Mikrosfere ropinirol hidroklorida za polagano oslobađanje: Utjecaj procesnih parametara

An emulsion solvent evaporation method was employed to prepare microspheres of ropinirole hydrochloride, a highly water soluble drug, by using ethylcellulose and PEG with the help of 32 full factorial design. The microspheres were made by incorporating the drug in a polar organic solvent, which was emulsified using liquid paraffin as an external oil phase. Effects of various process parameters such as viscosity of the external phase, selection of the internal phase, surfactant selection and selection of stirring speed were studied. Microspheres were evaluated for product yield, encapsulation efficiency and particle size. Various drug/ethylcellulose ratios and PEG concentrations were assayed. In vitro dissolution profiles showed that ethylcellulose microspheres were able to control release of the drug for a period of 12 h.Mikrosfere ropinirol hidroklorida, ljekovite tvari vrlo dobro topljive u vodi, pripravljene su metodom isparavanja otapala, koristeći etilcelulozu i PEG te 32 potpuno faktorijalno dizajniranje. Mikrosfere su pripravljene na sljedeći način: otopina ljekovite tvari u polarnom organskom otapalu emulgirana je s tekućim parafinom kao vanjskom uljnom fazom. Ispitivan je utjecaj različitih procesnih parametara poput viskoznosti vanjske faze, vrste interne faze i površinski aktivne tvari te brzine miješanja. Za pripravljene mikrosfere određeno je iskorištenje, učinkovitost inkapsuliranja i veličina čestica. Isprobavani su različiti odnosi ljekovite tvari i etilceluloze te koncentracija PEG-a. In vitro pokusi su pokazali da je oslobađanje ljekovite tvari kontrolirano tijekom 12 h

Reduced NAA-Levels in the NAWM of Patients with MS Is a Feature of Progression. A Study with Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy at 3 Tesla

Reduced N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may visualize axonal damage even in the normal appearing white matter (NAWM). Demyelination and axonal degeneration are a hallmark in multiple sclerosis (MS).To define the extent of axonal degeneration in the NAWM in the remote from focal lesions in patients with relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS).H-MR-chemical shift imaging (TR = 1500ms, TE = 135ms, nominal resolution 1ccm) operating at 3Tesla to assess the metabolic pattern in the fronto–parietal NAWM. Ratios of NAA to creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho) and absolute concentrations of the metabolites in the NAWM were measured in each voxel matching exclusively white matter on the anatomical T2 weighted MR images.No significant difference of absolute concentrations for NAA, Cr and Cho or metabolite ratios were found between RRMS and controls. In SPMS, the NAA/Cr ratio and absolute concentrations for NAA and Cr were significantly reduced compared to RRMS and to controls.In our study SPMS patients, but not RRMS patients were characterized by low NAA levels. Reduced NAA-levels in the NAWM of patients with MS is a feature of progression

Exploring the utility of motion analysis in osteopathic clinical trials; a school-based pilot study on jaw and cervical range of motion

International audienceIntroduction: This study explores the value of using motion analysis to evaluate cervical and jaw ROM on students with or without bruxism when comparing Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) to sham in school settings. Methods: A feasibility study was run with 48 volunteer students from an osteopathic educational institution. Random sequence for allocation was generated using a 1:1 ratio and block size of four to either OMT or sham treatment (control group). The chosen motion outcomes of interest were the lateral jaw range of motion, jaw opening, cervical rotation and side-bending. ROM was measured averaging over three repeated movements at baseline, immediately after the 1st treatment, one week before the 2nd treatment, and immediately after the second treatment using video-based analysis with 15 body landmarks. Results: Repeated measures of joint motion at baseline showed high levels of reliability (ICC ranging from 0.953 to 0.985). Motion analysis detected clinically important differences between OMT and sham one-week posttreatment for jaw lateral ROM (3.3 degrees; p = 0.018) and cervical rotation ROM (12.0 degrees; p = 0.003) in participants with bruxism but not in those without. Magnitude of differences were increased for all parameters following the second treatment (lateral jaw movement; 4.8 degrees, p = 0.005; jaw opening; 5.5 degrees, p = 0.002; cervical side-bending; 9.2 degrees, p = 0.023; cervical rotation; 18.2 degrees, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Motion analysis is capable of detecting the effects of OMT on cervical and jaw ROM in students with bruxism but not without. Finally, the study showed the feasibility of introducing usual standards for clinical trials and sham treatment in an educational setting with students

Crack Growth Behavior of Pipes Made From Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe Material1

The behavior of crack growth of polymeric materials is affected by several operating conditions such as, crosshead speed, specimen thickness, load line, and specimen configurations which reverse the behavior of crack from stable to unstable crack growth behavior. The main objective of the present paper is the determination of plane strain fracture toughness (KIC) for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used in piping water transmission systems. The dimensions of the PVC pipe are outside diameter, Do=315 mm, standard dimensions ratio, SDR=13.23, ratio between outside to inside radii Ro/Ri =1.179 and pipe thickness, t =24 mm. Curved specimens are prepared from a pipe by cutting 12 mm thickness ring segments. The curved specimens are divided into two specimen configurations, namely curved three point bend, CTPB and C-shaped tension, CST specimens. All specimens are provided artificially with a pre-crack. CTPB specimen is further cut into five 72° sectors with each being centrally notched to a depth approximately a = 0.479 of the wall thickness. CST specimen configuration is characterized by the eccentricity X = 0, and 0.5W, of the loading holes from the bore surface. Linear elastic fracture mechanics theory (LEFM) is used to predict the plane strain fracture. The tests are carried out at room temperature, Ta equal 20 °C and different crosshead speeds of (10–500 mm/min). The fracture test results reveal that, the crosshead speed has been proven to affect the mode of failure and mode of fracture. At lower crosshead speeds the mode of failure is ductile, while at higher crosshead speeds it is brittle. The specimen configuration affects also on the fracture toughness. C-shaped tension specimens show higher fracture toughness in case of pin loading location X = 0.5W than X = 0 by about (12%). Transitional crosshead speed is affected by specimen geometry. C-shaped tension specimens (CST) at x= 0 and 0.5W have higher transitional crosshead speed compared with CTPB specimen configuration.</jats:p

Evaluation of Fracture Toughness Behavior of Polyethylene Pipe Materials1

The main purpose of the present paper is to investigate the effect of strain rate, specimen thickness and welding on the fracture toughness. The material of the investigated pipe is a high-density polyethylene, (HDPE) which is commonly used in natural gas piping systems. The welding technique used in this study is butt fusion (BF) welding technique. The crosshead speed ranged from 5 to 500 mm/min and specimen thickness ranged from 9 to 45mm for both welded and unwelded specimens at room temperature, Ta equal 20 °C. Curved three point bend (CTPB) specimens were used to determine KQ. Furthermore, the results of fracture toughness, KQ, will be compared with the plane strain fracture toughness, JIC, for welded and unwelded specimens. The experimental results revealed that KQ increases with increasing the crosshead speed, while KQ decreases as the specimen thickness increases. The investigation reveals that the apparent fracture toughness, KQ, for HDPE pipe of unwelded specimen is greater than that of corresponding value for welded specimen. The same trend was observed for the plane strain fracture toughness, JIc. At lower crosshead speeds there is a minimum deviation in KQ between welded and unwelded specimens, while the deviation becomes larger with increasing crosshead speed.</jats:p