) aqueous solution applied by either spraying 1 day before inoculating R. solani or spraying 1, 7 and 15 days after inoculation of rice plants with R. solani was more effective in suppressing sheath blight disease than the blank formulation but was less effective than a chemical fungicide control

Strain-induced structure and oxygen transport interactions in epitaxial La<inf>0.6</inf>Sr<inf>0.4</inf>CoO<inf>3−δ</inf> thin films

AbstractThe possibility to control oxygen transport in one of the most promising solid oxide fuel cell cathode materials, La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ, by controlling lattice strain raises questions regarding the contribution of atomic scale effects. Here, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the different atomic structures in La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ thin films grown under tensile and compressive strain conditions. The atomic structure of the tensile-strained film indicated significant local concentration of the oxygen vacancies, with the average value of the oxygen non-stoichiometry being much larger than for the compressive-strained film. In addition to the vacancy concentration differences that are measured by isotope exchange depth profiling, significant vacancy ordering was found in tensile-strained films. This understanding might be useful for tuning the atomic structure of La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ thin films to optimize cathode performance.</jats:p

Preclinical In Vitro

Molecular imaging probes such as PET-tracers have the potential to improve the accuracy of tumor characterization by directly visualizing the biochemical situation. Thus, molecular changes can be detected early before morphological manifestation. The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is described to be highly expressed in colon cancer cell lines and human colorectal cancer (CRC), suggesting this receptor as a tumor marker. The aim of this preclinical study was the evaluation of [F]FE@SUPPY as a PET-tracer for CRC using in vitro imaging and in vivo PET imaging. First, affinity and selectivity of FE@SUPPY and its metabolites were determined, proving the favorable binding profile of FE@SUPPY. The human adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 was characterized regarding its hA3AR expression and was subsequently chosen as tumor graft. Promising results regarding the potential of [F]FE@SUPPY as a PET-tracer for CRC imaging were obtained by autoradiography as 2.3-fold higher accumulation of [F]FE@SUPPY was found in CRC tissue compared to adjacent healthy colon tissue from the same patient. Nevertheless, first in vivo studies using HT-29 xenografts showed insufficient tumor uptake due to (1) poor conservation of target expression in xenografts and (2) unfavorable pharmacokinetics of [F]FE@SUPPY in mice. We therefore conclude that HT-29 xenografts are not adequate to visualize hA3ARs using [F]FE@SUPPY.(VLID)481541

Density Functional Theory Calculations on Methylated β-Cyclodextrins

Density functional theory studies at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and M06-2X/6- 31G(d,p) levels have been used to determine the geometries and the enthalpies of formation of several methylated β-cyclodextrins. [...

TABLET FORMULATIONS OF VIABLE LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

The aim of this work was to develop a gastric juice-resistant tablet formulation of viable lactic acid bacteria (LAB). As excipients, hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) and sodium alginate were applied to enhance gastric juice-resistance, and Avicel® as used to modifytablet disintegration in the intestine. The formulation was optimized using statistical experimentaldesign methodology. The influence of the relevant process variables (amounts of excipients applied and compaction force) on the loss of viable cells during the tablet production, on acid stability, and on tablet disintegration time was investigated. It was found that the content of HPMCAS and the compaction force were the most important test variables for tablet preparation. They influence theloss of bacteria during the tableting process, gastric juice resistance, and the disintegration time of tablets after incubation in artificial intestinal fluid. Avicel® had little influence on all three test parameters, while sodium alginate only affected disintegration time in phosphate buffer pH 6.8

Development of Probiotic Formulations Containing Shellac

Probiotic microorganisms have been shown to provide specific health benefits when consumed as food supplements or as food components. [...

EFFECT OF CARRIER TYPES ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND DISSOLUTION CHARACTERISTICS OF OFLOXACIN SOLID DISPERSION

Solid dispersions of ofloxacin (OFX) and of a number of carriers including chitosan and the water soluble polymers polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, PEG 20000, and polyvinylpyrrolidone K- 90 were prepared by solvent evaporation method in order to increase the dissolution of the drug. The solid dispersions were subjected to X-ray diffraction, DSC, and dissolution to characterize their physicochemical and dissolution properties. The results demonstrated a decrease in drug crystallinity at higher amounts of carrier. Dissolution studies indicated that the dissolution rate of OFX was markedly increased in these solid dispersion systems compared with the pure drug. The results also showed that the increase in dissolution rate was higher when the weight fraction of carriers increased. An influence of molecular weight of PEG on OFX dissolution could also be observed. In solid dispersion with 1:9 ratio drug to carrier, PEG 4000 gave highest drug dissolution rate, whereas in 1:1 ratio, chitosan seems to be the best carrier for drug release. It was concluded that chitosan might be the carrier of choice for dissolution enhancement in solid dispersions with high content of drug