FORMULATION ANDCHARACTERIZATION OF OLANZEPINELOADED MUCOADHESIVE MICROSPHERES

Objective: The objective of this research was to formulate and evaluate olanzapine (OLE) mucoadhesive microsphere prepared using carbopol and sodium combination. OLE having extensive hepatic first pass metabolism and low bioavailability problem, determined the need for the development of sustained release formulation.Methods: OLE mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by ionic gelation method. OLE mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by ionic gelation method by using calcium chloride as crosslinking agent. The OLE mucoadhesive microsphere was characterized by particle size measurement, process yield, morphology of microsphere, drug entrapment efficiency, mucoadhesion test, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) study and in-vitro drug release.Results: The OLE mucoadhesive microsphere having mean particle size ranged from 546.0 µm to 554.3 µm, and the entrapment efficiencies ranged from 73% to 96%. All the olanzapine (OLE) microsphere batches showed good in-vitro mucoadhesive property ranging from 75.89% to 96.47% and in the in-vitro wash off test ranging from 68.12% to 81.3%. FTIR studies indicated the no drug-polymer interactions in the ideal formulation F9. Therewere no compatibility issues, and the crystallinity of OLE was found to be reduced shoeing less intense peak in prepared mucoadhesive microspheres, which were confirmed by differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray diffraction studies. Among different formulations, the OLE microspheres of batch F9 had shown the optimum percent drug entrapment of microspheres. Release pattern of OLE from F9 microspheres batch followed Higuchi kinetic model. Stability studies were carried out for F9 formulation at 4°C/ambient, 25±2°C/60±5%, 40±2°C/75±5% relative humidity revealed that the drug entrapment, mucoadhesive behavior, and drug release were within permissible limits.Conclusion: The results obtained in this work demonstrate the use of carbopol and sodium alginate polymer for preparation of mucoadhesive microsphere.Keywords: Ionic gelation method, Gastroretentive delivery, Mucoadhesive microsphere, Carbopol

Biology and field performance of Gryon clavigrallae (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), an egg parasitoid of Clavigralla spp. (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in India

The biology and impact of Gryon clavigrallae Mineo, an egg parasitoid of Clavigralla scutellaris Spinola and C. gibbosa (Westwood), was investigated. The calculated developmental threshold temperatures for females and males were 15.6°C and 15.8°C, respectively. Emergence exceeded 94% at temperatures between 22 and 30°C. Adult females lived on average 28-96 days when fed with honey. Without food, adults lived <6 days. Mean fecundity was 56.4 eggs per female. A significant trend of lower fecundity after longer periods of host deprivation was observed. Gryon clavigrallae females successfully oviposited in host eggs of all ages though eggs <4 days old were preferred. Total host handling times were significantly longer on C. gibbosa eggs (23.5 min.) than on C. scutellaris eggs (12.0 min.). Females readily distinguished parasitized from non-parasitized host eggs. Superparasitism was observed when few or no unparasitized eggs were available. Eggs of the two Clavigralla species can be separated by surface structure and condition after eclosion. Clavigralla scutellaris laid significantly larger egg clusters than C. gibbosa (19.9 versus 10.5 eggs per cluster). Gryon clavigrallae was present as soon as the first Clavigralla spp. egg clusters were found on pigeonpea. The percentage of egg clusters parasitized increased early in the season with egg cluster density and remained high (up to 83%) despite fluctuations in host density. Overall, G. clavigrallae parasitized 40 and 58% of C. gibbosa and C. scutellaris eggs. The percentage of egg clusters parasitized and the number of eggs parasitized per cluster increased significantly with egg cluster size. The overall parasitoid sex ratio was highly female biased but varied with the number of eggs parasitized per cluste

Influence of the nuclear matter equation of state on the r-mode instability using the finite-range simple effective interaction

The characteristic physical properties of rotating neutron stars under the r-mode oscillation are evaluated using the finite-range simple effective interaction. Emphasis is given on examining the influence of the stiffness of both the symmetric and asymmetric parts of the nuclear equation of state on these properties. The amplitude of the r-mode at saturation is calculated using the data of particular neutron stars from the considerations of 'spin equilibrium' and 'thermal equilibrium'. The upper limit of the r-mode saturation amplitude is found to lie in the range 10−8-10−6, in agreement with the predictions of earlier work

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57(Kip2) is epigenetically regulated in carboplatin resistance and results in collateral sensitivity to the CDK inhibitor seliciclib in ovarian cancer

Carboplatin remains a first-line agent in the management of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Unfortunately, platinum-resistant disease ultimately occurs in most patients. Using a novel EOC cell line with acquired resistance to carboplatin: PEO1CarbR, genome-wide micro-array profiling identified the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57(Kip2) as specifically downregulated in carboplatin resistance. Presently, we describe confirmation of these preliminary data with a variety of approaches

GreenPHABLETTM video for effective information dissemination on hermetic groundnut storage technology

Information and communication technologies (ICT) tools can facilitate dissemination of need based and farmer centric information at an affordable cost to India's rural population. One of the major constraints of groundnut production is aflatoxin accumulation and insect infestation during storage. In our studies conducted at ICRISAT, the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) hermetic storage technology proved effective against insect infestation and aflatoxin accumulation during storage. To facilitate visual learning of the use of hermetic storage, a five minute GreenPHABLETTM video (GPV) in the local language was developed at ICRISAT. A 3-month long experiment was conducted in collaboration with an NGO Samatha of Penugonda in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India to assess the dissemination potential of GPV. A survey conducted among 30 farmers who received the video, revealed that about 80% of farmers received the video from a fellow farmer and only 20 per cent farmers received from the extension agents. Majority of the farmers received the video on their mobile phones through "Share It" (73.3%) and 13.3 per cent received via "Bluetooth", further 10 per cent reported through "WhatsApp" and while only 3.3% received it through the computer by USB Copy. After three months, 300 farmers from 40 villages received the GPV, while our 30 respondents shared the GPV with 150 farmers and screened the GPV to 200 farmers. The experiment shows that GPV can be an effective tool for spreading information about the groundnut hermetic storage technology and other agricultural innovations

An avian influenza A(H11N1) virus from a wild aquatic bird revealing a unique Eurasian-American genetic reassortment

Influenza surveillance in different wild bird populations is critical for understanding the persistence, transmission and evolution of these viruses. Avian influenza (AI) surveillance was undertaken in wild migratory and resident birds during the period 2007–2008, in view of the outbreaks of highly pathogenic AI (HPAI) H5N1 in poultry in India since 2006. In this study, we present the whole genome sequence data along with the genetic and virological characterization of an Influenza A(H11N1) virus isolated from wild aquatic bird for the first time from India. The virus was low pathogenicity and phylogenetic analysis revealed that it was distinct from reported H11N1 viruses. The hemagglutinin (HA) gene showed maximum similarity with A/semipalmatedsandpiper/Delaware/2109/2000 (H11N6) and A/shorebird/Delaware/236/2003(H11N9) while the neuraminidase (NA) gene showed maximum similarity with A/duck/Mongolia/540/2001(H1N1). The virus thus possessed an HA gene of the American lineage. The NA and other six genes were of the Eurasian lineage and showed closer relatedness to non-H11 viruses. Such a genetic reassortment is unique and interesting, though the pathways leading to its emergence and its future persistence in the avian reservoir is yet to be fully established

Activation of JNK Signaling Mediates Amyloid-ß-Dependent Cell Death

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age related progressive neurodegenerative disorder. One of the reasons for Alzheimer's neuropathology is the generation of large aggregates of Aß42 that are toxic in nature and induce oxidative stress, aberrant signaling and many other cellular alterations that trigger neuronal cell death. However, the exact mechanisms leading to cell death are not clearly understood.We employed a Drosophila eye model of AD to study how Aß42 causes cell death. Misexpression of higher levels of Aß42 in the differentiating photoreceptors of fly retina rapidly induced aberrant cellular phenotypes and cell death. We found that blocking caspase-dependent cell death initially blocked cell death but did not lead to a significant rescue in the adult eye. However, blocking the levels of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway significantly rescued the neurodegeneration phenotype of Aß42 misexpression both in eye imaginal disc as well as the adult eye. Misexpression of Aß42 induced transcriptional upregulation of puckered (puc), a downstream target and functional read out of JNK signaling. Moreover, a three-fold increase in phospho-Jun (activated Jun) protein levels was seen in Aß42 retina as compared to the wild-type retina. When we blocked both caspases and JNK signaling simultaneously in the fly retina, the rescue of the neurodegenerative phenotype is comparable to that caused by blocking JNK signaling pathway alone.Our data suggests that (i) accumulation of Aß42 plaques induces JNK signaling in neurons and (ii) induction of JNK contributes to Aß42 mediated cell death. Therefore, inappropriate JNK activation may indeed be relevant to the AD neuropathology, thus making JNK a key target for AD therapies