Fast Dissolving Tablets of Aloe Vera Gel

Purpose: The objective of this work was to prepare and evaluate fast dissolving tablets of the nutraceutical, freeze dried Aloe vera gel. Methods: Fast dissolving tablets of the nutraceutical, freeze-dried Aloe vera gel, were prepared by dry granulation method. The tablets were evaluated for crushing strength, disintegration time, wetting time, friability, drug content and drug release. A 32 full factorial design was applied to investigate the combined effect of two formulation variables - amounts of microcrystalline cellulose and mannitol. Results: The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that in order to obtain a fast dissolving tablet of the Aloe vera gel, an optimum concentration of mannitol and a higher content of microcrystalline cellulose should be used. A response surface plot was also provided to graphically represent the effect of the independent variables on the disintegration time and wetting time. The validity of the generated mathematical model was tested by preparing a check point batch. Conclusion: This investigation has demonstrated that satisfactory fast dissolving Aloe vera gel tablets can be formulated. It also showed the potential of experimental design in understanding the effect of formulation variables on the quality of fast dissolving tablets. Keywords: Aloe vera, Fast dissolving tablet, Factorial design, Mathematical model, Mannitol, Microcrystalline celluloseTropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 8 (1) 2009: pp. 63-7

Esthetics with prosthetics in case of maxillary canine transposition: A clinical report

Transposition is a dental anomaly manifested by a positional interchange of two permanent teeth. The maxillary permanent canine usually transposes with the first premolar and occasionally with the lateral incisor. These are mainly genetically governed and are treated orthodontically if complete segment of tooth is present; in case of missing teeth, participation of cosmetic dentist is must. The present case report describes a situation where left canine to lateral incisor complete transposition was present along with a missing left central incisor. Esthetic rehabilitation of the “smile zone” was the major concern. Scrupulous treatment planning to esthetically contour transposed teeth according to their normal positions, i.e., transposed left canine to lateral incisor and transposed left lateral incisor to canine with replacement of missing tooth, was a challenge. Keywords: Canine transposition, composite veneers, smile designNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice •Jan-Mar 2012 • Vol 15 • Issue

Natural Orifice Surgery (NOS) Using StomaphyX™ for Repair of Gastric Leaks after Bariatric Revisions

Gastric leaks represent serious complications of bariatric surgery. With the increasing popularity and performance of bariatric procedures, the incidence of leaks and associated complications are expected to increase. Minimally invasive natural orifice surgery represents a novel and promising approach to gastric leak management, especially for morbidly obese patients who are at much higher risk from open or laparoscopic surgical procedures. The present article reports two cases of the safe and successful use of the EndoGastric Solutions StomaphyX™ device to alter the flow of gastric contents and repair gastric leaks resulting from bariatric revision surgery. Both patients were at a high risk and could not undergo another open or laparoscopic surgery to correct the leaks that were not healing. The StomaphyX procedures lasted approximately 30 min, were performed without any complications, and resulted in the resolution of the gastric leaks in both patients

HIV seroprevalence and its effect on outcome of moderate to severe burn injuries: A Ugandan experience

\ud \ud HIV infection in a patient with burn injuries complicates the care of both the patient and the treating burn team. This study was conducted to establish the prevalence of HIV among burn patients in our setting and to compare the outcome of these patients who are HIV positive with those who are HIV negative. This was a prospective cohort study involving burn injury patients admitted to Mulago Hospital between November 2005 and February 2006. Patients were stratified into HIV positive (exposed) group and HIV-negative (unexposed) group. Data was collected using a pre-tested coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS statistical computer software version 11.5. Of the 130 patients included in the study, 17 (13.1%) patients tested HIV positive and this formed the study (exposed) group. The remaining 113 patients (86.9%) formed the control (unexposed) group. In the HIV positive group, females outnumbered males by a ratio of 1.4:1 and the mean age was 28.4 ± 21.5 years (range 3 months-34 years). 64.7% of HIV positive patients reported to have risk factors for HIV infection. Of these, multiple sexual partners [Odds Ratio 8.44, 95% C.I. (3.87-143.23), P = 0.011] and alcoholism [Odds Ratio 8.34, 95% C.I. (5.76-17.82), P = 0.002] were found to be independently and significantly associated with increased risk to HIV infection. The mean CD4 count for HIV positive and HIV negative patients were 394 ± 328 cells/μL and 912 ± 234 cells/μL respectively which is statistically significant (P = 0.001). There was no difference in the bacteria cultured from the wounds of HIV positive and negative patients (P = 0.322). Patients with clinical signs of sepsis had lower CD4+ counts compared to patients without sepsis (P < 0.001). ). Skin grafting was carried out in 35.3% of HIV negative patients and 29.4% of HIV positive patients with no significant difference in skin graft take and the degree of healed burn on discharge was the same (P = 0.324). There was no significant difference in hospital stay between HIV positive and negative patients (P = 0.674). The overall mortality rate was 11.5%. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, mortality rate was found to be independently and significantly related to the age of the patient, HIV positive with stigmata of AIDS, CD4 count, inhalation injury, %TBSA and severity of burn (p-value < 0.001). HIV infection is prevalent among burn injury patients in our setting and thus presents an occupational hazard to health care workers who care for these patients. All burn health care workers in this region need to practice universal precautions in order to reduce the risk of exposure to HIV infection and post-exposure prophylaxis should be emphasized. The outcome of burn injury in HIV infected patients is dependent upon multiple variables such as age of the patient, inhalation injury and %TBSA and not the HIV status alone

Seed Quality Markers: A Review

INTRODUCTION Seed provides food, feed, fibre and most importantly conserve the species in the form of a tiny size to adapt to the environment. Seed is the harbinger for agricultural productivity; however, burgeoning population, reduction in land holding size due to urbanization and tremendous demand for quality food is an upcoming challenges to be confronted. Under such odds, it is inevitable to have quality seeds that enable successful stand establishment and crop improvement. Seed quality comprises of seed germination, vigour, genetic purity and health estate of seed [1] . Quality seeds germinate completely at faster rate with vigorous seedlings of little sensitivity to climatic changes that enable them to adapt broad range of environmental conditions Recent studies have demonstrated some evidence as potential markers at biochemical, molecular levels. Antioxidants, integrity of membrane determination by electrolyte leakage, ethylene production during imbitions phase, changes in raffinose family oligosachharides and 11 S globulin β-subunit, late embyrogenesis abundant protein and heat shock protein changes are reliable indicators of seed germination, performance, maturity and seed priming treatments Antioxidants Seed quality maintenance during seed production is inevitable as reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis takes place during metabolic process. ROS comprises of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen which has adverse Review Article ABSTRACT Seed is a basic input for agriculture productivity and germplasm conservation. Seed quality predominantly comprises of germination and vigour which are quintessential for successful stand establishment. On the other hand, seed industries are thriving to improve the crop yield through control of seed vigour. Possibilities of seed vigour could be improved by seed priming and post-harvest processing. So far, during seed production at a commercial scale, maturity used to monitor visually which necessitates the expertise of growers. It is the need of the hour to develop markers that aid in identifying optimum harvest time. Markers could be developed by clearly understanding the physiological, biochemical, molecular mechanisms involved in seed quality (germination and vigour). From the recent studies, several promising markers such as cell cycle markers, electrolyte leakage, ethylene production, sugar metabolism, proteins, antioxidants and telomeres have been suggested as reliable markers to monitor the seed quality process. Such markers not only help to identify the seedling stages but also facilitate a better understanding of seed priming treatments. effects on lipids, DNA, RNA, and proteins that ultimately leads to cell death. The condition could be more deteriorative if the seed biochemical composition is enriched with oil/lipid content. For example, ROS damages the integrity of cell membranes, alters the permeability and fluidity through peroxidation of lipids Antioxidants such as tocopherols, phenols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and thiols are non-enzymatic in nature whereas, catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase are the major enzymatic moieties. The enzymatic antioxidants mainly execute its function through detoxification mechanisms. For example, superoxide (free radical) has been dismutated by SOD to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Further, catalase detoxifies the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. These enzyme activities are directly correlated with ROS maintenance at non-toxic levels which may serve as markers. Bailley et al. Membrane Integrity Unlike recalcitrant seeds, orthodox seeds undergo desiccation tolerance after maturation. Membrane integrity is one of the important features to confront the desiccation tolerance to remain seed viability Ethylene as Indicator Ethylene synthesis in higher plants takes place through 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase activity Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides (RFO) In addition to the above markers, some molecules such as RFO are of particular interest. RFO accumulates during seed maturation and helps to maintain the intracellular contents in glassy state through increase in cytoplasmic viscosity and glass to liquid transition temperatures. These modifications help in to restrain ageing effect Cell Cycle Markers In higher plants, the embryo development needs endosperm nourishment. In angiosperms, the embryo is formed by the fusion of one nucleus from male gametophyte and the other from female gametophyte. Thus, the embryo is in 2 n stage representing a dploid genome (2n). In seeds, at different developmental stages mitotic/endoreduplication takes place, as a result, physiological state of a seed could be easily understood. In embryo, a typical proliferative cell undergoes mitosis where 2 n is duplicated to 4 n condition after &apos;S&apos; phase; thereafter, in mitosis where the DNA content is divided into two daughter nuclei (4 n to 2 n) as depicted in Unlike embryonic cells, some endosperm cells undergo endoreduplication where repeated rounds of DNA replication occur in nuclei without the mitotic stage which leads to formation of endopolyploid cells. This striking feature could be studied through flow cytometry to estimate the DNA content with fluorochrome Figure 2. Typical proliferative cell cycle stages in embryo. In embryo, a typical proliferative cell undergoes mitosis where 2n is duplicated to 4n condition after &apos;S&apos; phase; thereafter, in mitosis where the DNA content is divided into two daughter nuclei (4n to 2n). In case of non-proliferative cells (seed maturation stage) it undergoes quiescent G 0 stage from G 1 phase. From the above discussion, it is imperative to deduce a yardstick of seed maturity with the ratio of endosperm to embryo nuclei which will provide the insights. Several reports suggested the utility of endosperm to embryo ratio; for example, in sugarbeet, it is about 3:2 and 9:1 at 21 day old developing and 36 (mature) day old seeds respectivel

Improving health outcome for young people with long term conditions: The role of digital communication in current and future patient-clinician communication for NHS providers of specialist clinical services for young people receiving specialist clinical services:LYNC study protocol.

Background: Young people living with long term conditions are vulnerable to health service disengagement. This endangers their long term health. Studies report requests for digital forms of communication - email, text, social media - with their health care team. Digital clinical communication is troublesome for the UK NHS. Aim: To present the research protocol for evaluating the impacts and outcomes of digital clinical communications for young people living with long term conditions and provide critical analysis of their use, monitoring and evaluation by NHS providers. Methods: The research involves: 1) Patient and Public Involvement activities with 16-24 year olds with and without long term health conditions; 2) six literature reviews; 3) case studies – the main empirical part of the study – and 4) synthesis and a consensus meeting. Case studies use a mixed methods design. Interviews and non-participant observation of practitioners and patients communicating in up to 20 specialist clinical settings will be combined with data, aggregated at the case level (non-identifiable patient data), on a range of clinical outcomes meaningful within the case and across cases. We will describe the use of digital clinical communication from the perspective of patients, clinical staff, support staff and managers, interviewing up to 15 young people and 15 staff per case study. Outcome data includes emergency admissions, A&E attendance and DNA rates. Case studies will be analysed to understand impacts of digital clinical communication on patient health outcomes, health care costs and consumption, ethics and patient safety

Differential expression of collectins in human placenta and role in inflammation during spontaneous Labor.

© 2014 Yadav et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Collectins, collagen-containing Ca2+ dependent C-type lectins and a class of secretory proteins including SP-A, SP-D and MBL, are integral to immunomodulation and innate immune defense. In the present study, we aimed to investigate their placental transcript synthesis, labor associated differential expression and localization at feto-maternal interface, and their functional implication in spontaneous labor. The study involved using feto-maternal interface (placental/decidual tissues) from two groups of healthy pregnant women at term (≥37 weeks of gestation), undergoing either elective C-section with no labor ('NLc' group, n = 5), or normal vaginal delivery with spontaneous labor ('SLv' group, n = 5). The immune function of SP-D, on term placental explants, was analyzed for cytokine profile using multiplexed cytokine array. SP-A, SP-D and MBL transcripts were observed in the term placenta. The 'SLv' group showed significant up-regulation of SP-D (p = 0.001), and down-regulation of SP-A (p = 0.005), transcripts and protein compared to the 'NLc' group. Significant increase in 43 kDa and 50 kDa SP-D forms in placental and decidual tissues was associated with the spontaneous labor (p<0.05). In addition, the MMP-9-cleaved form of SP-D (25 kDa) was significantly higher in the placentae of 'SLv' group compared to the 'NLc' group (p = 0.002). Labor associated cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and MCP-1 showed significant increase (p<0.05) in a dose dependent manner in the placental explants treated with nSP-D and rhSP-D. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that SP-A and SP-D proteins associate with the spontaneous labor and SP-D plausibly contributes to the pro-inflammatory immune milieu of feto-maternal tissues.Funding provided by BT/PR15227/BRB/10/906/2011) Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India http://dbtindia.nic.in/index.asp (TM) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)/Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), Government of India, www.icmr.nic.in (AKY)

Augmented versus Virtual Reality Laparoscopic Simulation: What Is the Difference?: A Comparison of the ProMIS Augmented Reality Laparoscopic Simulator versus LapSim Virtual Reality Laparoscopic Simulator

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging new modality for laparoscopic skills training; however, most simulators lack realistic haptic feedback. Augmented reality (AR) is a new laparoscopic simulation system offering a combination of physical objects and VR simulation. Laparoscopic instruments are used within an hybrid mannequin on tissue or objects while using video tracking. This study was designed to assess the difference in realism, haptic feedback, and didactic value between AR and VR laparoscopic simulation. METHODS: The ProMIS AR and LapSim VR simulators were used in this study. The participants performed a basic skills task and a suturing task on both simulators, after which they filled out a questionnaire about their demographics and their opinion of both simulators scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The participants were allotted to 3 groups depending on their experience: experts, intermediates and novices. Significant differences were calculated with the paired t-test. RESULTS: There was general consensus in all groups that the ProMIS AR laparoscopic simulator is more realistic than the LapSim VR laparoscopic simulator in both the basic skills task (mean 4.22 resp. 2.18, P <0.000) as well as the suturing task (mean 4.15 resp. 1.85, P <0.000). The ProMIS is regarded as having better haptic feedback (mean 3.92 resp. 1.92, P <0.000) and as being more useful for training surgical residents (mean 4.51 resp. 2.94, P <0.000). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with the VR simulator, the AR laparoscopic simulator was regarded by all participants as a better simulator for laparoscopic skills training on all tested feature

Surfactant protein D inhibits HIV-1 infection of target cells via interference with gp120-CD4 interaction and modulates pro-inflammatory cytokine production

© 2014 Pandit et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Surfactant Protein SP-D, a member of the collectin family, is a pattern recognition protein, secreted by mucosal epithelial cells and has an important role in innate immunity against various pathogens. In this study, we confirm that native human SP-D and a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rhSP-D) bind to gp120 of HIV-1 and significantly inhibit viral replication in vitro in a calcium and dose-dependent manner. We show, for the first time, that SP-D and rhSP-D act as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 entry in to target cells and block the interaction between CD4 and gp120 in a dose-dependent manner. The rhSP-D-mediated inhibition of viral replication was examined using three clinical isolates of HIV-1 and three target cells: Jurkat T cells, U937 monocytic cells and PBMCs. HIV-1 induced cytokine storm in the three target cells was significantly suppressed by rhSP-D. Phosphorylation of key kinases p38, Erk1/2 and AKT, which contribute to HIV-1 induced immune activation, was significantly reduced in vitro in the presence of rhSP-D. Notably, anti-HIV-1 activity of rhSP-D was retained in the presence of biological fluids such as cervico-vaginal lavage and seminal plasma. Our study illustrates the multi-faceted role of human SPD against HIV-1 and potential of rhSP-D for immunotherapy to inhibit viral entry and immune activation in acute HIV infection. © 2014 Pandit et al.The work (Project no. 2011-16850) was supported by Medical Innovation Fund of Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India (www.icmr.nic.in/)

Standardization of the Fully Stapled Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass for Obesity Reduces Early Immediate Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality: A Single Center Study on 2606 Patients

Various techniques of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass have been described. We completely standardized this procedure to minimize its sometimes substantial morbidity and mortality. This study describes our experience with the standardized fully stapled laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (FS-LRYGB) and its influence on the 30-day morbidity and mortality.status: publishe