The application of microwave formulation and isothermal titration calorimetry for pharmaceutical compounds

Solid dispersions are commonly used to overcome bioavailability issues of poorly water soluble drugs. Various preparation methods along with carrier systems have been used to develop solid dispersions. However, this study investigates the application of microwave heating methods in formulation development alongside associated analytical investigations. Formulations of poorly soluble drugs, namely, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, ibuprofen (+) S and phenylbutazone were prepared using a microwave technique and compared with standard formulation techniques. Mesoporous silicas and polyethylene glycol were used as excipients. Then in vitro dissolution analysis was carried out for the performance evaluation of the resultant formulations. It was found that effective products were produced as a result of microwave processing compared with the traditional techniques. Analytical techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy ((FTIR) were employed to determine the solid state properties, i.e. thermal stability, crystalline state, physical appearance and chemical stability of developed formulations. The overall findings indicate that successful formulation can be achieved using microwave heating. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to probe the interactions of model drugs, namely, caffeine, diprophylline, etofylline, paracetamol and theophylline with excipients such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) and PEG. Thermodynamic data suggests the successful use of ITC to investigate drug-excipient interactions. In summary, the potential of microwave heating in formulation development and ITC to characterise drug-excipient interactions was thoroughly investigated and both found as potential alternatives to more traditional techniques

Bilateral idiopathic granulomatous mastitis a rare benign inflammatory disease of breast: case report

Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis (IGM) is an uncommon benign inflammatory disorder of breast. Peri-ductal mastitis is thought to be the initial inflicting factor for its development. IGM usually presents as painful swelling, abscess or sinus/fistula in breast. There are no specific findings on ultrasound or mammographic imaging, and moreover it looks BIRADS-IV on mammography. Histopathology provides the final diagnosis. Here authors report a case of bilateral IGM which was successfully treated with surgery

Chemically cross-linked poly(acrylic-co-vinylsulfonic) acid hydrogel for the delivery of isosorbide mononitrate.

We report synthesis, characterization, and drug release attributes of a series of novel pH-sensitive poly(acrylic-co-vinylsulfonic) acid hydrogels. These hydrogels were prepared by employing free radical polymerization using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and benzyl peroxide (BPO) as cross-linker and initiator, respectively. Effect of acrylic acid (AA), polyvinylsulfonic acid (PVSA), and EGDMA on prepared hydrogels was investigated. All formulations showed higher swelling at high pHs and vice versa. Formulations containing higher content of AA and EGDMA show reduced swelling, but one with higher content of PVSA showed increased swelling. Hydrogel network was characterized by determining structural parameters and loaded with isosorbide mononitrate. FTIR confirmed absence of drug polymer interaction while DSC and TGA demonstrated molecular dispersion of drug in a thermally stable polymeric network. All the hydrogel formulations exhibited a pH dependent release of isosorbide mononitrate which was found to be directly proportional to pH of the medium and PVSA content and inversely proportional to the AA contents. Drug release data were fitted to various kinetics models. Results indicated that release of isosorbide mononitrate from poly(AA-co-VSA) hydrogels was non-Fickian and that the mechanism was diffusion-controlled

A framework for multi-backpropagation

Backpropagation algorithm is one of the most popular learning algorithms in the Neural Network. It has been successfully implemented in many applications. However, training Neural Networks involve a large amount of data. Therefore, training the network is time consuming as each training session requires several epochs, which usually takes smeral seconds or even minutes.This paper proposes a multi-backpropagation approach to minimize the complexity of the network. The approach does not require an alteration of the algorithm. Instead, the large network is split into several smaller networks. An integrating network is then constructed to integrate the output from the smaller networks

THE EFFECTS OF DEMUTUALIZATION ON EXPANSION OF STOCK MARKET GROWTH: EVIDENCES FROM INDIAN STOCK MARKET AND LESSON FOR PAKISTAN STOCK EXCHANGE (PSX)

The decision to transform an exchange’s governance andownership structure is influenced by globalized market trend whichallows exchanges to gain from the benefits of internationalizationand integration. This article examines the impact ofdemutualization on stock market indicators. Bombay StockExchange and National Stock Exchange of India were taken asstatistical frame. Wilcoxon sign rank test, Pair sample T-test, andMANOVA were used as statistical techniques. Pre-Post researchdesign was used and data (4 years before and 4years after thedemutualization) were collected from the website of the worldfederation of the exchanges. The result of Wilcoxon sign rank testand Pair sample T-test indicates significant differences in stockindex, market capitalization, value of share trading and the numberof listed companies before and after the demutualization of Indianstock exchanges. Likewise, the results of MANOVA elucidatessignificant influence of demutualization on stock market indicators,and conclude that demutualization leveraged Indian stockexchanges to a great extant

Strategic Agility and its Impact on Organizational Supply Chain Success: Applied Research in a Sample of the Faculties of the University of Babylon

The current research aims to answer the following questions: Is there a relationship between strategic agility and organizational supply chain success? Is there an impact of strategic agility on organizational supply chain success? Through the theoretical philosophy and the intellectual implications of these variables and through the practical application of the research sample, which represented the faculties of the University of Babylon, (15) faculty, the questionnaire was distributed to the actors in these colleges and the deans of the faculties and assistants deans and heads of departments, The research came out with the most important conclusions were the existence of a relationship of significant significance and the existence of a significant effect of the strategic agility in organizational supply chain success

The evaluation of coated granules to mask the bitter taste of dihydroartemisinin

The purpose of this study was to mask the bitter taste imparted by dihydroartemisinin (DHA) by the use of different coating materials. Trial-1 and trial-2 were conducted to prepare the DHA granules. The granules produced from trial-1 were irregular in shape and smaller in size while the trial-2 granules were more regular and larger in size. The granules obtained from both trials were then coated with two different coating methods, namely A and B, depending upon coating material. The trial-2 granules showed better flow properties than trial-1 granules. In vitro dissolution studies in phosphate buffer at pH 6.8 revealed that granules of trial-2B released only 34% ± 3 DHA in two minutes compared with trial-1A (57% ± 2), trial-1B (48% ± 2) and trial-2A (53% ± 7). The pleasant taste perception (PTP) test also confirmed the taste masking efficacy of trial-2B (P < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the more regular and smooth surface of trial-2B granules. In addition, the differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA) confirmed no interaction between the materials and pure DHA. DHA has shown its characteristic peaks in the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns which were also prominent in all the granules. In conclusion, the granules obtained from trial-2B displayed considerable decrease in the bitter taste of DHA thereby fulfilling the purpose of this study.O objetivo deste estudo foi o de mascarar o gosto amargo característico da diidroartemisinina (DHA) pelo uso de diferentes materiais de revestimento. Experimento-1 e experimento-2 foram realizados para preparar grânulos de DHA. Os grânulos produzidos pelo experimento-1 mostraram-se irregulares e menores se comparados aos obtidos pelo experimento-2, que foram mais regulares e maiores. Os grânulos obtidos em ambos os experimentos foram, então, revestidos por dois métodos distintos de revestimento, designados como A e B, dependendo do material de revestimento empregado. Os grânulos do experimento-2 mostraram melhor propriedade de fluxo que os obtidos no experimento-1. Estudos de dissolução in vitro em tampão fosfato pH 6,8 revelaram que grânulos do experimento-2B liberaram apenas 34% ± 3 da DHA em dois minutos se comparado com experimento-1A (57% ± 2), experimento-1B (48% ± 2) e experimento-2A (53% ± 7). A Análise Sensorial quanto ao sabor (Pleasant Taste Perception - PTP) também confirmou a eficácia do experimento-2B (

Bioremediation a potential approach for soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: An Overview

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a group of priority pollutants which are present at high concentration in soils of many industrially contaminated sites. Standards and criteria for the remediation of soils contaminated with PAHs vary widely between countries. Bioremediation has gained preference as a technology for remediation contaminated sites as it is less expensive and more environmental friendly. Bioremediation utilizes microorganisms to degrade PAHs to less toxic compounds. This technology degrades contaminants through natural biodegradation mechanisms or enhanced biodegradation mechanism and can be performed in-situ or ex-situ under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The purpose of this paper is to highlight potential of using isolated strains from municipal sludge on soil remediation. Several indigenous bacteria from municipal sludge namely genus Micrococus, Sphingomonas, and Corynebacterium demonstrated a high removal rate of PAHs with more than 80% of lower molecular weight of PAHs degraded after one week incubation. Laboratory studies had established that these genus able to degrade PAHs on contaminated soil. The successful application of bacteria to the bioremediation of PAHs contaminated sites requires a deeper understanding of how microbial PAH degradation proceeds. An overview of research focusing on biodegradation of PAHs will be presented

RESEARCH AND REVIEWS: JOURNAL OF PHARMACOGNSOY AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY Anti-inflammatory Activity of Ethno-Botanical Plants Used as Traditional Medicine: A Review

ABSTRACT Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal &quot;renaissance&quot; is happening all over the globe. The herbal products today symbolise safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment .Inflammation is one of the body unique mechanisms that help body to protect itself against infection, burn, toxic chemicals, allergens or other noxious stimuli. However, over reaction of the body reaction may be harmful or undesirable. This has lead to extensive development of anti-inflammatory drugs. Now a day world population moves towards herbal remedies for treatment of such ailments. The several side effects of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs evoked us to search for new anti-inflammatory agents from natural botanical sources that may have minimal side effects. The number of plants has been screened for their anti-inflammatory, but only few of them reached up to the clinical level. This review article focuses on our current knowledge of plants which have anti-inflammatory activity and discusses their potential therapeutic use in the management relevant inflammatory diseases

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Ethanobotnical Plants Used as Traditional Medicine: A Review

ABSTRACT Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal &quot;renaissance&quot; is happening all over the globe. The herbal products today symbolise safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment .Inflammation is one of the body unique mechanisms that help body to protect itself against infection, burn, toxic chemicals, allergens or other noxious stimuli. However, over reaction of the body reaction may be harmful or undesirable. This has lead to extensive development of anti-inflammatory drugs. Now a day world population moves towards herbal remedies for treatment of such ailments. The several side effects of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs evoked us to search for new anti-inflammatory agents from natural botanical sources that may have minimal side effects. The number of plants has been screened for their anti-inflammatory, but only few of them reached up to the clinical level. This review article focuses on our current knowledge of plants which have anti-inflammatory activity and discusses their potential therapeutic use in the management relevant inflammatory diseases