FORMULATION AND IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF EFAVIRENZ LIQUISOLID COMPACTS

Objective: The present research is aimed to enhance the dissolution rate of Efavirenz using liquisolid compact technology.Methods: About 16 different formulations were developed using factorial design with carriers (Neusilin and Fugicalin), binder (PVP K-30) and vehicle (polyethylene glycol 300) as independent variables and aerosil 200 is used as coating material. The In-vitro drug release from the LSC has used a dependent variable. The empirical method by Spireas and Bolton was applied to calculate the amounts of carrier and coating materials and obtained the improved flow characteristics and hardness by changing the proportion of carrier and coating materials.Results: A 23 factorial design is used and developed LSC using Neusilin (LSC-N1 to LSC-N8) and Fugicalin (LSC-F1 to LSC-F8). The physicochemical evaluation of all formulations exhibited well within the specification limits with respect to weight variation, hardness, friability and content uniformity. The In-vitro drug release from these LSC was evaluated in 0.1 N HCl and the optimized formulation (LSC-N8) was compared with pure drug (capsule) and physical mixture (tablet). The release studies proved that the liquisolid tablets results in higher release profile than pure drug and physical mixture due to increase in surface and wetting properties of the drug.Conclusion: LSC technique confirmed the enhanced dissolution rate of Efavirenz, which in turn helps in improving bioavailability.Â

Rice biofortification: breeding and genomic approaches for genetic enhancement of grain zinc and iron contents

Rice is a highly consumed staple cereal cultivated predominantly in Asian countries, which share 90% of global rice production. Rice is a primary calorie provider for more than 3.5 billion people across the world. Preference and consumption of polished rice have increased manifold, which resulted in the loss of inherent nutrition. The prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (Zn and Fe) are major human health challenges in the 21st century. Biofortification of staples is a sustainable approach to alleviating malnutrition. Globally, significant progress has been made in rice for enhancing grain Zn, Fe, and protein. To date, 37 biofortified Fe, Zn, Protein and Provitamin A rich rice varieties are available for commercial cultivation (16 from India and 21 from the rest of the world; Fe > 10 mg/kg, Zn > 24 mg/kg, protein > 10% in polished rice as India target while Zn > 28 mg/kg in polished rice as international target). However, understanding the micronutrient genetics, mechanisms of uptake, translocation, and bioavailability are the prime areas that need to be strengthened. The successful development of these lines through integrated-genomic technologies can accelerate deployment and scaling in future breeding programs to address the key challenges of malnutrition and hidden hunger

Combination Therapy of Lamivudine and Zidovudine using Sterically Stabilized Liposomes: Development and Characterization

Aim: Lamivudine and zidovudine are nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors with activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). However, only temporary and limited benefits are observed in HIV-infected patients treated with a single drug or in combination. The limited ability of these agents to decrease viral burden, the rapid development of resistance and toxic side effects have limited their long-term efficacy. Hence, in the present work, an attempt is being made to provide for stable drug delivery system with an improved therapeutic index for both the drugs in the form of stealth liposomes. Methodology: Various liposome batches were prepared by thin film hydration technique and were characterized for preformulation and post formulation parameters such as compatibility, particle size, zeta potential, percentage entrapment, surface morphology, in vitro drug release profile, and stability using specified methods. Results: Fourier transform infrared study indicated that there is no significant chemical interaction between the components. Transmission electron microscopy photograph confirmed that vesicles were homogeneous and spherical in shape. Percentage drug entrapment of stealth liposomes was found to be within the range of 56.21-71.92%. In vitro dissolution was carried out for 24 h and the percentage drug release for all the formulations was in the range of 79.29% and 94.23%. Stability studies showed that the liposomes were stable in -20 degrees C and refrigerated 4 degrees C for 1 month without significant changes in drug entrapment. Conclusion: The present study has given us a fair understanding that liposomes with a low amount of cholesterol and long alkyl chain length phosphatidylcholines are a better candidate for stealth liposomes encapsulated with a combination of antiretroviral drugs

Reveal the concealed – Morphological variations of the coronoid process, condyle and sigmoid notch in personal identification

Objective of the study: The study was conducted to evaluate different morphological variations of the coronoid process, the condyle and the sigmoid notch using panoramic radiographs for personal identification. Materials and methods: The study was carried out using 200 digital orthopantomographs (OPGs) comprised of both sexes; and the different shapes of the coronoid process, condyle and the sigmoid notch were traced on projection sheets for both the right and left sides and the data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The current study has illustrated various morphological shapes of the three selected entities and the most common shape of the coronoid process was observed to be triangular and that of sigmoid notch was the wider form. Whereas the condylar shape commonly observed among the males and females were angled and round shapes respectively. These variations when compared on both the sides had shown no statistical significance. Conclusion: The present study has tried to unfold the unknown aspects pertaining to our ethnic group for identification of a person by means of panoramic radiographs. The results have exemplified that the variations in the morphology of the coronoid process, condyle and the sigmoid notch using panoramic radiography can tentatively be used as a screening tool in human identification owing to its ready availability in most of the hospital settings

Attomolar analyte sensing techniques (AttoSens): A review on a decade of progress on chemical and biosensing nanoplatforms

Detecting the ultra-low abundance of analytes in real-life samples, such as biological fluids, water, soil, and food, requires the design and development of high-performance biosensing modalities. The breakthrough efforts from the scientific community have led to the realization of sensing technologies that measure the analyte's ultra-trace level, with relevant sensitivity, selectivity, response time, and sampling efficiency, referred to as Attomolar Analyte Sensing Techniques (AttoSens) in this review. In an AttoSens platform, 1 aM detection corresponds to the quantification of 60 target analyte molecules in 100 μL of sample volume. Herein, we review the approaches listed for various sensor probe design, and their sensing strategies that paved the way for the detection of attomolar (aM: 10-18 M) concentration of analytes. A summary of the technological advances made by the diverse AttoSens trends from the past decade is presented. This journal isSPU is grateful to the Science and Engineering Research Board – Department of Science and Technology (SERB – DST), India (Grant no. PDF/2018/000079) for the National Postdoctoral Fellowship. VVRS and RD gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India. VVRS acknowledges the funding from Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC), New Delhi under the DEMO-Multi-WAP project (IGSTC/Call 2015-Extension/Multi-WAP/09/2019-20). ICN2 is funded by the CERCA programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. The ICN2 is supported by the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence programme, funded by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI, grant no. SEV-2017-0706). The authors are grateful to Ms Volga Muthukumar, Mr Divagar Murugan, Ms Kuzhandai Shamlee James and Mr Rohan. S for their help in the manuscript preparation