PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF QUETIAPINE FUMARATE MICROEMULSIONS: A NOVEL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Objective: In the present study, the main objective is to improve solubility and bioavailability of Quetiapine fumarate by formulation into micro emulsion. Method: The Quetiapine fumarate micro emulsion was formulated by using mixture of Isopropyl myristate and oleic acid as oil phase, Tween-80 as surfactant, Isopropyl alcohol and Ethanol mixture as co-surfactant by phase titration method. The prepared formulations were evaluated for Limpidity (% transmittance), droplet size, Zeta potential, Electrical conductivity, Rheology, pH, percentage of drug (assay), emulsifying time, in vitro drug diffusion studies and ex vivo permeation studies. Results and conclusion: The Optimized micro emulsion (Micro emulsion 11) formulation containing Quetiapine fumarate (25mg), Surfactant mixture (50%w/w), Oil (12%w/w) and distilled water (38%w/w) has a droplet size of 26.70 nm with a zeta potential of -5.62 millivolts. The micro emulsion was characterized and compared with the pure drug suspension. Microemulsion showed 31.25 fold increased solubility than that of pure drug suspension. In vitro drug release and ex vivo permeation study results were comparable and correlative. The Microemulsion 11 formulation showed 1.4763 times more drug release than that of pure drug suspension. The formulation was found to be stable for three months. Keywords: Microemulsion, Phase titration method, Quetiapine Fumarate,  Emulsifying time

Optimization of osmotic dehydration in dragon fruit (Hylocereus Polyrhizus) slices using response surface methodology

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is emerging as a super crop because of its several health and therapeutic benefits and ease of cultivation even in degraded land. Using response surface approach, the process parameters for osmotic dehydration of dragon fruit slices included process temperature, syrup concentration and process time. Slices of size 20 x 20 x 5 mm were dipped into sugar syrup with a syrup to dragon fruit slice ratio of 4:1 (w/w). After osmotic dehydration, the initial moisture content of dragon fruit samples was reduced to 27.5-68.49% (wb), demonstrating water loss, solid gain, and mass reduction in the range of 18.01-65.9%, 6.3-17.9% and 9.31-50.6%, respectively. After statistical analysis of the data on water loss, solid gain, and weight reduction, it was shown that regression equations of second order provided the greatest match for all the experimental data. With a syrup to fruit ratio of 4:1 and a syrup concentration of 65.3° Brix at a syrup temperature of 56.5°C, a maximum water loss of 58.2% and a minimum solid gain of 7.7% were expected to occur in 240 minutes of osmotic dehydration

Physico Chemical Parameters of Muskmelon Juice Enriched with Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria

The spoilage of muskmelons was rapid due to early maturity of the fruits after immediate harvest before consumption. To minimise the postharvest losses, especially in horticultural crops, food processing and value addition to the produce plays lot of role and the losses can be minimised. Keeping in view, the experiment was planned to prepare muskmelon fruit juice fortified with four different species of lactic acid bacteria viz., Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum MTCC 9511, Lactobacillus acidophilus MTCC 10307, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis and Lactobacillus casei MTCC 1423. The survivability of lactobacilli and physicochemical parameters were studied during fermentation of the fruit juice. Drop in pH levels from initial pH was recorded in all muskmelon fruit juice samples incubated at two different temperatures (30°C and 37°C) more than 72 hours. But titratable acidity was increased in all muskmelon fruit juice samples incubated at two different temperatures (30°C and 37°C). The fruit juice containing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum MTCC 9511 (T4) recorded lower pH levels and maximum titratable acidity, total phenolic content and more viable cells compared to other species of lactobacilli. Sensory evaluation was conducted randomly for all the samples and no significant difference was observed

Sputum Smear Microscopy at Two Months into Continuation-Phase: Should It Be Done in All Patients with Sputum Smear-Positive Tuberculosis?

BACKGROUND: The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) of India recommends follow-up sputum smear examination at two months into the continuation phase of treatment. The main intent of this (mid-CP) follow-up is to detect patients not responding to treatment around two-three months earlier than at the end of the treatment. However, the utility of mid-CP follow-up under programmatic conditions has been questioned. We undertook a multi-district study to determine if mid-CP follow-up is able to detect cases of treatment failures early among all types of patients with sputum smear-positive TB. METHODOLOGY: We reviewed existing records of patients with sputum smear-positive TB registered under the RNTCP in 43 districts across three states of India during a three month period in 2009. We estimated proportions of patients that could be detected as a case of treatment failure early, and assessed the impact of various policy options on laboratory workload and number needed to test to detect one case of treatment failure early. RESULTS: Of 10055 cases, mid-CP follow-up was done in 6944 (69%) cases. Mid-CP follow-up could benefit 117/8015 (1.5%) new and 206/2040 (10%) previously-treated sputum smear-positive cases by detecting their treatment failure early. Under the current policy, 31 patients had to be tested to detect one case of treatment failure early. All cases of treatment failure would still be detected early if mid-CP follow-up were discontinued for new sputum smear-positive cases who become sputum smear-negative after the intensive-phase of treatment. This would reduce the related laboratory workload by 69% and only 10 patients would need to be tested to detect one case of treatment failure early. CONCLUSION: Discontinuation of mid-CP follow-up among new sputum smear-positive cases who become sputum smear-negative after completing the intensive-phase of treatment will reduce the laboratory workload without impacting overall early detection of cases of treatment failure

Effect of Microbial Inoculants on Crop Growth, Yield, Biochemical and Phyiological Parameters of Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]

A field experiment was carried out in randomized block design with 10 treatments and 3 replications at the Department of Seed Science and Technology, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati during 2022. The blackgram variety TBG-104 differed for field, biochemical, and physiological parameters in response to different treatments of microbial inoculants. The influence of the treatments in the field was significant with respect to crop growth, phenological and yield parameters, seed quality attributes, biochemical and physiological parameters. In case of crop growth parameters which include field emergence (%), plant height (cm) highest performance was seen in T9(91.67%,27.47cm) over control and other treatments. While all the treatments recorded values that are at par with the highest performed treatment. In case of phenological parameters which include days to first flowering, 50% flowering and maturity, The treatment T9 and T8 were the best performed over the other treatments and control. Similar trend was observed with respect to yield and yield parameters where T9(929.63 kg/ha) treatment showed the highest performance.  Our results revealed that that the co-inoculation of 4 or 5 microbial inoculants showed better results over individual treatments during the period of storage

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Will adoption of the 2010 WHO ART guidelines for HIV-infected TB patients increase the demand for ART services in India?

BACKGROUND: In 2010, WHO expanded previously-recommended indications for anti-retroviral treatment to include all HIV-infected TB patients irrespective of CD4 count. India, however, still limits ART to those TB patients with CD4 counts <350/mm(3) or with extrapulmonary TB manifestations. We sought to evaluate the additional number of patients that would be initiated on ART if India adopted the current 2010 WHO ART guidelines for HIV-infected TB patients. METHODS: We evaluated all TB patients recorded in treatment registers of the Revised National TB Control Programme in June 2010 in the high-HIV prevalence state of Karnataka, and cross-matched HIV-infected TB patients with ART programme records. RESULTS: Of 6182 TB patients registered, HIV status was ascertained for 5761(93%) and 710(12%) were HIV-infected. 146(21%) HIV-infected TB patients were on ART prior to TB diagnosis. Of the remaining 564, 497(88%) were assessed for ART eligibility; of these, 436(88%) were eligible for ART according to 2006 WHO ART guidelines. Altogether, 487(69%) HIV-infected TB patients received ART during TB treatment. About 80% started ART within 8 weeks of TB treatment and 95% received an efavirenz based regimen. CONCLUSION: In Karnataka, India, about nine out of ten HIV-infected TB patients were eligible for ART according to 2006 WHO ART guidelines. The efficiency of HIV case finding, ART evaluation, and ART initiation was relatively high, with 78% of eligible HIV-infected patients actually initiated on ART, and 80% within 8 weeks of diagnosis. ART could be extended to all HIV-infected TB patients irrespective of CD4 count with relatively little additional burden on the national ART programme