Investigations on Nonlinear Polariton Dispersion in Ferroelectric Superlattice System

Superlattices have drawn considerableattention in the recent years. In this work, thebehaviour of polaritons in a quantum wellsuperlattice system is analysed both at thecentre and at the edge of the brillouin zoneusing LiNbO3/ LiTaO3 as an example. Thesignificance of the polariton modes areanalysed. New modes due to nonlinearity on thepolaritonic gap, where the propagation ofelectromagnetic wave is forbidden, are obtainedin the system as suggested by some recentliterature. The variation of frequency with thethickness is also studied

Investigations on Nonlinear Polariton Dispersion in Ferroelectric Superlattice System

Superlattices have drawn considerable attention in the recent years. In this work, the behaviour of polaritons in a quantum well superlattice system is analysed both at the centre and at the edge of the brillouin zone using LiNbO3/ LiTaO3 as an example. The significance of the polariton modes are analysed. New modes due to nonlinearity on the polaritonic gap, where the propagation of electromagnetic wave is forbidden, are obtained in the system as suggested by some recent literature. The variation of frequency with the thickness is also studied

A Study of Clinical and Etiological Profile of Focal Seizures

BACKGROUND: The etiology of seizures is directly linked to the type of seizure. In focal seizures, localisation of abnormalities ranges from 28 to 80%. as observed in various studies. A proper history along with necessary investigations is very much essential in identifying the etiology of seizures. Since focal seizures are mostly associated with focal structural lesions, it is imperative to identify the correct etiology and to institute proper treatment. Hence we take up this study to evaluate the clinical and etiological profile of new onset focal seizures. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical profile and to evaluate the etiology of new onset focal seizures. METHODS: The study group includes patients with new onset focal seizures age > 12 years who presented to the Neurology and Medicine outpatient departments in Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, Thanjavur. Those who complied with the inclusion and exclusion criteria were subjected to detailed history taking and neurological examination and necessary blood and imaging investigations were done to find out the etiology and analysis was performed with appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: In the study conducted in 50 patients with new onset focal seizures, majority of the patients belonged to the age group 21-30 years. Focal seizures with secondary genreralization was the most common type followed by focal seizures without dyscognitive features and focal seizures with dyscognitve features. In younger age group less than 30 years, neuroinfections were the most common cause. In age more than 50 years, metabolic causes and cerebrovascular diseases predominate. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of etiology for focal seizures varies which include old cerebrovascular diseases, neuroinfections, metabolic causes, tumors, and idiopathic. Hence, in all cases of new onset focal seizures, complete evaluation is required to identify the etiology and hence to initiate proper treatment, thereby the morbidity and mortality in the community can be reduced

Large chorangiomas: a seven years study in a tertiary care obstetrics and gynaecology hospital

Background: Chorangioma is a benign vascular placental tumour. It is composed of fetal capillary proliferation within the chorionic villi supported by a variable stroma. Smaller lesions are incidental, are often missed and carry no clinical significance. Larger lesions are associated with feto-maternal complications and are infrequently sent for histopathological examination.Methods: The study was conducted at the department of pathology, at a tertiary care obstetrics and gynaecology hospital. The study was a retrospective study which covered 7 years. Paraffin embedded blocks of placental specimens containing mass were taken up for the study. Sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H and E). The results are compared and correlated with clinicopathologic factors. The statistical data are analysed manually.Results: A total of seven cases were included in the study, 4 cases were primi gravida, 1 case each in second, third and fourth gravida. Pregnancy outcome was intrauterine death in 1 case, dead born in 1 case, alive healthy children in 5 cases, birth weight was normal in 4 children, low birth weight in 2 children and 1 was extremely low birth weight. Of the total of 7 placental specimens 3 showed extraplacental mass and rest 4 showed intraplacental mass. All cases showed solitary lesions and measured > 5cm (large). Histopathological examination of all 7 specimens showed features of chorangioma.Conclusions: Careful inspection of the placenta is necessary following all deliveries. Any suspicious lesions should be documented and evaluated by histopathological examination there by predicting feto maternal complications and help the clinicians in better management of the mother and child accordingly. Meagre documentation of such cases prompted us to present this series of 7 cases of large chorangiomas with a mixed fetal outcome

PORPHYSOMES-A PARADIGM SHIFT IN TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY

A novel drug delivery system is the one that ensures optimum dose at the right time, at the right location. Porphysomes are among those drug delivery systems. Porphysomes are a means of vesicular drug delivery systems. They are liposome-like structures composed completely of porphyrin lipid. The porphysomes encapsulates the active medicament in vesicular structure. They are having an aqueous core which can be loaded with the medicament. They have the capacity to destroy the disease tissues. They absorb the heat in the near infrared region and release this heat to destroy the diseased tissues. Porphysomes are having immense applications in the field of positron-electron therapy (PET), photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy etc. This review article discusses regarding the Porphysome-the drug delivery system, its advantages and disadvantages, composition, method of preparation, applications and various aspects related to the porphysomal drug delivery

CRYPTOSOMES: A REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGH IN NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY

The vesicular drug delivery systems are promising approaches to overthrown the problems of drugs having lesser bioavailability and rapid elimination from the body. The four type of lipid based drug delivery systems are: solid-lipid particulate system, emulsion based system, solid lipid tablet and vesicular system. Cryptosomes, a novel emerging vesicular drug delivery system which can overcome the disadvantages associated with conventional drug delivery systems like high stability, increased bioavailability, sustained release, decreased elimination of rapidly metabolizable drugs etc. The word Cryptosome was orginated from Greek word ‘’Crypto’’ means hidden and ‘’Soma’’ means body. It is formed from the mixture of phospholipids like distearoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine-polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG) with distearoylphosphatidylcholine. These entire information regarding its origin and formation is explained in Dinesh Kumar et al. Vesicular systems symbolizes the use of vesicles in the different fields as carrier system or additives. This review disclose various vesicular drug delivery system and point out the advancement of cryptosome in the world of drug delivery. This review would help researchers involved in the field of vesicular drug delivery

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF LORAZEPAM ENCAPSULATED COLLAGEN/PECTIN BUCCAL PATCH

Objective: To formulate and characterize Lorazepam loaded buccal patches using mucoadhesive, biodegradable, natural polymers-pectin (hydrophilic) and collagen (lipophilic) for treating epileptic seizures. Methods: Lorazepam loaded buccal patches were prepared by solvent casting method and were subjected to various Physico-chemical evaluation parameters to find the optimized buccal patch. The in vitro drug release study and ex vivo permeation study was carried out. The stability study and histopathological study of optimized Lorazepam loaded buccal patch was also carried out. Results: From in vitro drug release study, it was found that Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) exhibited maximum drug release of 96.16 %±0.07 than other formulations at the end of 4 h, indicating an initial burst release followed by sustained release with release kinetics as Higuchi diffusion model. Based on the in vitro drug release, % drug content, % swelling index, folding endurance, B4 formulation was considered as optimised formulation and was further characterized. Ex vivo permeation study revealed that the cumulative amount of drug permeated from optimised Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) was higher (3831.4±0.21µg/cm2) than marketed Midazolam buccal solution (1724±0.12 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (895.42±0.07 µg/cm2) with an enhancement ratio of 4.8. B4 formulation also showed a higher flux value (12.52±0.02µg/cm2/hr) compared to marketed formulation (5.732±0.01 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (2.563±0.03 µg/cm2) of P<0.05. The histopathological study using bovine buccal mucosa revealed that the B4 formulation is safe for buccal application. The stability study confirmed that B4 formulation is stable in both room and refrigeration conditions. Hence the formulated Lorazepam loaded buccal patch seems to be a promising carrier for the enhanced buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating epileptic seizures. Conclusion: The formulated Lorazepam loaded collagen/pectin buccal patch was found to be an efficient and stable route for the buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating acute epileptic seizures which could be further explored scientifically

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Drug Discovery: Identifying Novel Compounds for Targeted Cancer Therapies

This study delves into the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing drug discovery, specifically focusing on the identification of new compounds for targeted cancer therapies. Through the application of advanced machine learning algorithms, our methodology achieved impressive predictive accuracy, with an accuracy rate of 92.5%, an AUC-ROC of 0.94, and an AUC-PR of 0.91. The AI models successfully pinpointed 35 novel compounds predicted to demonstrate high efficacy against specific cancer targets, indicating promising prospects for advancements in cancer treatment. Examination of the molecular structures of these identified compounds unveiled positive characteristics, with 90% adhering to Lipinski's Rule of Five, indicating their suitability as potential drug candidates. Additionally, the average predicted half-life of 12 hours suggests advantageous pharmacokinetic properties, bolstering their potential viability. A comparative assessment highlighted the efficiency advantages of the AI-driven approach, revealing an 80% reduction in time and a 65% reduction in costs compared to traditional methods. Beyond its application in targeted cancer therapies, the success of our approach implies broader implications for the pharmaceutical research landscape, offering a more streamlined and accurate methodology. While these outcomes are promising, it is crucial to recognize limitations and stress the importance of sustained collaboration between computational and experimental researchers. Future directions encompass the refinement of models, incorporation of diverse datasets, and rigorous experimental validation. In summary, our study underscores the efficacy of AI-driven drug discovery in identifying new compounds for targeted cancer therapies. The identified compounds, characterized by favorable structural and pharmacokinetic attributes, present a promising avenue for overcoming challenges in current cancer treatments. These findings set the stage for ongoing exploration, collaborative initiatives, and advancements at the intersection of artificial intelligence and drug discover

Prediction of Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)/Extreme Ultraviolet Spectro-Photometer (ESP) Irradiance from Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) Images Using Fuzzy Image Processing and Machine Learning

YesThe cadence and resolution of solar images have been increasing dramatically with the launch of new spacecraft such as STEREO and SDO. This increase in data volume provides new opportunities for solar researchers, but the efficient processing and analysis of these data create new challenges. We introduce a fuzzy-based solar feature-detection system in this article. The proposed system processes SDO/AIA images using fuzzy rules to detect coronal holes and active regions. This system is fast and it can handle different size images. It is tested on six months of solar data (1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011) to generate filling factors (ratio of area of solar feature to area of rest of the solar disc) for active regions and coronal holes. These filling factors are then compared to SDO/EVE/ESP irradiance measurements. The correlation between active-region filling factors and irradiance measurements is found to be very high, which has encouraged us to design a time-series prediction system using Radial Basis Function Networks to predict ESP irradiance measurements from our generated filling factors