Formulation of Fast-Dissolving Tablets of Promethazine Theoclate

Purpose: To optimize and formulate promethazine theoclate fast-dissolving tablets that offer a suitable approach to the treatment of nausea and vomiting. Method: The solubility of promethazine theoclate was increased by formulating it as a fast-dissolving tablet containing β-cyclodextrin, crospovidone, and camphor, using direct compression method. A 33 full factorial design was used to investigate the combined influence of three independent variables - amounts of camphor, crospovidone and β-cyclodextrin - on disintegration time, friability and drug release after 5 min. Result: The optimization study, involving multiple regression analysis, revealed that optimum amounts of camphor, crospovidone and β-cyclodextrin gave a rapidly disintegrating/dissolving tablet. A checkpoint batch was also prepared to verify the validity of the evolved mathematical model. The optimized tablet should be prepared with an optimum amount of β-cyclodextrin (3.0 mg), camphor (3.29 mg) and crospovidone (2.61 mg) which disintegrated in 30 s, with a friability of 0.60 % and drug release of 89 % in 5 min. Conclusion: The optimized approach aided both the formulation of fast-dissolving theoclate tablets and the understanding of the effect of formulation processing variables on the development of the formulation.Keywords: Fast-dissolving tablet, 33 Factorial design, Promethazine theoclate, Optmization studies

Proline, catalase and root traits as indices of drought resistance in bold grained rice (Oryza sativa) genotypes

The present experiment was carried out with 39 bold grained rice genotypes to study the genetic variability of the traits conferring drought resistance and to screen the drought tolerant rice genotypeswith a view to formulate an efficient breeding programme for time bound genetic enhancement. The field experiment was grown during Sali season of 2007 to estimate the genetic variability of eight quantitative traits; root weight (g), number of primary roots, number of tillers/plant, root length (cm),shoot weight (g), root:shoot ratio by length and root:shoot ratio by weight. The data for the quantitative traits were recorded after 60 days of transplanting. The analysis of variance of eight quantitative traitsrevealed that there was significant genetic variation among the genotypes for the traits conferring drought resistance. The genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), heritability in broad sense (h2bs) and genetic advance (GA) as percent mean were estimated for all the eight quantitative traits. Small difference between GCV and PCV estimates was observed for shoot length (cm), root length (cm), number of primary roots, shoot weight (g), number of tillers/plantand root:shoot ratio by length suggesting that these characters were little influenced by environment and could be substantially improved through selection breeding program. Out of 39 rice genotypes, 7 genotypes including 2 checks (Ranjit and Monohar Sail) were selected on the basis of morphometric traits for drought resistance. Fifteen day old seedlings of seven selected rice genotypes were subjected to different osmotics of PEG-6000 (0.0, -0.4 and -0.8 MPa) to evaluate the effect of drought stress on proline, protein and antioxidant enzyme catalase. Poline content and catalase activity analyses further suggested that five selected bold grained rice genotypes (excluding two checks) namely Halodhar, George Sail, Kapili Dhan, Karmi Sail and Baodum were potentially drought tolerant

Effect of vermicompost on manifestation of pesticide action on growth of Zinnia elegans

In order to asses the implication of endosulfan in the soil amended with vermicompost, Zinnia elegans (Family Asteraceae) was grown, under strict laboratory conditions. Seed germination, size of internode, total length of the plant, leaf area of the plant, tufts of rootlets, which emerged, were measured and recorded. Vermicompost at a concentration of 12.5% was used as source of amendment; treatment was made with endosulfan the concentration of which ranged from 2.5, 5 and 7.5% respectively. From the data obtained after 4 days of treatment, it appeared that the addition of endosulfan in plain soil (7.5%), affects germination to negative value. Reduced germination and plant growth even during prolonged treatment (up to 9 days) was noticed during treatment with 2.5 and 5% of endosulfan. In a soil amended with vermicompost, however, germination to total length of the plant was found to increase quite considerably. This trend has continued, even during extended period of treatment. The entire texture of the plant was found to change to a healthier look in the presence of vermicompost. Better growth of the plant, larger number of rootlets, and bigger leaf area, can be suggested to be additive role of vermicompost on growth and development of Zinnia elegans. This also indicated possible involvement of the plant in remediation of pesticide endosulfan. On this account, Z. elegans like related members of this family can be considered as a candidate involved in remediation of pesticides from polluted soilKey word: Vermicompost, endosulfan, Zinnia elegans

Nutritional paradigm of vermicompost enhances tolerance to endosulfan in Cicer arietinum

A nutritional factor in vermicompost has been exploited suitably to stimulate growth of chickpea Cicer  arietinum. It was noticed that incorporating 12.5% of vermicompost stimulates the plant in every aspect of  growth and development. Germination rate decreased during 10 to 15 days of treatment. However, it becomes identical to the control after 20 days of treatment. The percentage of increase in total length, internode size,  emergence of leaf, emergence of flower and number of pod was 13% (40 days treatment), 205% (15 days  treatment), 43% (28 days treatment), 58% (65 days treatment) and 600% (80 days treatment),  respectively. Similar impact of vermicompost was also noticed during growth of the plant in 2.5, 5 and 7.5%  of endosulfan. An increase in germination to the extent of 6-fold was also noticed. Total length, internode size, emergence of leaf, emergence of flower and number of pod has been triple (5 days treatment in 15%  endosulfan), more than 450% (5 days treatment in 5% endosulfan), more than 550% (23 days of growth in  10% endosulfan), 300% (65 days growth in 10% endosulfan) and 600% (85 days growth in 5% endosulfan).  Hence, the results obtained partially support stimulation effect of vermicompost in chickpea plant growth. This can be attributed to, as one of the principles, adopted by Cicer arietinum in remediation of endosulfanKey words: Vermicompost, endosulfan, growth parameters, chickpea

An investigation into the depth of penetration of low level laser therapy through the equine tendon in vivo

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is frequently used in the treatment of wounds, soft tissue injury and in pain management. The exact penetration depth of LLLT in human tissue remains unspecified. Similar uncertainty regarding penetration depth arises in treating animals. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that transmission of LLLT in horses is increased by clipping the hair and/or by cleaning the area to be treated with alcohol, but is unaffected by coat colour. A LLLT probe (810 nm, 500 mW) was applied to the medial aspect of the superficial flexor tendon of seventeen equine forelimbs in vivo. A light sensor was applied to the lateral aspect, directly opposite the laser probe to measure the amount of light transmitted. Light transmission was not affected by individual horse, coat colour or leg. However, it was associated with leg condition (F = 4.42, p = 0.0032). Tendons clipped dry and clipped and cleaned with alcohol, were both associated with greater transmission of light than the unprepared state. Use of alcohol without clipping was not associated with an increase in light transmission. These results suggest that, when applying laser to a subcutaneous structure in the horse, the area should be clipped and cleaned beforehand

Novel insights into the cardio-protective effects of FGF21 in lean and obese rat hearts

Aims: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hepatic metabolic regulator with pleotropic actions. Its plasma concentrations are increased in obesity and diabetes; states associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. We therefore investigated the direct effect of FGF21 on cardio-protection in obese and lean hearts in response to ischemia. Methods and Results: FGF21, FGF21-receptor 1 (FGFR1) and beta-Klotho (βKlotho) were expressed in rodent, human hearts and primary rat cardiomyocytes. Cardiac FGF21 was expressed and secreted (real time RT-PCR/western blot and ELISA) in an autocrine-paracrine manner, in response to obesity and hypoxia, involving FGFR1-βKlotho components. Cardiac-FGF21 expression and secretion were increased in response to global ischemia. In contrast βKlotho was reduced in obese hearts. In isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes, FGF21 activated PI3K/Akt (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt), ERK1/2(extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) pathways. In Langendorff perfused rat [adult male wild-type wistar] hearts, FGF21 administration induced significant cardio-protection and restoration of function following global ischemia. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt, AMPK, ERK1/2 and ROR-α (retinoic-acid receptor alpha) pathway led to significant decrease of FGF21 induced cardio-protection and restoration of cardiac function in response to global ischemia. More importantly, this cardio-protective response induced by FGF21 was reduced in obesity, although the cardiac expression profiles and circulating FGF21 levels were increased. Conclusion: In an ex vivo Langendorff system, we show that FGF21 induced cardiac protection and restoration of cardiac function involving autocrine-paracrine pathways, with reduced effect in obesity. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into FGF21-induced cardiac effects in obesity and ischemia

Lentiviral-based reporter constructs for profiling chondrogenic activity in primary equine cell populations

Successful clinical translation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies for cartilage repair will likely require the implementation of standardised protocols and broadly applicable tools to facilitate the comparisons among cell types and chondroinduction methods. The present study investigated the utility of recombinant lentiviral reporter vectors as reliable tools for comparing chondrogenic potential among primary cell populations and distinguishing cellular-level variations of chondrogenic activity in widely used three-dimensional (3D) culture systems. Primary equine MSCs and chondrocytes were transduced with vectors containing combinations of fluorescent and luciferase reporter genes under constitutive cytomeglavirus (CMV) or chondrocyte-lineage (Col2) promoters. Reporter activity was measured by fluorescence imaging and luciferase assay. In 3D cultures of MSC aggregates and polyethylene glycol-hyaluronic acid (PEG-HA) hydrogels, transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGF-β3)-mediated chondroinduction increased Col2 reporter activity, demonstrating close correlation with histology and mRNA expression levels of COL2A1 and SOX9. Comparison of chondrogenic activities among MSC populations using a secretable luciferase reporter revealed enhanced chondrogenesis in bone-marrow-derived MSCs relative to MSC populations from synovium and adipose tissues. A dual fluorescence reporter – enabling discrimination of highly chondrogenic (Col2-GFP) cells within an MSC population (CMV-tdTomato) – revealed marked heterogeneity in differentiating aggregate cultures and identified chondrogenic cells in chondrocyte-seeded PEG-HA hydrogels after 6 weeks in a subcutaneous implant model – indicating stable, long-term reporter expression in vivo. These results suggested that lentiviral reporter vectors may be used to address fundamental questions regarding chondrogenic activity in chondroprogenitor cell populations and accelerate clinical translation of cell-based cartilage repair strategies

Modelling the underlying principles of human aesthetic preference in evolutionary art

Our understanding of creativity is limited, yet there is substantial research trying to mimic human creativity in artificial systems and in particular to produce systems that automatically evolve art appreciated by humans. We propose here to study human visual preference through observation of nearly 500 user sessions with a simple evolutionary art system. The progress of a set of aesthetic measures throughout each interactive user session is monitored and subsequently mimicked by automatic evolution in an attempt to produce an image to the liking of the human user

One-step isolation and biochemical characterization of a highlyactive plant PSII monomeric core

We describe a one-step detergent solubilization protocol for isolating a highly active form of Photosystem II (PSII) from Pisum sativum L. Detailed characterization of the preparation showed that the complex was a monomer having no light harvesting proteins attached. This core reaction centre complex had, however, a range of low molecular mass intrinsic proteins as well as the chlorophyll binding proteins CP43 and CP47 and the reaction centre proteins D1 and D2. Of particular note was the presence of a stoichiometric level of PsbW, a low molecular weight protein not present in PSII of cyanobacteria. Despite the high oxygen evolution rate, the core complex did not retain the PsbQ extrinsic protein although there was close to a full complement of PsbO and PsbR and partial level of PsbP. However, reconstitution of PsbP and PsbPQ was possible. The presence of PsbP in absence of LHCII and other chlorophyll a/b binding proteins confirms that LHCII proteins are not a strict requirement for the assembly of this extrinsic polypeptide to the PSII core in contrast with the conclusion of Caffarri et al. (2009)

Polymorphisms of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene in preeclampsia: a candidate-gene association study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene (<it>NOS3</it>) has been proposed as a candidate gene for preeclampsia. However, studies so far have produced conflicting results. This study examines the specific role of variants and haplotypes of the <it>NOS3 </it>gene in a population of Caucasian origin.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined the association of three common variants of the <it>NOS3 </it>gene (4b/a, T-786C and G894T) and their haplotypes in a case-control sample of 102 patients with preeclampsia and 176 women with a history of uncomplicated pregnancies. Genotyping for the <it>NOS3 </it>variants was performed and odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained to evaluate the association between <it>NOS3 </it>polymorphisms and preeclampsia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The single locus analysis for the three variants using various genetic models and a model-free approach revealed no significant association in relation to clinical status. The analysis of haplotypes also showed lack of significant association.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Given the limitations of the candidate-gene approach in investigating complex traits, the evidence of our study does not support the major contributory role of these common <it>NOS3 </it>variants in preeclampsia. Future larger studies may help in elucidating the genetics of preeclampsia further.</p