Curcumin nanoparticles containing poloxamer or soluplus tailored by high pressure homogenization using antisolvent crystallization

Curcumin is a natural active constituent of Curcuma longa from Zingiberaceae family that shows many different pharmacological effects such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral effect. However, its bioavailability is profoundly limited by its poor water solubility. In this study antisolvent crystallization followed by freeze drying was used for the preparation of curcumin nanoparticles. The presence of different ratios of hydrophilic polymers (poloxamer 188 & soluplus) on physicochemical properties of curcumin nanoparticles was also investigated. In addition, the effect of high pressure homogenization (HPH) on solubility and dissolution properties of curcumin was investigated. All nanoparticle formulations were examined to determine their particle size distribution, saturation solubility, morphology (SEM), solid state (DSC, XRPD and FT-IR) and dissolution behavior. It was observed that curcumin crystallized in the presence of polymers exhibited better solubility and dissolution rate in comparison with original curcumin. The results showed that the concentration of the stabilizer and the method used to prepare nanoparticles can control the dissolution of curcumin. The crystallized nanoparticles showed polymorph 2 curcumin with lower crystallinity and higher dissolution rate. Curcumin nanoparticles containing 50% soluplus prepared via HPH method presented 16-fold higher solubility than its original form. In conclusion, samples crystalized and proceed with HPH technique showed smaller particle size, better redispersibility, higher solubility and dissolution rate in water compared with a sample prepared using a simple antisolvent crystallization process

Effect of high pressure homogenization on physicochemical properties of curcumin nanoparticles prepared by antisolvent crystallization using HPMC or PVP

Dissolution enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs is a major challenge in pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study is to fabricate curcumin nanoparticles by antisolvent crystallization in the presence of PVP-K30 or HPMC with various concentrations as a stabilizer. The effect of high pressure homogenization on properties of curcumin particles is also investigated in this study. The antisolvent crystallization method followed by freeze drying (CRS-FD) and also antisolvent crystallization and high pressure homogenization followed by freeze drying (HPH-FD) were employed to modify curcumin particles. Physical mixtures of the drug and additives were also prepared for comparison purposes. The solid state analysis (DSC, XRPD and FT-IR studies), particle size measurement, morphological analysis, saturation solubility and dissolution behavior of the samples were investigated. The curcumin crystallized without using stabilizer produced polymorph 2 curcumin with lower crystallinity and higher solubility. The samples obtained in the presence of stabilizers showed higher solubility compared to its physical mixtures counterpart. It was found that the stabilizers used in the current study were capable of inhibiting the crystal growth of particles during crystallization. High pressure homogenizer method generated smaller particles compared to those samples that were not subjected to high pressure homogenizer (for example, 2748 nm for 5% PVP CRS-FD sample and 706 nm for 5% PVP HPH-FD sample). Particles obtained via HPH showed better solubility and dissolution rate compared to those samples that HPH was not employed (for example, the saturated solubility of 25% PVP CRS-FD sample was near 2 μg/ml while this amount was approximately 4.3 μg/ml for 25% HPH-FD sample. The effect of high pressure homogenization on dissolution rate is more pronounced for samples with lower stabilizer ratio. The samples prepared with high pressure homogenizer using 50% PVP showed 25-fold higher solubility compared to untreated curcumin. Generally, it can be concluded that the method of preparation, selection of suitable stabilizer and concentration of stabilizer play a critical role on particle size and dissolution rate of curcumin

Health Literacy among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Northeast Area of Iran

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is the most common metabolic disorder with complex treatment, and adherence to its treatment requires sophisticated cognition, which includes health literacy. This study aimed to spread health literacy among patients with DM2 in northeast Iran.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among diabetic patients in Shahroud city of Iran in 2016. Multistaged cluster random sampling was used for 450 individuals with diabetes who were interviewed using two standard questionnaires on diabetes health literacy (TOFHLA and DNT15). Participants were enquired about their personal information (age, gender, level of education, etc.). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for poor health literacy concerning diabetes prevention and control among patients with prediabetes.Results: The mean diabetes health literacy score was 44.0 (18.0–92.0). This score was higher among men than women (OR=1.623), and lowest literacy score was observed in respondents with less than 1 year of education (OR=13.041). The literacy score among diabetic patients with a family history of diabetes was higher than among those with no family history (OR=2.523).Conclusions: This study showed that health literacy related to diabetes prevention and control among diabetic individuals was rather low in Shahroud city. Appropriate health education for diabetic patients with low literacy should be incorporated into diabetes prevention efforts

Health Literacy among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Northeast Area of Iran

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is the most common metabolic disorder with complex treatment, and adherence to its treatment requires sophisticated cognition, which includes health literacy. This study aimed to spread health literacy among patients with DM2 in northeast Iran.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among diabetic patients in Shahroud city of Iran in 2016. Multistaged cluster random sampling was used for 450 individuals with diabetes who were interviewed using two standard questionnaires on diabetes health literacy (TOFHLA and DNT15). Participants were enquired about their personal information (age, gender, level of education, etc.). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for poor health literacy concerning diabetes prevention and control among patients with prediabetes.Results: The mean diabetes health literacy score was 44.0 (18.0–92.0). This score was higher among men than women (OR=1.623), and lowest literacy score was observed in respondents with less than 1 year of education (OR=13.041). The literacy score among diabetic patients with a family history of diabetes was higher than among those with no family history (OR=2.523).Conclusions: This study showed that health literacy related to diabetes prevention and control among diabetic individuals was rather low in Shahroud city. Appropriate health education for diabetic patients with low literacy should be incorporated into diabetes prevention efforts

O efeito da inteligência de negócios na inovação, aprendizado de rede e desempenho de inicialização (estudo de caso: Snapfood)

The study aimed to determine the effect of business intelligence on innovation, network learning, and startup performance. The research method is applied in terms of purpose, and in terms of collecting data, a descriptive correlational type is used. The statistical population of the study was four hundred employees in the city of Tehran, which according to the Cochran formula, 196 people were selected as the sample and the data collection tool was a questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using LISREL software. The research results indicate that among the research variables, business intelligence, network learning, and innovation have the highest correlation coefficient with the startup function. Also, the results of the structural equation model indicate that the direct effect of business intelligence on network learning is positive and significant.El estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar el efecto de la inteligencia empresarial en la innovación, el aprendizaje en red y el rendimiento de inicio. El método de investigación se aplica en términos de propósito, y en términos de recopilación de datos, se utiliza un tipo de correlación descriptivo. La población estadística del estudio fue de 400 empleados en la ciudad de Teherán, que según la fórmula de Cochran, se seleccionaron 196 personas como muestra y la herramienta de recolección de datos fue un cuestionario. Los datos recopilados se analizaron utilizando el software LISREL. Los resultados de la investigación indican que entre las variables de investigación, la inteligencia empresarial, el aprendizaje en red y la innovación tienen el coeficiente de correlación más alto con la función de inicio. Además, los resultados del modelo de ecuaciones estructurales indican que el efecto directo de la inteligencia empresarial en el aprendizaje en red es positivo y significativo

Psychometric Analysis Scale of Attitude toward Plagiarism Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior in the Students of Iran University of Medical Sciences

Background & Objective: Plagiarism is a growing phenomenon that could damage the reputation of educational institutions and the relationship between professors and students, thereby causing barriers to learning. The present study aimed to psychometrically evaluate the scale of attitude toward plagiarism. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 200 students at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran in 2016. Research tool was a 29-item scale adapted from previous studies, which was translated to Persian after the permission of the author. Item impact score, content validity index, construct validity, and content validity ratio were confirmed by 10 experts using exploratory factor analysis. In addition, the reliability and stability of the research tool (internal consistency) were assessed using the Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest method, respectively. Results: In total, 22 items were maintained in the research instrument based on the coefficient of the impact index (>1.5), content validity index (>0.62), and validity ratio (>0.7). Moreover, all the items remained in the research tool based on the exploratory factor analysis. The four factors of ‘positive attitude toward plagiarism’, ‘negative attitude toward plagiarism’, ‘subjective norms’, and ‘perceived behavioral control’ were extracted considering the special value of more than one. The instrument could predict 55.847% of the total changes in the scale. Conclusion: According to the results, the strength in the factor structure and reliability of the attitude toward plagiarism could be used to evaluate the attitudes of university students and other educational institutions toward plagiarism

Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of serologic test with histology for Helicobacter pylori in diabetic patients with dyspepsia

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is a major cause of gastric diseases in humans that its rapid, simple and low cost diagnosis is important. Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of Helicobacter pylori infection. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of serologic test with histology for Helicobacter Pylori in diabetic patients with dyspepsia. Methods: This analytical study was conducted on 183 diabetic patients with dyspepsia referred to Imam Hossain hospital of Shahroud in 2014. All patients underwent endoscopy. Standard biopsy was performed as gold standard which included six gastric and duodenal samples. Simultaneously, blood samples were taken for serologic test. The presence of Helicobacter pylori was examined using Giemsa staining in histological study. Anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG was measured using ELISA in serological study. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test. Findings: Of 183, 104 patients (57.1%) were positive for Helicobacter pylori in serological study and 151 patients (82.5%) were positive in histological study. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of serologic test for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori were 64.2%, 78.1%, 93.3%, and 31.6%, respectively. IgG cut point for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori was set to be 1.4 (sensitivity: 92.4% and specificity: 75.3%). Conclusion: The serologic test can be used as screening test for Helicobacter pylori in diabetic patients with regards to relatively high sensitivity and specificity as well as its simplicity, rapidity, and low price. Keywords: Helicobacter Pylori, Diabetes Mellitus, Serologic Tests, Histology, Sensitivity and Specificit

The Effect of Business Intelligence on Innovation, Network Learning and Startup Performance (Case Study: Snapfood)

The study aimed to determine the effect of business intelligence on innovation, network learning, and startup performance. The research method is applied in terms of purpose, and in terms of collecting data, a descriptive correlational type is used. The statistical population of the study was four hundred employees in the city of Tehran, which according to the Cochran formula, 196 people were selected as the sample and the data collection tool was a questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using LISREL software. The research results indicate that among the research variables, business intelligence, network learning, and innovation have the highest correlation coefficient with the startup function. Also, the results of the structural equation model indicate that the direct effect of business intelligence on network learning is positive and significant

Curcumin nanoparticles containing poloxamer or soluplus tailored by high pressure homogenization using antisolvent crystallization

Curcumin is a natural active constituent of Curcuma longa from Zingiberaceae family that shows many different pharmacological effects such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral effect. However, its bioavailability is profoundly limited by its poor water solubility. In this study antisolvent crystallization followed by freeze drying was used for the preparation of curcumin nanoparticles. The presence of different ratios of hydrophilic polymers (poloxamer 188 & soluplus) on physicochemical properties of curcumin nanoparticles was also investigated. In addition, the effect of high pressure homogenization (HPH) on solubility and dissolution properties of curcumin was investigated. All nanoparticle formulations were examined to determine their particle size distribution, saturation solubility, morphology (SEM), solid state (DSC, XRPD and FT-IR) and dissolution behavior. It was observed that curcumin crystallized in the presence of polymers exhibited better solubility and dissolution rate in comparison with original curcumin. The results showed that the concentration of the stabilizer and the method used to prepare nanoparticles can control the dissolution of curcumin. The crystallized nanoparticles showed polymorph 2 curcumin with lower crystallinity and higher dissolution rate. Curcumin nanoparticles containing 50% soluplus prepared via HPH method presented 16-fold higher solubility than its original form. In conclusion, samples crystalized and proceed with HPH technique showed smaller particle size, better redispersibility, higher solubility and dissolution rate in water compared with a sample prepared using a simple antisolvent crystallization process

Identifying dimensions and components of student support system in virtual learning: A scoping review

A student support system (SSS) has a crucial role in the absorption, retention, and success of students in virtual learning. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map the available evidence regarding the dimensions and components of the SSS in virtual learning. This study was conducted in accordance with the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) for scoping reviews. Our search strategy was based on using search engines, such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, WoS, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The articles were published in renowned medical education journals, including Medical Education, Medical Teacher, and Academic Medicine, and the reference lists of identified and reviewed articles were searched manually. The search results were imported into EndNote X20, and after removing duplicates and screenings, 42 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. A descriptive– analytical approach was employed, including a numerical count of study characteristics (quantitative) and template analysis (qualitative). Five dimensions were identified in the SSS in virtual learning: types of support, domains of support, stages of support, instigating of support, levels of support, and their components and subcomponents. The findings of this study depict a comprehensive roadmap and have an important contribution to the knowledge body of SSS in virtual learning. We suggest system developers, planners, and higher education officials to improve the quality of virtual learning by applying these findings in their planning and decision-making