Biopharmaceutic and Pharmacokinetic Studies of Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate as an Excipient for Oral Drug Delivery.

Sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB), a randomly substituted sucrose approximating sucrose diacetate hexaisobutyrate, is produced by Eastman Chemical Company for a variety of applications. SAIB is widely used in the food industry as a weighting agent to disperse flavoring oils in primarily citrus-based soft drink beverages. Additionally, SAIB is currently being marketed by another company as a parenteral drug delivery system. The studies reported here focused on investigating SAIB as an excipient, or delivery vehicle, for use in oral delivery of several drugs, including ibuprofen, saquinavir, and clarithromycin. Dissolution experiments were conducted using both ibuprofen and caffeine, and results suggest that SAIB can be used in dosage forms to control release rate. Pharmacokinetic studies in which laboratory rats were dosed with formulations containing drugs such as ibuprofen, saquinavir, and clarithromycin suggest that SAIB may act to reduce animal-to-animal variability in drug concentration profiles in some cases, and that it may also enhance gastroretention of the dosage forms. Finally, dosage form imaging studies suggest but do not reliably confirm that SAIB may aid in promoting gastric retention, which would make its use in dosage form formulation beneficial for administration of drugs whose action is intended to occur in the stomach

Cloning and characterization of mycobacterium tuberculosis katG gene

katG is tbe sole gene encoding for catalase peroxidase enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis enabling its survival in the host macrophage. This same gene has been indicted to play an important role in forming the killing effect of isoniazid (INH), a major drug used in the treabnent of tuberculosis (TB)~ It has been indicated that the folDlation of new generation drugs for TB will be connected to further understanding this interaction and the study of the structures of the katG gene. The high molecular weight genomic DNA of Mycobacterium tubercuJ.o.,;., of the clinical strain MTB69/03 from HUSM has successfully been isolated tbroogb a modification of the method in D. van Soolingen et. al .. Two primers with extra sites for tbe excision sites of EcoRl and Hind/11 were successfully used to produce a DNA product of 2252 base pairs. The product was then inserted into a pCR®.2.lTOPO ® plasmid vector. The insert was continued by the use of both PCR and restriction enzymes. Tite successfully confinned inserted plasmids were then sent for sequencing

Osteology, phylogeny, and biogeography of the marine fish family Ephippidae (Perciformes, Acanthuroidei), with comments on sister group relationships

The marine fish family Ephippidae comprises eight genera and 15 species of extant fishes. Spadefishes or batfishes inhabit nearshore tropical to temperate waters. They are almost circumglobal in distribution, with the highest diversity in the Indo-west Pacific and the lowest diversity in the east Pacific and west Atlantic. Fifty-nine potentially informative morphological characters, 10 outgroup taxa, and eight ingroup taxa (i.e., genera) were used to explore sister group hypotheses to the Ephippidae, as well as generate a phylogeny of the Ephippidae. Seven constraint tree analyses were utilized to examine various sister group hypotheses based on previous morphological and molecular analyses by other researchers. These analyses resulted in maximally parsimonious trees ranging from 184 to 197 steps. as in previous analyses, both the suborder Acanthuroidei and the family Ephippidae were found to be monophyletic. Similar to the results from previous molecular and total evidence analyses, the exact placement of Scatophagidae within the Acanthuroidei could not be determined with this data set. However, in contrast to those results, Drepaneidae was found not to be the sister taxon to Scatophagidae. A single most-parsimonious tree of 187 steps (CI = 0.412) was chosen as the best hypothesis of relationships utilizing all taxa. However, few additional steps are needed to produce very different topologies. The phylogeny of the Ephippidae was invariant for all constraint tree analyses. Homoplask evolution is prevalent within the family (CI = 0.687; Bremer Total Support Index = 0.22). The phylogenetic hypothesis depicts two distinct clades: (Chastodipterus (Ephippus (Tripterodon ( Platax, Zabidius)))) + (Proteracanthus (Parapsettus, Rhinoprenes)). One new synapomorphy is proposed for the Ephippidae: posterior processes of the pelvic-fin girdle elongate, pointed, separate from one another, and parallel to the long axis of the body. Another new synapomorphy, the possession of an elongate fourth pharyngobranchial that completely overlays the dorsal surface of the upper toothplate of the fourth branchial arch, is homoplastically shared with Zanclidae. Ancestral area analysis determined that the ancestor to the Ephippidae most likely had an east Indian/west Pacific distribution. Omnivory is plesiomorphic within the Ephippidae and confirmed to be plesiomorphic for the Acanthuroidei

The Impact of the Digital Divide on Rural Community College Students

Abstract This qualitative case study investigated the perceived impact of the digital divide on rural U.S. community college students. An online survey was conducted of adult community college students at a rural community college. In addition, volunteer faculty at the same institution were interviewed through Zoom. The purpose of the student surveys and faculty interviews was to determine the impact of the digital divide on rural community college students and the ways in which these students seek to overcome the divide. This study used a theoretical framework that combined aspects of the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to understand the factors that influence a student’s ability to overcome the digital divide. This study used census data from the county where the college is located and surrounding counties to demonstrate the current availability of high-speed internet access in the area. This study found that the digital divide remains a challenge for rural community college students. The first-level digital divide, or the access divide, and the second-level digital divide, or the digital literacy divide, are barriers to student success at rural community colleges. These students employ a variety of methods to overcome the challenges they face because of the digital divide. Keywords: digital divide, high-speed Internet access, computer ownership, smartphones, first-level digital divide, second-level digital divid

Pyrolysis and ignition behavior of coal, cattle biomass, and coal/cattle biomass blends

Increases in demand, lower emission standards, and reduced fuel supplies have fueled the recent effort to find new and better fuels to power the necessary equipment for society’s needs. Often, the fuels chosen for research are renewable fuels derived from biomass. Current research at Texas A&M University is focused on the effectiveness of using cattle manure biomass as a fuel source in conjunction with coal burning utilities. The scope of this project includes fuel property analysis, pyrolysis and ignition behavior characteristics, combustion modeling, emissions modeling, small scale combustion experiments, pilot scale commercial combustion experiments, and cost analysis of the fuel usage for both feedlot biomass and dairy biomass. This paper focuses on fuel property analysis and pyrolysis and ignition characteristics of feedlot biomass. Deliverables include a proximate and ultimate analysis, pyrolysis kinetics values, and ignition temperatures of four types of feedlot biomass (low ash raw manure [LARM], low ash partially composted manure [LAPC], high ash raw manure [HARM], and high ash partially composted manure [HAPC]) as well as blends of each biomass with Texas lignite coal (TXL). Activation energy results for pure samples of each fuel using the single reaction model rigorous solution were as follows: 45 kJ/mol (LARM), 43 kJ/mol (LAPC), 38 kJ/mol (HARM), 36 kJ/mol (HAPC), and 22 kJ/mol (TXL). Using the distributed activation energy model the activation energies were 169 kJ/mol (LARM), 175 kJ/mol (LAPC), 172 kJ/mol (HARM), 173 kJ/mol (HAPC), and 225 kJ/mol (TXL). Ignition temperature results for pure samples of each of the fuels were as follows: 734 K (LARM), 745 K (LAPC), 727 (HARM), 744 K (HAPC), and 592 K (TXL). There was little difference observed between the ignition temperatures of the 50% blends of coal with biomass and the pure samples of coal as observed by the following results: 606 K (LARM), 571 K (LAPC), 595 K (HARM), and 582 K (HAPC)

Agriculture Policy Is Health Policy.

The Farm Bill is meant to supplement and secure farm incomes, ensure a stable food supply, and support the American farm economy. Over time, however, it has evolved into a system that creates substantial health impacts, both directly and indirectly. By generating more profit for food producers and less for family farmers; by effectively subsidizing the production of lower-cost fats, sugars, and oils that intensify the health-destroying obesity epidemic; by amplifying environmentally destructive agricultural practices that impact air, water, and other resources, the Farm Bill influences the health of Americans more than is immediately apparent. In this article, we outline three major public health issues influenced by American farm policy. These are (1) rising obesity; (2) food safety; and (3) environmental health impacts, especially exposure to toxic substances and pesticides

The Perils of Poverty: Prostitutes\u27 Rights, Police Misconduct, and Poverty Law

This article is divided in two parts. In Part I, Ray Kuszelewski details the history of setbacks in representing street prostitutes faced by community-based initiatives at Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS). It is a personal, anecdotal, account of the clinic\u27s evolutionary role in tackling the perils of poverty for street prostitutes. In Part II, Dianne Martin complements the first section by addressing the specific problem of police misconduct. The commentary is historical and theoretical in examining prior efforts at reform and argues for the development of a new, collaborative approach. The context is local and particularized in a community legal clinic. The authors use clinic files, media accounts, and inquiry records to centre the discussion in the real world of poverty, perception, and public response