Compact Wideband Microstrip Patch Antenna Design for Breast Cancer Detection

The current breast cancer detection techniques are mostly invasive and suffer from high cost, high false rate and inefficacy in early detection. These limitations can be subdued by development of non-invasive microwave detection system whose performance is predominantly dependent on the antenna used in the system. The designing of a compact wideband antenna and matching its impedance with breast phantom is a challenging task. In this paper, we have designed a compact antenna matched with the breast phantom operating in wideband frequency from 1 to 6 GHz capable to detect the dielectric (or impedance) contrast of the benign and malignant tissue. The impedance of the antenna is matched to a cubically shaped breast phantom and a very small tumor (volume=1 cm3). The antenna is tuned to the possible range of electrical properties of breast phantom and tumour (permittivity ranging from 10 to 20 and conductivity from 1.5 to 2.5 S/m). The return loss (S11), E-field distribution and specific absorption rate (SAR) are simulated. The operating band of antenna placed near the phantom without tumor was found to be (1.11-5.47)GHz and with tumor inside phantom is (1.29-5.50)GHz. Results also show that the SAR of the antenna is within the safety limit

SYNTHESIS, MOLECULAR MODELING, AND QUANTITATIVE STRUCTURE–ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP STUDIES OF UNDEC-10-ENEHYDRAZIDE DERIVATIVES AS ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

Objective: In recent years, an increasing frequency and severity of antimicrobial resistance to different antimicrobial agents, demands new remedies for the treatment of infections. Therefore, in this study, a series of undec-10-enehydrazide derivatives were synthesized and screened for in vitro activity against selected pathogenic microbial strains.Methods: The synthesis of the intermediate and target compounds was performed by standard procedure. Synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity by tube dilution method. Molecular docking study of synthesized derivatives was also performed to find out their interaction with the target site of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III, (FabH; pdb id:3IL7) by docking technique. Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies were also performed to correlate antimicrobial activity with structural properties of synthesized molecules.Results: Antimicrobial screening results showed that compound 8 having benzylidine moiety with methoxy groups at meta and para position and compound 16 having 3-chloro-2-(3-flourophenyl)-4-oxoazetidine moiety was found to be most potent. QSAR studies revealed the importance of Randic topology parameter (R) in describing the antimicrobial activity of synthesized derivatives. Molecular docking study indicated hydrophobic interaction of deeply inserted aliphatic side chain of the ligand with FabH. The N-atoms of hydrazide moiety interacts with Ala246 and Asn247 through H-bonding. The m- and p-methoxy groups form H-bond with water and side chain of Arg36, respectively.Conclusion: Compound 8 having benzylidine moiety with methoxy groups at meta and para position and compound 16 having 3-chloro-2-(3- flourophenyl)-4-oxoazetidine moiety was found to most potent antibacterial and antifungal compounds, respectively

DISCRIMINATORY POTENTIAL OF BIPHASIC MEDIUM OVER COMPENDIAL AND BIORELEVANT MEDIUM FOR ASSESSMENT OF DISSOLUTION BEHAVIOR OF TABLETS CONTAINING MELOXICAM NANOPARTICLES

ABSTRACTObjective: Dissolution test serves as a quality control tool for assessment of drug release from dosage form as well as a research tool to optimize newformulations. The existing guidelines by FDA, EMA, ICH, USP, etc., describe specifications for the dissolution of immediate release as well as modifiedrelease oral dosage form. However, none of them have discussed about the discriminatory potential of the medium to differentiate release profile of twoor more products that are pharmaceutically equivalent. It is pertinent to add here that the pharmaceutical equivalents are not always bioequivalent.Hence, a discriminatory dissolution procedure is a must requirement to differentiate the release behavior of drug from a pharmaceutically equivalentproduct that contains different types and amount of excipient in the formulation. This also becomes more cumbersome when it is desirable forprediction of in vivo behavior of a drug when it is converted into a novel delivery system like nanoparticles. The reason could be the presence ofexcipients used to formulate drug nanoparticles into solid oral dosage form, may change the drug disintegration as well as dissolution behavior, whichultimately may lead to altered bioavailability.Methods: In this study, the nanoparticles of meloxicam were prepared using wet media milling and the milled samples were dried using spray drier.The dried nanoparticles were converted into tablet dosage form by varying the type of diluent. To one batch lactose was used and another one wascontaining dicalcium phosphate (DCP). The assessment of release of meloxicam from these two batches was evaluated in various dissolution media.Results: The study revealed that in all the cases the nanoparticulate tablets of Batch 1 have given increased dissolution profile as compared tomarketed formulation (Muvera), Batch 2 and controlled tablets of meloxicam. This proved that the excipients also play a major role in the releasebehavior of drug otherwise if it was not so, the nanoparticulate tablets of Batch 1 and Batch 2 would have given the same dissolution profile in all thetried media. Batch 1 containing lactose with a higher surface area provided more and rapid wetting of the drug by the dissolution media compared toBatch 2 that contained DCP as a major diluent.®Conclusion: Among all the dissolution media tried to evaluate the discriminatory power and simulation with a biorelevant medium, the biphasicmedium of pH 1.8, 4.8 and 6.8 has promised to simulate with biorelevant media. However, the medium of pH 6.8 has shown the best dissolution profile.Keywords: Solubility, Compendial media, Biphasic media, Dissolution, Meloxicam

INFLUENCE OF FORMULATION PARAMETERS ON DISSOLUTION RATE ENHANCEMENT OF PIROXICAM USING LIQUISOLID TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACTObjective: This study revealed formulation of a liquisolid system of poorly soluble piroxicam to enhance its dissolution rate. To formulate a liquisolidsystem loaded with piroxicam, solubility study was carried out in various non-volatile liquids.Methods: In 1 ml of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 600, 100 mg piroxicam was added and stirred with gentle heating. To the above liquid medication, 1 gmicrocrystalline cellulose (MCC) 102 (as MCC has given better results), 1 g Syloid 244 FP, 2 g PEG 4000, 500 mg aerosil 200, and 0.255 g sodium starchglycolate (SSG) (5%) were added and mixed properly. The blend was compressed and subjected for quality control parameters.Results: Among all the non-volatile liquids evaluated, piroxicam was most soluble in PEG 600. Using this as liquid medication, several liquisolid compactswere prepared by varying the ratios of MCC PH 102 as carrier and Syloid 244FP as coating material and evaluated for precompression studies. To furtheraccelerate the release of drug, various additives were added in the formulation. Among them, PEG 4000 has shown better flow as well as compressionproperties. Hence, the final formulation (LS-16B) was prepared using a combination of MCC PH 102, Syloid 244 FP, PEG 4000 and SSG as superdisintegrant.The dissolution studies revealed that about 92.18% drug got released from liquisolid compacts in 120 minutes, whereas only 68.16% release wasobserved for pure piroxicam. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy images revealed the successful formation of liquisolid system.Conclusion: It was concluded that dissolution rate of poorly soluble piroxicam could be enhanced using liquisolid technique.Keywords: Piroxicam, Polyethylene glycol 600, Microcrystalline cellulose PH 102, Syloid 244 FP, Polyethylene glycol 4000

Identifying the population of T-Tauri stars in Taurus: UV-optical synergy

With the third data release of the Gaia mission $Gaia$ DR3 with its precise photometry and astrometry, it is now possible to study the behaviour of stars at a scale never seen before. In this paper, we developed new criteria to identify T-Tauri stars (TTS) candidates using UV and optical CMDs by combining the GALEX and Gaia surveys. We found 19 TTS candidates and 5 of them are newly identified TTS in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC), not catalogued before as TMC members. For some of the TTS candidates, we also obtained optical spectra from several Indian telescopes. We also present the analysis of the distance and proper motion of young stars in the Taurus using data from $Gaia$ DR3. We found that the stars in Taurus show a bimodal distribution with distance, having peaks at $130.17_{-1.24}^{1.31}$ pc and $156.25_{-5.00}^{1.86}$ pc. The reason for this bimodality, we think, is due to the fact that different clouds in the TMC region are at different distances. We further show that the two populations have similar ages and proper motion distribution. Using the $Gaia$ DR3 colour-magnitude diagram, we show that the age of Taurus is consistent with 1 Myr.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure

FORMULATION, SYSTEMATIC OPTIMIZATION, IN VITRO, EX VIVO, AND STABILITY ASSESSMENT OF TRANSETHOSOME BASED GEL OF CURCUMIN

Objectives: The current work presents a formulation of curcumin-loaded transethosome (CRM-TE) in the form of a gel and its characterization.Methods: Thirteen formulations were prepared by varying the concentration of Phospholipon 90G as lipid, ethanol, and ratio of lipid: Span using Box- Behnken Design. The optimized formulation was characterized by vesicle size, entrapment efficiency, drug retention, drug permeation through skin, and morphology. Parameters of CRM-TE were compared to other vesicular systems that include liposomes, ethosomes, and transfersomes. Optimized CRM-TE was incorporated into gels, and comparative evaluation was performed. CRM-TE gel was kept at 5±3°C, 25±3°C, and 40±3°C for 180 days, further evaluated for entrapment efficacy and vesicle size.Results: CRM-TE showed 286.4 nm vesicle size, 61.2% entrapment efficiency, 19.8% drug retention, and 71.3% drug permeation at 24 h in the skin. It was found superior in terms of all the parameters as compared to other vesicular formulations. CRM-TE gel also exhibited best characteristics in terms of entrapment efficiency, drug retention, and drug permeation. CRM-TE gel exhibited better stability at 5±3°C in terms of vesicle size and entrapment efficiency as compared to other storage conditions.Conclusion: CRM-TE gel could offer efficient delivery of curcumin through topical route

DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED DISPOSABLE STATIC DIFFUSION CELL FOR DRUG DIFFUSION/PERMEABILITY STUDIES

Objectives: The present study describes a disposable static diffusion cell for in vitro diffusion studies to achieve better results as compared to well existing Franz diffusion cell (FDC) in terms of the absence of bubbles, variable receptor compartment, ease of handling, and faster results.Materials and Methods: The cell consists of a cup-shaped donor compartment made of semi permeable that could be either cellophane membrane or, animal skin fitted to a rigid frame, which is supported on a plastic plate that contains a hole for the sample withdrawal. The receptor compartment is a separate unit, and it could be any container up to 500ml volume capacity. The most preferred receptor compartment is glass beaker. In the present study, goatskin was used as semi-permeable membrane and verification of its performance was carried out through diffusion studies using gel formulations of one each of the four-selected biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class drugs. Metronidazole, diclofenac sodium, fluconazole, and sulfadiazine were used as model drugs for BCS Class I, II, III, and IV, respectively.Results: The newly developed diffusion cell (NDDC) was found to provide faster and more reproducible results as compared to FDC. At the time interval of 24 h, the cell was found to exhibit a higher diffusion of metronidazole, diclofenac sodium, fluconazole, and sulfadiazine by 0.65, 0.65, 0.32, and 0.81 folds, respectively. The faster release obtained with NDDC was attributed to a larger surface area of skin as compared to that in FDC.Conclusion: It was concluded that better reproducibility of results could be achieved with NDDC

Daksha: On Alert for High Energy Transients

We present Daksha, a proposed high energy transients mission for the study of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources, and gamma ray bursts. Daksha will comprise of two satellites in low earth equatorial orbits, on opposite sides of earth. Each satellite will carry three types of detectors to cover the entire sky in an energy range from 1 keV to >1 MeV. Any transients detected on-board will be announced publicly within minutes of discovery. All photon data will be downloaded in ground station passes to obtain source positions, spectra, and light curves. In addition, Daksha will address a wide range of science cases including monitoring X-ray pulsars, studies of magnetars, solar flares, searches for fast radio burst counterparts, routine monitoring of bright persistent high energy sources, terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and probing primordial black hole abundances through lensing. In this paper, we discuss the technical capabilities of Daksha, while the detailed science case is discussed in a separate paper.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Additional information about the mission is available at https://www.dakshasat.in

Science with the Daksha High Energy Transients Mission

We present the science case for the proposed Daksha high energy transients mission. Daksha will comprise of two satellites covering the entire sky from 1~keV to $>1$~MeV. The primary objectives of the mission are to discover and characterize electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave source; and to study Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Daksha is a versatile all-sky monitor that can address a wide variety of science cases. With its broadband spectral response, high sensitivity, and continuous all-sky coverage, it will discover fainter and rarer sources than any other existing or proposed mission. Daksha can make key strides in GRB research with polarization studies, prompt soft spectroscopy, and fine time-resolved spectral studies. Daksha will provide continuous monitoring of X-ray pulsars. It will detect magnetar outbursts and high energy counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts. Using Earth occultation to measure source fluxes, the two satellites together will obtain daily flux measurements of bright hard X-ray sources including active galactic nuclei, X-ray binaries, and slow transients like Novae. Correlation studies between the two satellites can be used to probe primordial black holes through lensing. Daksha will have a set of detectors continuously pointing towards the Sun, providing excellent hard X-ray monitoring data. Closer to home, the high sensitivity and time resolution of Daksha can be leveraged for the characterization of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to ApJ. More details about the mission at https://www.dakshasat.in

Developing a microfluidic-microwave platform for real-time, non-invasive and sensitive monitoring of pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility testing

Microfluidics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are areas of studies that have become highly valued for their point-of-care (POC) and high-throughput potential, particularly in healthcare and biomedical applications. However, lab-on-a-chip devices often require supplementary equipment to operate such as pumps, computers, analyzers, valves, etc. This creates a lab-around-a-chip environment. Therefore, capillary fluidics has been developed to eliminate the need of some external machines such as pumps and valves. By capitalizing upon geometric changes to create a specific hydrodynamic profile, capillary fluidics creates an autonomous fluid delivery system for microfluidics which renders devices simple to use in POC environments. Furthermore, it is easily implemented with various sensory methods, such as optical, electrochemical or microwave sensing. One application in which capillary fluidics can vastly improve the quality of service is infection diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Due to issues with infection diagnosis and outdated antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods, physicians are over-prescribing broad-spectrum antibiotics. This coupled with patients’ non-compliance in antibiotic administration gives pathogens the ability to evolve a resistance to antibiotics. The root of the underlying issue creates a critical need to focus on bacterial infection diagnosis and AST, as contemporary practices require up to two weeks, are expensive, labor intensive, and lack the potential for point-of-care testing. Therefore, diagnosis and AST are not performed in most cases leading to broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions being overused. For the application of monitoring pathogens and performing AST, microwave sensing was selected for highly sensitive and relatively inexpensive implementation. Microwave resonators generate electrical fields and detect dielectric shifts within their sensing zone to characterize bioassays in a real-time, sensitive and non-invasive manner. Currently, microwave sensors are being optimized with multiple resonators to further optimize sensitivity and selectivity for biomedical applications. This makes microwave sensing an attractive approach to couple with capillary microfluidics for infection diagnosis and AST. This work aims to provide a proof of concept in coupling capillary microfluidics with planar microwave resonators to create a sensing platform to monitor the growth and antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli