SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF TASTE-MASKED IONIC LIQUID SALTS OF LORATADINE

Objective: To synthesize and evaluate taste-masked ionic liquid (IL) salts of loratadine. Methods: In the present work, pharmaceutically active IL salts of loratadine using selected counter-ions were synthesized. The synthesized IL salts were characterized using melting point, Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). These salts were also evaluated for solubility, dissolution, and palatability studies. Results: All synthesized IL salts of loratadine exhibited melting points below 100 °C. UV spectral data and FTIR data confirmed the formation of new salt forms with selected counter-ions. The absence of sharp melting point peaks during DSC studies revealed the amorphous nature of new salt forms. During XRD studies, loratadine-indomethacin IL salt yields completely amorphous compound while the intensity of characteristic peaks of loratadine was found to be reduced with other counter-ions. Solubility studies revealed that the solubility of loratadine is reduced from 35.85 mg/ml to 3.63 mg/ml, 15.39 mg/ml, 5.31 mg/ml, and 3.71 mg/ml in case of IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, and IL-4, respectively. Dissolution studies further confirmed this finding. Except for oleate, all the IL salts were found to be palatable by subjects with the score ranging from 2.5 to 2.8, which is the standard range for palatability. Conclusion: Results obtained in the present work indicated that IL salts of loratadine can be synthesized successfully using selected counter-ions. This approach can be used to mask the bitter taste of pure loratadine and thus can be used for the development of drug products intended for children

Morphologic patterns of nodal reactive hyperplasia in primary organ malignancy-architectural changes and evaluation by comparison with other morphological parameters

Background: Reactive lymph node hyperplasia can exhibit morphological patterns I to VI. This study was done to evaluate lymph node hyperplasia, lymph node reactive patterns, lymph node metastasis and correlation with tumour stage, lymph node patterns and lymph node size. Methods: Total 454 lymph nodes were reviewed for metastases and reactivity patterns I to VI as per the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol. Association between qualitative variables was assessed by the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test, those between quantitative variables using unpaired t-test. Results: Lymph node hyperplasia was highest in breast and commonest lymph node reactive patterns were lymphocyte predominance, germinal centre predominance, sinus histiocytosis and mixed patterns. Conclusions: Lymph node hyperplasia and lymph node reactive patterns show organ-wise variation and need standardisation. Most common lymph node reactive patterns included lymphocyte predominance and germinal centre predominance hyperplasia. Studying lymph node reactivity may help to understand host immune reaction against the tumour and thus influence prognosis

Effects of different plant growth regulators on in vitro callus induction in physic nut (Jatropha curcus L.)

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) is an oil bearing crop growing in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of different plant growth regulators on in vitro callus induction in physic nut (J. curcus). In the present study, it was observed that all the explants viz., leaf lamina, petioles, nodal segments and cotyledonary nodes showed good callus induction responses on various culture media thus tried. Leaf lamina and petioles showed 100.0% callus induction responses on different MS media supplemented with auxins and cytokinins alone or in combinations whereas, nodal segments and cotyledonary nodes showed maximum 89.6% and 83.9% callus induction respectively. The presence of 2, 4-D in culture media with auxins or cytokinins was essential for good callus growth. Among different explants tried, leaf lamina was the best responding explants and MS-13 media supplemented with 5×10-6 M NAA and 10-5 M 2, 4-D is the best callusing and growth supporting medium. However, the regenerative competence of the callus tissues can differ depending on the type of explants used because certain types of plant tissues have more favorable regeneration responses than others. Callus induction rate from all explant types was highest than other reports. The results obtained in the present study would facilitate the high callus induction and regeneration responses in J. curcus for its improvement using biotechnological tools

Dynamics of HEV viremia, fecal shedding and its relationship with transaminases and antibody response in patients with sporadic acute hepatitis E

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is paucity of data regarding duration of fecal excretion and viremia on sequential samples from individual patients and its correlation with serum transaminases and antibody responses in patients with acute hepatitis E. This prospective study was undertaken at a tertiary care center in Northern India over 15 months. Only those patients of sporadic acute hepatitis E who were in their first week of illness and followed up weekly for liver function tests, IgM anti HEV antibody and HEV RNA in sera and stool were included. HEV RNA was done by RT - nPCR using two pairs of primers from RdRp region of ORF 1 of the HEV genome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over a period of 15 months 60 patients met the inclusion criterion and were enrolled for the final analysis. The mean age of the patients was 29.2 ± 8.92 years, there were 39 males. The positivity of IgM anti HEV was 80% at diagnosis and 18.3% at 7th week, HEV RNA 85% at diagnosis and 6.6% at 7th week and fecal RNA 70% at the time of diagnosis and 20% at 4th week. The maximum duration of viremia detected was 42 days and fecal viral shedding was 28 days after the onset of illness.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Present study reported HEV RNA positivity in sera after normalization of transaminases. Fecal shedding was not seen beyond normalization of transaminases. However, viremia lasted beyond normalization of transaminases suggesting that liver injury is independent of viral replication.</p

High resolution mapping of QTLs for fruit color and firmness in Amrapali/Sensation mango hybrids

IntroductionMango (Mangifera indica L.), acclaimed as the ‘king of fruits’ in the tropical world, has historical, religious, and economic values. It is grown commercially in more than 100 countries, and fresh mango world trade accounts for ~3,200 million US dollars for the year 2020. Mango is widely cultivated in sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world, with India, China, and Thailand being the top three producers. Mango fruit is adored for its taste, color, flavor, and aroma. Fruit color and firmness are important fruit quality traits for consumer acceptance, but their genetics is poorly understood.MethodsFor mapping of fruit color and firmness, mango varieties Amrapali and Sensation, having contrasting fruit quality traits, were crossed for the development of a mapping population. Ninety-two bi-parental progenies obtained from this cross were used for the construction of a high-density linkage map and identification of QTLs. Genotyping was carried out using an 80K SNP chip array.Results and discussionInitially, we constructed two high-density linkage maps based on the segregation of female and male parents. A female map with 3,213 SNPs and male map with 1,781 SNPs were distributed on 20 linkages groups covering map lengths of 2,844.39 and 2,684.22cM, respectively. Finally, the integrated map was constructed comprised of 4,361 SNP markers distributed on 20 linkage groups, which consisted of the chromosome haploid number in Mangifera indica (n =20). The integrated genetic map covered the entire genome of Mangifera indica cv. Dashehari, with a total genetic distance of 2,982.75 cM and an average distance between markers of 0.68 cM. The length of LGs varied from 85.78 to 218.28 cM, with a mean size of 149.14 cM. Phenotyping for fruit color and firmness traits was done for two consecutive seasons. We identified important consistent QTLs for 12 out of 20 traits, with integrated genetic linkages having significant LOD scores in at least one season. Important consistent QTLs for fruit peel color are located at Chr 3 and 18, and firmness on Chr 11 and 20. The QTLs mapped in this study would be useful in the marker-assisted breeding of mango for improved efficiency

The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023

The Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase (http://geneontology.org) is a comprehensive resource concerning the functions of genes and gene products (proteins and noncoding RNAs). GO annotations cover genes from organisms across the tree of life as well as viruses, though most gene function knowledge currently derives from experiments carried out in a relatively small number of model organisms. Here, we provide an updated overview of the GO knowledgebase, as well as the efforts of the broad, international consortium of scientists that develops, maintains, and updates the GO knowledgebase. The GO knowledgebase consists of three components: (1) the GO-a computational knowledge structure describing the functional characteristics of genes; (2) GO annotations-evidence-supported statements asserting that a specific gene product has a particular functional characteristic; and (3) GO Causal Activity Models (GO-CAMs)-mechanistic models of molecular "pathways" (GO biological processes) created by linking multiple GO annotations using defined relations. Each of these components is continually expanded, revised, and updated in response to newly published discoveries and receives extensive QA checks, reviews, and user feedback. For each of these components, we provide a description of the current contents, recent developments to keep the knowledgebase up to date with new discoveries, and guidance on how users can best make use of the data that we provide. We conclude with future directions for the project

Pattern of Blood Donor Deferral in a Tertiary Hospital of Western U.P.: A Five-Year Study Review

The main goal of blood transfusion services (BTS) is provision of safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. For this, blood for transfusion must be obtained from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors (VNRD).1 Blood transfusion services thus have responsibility of collecting blood only from VNRD who are at low risk for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) and who are unlikely to have other diseases to donate blood1 and at the same time ensure that suitable donors are not unnecessarily deferred.2The donor selection process requires continuous monitoring to ensure that it achieves its objectives of ensuring donor and recipient safety and providing a sufficient supply of blood and blood components