Microemulsions- A Potential carrier for drug delivery

Microemulsions have attracted much interest over the past years as potential drug delivery systems because of their transparency ease of in preparation and long-term stability. Micro emulsions provide sustained or controlled drug release for different routes of administration including parenteral administration. It shows advantages in the drug delivery like greater absorption of drugs, alteration of the kinetics of the drug release and decreased toxicity are several advantages in the delivery process. In this article the microemulsion preparation techniques and applications were discussed in detail

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF SULFASALAZINE LOADED SODIUM ALGINATE MICROBEADS FOR SUSTAINED DELIVERY

ABSTRACTObjective: The main objective of the work was to prepare and evaluate sulfasalazine loaded sodium alginate microbeads for sustained delivery forthe treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Sulfasalazine has crystalluria, thrombocytopenia, and megaloblastic anemiaas side effects, so to reduce side effect microbeads were prepared.Methods: The sulfasalazine microbeads were prepared by inotropic gelation method by optimizing process parameters such as concentration ofcalcium chloride, agitation speed, and time of agitation. The concentration of polymer sodium alginate was varied.Result: Among the five formulations, the best formulation was considered by comparing process parameters such as the entrapment efficiency, drugcontent, in vitro drug release studies, scanning electron microscope analysis, and zeta potential.Conclusion: On comparison, B3 formulation was considered as best formulation with a mean particle size ranging from 40.9 to 244 µm, drug contentof 94.7%, entrapment efficiency of 87.7%, and the drug release was found to be 97.1% for 12 hrs and followed zero order kinetics and non-Fickiandiffusional pathway, with a zeta potential value of −56.8 mV indicating higher stability.Keywords: Inotropic gelation method, Sodium alginate, Microbeads, Rheumatoid arthritis, Side effects

Formulation of Mefenamic acid loaded polymeric nanoparticles by ionotropic gelation technique for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Aim:- Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs are generally used as first line drugs for Rheumatoid arthritis. Mefenamic acid is an anthranilic acid derivative. The short biological half life of Mefenamic acid is 2hr. The aim of this investigation was to develop and characterize polymeric nanoparticles of Mefenamic acid by ionotropic gelation technique. Materials and methods: For ionic gelation technique, Chitosan was used as polymer and sodium tripolyphosphate as cross linking agent. All formulations were prepared by varying the drug and polymer concentrations. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized for surface morphology, FTIR, particle size and zeta potential and evaluated for yield, drug content, entrapment efficiency, loading capacity and Invitro drug release. Results and discussion : The mean particle size and zeta potential of the best formulation of Mefenamic acid nanoparticles for ionic gelation technique was found to be 196nm and -34 mV respectively. The drug release was found to be 96.3% till 11hrs with fickian diffusion. Conclusions : Inotropic gelation technique was found to be the best technique for the formulation of Mefenamic acid nanoparticles as they have less particle size, greater stability and controlled drug release for 12hrs

Nanostructured carriers as innovative tools for cancer diagnosis and therapy

Cancer accounts for millions of deaths every year and, due to the increase and aging of the world population, the number of new diagnosed cases is continuously rising. Although many progresses in early diagnosis and innovative therapeutic protocols have been already set in clinical practice, still a lot of critical aspects need to be addressed in order to efficiently treat cancer and to reduce several drawbacks caused by conventional therapies. Nanomedicine has emerged as a very promising approach to support both early diagnosis and effective therapy of tumors, and a plethora of different inorganic and organic multifunctional nanomaterials have been ad hoc designed to meet the constant demand for new solutions in cancer treatment. Given their unique features and extreme versatility, nanocarriers represent an innovative and easily adaptable tool both for imaging and targeted therapy purposes, in order to improve the specific delivery of drugs administered to cancer patients. The current review reports an in-depth analysis of the most recent research studies aiming at developing both inorganic and organic materials for nanomedical applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. A detailed overview of different approaches currently undergoing clinical trials or already approved in clinical practice is provided

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed