Ascorbic acid loaded PLGA nanoparticles gel intended to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma

The conventional chemotherapy approach is associated with several drawbacks specifically detrimental adverse effects to the patient and occurrence of chemoresistance towards commonly used chemotherapy which further leads to treatment failure, disease recurrence and metastasis. The main objective of this study was to develop and characterise alternative potential anticancer ascorbic acid loaded PLGA nanoparticles gel for oral mucosa application for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Ascorbic acid loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method followed by incorporation in different concentration of mucoadhesive Carbopol gel bases. The nanoparticles formulation were characterised for various physicochemical properties such as particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, drug-polymer interaction, nanoparticles morphology and in vitro drug release profile. Ascorbic acid nanoparticle loaded mucoadhesive gel were evaluated for physical appearance, pH, viscosity, flow behaviour, spreadability, mucoadhesion and in vitro release study. The particle size of the optimised nanoparticles was found to be 252 ± 2.98 nm, polydispersity index of 0.151 ± 0.02, zeta potential of -20.93 ± 0.87 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 69.73 ± 1.07%. Scanning electron microscope images revealed the spherical shape of nanoparticles. The drug release behaviour exhibited a biphasic pattern namely initial burst release followed by controlled release subsequently. The FT-IR result confirmed the absence of drug-polymer interaction. The optimised nanoparticle-in-gel formulation showed a good physical appearance, pH value, spreadability, viscosity and mucoadhesion. The flow behaviour of the optimised nanoparticle-in-gel formulation exhibited pseudoplastic behaviour. The cumulative amount of ascorbic acid released at 6 hours was 42.9 ± 4.3% with zero-order release kinetics. In conclusion, ascorbic acid loaded PLGA nanoparticle-in-mucoadhesive gel was successfully prepared and the study proved the potentiality and suitability of the formulation to be topically applied to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma

Ascorbic acid-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles incorporated into a polyacrylic acid gel as a promising tool for site-specific oral cancer therapy

Background: Chemotherapy is commonly used in oral cancer therapy, especially as the disease advances. However, it is associated with terrible adverse effects and the occurrence of chemoresistance which causes treatment failure. Thus, discovering a new potential anticancer agent and developing a safe, effective and non-invasive drug delivery are necessary. Objective: The objective of the current study is to develop ascorbic acid-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (AA-PLGA) nanoparticles incorporated into polyacrylic acid gel intended to treat oral cancer. Materials and methods: Double emulsion solvent evaporation method was used to fabricate AA-PLGA nanoparticles. Optimisation was carried out in the primary emulsion based on multilevel factorial design by testing at varying surfactant types and concentrations. The optimised nanoparticles formulation was further incorporated into different concentrations of polyacrylic acid gel, and compared with a mucoadhesive polyacrylic acid-based commercial product (Kin Care) as a reference. The optimised AA-PLGA nanoparticles were subjected to cytotoxic assay against the SCC-25 cell line. Results: For the optimised formulation, we observed particle size of 252 ± 2.98 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.151 ± 0.02, zeta potential of -20.93 ± 0.87 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 69.73 ± 1.07%. Polyacrylic acid polymer with a strength of 1% was chosen as the optimum gelling agent for AA-PLGA nanoparticles-in-gel formulation. Cytotoxicity study of the optimised nanoparticle demonstrated significant (p-value < 0.05) reduction of cancer cell viability in a dose-dependent manner with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 2.42 mg/mL. Conclusion: The results of the present study support the feasibility of AA-PLGA nanoparticles-in-gel formulation for oral cancer therapy

Stability study of royal jelly in alginate-pectin beads

The stability of royal jelly (RJ) beads is a critical aspect to ensure the product is safe, efficacious, and possesses an acceptable quality for consumers. This study aims to establish storage duration and condition to ensure the stability of RJ in alginate-pectin bead

The positive impact of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) utilisation in cancer treatment: a scoping review of published articles from the perspective of the in vitro studies

Survival benefit of patients with advanced cancer was reported with intravenous vitamin C administration. Nev�ertheless, a recent systematic review failed to support the clinically use of vitamin C in cancer patients due to the diversity of interventions and cancer type. This study aimed to provide a scoping review of vitamin C utilisation and its impact on cancer treatment from the perspective of in vitro studies. The review was conducted using predefined search terms in three scientific databases. 44 articles were retrieved with a total of 15 cancer types being studied from 2015 to 2020. The findings were classified into primary and secondary outcome. The primary outcome refers to chief consequences of vitamin C treatment, while the secondary outcome denotes the additional advantages generated as a result of the primary outcome, which occurs both in monotherapy and combination therapy. This review discussed the major mechanism of vitamin C as anti-cancer and its relation with the outcomes

Effectiveness of nicotine-based and non-nicotine based drug delivery system for smoking cessation among the elderly

Smoking is associated with a higher risk of mortality, especially in smokers with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Smoking cessation remains the most effective approach in reducing smoking-related illness risks at all ages. For elderly smokers, smoking cessation has been proved to prolong life expectancy and reduce the risk of stroke and ischemic heart disease. However, a wide selection of smoking cessation medications makes prescribing challenging, especially among elderly smokers. Inability to recommend the best treatment may reduce the smoking cessation success rate in the elderly. Therefore, this study compares the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy available and correlate the effect of ageing on the effectiveness, leading to the recommendation of the best medication for elderly smokers. A systematic searching strategy was performed in three different databases by using predetermined search strings. Overall, this systematic review revealed that varenicline showed the greatest smoking cessation rate among the elderly, followed by bupropion and NRT

Abstracts of the International Halal Science Conference 2023

This book presents the extended abstracts of the selected contributions to the International Halal Science Conference, held on 22-23 August 2023 by the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Malaysia in collaboration with Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, University Islam Sultan Sharif (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam. With the increasing global interest in halal products and services, this conference is timely. Conference Title:  International Halal Science ConferenceConference Acronym: IHASC23Conference Theme: Halal Industry Sustainability Through ScienceConference Date: 22-23 August 2023Conference Venue: International Islamic University (IIUM), MalaysiaConference Organizer: International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysi

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4&nbsp;% presented with RS, while 13.6&nbsp;% had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7&nbsp;% vs RS: 37.5&nbsp;%). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1&nbsp;% vs. RS 32.0&nbsp;%), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders