Design and Fabrication of Colloidal Delivery Systems to Encapsulate and Protect Curcumin: An Important Hydrophobic Nutraceutical

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound found in Turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome that has excellent biological benefits such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties to name a few. However, its incorporation in food and pharmaceuticals is difficult due to low water solubility and chemical instability. This study focuses on developing colloidal delivery systems for efficient encapsulation and increased protection of curcumin for maximizing the proposed health benefits of curcumin. It was found that the physical and chemical stability of pure curcumin is impacted by pH, storage temperature, and molecular environment both in aqueous solutions and in oil-in-water emulsions. Pure curcumin was highly unstable to chemical degradation in neutral and alkaline aqueous solutions (pH ≥ 7.0) and it was most stable in acidic oil-in-water emulsions. Curcumin stability in emulsions depended on the emulsifier type, and the extent of curcumin degradation decreased in the following order: saponins \u3e \u3e gum arabic ≈ caseinate ≈ Tween 80. These results suggest that saponin accelerated curcumin degradation, which may be due to their ability to promote peroxidation reactions or it may be due to the presence of impurities in them, e.g. metals. The kinetics of curcumin degradation was significantly impacted by the mean droplet diameters (d32). The more rapid chemical degradation of the curcumin in the smaller droplets can be attributed to the fact that curcumin exchange between the interior and exterior of the droplets occurs more rapidly as the droplet dimensions decrease. Antioxidants were incorporated to protect curcumin in an emulsion having small droplets. The water-soluble antioxidants were more effective at protecting curcumin from degradation than the oil-soluble ones, which may have been because curcumin degrades faster in water than in oil, while the oil-soluble antioxidant actually slightly promoted curcumin degradation. Finally, the formation of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) was optimized which, unlike O/W emulsion, consists of a solidified fat phase. NLCs were formulated using a hot-homogenization approach using fully hydrogenated soybean oil as the lipid phase and quillaja saponins as a natural surfactant. Characterization and stability studies revealed that NLCs have the potential to replace oil-in-water emulsions in commercial foods. Future studies are needed to establish their functional performance for curcumin encapsulation and protection. In summary, this study showed that the stability of curcumin in emulsions depends on various physicochemical parameters. This knowledge is important in designing and fabrication of colloidal systems for curcumin delivery

Facilitators and barriers to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine precaution dose among adult population: qualitative analysis across six different states of India

IntroductionIndia launched the COVID-19 vaccination drive on 16th January 2021 by vaccinating the adult population above 18 years of age. This was followed by the introduction of an additional precaution dose. As on 18th October 2022, 1,02,66,96,808 (1.02 Billion) first dose and 94, 95, 39,516 (949 Million) second doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered. However, when compared to the uptake of the primary doses, the precaution dose uptake lagged behind with only 21,75, 12,721 (217 million) doses administered. Even though, the uptake of the primary doses remained optimal, irrespective of different interventions by the Government of India, the uptake of the precaution dose remained poor. In this context, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare wanted to understand the facilitators and Barriers for precaution dose uptake among adults so that future immunization campaigns could address these issues.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative study was conducted to assess the facilitators and barriers for COVID-19 precaution dose uptake at community level across 6 different states in India. From each of the states, two districts with the highest and lowest rates of COVID-19 vaccine precaution dose uptake were selected. In each of these districts, 2 block Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), one with high and one with low uptake were identified. Within these block PHCs, a PHC field area with high and low precaution dose uptakes was identified. From the identified sites a minimum of four IDIs, four FGDs were conducted among the community members. KIIs of the State Immunization Officers, District Immunisation Officers, PHC Medical Officers, healthcare workers like Accredited Social Health Activist/Auxiliary Nurse Midwife were also conducted. The data was audio recorded and it was transcribed, translated and analysed using framework approach.ResultsIt was observed that rise in COVID-19 cases prompted the community to take the precaution dose, this along with the cost of hospitalization and the number of productive days being lost as a result of being infected resulted in vaccine uptake. The fear of non-availability of COVID-19 vaccines latter on also prompted people for vaccine uptake. While the barriers were, poor accessibility to vaccination centers, long hours of travel, poor road connectivity and lack of transportation facilities. However, the most prominent barriers observed across all study sites was that a sense of pandemic fatigue and complacency had developed both among the providers as well as the beneficiaries. Other barriers include differences in vaccination schedules and longer duration between the primary doses of some vaccines. Media was identified to be both a barrier and facilitator for Covid-19 Precaution dose uptake. Even though media played an important role in disseminating information in the beginning of the campaign, it was soon followed by the circulation of both misinformation and disinformation.DiscussionThe study identified that dissemination of accurate information and community involvement at each stage of planning and implementation are crucial for the success of any campaign. Efforts should be constantly made to address and re-invent strategies that will be most suitable for the needs of the community. Therefore, in order to ensure successful vaccination campaigns, it is crucial that along with political will it is also important to have a decentralized approach with inter-sectoral coordination with different stakeholders such as healthcare workers, community members and the different departments such as the local self-governments, education department, law & order department etc. These lessons learnt from COVID-19 vaccination campaigns must not be forgotten and must be applied in future vaccination campaigns and while framing public health policies

Physical and Chemical Stability of Curcumin in Aqueous Solutions and Emulsions: Impact of pH, Temperature, and Molecular Environment

The utilization of curcumin as a nutraceutical in food and supplement products is often limited because of its low water solubility, poor chemical stability, and low oral bioavailability. This study examined the impact of pH, storage temperature, and molecular environment on the physical and chemical stability of pure curcumin in aqueous solutions and in oil-in-water emulsions. Unlike naturally occurring curcuminoid mixtures (that contain curcumin, demethoxy-curcumin, and bisdemethoxy-curcumin), pure curcumin was highly unstable to chemical degradation in alkaline aqueous solutions (pH ≥7.0) and tended to crystallize out of aqueous acidic solutions (pH <7). These effects were attributed to changes in the molecular structure of curcumin under different pH conditions. The curcumin crystals formed were relatively large (10–50 μm), which made them prone to rapid sedimentation. The incorporation of curcumin into oil-in-water emulsions (30% MCT, 1 mg curcumin/g MCT, <i>d</i>₃₂ ≈ 298 nm) improved its water dispersibility and chemical stability. After incubation at 37 °C for 1 month, >85% of curcumin was retained by emulsions stored under acidic conditions (pH <7), whereas 62, 60, and 53% was retained by emulsions stored at pH 7.0, 7.4, and 8.0, respectively. There was little change in the color of curcumin-loaded emulsions when stored under acidic conditions, but their yellow color faded when stored under alkaline conditions. There was no evidence of droplet aggregation or creaming in emulsions stored for 31 days at ambient temperature. These results suggest that emulsion-based delivery systems may be suitable for improving the water dispersibility and chemical stability of curcumin, which would facilitate its application in foods and supplements

Basal Cell Ameloblastoma: A Rare Histological Variant of an Uncommon Tumor

Ameloblastomas are an inscrutable group of oral tumors. Basal cell ameloblastoma is a rare variant of ameloblastoma with very few cases reported until date. The tumor is composed of more primitive cells and has less conspicuous peripheral palisading. It shows remarkable similarity to basal cell carcinoma, basal cell adenoma and intra‑osseous adenoid cystic carcinoma. This report describes the case of a 27‑year‑old male with an ameloblastoma in the right posterior mandible. Orthopantomography computed tomography and finally histopathological examination directed us toward the confirmatory diagnosis of basal cell variant of ameloblastoma. Considering the rarity of the lesion and histological paradox regarding its diagnosis, we report here an interesting and rare case of basal cell ameloblastoma of the mandible with emphasis on differential diagnosis from other entities with basaloid differentiation having varying prognosis. After surgery, long‑term follow‑up at regular intervals is recommended as no sufficient statistical information regarding the behavior of this tumor is available.Keywords: Ameloblastoma, basal cells, desmoplastic, odontogeni

Failure to Use and Sustain Male Condom Usage: Lessons Learned from a Prospective Study among Men Attending STI Clinic in Pune, India.

Sustained or consistent use of condoms by men remains a challenge. A study was carried out to identify factors associated with failure to use condoms consistently by men attending STD clinics in Pune, India.Among 14137 STI clinic attendees, 8360 HIV sero-negative men were enrolled in a cohort study. The changes in condom usage behavior were studied among 1284 men who returned for first scheduled quarterly follow up, 309 reported consistent condom use at the time of enrollment in the cohort. Data pertaining to heterosexual men practicing high risk behavior were analyzed to identify factors associated with change in condom use behavior using logistic regression model. Demographic, behavioral and biological factors observed to be associated with condom use were fitted in five Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals to identify independent predictors of failure to sustain condom use behavior.The univariate analysis showed that men who were 30 years or older in age (p = 0.002) and those who did not have contact female sex worker (FSW) were more likely to fail to sustain consistent condom use. However both these factors did not show significant association in multivariable analysis. Marital status and contact with Hijra (eunuch) in lifetime were associated with failure to change in their condom use behavior [AOR 0.33 (CI 0.13-0.82; p = 0.017)]. During the follow up of 2 years, 61 events (15.5 per 100 person years, 95% CI 12.3-19.5 years) of 'failure of condom use' were recorded despite counseling. Older age, contact with non CSW partner and presence of genital ulcer disease / discharge syndrome were significant predictors of failure to sustain condom use.Married monogamous older men, who report contact with sex worker and present with genital ulcer disease are at risk of failure to use condom after first exposure to voluntary HIV counseling and testing. This is a scenario of primary prevention program. Condom promotion and counseling needs to be reinforced through follow up counseling among this population

Showing the study participant characteristics in step 1 and step 2 analysis

<p>Showing the study participant characteristics in step 1 and step 2 analysis</p

Factors associated with failure to change from inconsistent condom use to ‘positive’ condom use behavior among male STD patients.

<p>^‡Others include unmarried, divorced, widower and separated.</p><p>GUD: Genital ulcer disease, GD: Genital discharge</p><p>* Significant at p value < 0.05,</p><p>** Significant at p value < 0.01</p><p>¹ Hijra is local term for éunuch</p><p>Factors associated with failure to change from inconsistent condom use to ‘positive’ condom use behavior among male STD patients.</p

Cox professional hazards analysis showing risk factors and hazards of inconsistent condom use during follow-up of two years among male patients attending STD clinics.

<p>^‡ Buddhist, Christian, Muslims and Others</p><p>^$$ Widowed, divorced and separated.</p><p>NA: Not applicable</p><p>* Significant at p value < 0.05,</p><p>** Significant at p value < 0.01</p><p>Cox professional hazards analysis showing risk factors and hazards of inconsistent condom use during follow-up of two years among male patients attending STD clinics.</p