Study of Psychosocial Stressors and Psychiatric Morbidity in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Introduction: Mind and body relationship have concerned scientific minds from the Beginning. Representatives from both psychiatry and medicine have agreed for More than hundred years that in some disorders, emotional and somatic Activities overlap. These disorders were first called psychosomatic illness by Johann Chiristian Heinroth. This term was later popularized by Maxmilan Jacobi, German Psychiatrist. In addition to general life stressors various investigators have suggested That specific personalities and conflicts are associated with different Psychosomatic diseases. They were first identified in regard to the coronary Personality, who tend to develop coronary heart disease. The classical risk Factors do not give total explanation for the occurrence of coronary heart Disease and that additional factors are involved in its genesis (WERKO, 1976) There is a strong evidence to suggest that an interplay of personality Characteristic with the environmental milieu plays a role in an individuals Predisposition to coronary heart disease and large body of research has already Been undertaken in this area (ROSEMAN and FRIED MAN, 1960) And it has been suggested by some that type A behavior Pattern may be A middle class westerners way of reacting. Reactions to a stressful Environment in Indians may take a form other than type A behavior. Hence stressful life events more than personality characteristics might Be causal to the genesis of ischemic heart disease. Heart has been hailed as Contributing to vitality and the very life of the individual and any disorder is Perceived as at worst fatal (or) at best disabling. For a lay person, a man felled By a heart attack can never be the same again. Fear about the consequences of Infarction are always followed by psychological consequences such as anxiety And depression etc. The Liaison Psychiatry approach was tailored to the Requirements of the local (or) indigenous socio-cultural background should be Engaged in the psychiatric research for minimizing this psychological Morbidity. Scope of the study Though myocardial infarction is known to be due to psychosocial Stressors, the detailed verification of the cause is not done in our setting. The Nature of the stressors as perceived by local population has contested in the Present study. Study also aims to corroborate on the prevalence of Psychological morbidity following myocardial infarction and to know if they Are correlated to the previous life events. The analysis of results should pave The way for conceptualizing the psychotherapeutic issues of the Liaison Psychiatry in the indigenous situation. Plan of the Study The present study has been planned as follows Review of Literature Methodology Results and Interpretations Discussion Conclusio

Design and Evaluation of Losartan Potassium Effervescent Floating Matrix Tablets: In Vivo X-ray Imaging and Pharmacokinetic Studies in Albino Rabbits

Losartan potassium (LP) is an angiotensin receptor blocker used to treat hypertension. At higher pH, it shows poor aqueous solubility, which leads to poor bioavailability and lowers its therapeutic effectiveness. The main aim of this research was to develop a direct compressed effervescent floating matrix tablet (EFMT) of LP using hydroxyl propyl methylcellulose 90SH 15,000 (HPMC-90SH 15,000), karaya gum (KG), and an effervescent agent, such as sodium bicarbonate (SB). Therefore, an EFMT has been developed to prolong the stomach residence time (GRT) of a drug to several hours and improve its bioavailability in the stomach region. The blended powder was evaluated for pre-compression characteristics, followed by post-compression characteristics, in vitro floating, water uptake studies, and in vitro studies. The optimized formulation of EFMT was investigated for in vivo buoyancy by X-ray imaging and pharmacokinetic studies in Albino rabbits. The results revealed that the parameters of pre- and post-compression were within the USP limits. All tablets showed good floating capabilities (short floating lag time <1 min and floated for >24 h), good swelling characteristics, and controlled release for over 24 h. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra showed drug–polymer compatibility. The optimized formulation F3 (HPMC-90SH 15,000-KG) exhibited non-Fickian diffusion and showed 100% drug release at the end of 24 h. In addition, with the optimized formulation F3, we observed that the EFMT floated continuously in the rabbit’s stomach area; thus, the GRT could be extended to more than 12 h. The pharmacokinetic profiling in Albino rabbits revealed that the relative bioavailability of the optimized LP-EFMT was enhanced compared to an oral solution of LP. We conclude that this a potential method for improving the oral bioavailability of LP to treat hypertension effectively

Carbon Nanotubes: Current Perspectives on Diverse Applications in Targeted Drug Delivery and Therapies

Current discoveries as well as research findings on various types of carbon nanostructures have inspired research into their utilization in a number of fields. These carbon nanostructures offer uses in pharmacy, medicine and different therapies. One such unique carbon nanostructure includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are one-dimensional allotropes of carbon nanostructure that can have a length-to-diameter ratio greater than 1,000,000. After their discovery, CNTs have drawn extensive research attention due to their excellent material properties. Their physical, chemical and electronic properties are excellent and their composites provide great possibilities for enormous nanometer applications. The current study provides a systematic review based on prior literature review and data gathered from various sources. The various research studies from many research labs and organizations were systematically retrieved, collected, compiled and written. The entire collection and compilation of this review concluded the use of CNT approaches and their efficacy and safety for the treatment of various diseases such as brain tumors or cancer via nanotechnology-based drug delivery, phototherapy, gene therapy, antiviral therapy, antifungal therapy, antibacterial therapy and other biomedical applications. The current review covers diverse applications of CNTs in designing a range of targeted drug delivery systems and application for various therapies. It concludes with a discussion on how CNTs based medicines can expand in the future

The prevalence, pattern, and clinical correlate of Internet gambling disorder in a tertiary care hospital – A cross-sectional observational study

Background: Internet gambling disorder is the fastest-growing mode of gambling addiction. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study. A total of 31 cases were chosen as per the DSM 5. The Online Gambling Symptoms Assessment Scale (OGSAS) was used to assess the severity, and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used for assessing the psychiatric morbidity. Personality profiles were assessed using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE). Results: The prevalence rate of Internet gambling disorder was 0.16%. The majority were under 35 years of age, married, and unemployed. Sports, followed by cards, and the stock market, were the more common types of Internet gambling addiction. As per DSM 5, 25% had severe, 48% had moderate, and 25% had mild addiction. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) (7), suicidality (5), and depression (3) were the common psychiatric morbidities found in these 31 cases. A fairly strong correlation was observed with Dissocial (0.9), Impulsive (0.8), Borderline (0.9), and Anxious (0.8) personalities with Internet Gambling Disorder. On Logistic Regression, there was a significant association between Internet Gambling Disorder and Psychiatric illness (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.1591, 4.2867 P = 0.0091). Conclusion: Internet gambling disorder is very common and is being ignored in clinical practice. Internet gambling is significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity. Awareness strategies targeting all levels are very important

Design and evaluation of in situ gel eye drops containing nanoparticles of Gemifloxacin Mesylate

AbstractTraditional eye drops used for topically administering drugs have poor ocular bioavailability due to the biological barriers of the eye. There is an interest to design and develop novel drug delivery systems that would extend the precorneal residence time, reduce the frequency of administration and decrease dose-related toxicity. This study aimed to prepare Nanoparticles of Gemifloxacin Mesylate and incorporate them into an in situ gel. The nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation technique, using 32 factorial design. Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) was used to crosslink Chitosan. The optimized formulation of the nanoparticles (GF4) contained 0.15% Gemifloxacin Mesylate, 0.15% Chitosan and 0.20% STPP, producing 71 nm particle size and 81.11% entrapment efficiency. The prepared nanoparticles showed biphasic release, with an initial burst release of 15% in 1.0 hr and a cumulative drug release of 90.53% at the end of 24 hrs. After that, the prepared nanoparticles were incorporated into an in situ gel, using Poloxamer 407, producing a sustained drug release with efficient antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as confirmed by the cup plate method

Mucilage of Coccinia grandis as an Efficient Natural Polymer-Based Pharmaceutical Excipient

Natural eco-friendly materials are recently employed in products to replace synthetic materials due to their superior benefits in preserving the environment. The herb Coccinia grandis is widely distributed in continents like Asia and Africa and used traditionally to treat fever, leprosy, asthma, jaundice, and bronchitis. Mucilage of Coccinia grandis was accordingly extracted, isolated by a maceration technique, and precipitated. The mucilage was evaluated for its physicochemical, binding, and disintegrant properties in tablets using paracetamol as a model drug. The crucial physicochemical properties such as flow properties, solubility, swelling index, loss on drying, viscosity, pH, microbial load, cytotoxicity was evaluated and the compatibility was analyzed using sophisticated instrumental methods (TGA, DTA, DSC, and FTIR). The binding properties of the mucilage was used at three different concentrations and compared with starch and PVP as examples of standard binders. The disintegrant properties of mucilage were used at two different concentrations and compared with standard disintegrants MCCP, SSG, and CCS. The tablets were punched and evaluated for their hardness, friability, assay, disintegration time, in vitro dissolution profiles. In vitro cytotoxicity studies of the mucilage were performed in a human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line. The outcome of the study indicated that the mucilage had good performance compared with starch and PVP. Further, the mucilage acts as a better disintegrant than MCCP, SSG and CCS for paracetamol tablets. Use of a concentration of 3% or less demonstrated the ability of the mucilage to act as a super disintegrating agent and showed faster disintegration and dissolution, which makes it as an attractive, promising disintegrant in formulating solid dosage forms to improve the therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation results demonstrated that the mucilage is non-cytotoxic to human cells and is safe

Development of Duloxetine Hydrochloride Tablets for Delayed and Complete Release Using Eudragit L 100

The purpose of the research was to optimize the preparation of duloxetine hydrochloride (duloxetine HCl) delayed release tablets. Duloxetine HCl produces a toxic substance called alpha-naphthol when duloxetine HCl is in contact with gastric fluid. Thus, duloxetine HCl when given orally needed a protective enteric coating that disable the delivery of duloxetine HCl in gastric fluid while enabling the drug delivery only in small intestine. Four different core tablets were prepared by direct compression technique, and the one which displayed quick disintegration and dissolution was chosen for enteric coating. The compressed tablets were enteric coated by dip coating technique. Since subcoating is required to safeguard the enteric coating, the core tablets were subcoated by using polymer HPMC K15M and then enteric coated with Eudragit L 100. The prepared tablets were assessed for the entire precompression and postcompression characteristics. FTIR study revealed the existence of all prominent peaks signifying its compatibility and authenticity. The in vitro studies showed that enteric-coated tablets were capable of restricting release in acidic media. The formulation F8 was optimised with 5% and 15% increase in weight of seal coat and enteric coat with good dissolution profile. Stability studies revealed that the optimized formulation was intact without any deterioration for 3 months. In conclusion, the optimized formulation could resist the drug release in acidic environment of gastrointestinal region and release the drug at a time once the tablet reaches the intestine

Role of Nanotechnology in Overcoming the Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Therapy: A Review

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the globe and is likely to become the major cause of global death in the coming years. As per World Health Organization (WHO) report, every year there are over 10 and 9 million new cases and deaths from this disease. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery are the three basic approaches to treating cancer. These approaches are aiming at eradicating all cancer cells with minimum off-target effects on other cell types. Most drugs have serious adverse effects due to the lack of target selectivity. On the other hand, resistance to already available drugs has emerged as a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy, allowing cancer to proliferate irrespective of the chemotherapeutic agent. Consequently, it leads to multidrug resistance (MDR), a growing concern in the scientific community. To overcome this problem, in recent years, nanotechnology-based drug therapies have been explored and have shown great promise in overcoming resistance, with most nano-based drugs being explored at the clinical level. Through this review, we try to explain various mechanisms involved in multidrug resistance in cancer and the role nanotechnology has played in overcoming or reversing this resistance

Development of a Polyherbal Topical Gel for the Treatment of Acne

The present work aimed to formulate and evaluate a polyherbal gel using Aloe barbadensis and extract of Vigna radiata for the treatment of acne, a disorder of the skin in which hair follicles and sebaceous glands are blocked, causing inflammation and redness of the skin. Aloe barbadensis pulp was collected and mixed with the extract of Vigna radiata and formulated into a gel using Carbopol 940, triethanolamine, and propylene glycol as the gelling agent, viscosity modifier, and pH modifier, respectively. The gel was evaluated for its antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Antimicrobial agents, such as gentamycin and fluconazole, were used as the standards. The developed formulation showed promising zone of inhibition. The gel was further evaluated for its physicochemical properties. The formulation showed a promising effect on acne together with the additive effect of Aloe barbadensis on skin