Separating the roles of electrons and holes in the organic magnetoresistance of aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) organic light emitting diodes

Copyright 2008 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. This article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 104, 083703 (2008) and may be found at

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of gastroretentive floating drug delivery system of ofloxacin

AbstractThis study aimed to develop hydrophilic matrix based controlled release gastroretentive drug delivery system of ofloxacin and conducting its in vitro and in vivo evaluations. Effervescent floating gastroretentive drug delivery system of ofloxacin was prepared utilizing Box–Behnken statistical design with 3 factors, 3 levels and 15 experimental trials. Formulation optimization was done by setting targets on selected responses. In vivo studies were carried out for the optimized formulation with 12 healthy human volunteers and obtained pharmacokinetic parameters were compared with the marketed once daily formulation, “Zanocin OD”. Optimized formulation showed satisfactory controlled in vitro drug release for more than 12 h with excellent buoyancy properties (floating lag time <1 min, floating duration >16 h). Optimized and marketed formulations were found to have similar in vitro release profile (f2 = 79.22) and also were found to be bioequivalent. Serum ofloxacin concentration was well maintained above its reported minimum inhibitory concentrations for most of the pathogens for sufficiently longer duration. Cmax and AUC values of optimized formulation were found to be significantly higher than of marketed product despite their bioequivalence. Bettertherapeutic effect can be expected since ofloxacin exhibits concentration dependent killing. Hence, gastroretention can be a promising approach to enhance bioavailability of ofloxacin with narrow absorption window in upper GIT

Medical students’ characteristics as predictors of career practice location: retrospective cohort study tracking graduates of Nepal’s first medical college

Objective: To determine, in one low income country (Nepal), which characteristics of medical students are associated with graduate doctors staying to practise in the country or in its rural areas. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: Medical college registry, with internet, phone, and personal follow-up of graduates. Participants: 710 graduate doctors from the first 22 classes (1983-2004) of Nepal’s first medical college, the Institute of Medicine. Main outcome measures: Career practice location (foreign or in Nepal; in or outside of the capital city Kathmandu) compared with certain pre-graduation characteristics of medical student. Results: 710 (97.7%) of the 727 graduates were located: 193 (27.2%) were working in Nepal in districts outside the capital city Kathmandu, 261 (36.8%) were working in Kathmandu, and 256 (36.1%) were working in foreign countries. Of 256 working abroad, 188 (73%) were in the United States. Students from later graduating classes were more likely to be working in foreign countries. Those with pre-medical education as paramedics were twice as likely to be working in Nepal and 3.5 times as likely to be in rural Nepal, compared with students with a college science background. Students who were academically in the lower third of their medical school class were twice as likely to be working in rural Nepal as those from the upper third. In a regression analysis adjusting for all variables, paramedical background (odds ratio 4.4, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 11.6) was independently associated with a doctor remaining in Nepal. Rural birthplace (odds ratio 3.8, 1.3 to 11.5) and older age at matriculation (1.1, 1.0 to 1.2) were each independently associated with a doctor working in rural Nepal. Conclusions: A cluster of medical students’ characteristics, including paramedical background, rural birthplace, and lower academic rank, was associated with a doctor remaining in Nepal and with working outside the capital city of Kathmandu. Policy makers in medical education who are committed to producing doctors for underserved areas of their country could use this evidence to revise their entrance criteria for medical school

Revolutionizing Herbal Medicine: Exploring Nano Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract. Introduction: Traditional herbal medicine has been practiced for centuries and continues to play a significant role in healthcare systems worldwide. However, the efficacy and therapeutic potential of herbal remedies can be limited due to various factors such as poor bioavailability, instability, and non-specific targeting. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to overcome these limitations and revolutionize the field of herbal medicine. This review explores the application of nano drug delivery systems in enhancing the effectiveness of herbal therapeutics.  The utilization of nanotechnology in the context of herbal medicine involves the design and development of nano-sized carriers that can encapsulate and deliver herbal bioactive compounds to the target sites in a controlled and targeted manner. Various types of nanocarriers, such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions, have been extensively investigated for their potential in improving the bioavailability, stability, and controlled release of herbal compounds.  The integration of nanotechnology with herbal medicine offers several advantages, including enhanced solubility, protection against degradation, prolonged circulation time, and specific targeting to diseased tissues or cells. Furthermore, nano drug delivery systems can also facilitate the combination of multiple herbal ingredients, enabling synergistic effects and customized therapeutic approaches.  This review provides an overview of the recent advancements in nano drug delivery systems for herbal medicine, highlighting their potential applications in various therapeutic areas, such as cancer treatment, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory conditions. Additionally, challenges and future perspectives regarding the clinical translation of these nanotechnological approaches are discussed.  In conclusion, the integration of nanotechnology with herbal medicine holds great promise in revolutionizing the field of healthcare. The development of efficient and targeted nano drug delivery systems can significantly enhance the therapeutic efficacy of herbal remedies, leading to improved patient outcomes and the potential for personalized medicine. Further research and collaborations between scientists, herbalists, and clinicians are needed to unlock the full potential of nano drug delivery systems in herbal medicine. Keywords: Revolutionizing, Herbal medicine, Nano drug delivery systems, Bioavailability, Stability, Nanotechnology, Nanocarriers, Liposomes, Polymeric nanoparticles, Solid lipid nanoparticles, Nanoemulsion

Influenza B virus: Need for heightened surveillance and epidemiologic case studies

Recent report of increased influenza B virus infection, particularly theclinical profiles and treatment challenges imposed like that of influenza A,underscores the importance of continuing influenza B virus surveillance.This is, especially in resource limited country, early detection of influenzavirus, its clinical presentation and complications would be vital in minimizingthe public heath burden imposed by this virus.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, influenza B, severe acutepulmonary infection

Integrated Participatory and Collaborative Risk Mapping for Enhancing Disaster Resilience

Critical knowledge gaps seriously hinder efforts for building disaster resilience at all levels, especially in disaster-prone least developed countries. Information deficiency is most serious at local levels, especially in terms of spatial information on risk, resources, and capacities of communities. To tackle this challenge, we develop a general methodological approach that integrates community-based participatory mapping processes, one that has been widely used by governments and non-government organizations in the fields of natural resources management, disaster risk reduction and rural development, with emerging collaborative digital mapping techniques. We demonstrate the value and potential of this integrated participatory and collaborative mapping approach by conducting a pilot study in the flood-prone lower Karnali river basin in Western Nepal. The process engaged a wide range of stakeholders and non-stakeholder citizens to co-produce locally relevant geographic information on resources, capacities, and flood risks of selected communities. The new digital community maps are richer in content, more accurate, and easier to update and share than those produced by conventional Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCAs), a variant of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), that is widely used by various government and non-government organizations. We discuss how this integrated mapping approach may provide an effective link between coordinating and implementing local disaster risk reduction and resilience building interventions to designing and informing regional development plans, as well as its limitations in terms of technological barrier, map ownership, and empowerment potential

Utilisation of Postnatal Care among Rural Women in Nepal

Background: Postnatal care is uncommon in Nepal, and where it is available the quality is often poor. Adequate utilisation of postnatal care can help reduce mortality and morbidity among mothers and their babies. Therefore, our study assessed the utilisation of postnatal care at a rural community level. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in two neighbouring villages in early 2006. A total of 150 women who had delivered in the previous 24 months were asked to participate in the study using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The proportion of women who had received postnatal care after delivery was low (34%). Less than one in five women (19%) received care within 48 hours of giving birth. Women in one village had less access to postnatal care than women in the neighbouring one. Lack of awareness was the main barrier to the utilisation of postnatal care. The woman's own occupation and ethnicity, the number of pregnancies and children and the husband's socio-economic status, occupation and education were significantly associated with the utilisation of postnatal care. Multivariate analysis showed that wealth as reflected in occupation and having attended antenatal are important factors associated with the uptake of postnatal care. In addition, women experiencing health problems appear strongly motivated to seek postnatal care. Conclusion: The postnatal care has a low uptake and is often regarded as inadequate in Nepal. This is an important message to both service providers and health-policy makers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the actual quality of postnatal care provided. Also there appears to be a need for awareness-raising programmes highlighting the availability of current postnatal care where this is of sufficient quality

The role of mothers-in-law in antenatal care decision-making in Nepal: a qualitative study

Background Antenatal care (ANC) has been recognised as a way to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies. However, only 29% of pregnant women receive the recommended four antenatal visits in Nepal but reasons for such low utilisation are poorly understood. As in many countries of South Asia, mothers-in-law play a crucial role in the decisions around accessing health care facilities and providers. This paper aims to explore the mother-in-law’s role in (a) her daughter-in-law’s ANC uptake; and (b) the decision-making process about using ANC services in Nepal. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 purposively selected antenatal or postnatal mothers (half users, half non-users of ANC), 10 husbands and 10 mothers-in-law in two different (urban and rural) communities. Results Our findings suggest that mothers-in-law sometime have a positive influence, for example when encouraging women to seek ANC, but more often it is negative. Like many rural women of their generation, all mothers-in-law in this study were illiterate and most had not used ANC themselves. The main factors leading mothers-in-law not to support/ encourage ANC check ups were expectations regarding pregnant women fulfilling their household duties, perceptions that ANC was not beneficial based largely on their own past experiences, the scarcity of resources under their control and power relations between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Individual knowledge and social class of the mothers-in-law of users and non-users differed significantly, which is likely to have had an effect on their perceptions of the benefits of ANC. Conclusion Mothers-in-law have a strong influence on the uptake of ANC in Nepal. Understanding their role is important if we are to design and target effective community-based health promotion interventions. Health promotion and educational interventions to improve the use of ANC should target women, husbands and family members, particularly mothers-in-law where they control access to family resources