Formulation and evaluation of transdermal patch of Aceclofenac

The purpose of this research was to develop a matrix-type transdermal therapeutic system containing drug Aceclofenac with different ratios of hydrophilic (hydroxyl propyl cellulose) and hydrophobic (ethyl cellulose) polymeric systems by the solvent evaporation technique by using 15 % w/w of dibutyl phthalate to the polymer weight, incorporated as plasticizer. Different concentrations of oleic acid and isopropyl myristate were used to enhance the transdermal permeation of Aceclofenac. The physicochemical compatibility of the drug and the polymers studied by differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy suggested absence of any incompatibility. Formulated transdermal films were physically evaluated with regard to thickness, weight variation, drug content, flatness, tensile strength, folding endurance, percentage of moisture content and water vapour transmission rate. All prepared formulations indicated good physical stability. In-vitro permeation studies of formulations were performed by using Franz diffusion cells. Formulation prepared with hydrophilic polymer containing permeation enhancer showed best in-vitro skin permeation through rat skin (Wistar albino rat) as compared to all other formulations. The results followed the release profile of Aceclofenac followed mixed zero-order and first-order kinetics in different formulation. However, the release profile of the optimized formulation F9 (r2 = 0.9935 for Higuchi) indicated that the permeation of the drug from the patches was governed by a diffusion mechanism. Formulation F9 showed highest flux among all the formulations and 1.369 fold enhancements in drug permeation. These results indicate that the formulation containing 15 % of oleic acid with 10 % Isopropyl myristate give better penetration of Aceclofenac through rat skin.Keywords: Aceclofenac, Transdermal Film, Permeation enhancer, In-vitro permeation study

Isoflavones and PPAR Signaling: A Critical Target in Cardiovascular, Metastatic, and Metabolic Disease

Isoflavone intake through foods and dietary supplements has both health advocates and critics. The latter come from a concern about the estrogenic effects of isoflavones in certain species. However, careful removal of isoflavones and other estrogens from the diet of rodents leads to the metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that isoflavones have other mechanisms of action, potentially those involving regulation of fatty acid metabolism via the nuclear receptors PPARα and PPARγ. The goal of this paper was to examine the evidence for isoflavone/PPAR signaling and to identify diseases in which such signaling would have an important impact. It is therefore of note that investigators using a chemical structure approach to discover PPAR ligands identified isoflavones as the best structures in the library of compounds that they tested. Future studies will involve careful identification of the underlying mechanisms whereby isoflavones have their action via PPAR signaling

Formulation optimization of floating microbeads containing modified Chinese yam starch using factorial design

Controlled release floating metformin hydrochloride microbeads have been prepared and optimized using a blend of varying concentrations of freeze-dried pregelatinized Chinese yam (Dioscorea oppositifolia) starch and sodium alginate. Floating microbeads were prepared by the ionotropic gelation method using 10% w/v calcium chloride as the cross-linking agent and sodium bicarbonate as the gas releasing agent. A full 32 factorial design was used to investigate the influence of two variables: concentrations of starch (X1) and sodium bicarbonate (X2) on the swelling, floating lag time and amount of drug released after 1 hour (Q1) and 10 hours (Q10). Potential variables such as the concentrations of drug and total polymer were kept constant. The results showed that the properties of the floating microbeads were significantly (

Performance of a hydromagnetic squeeze film on a rough circular step bearing: a comparision of different porous structures

This investigation deals with a comparative analysis of the impact of spongy structure based on the model of Kozeny-Carman and Irmay on a hydromagnetic squeeze film in a rough circular step bearing. Christensen and Tonder’s stochastic averaging process has been utilized to determine the role of an arbitrary transverse surface irregularity. The distribution of the pressure in the bearing is obtained by solving the concerned generalised stochastically averaged equation of Reynolds’ with appropriate boundary conditions. The outcomes show that increasing values of magnetization results in an augmented load. The impact of the surface irregularity (transverse) has been found to be adverse. In addition, the negative effect of the surface irregularity and porosity can be minimised by the positive impact of magnetization, at least in the case of the globular sphere model of Kozeny-Carman. Furthermore, the lower strength of the magnetic field results in an approximately similar performance for both these models. This study offers the possibility that the Kozeny-Carman model could be deployed in comparison with Irmay’s model

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF IVERMECTIN SOLID DISPERSION

This study was aimed to formulate and evaluate solid dispersion containing ivermectin to improve solubility. Ivermectin is BCS (Biopharmaceutical classification system) class-II drug, which has high permeability and low water solubility (0.005mg/ml) which is responsible for its poor dissolution rate and ultimately leads to variable absorption. Solid dispersion with Gelucire (44/14) has the ability to improve dissolution of poor water soluble drugs. So, solid dispersion ivermectin with Gelucire 44/14 was prepared to enhance the solubility and was further evaluated for different parameters such as assay, wettability, DSC, FT-IR, dissolution study

Enhancing the Solubility and Dissolution Rate of Meclizine Hydrochloride by Inclusion Complex

Meclizine Hydrochloride is an Anti-Histamine drugs with very low bioavailability that can be improved by increasing its solubility and dissolution rate. The aim of this study is to enhance dissolution of Meclizine Hydrochloride as a model hydrophobic drug through application of inclusion complex technology. It was formulated as inclusion complex compact, and its dissolution property is evaluated and compared with marketed product of Meclizine Hcl tablet. The newly formulated drug and the interaction between excipients was examined by, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning colorimetry, respectively. Both DSC and SEM results suggested loss of crystallinity of Meclizine Hydrochloride upon conversion into a inclusion complex formulation. The dissolution efficiency of Meclizine Hydrochloride at 45 min was increased from directly compressed tablet to 98.0% for marketed product to 97.2% at 45 minutes for the inclusion complex formulation. The increase in the dissolution rate was also found to be significant compared to the marketed product. The inclusion complex technique appears to be a promising approach for improving the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs like Meclizine Hydrochloride. Keywords: Meclizine Hydrochloride, inclusion complex, Avicel pH 102, Talc, Lactose, ethano

The Hepatoprotective Effect of Sodium Nitrite on Cold Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major cause of primary graft non-function or initial function failure post-transplantation. In this study, we examined the effects of sodium nitrite supplementation on liver IRI in either Lactated Ringer's (LR) solution or University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. The syngeneic recipients of liver grafts were also treated with or without nitrite by intra-peritoneal injection. Liver AST and LDH release were significantly reduced in both nitrite-supplemented LR and UW preservation solutions compared to their controls. The protective effect of nitrite was more efficacious with longer cold preservation times. Liver histological examination demonstrated better preserved morphology and architecture with nitrite treatment. Hepatocellular apoptosis was significantly reduced in the nitrite-treated livers compared their controls. Moreover, liver grafts with extended cold preservation time of 12 to 24 hours demonstrated improved liver tissue histology and function post-reperfusion with either the nitrite-supplemented preservation solution or in nitrite-treated recipients. Interestingly, combined treatment of both the liver graft and recipient did not confer protection. Thus, nitrite treatment affords significant protection from cold ischemic and reperfusion injury to donor livers and improves liver graft acute function post-transplantation. The results from this study further support the potential for nitrite therapy to mitigate ischemia-reperfusion injury in solid organ transplantation

Combining ability studies for yield, associated traits and quality attributes in rice for South Gujarat (Oryza sativa L.)

Line x tester analysis using a set of four females, ten males and their forty hybrids was carried out to esti-mate the general combining ability of parents and specific combining ability of hybrids for yield and ten other associ-ated components in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a Randomized Block Design during Kharif 2011. GCA variances for females (s2f) were significant at 0.1% level of significance for plant height (40.8), no. of grains per panicle (505.9), grain yield per plant (29.1), test weight(17.9), straw yield per plant (61.3) and kernel L/B ratio (0.2) whereas specific combining ability (SCA) variances for f x m interactions were highly significant for all the characters. Non-additive gene action was prevalent in all characters (Range: 0.03 in amylose content to 0.88 in kernel length breadth ratio) except plant height (1.33) as evident by low GCA to SCA ratio. None of the parents were good general combiner for all traits, however, female IR-28 and male AMT-119 and PNR-546 were good general combiners for a maximum number of traits i.e. five traits out of eleven.. The general combining ability for grain yield per plant for female parent Gurjari (6.19) and NVSR-178 (5.29); and male parents AMT 119 (2.73) and PNR 546 (2.44) makes them a good choice for improving yields in a hybridization programme as these female and male parents are also having signifi-cant GCA effects for maximum number of yield associated traits i.e. four and five traits out of eleven for female and male parents respectively. A vis-à-vis comparison of top three specific combining ability crosses with their mean performance showed correlation and these crosses were having at least one good general combining ability parent

Twelve tips for rapidly migrating to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive adaptation in health professions education, with a shift from in-person learning activities to a sudden heavy reliance on internet-mediated education. Some health professions schools will have already had considerable educational technology and cultural infrastructure in place, making such a shift more of a different emphasis in provision. For others, this shift will have been a considerable dislocation for both educators and learners in the provision of education. To aid educators make this shift effectively, this 12 Tips article presents a compendium of key principles and practical recommendations that apply to the modalities that make up online learning. The emphasis is on design features that can be rapidly implemented and optimised for the current pandemic. Where applicable, we have pointed out how these short-term shifts can also be beneficial for the long-term integration of educational technology into the organisations' infrastructure. The need for adaptability on the part of educators and learners is an important over-arching theme. By demonstrating these core values of the health professions school in a time of crisis, the manner in which the shift to online learning is carried out sends its own important message to novice health professionals who are in the process of developing their professional identities as learners and as clinicians

Statistical Classification Strategy for Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectra of Soft Tissue Sarcoma: An Exploratory Study with Potential Clinical Utility

Purpose: Histological grading is currently one of the best predictors of tumor behavior and outcome in soft tissue sarcoma. However, occasionally there is significant disagreement even among expert pathologists. An alternative method that gives more reliable and non-subjective diagnostic information is needed. The potential use of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in combination with an appropriate statistical classification strategy was tested here in differentiating normal mesenchymal tissue from soft tissue sarcoma