GENDER SPECIFIC VARIATION OF TWO PHENOLIC GLYCOSIDES (POPULIN AND SALICIN) IN POPULUS CILIATA AND IDENTIFICATION OF A NEW COMPOUND (CINNAMOYL-SALICIN)

Objective: To observe gender specific seasonal variation of two phenolic glycosides (PG's) (populin and salicin) in Populus ciliata male and female trees.Methods: Plant material (bark) was collected from male and female trees throughout the year. The content of salicin and populin was measured using HPLC. Because of the lack of populin in the market, the standard compound was synthesized in the laboratory from salicin following standard procedure. Confirmation and characterization of synthesized populin were done using 1H NMR and 13C NMR. TLC and LC-MS of methanolic extract were performed to observe the presence of populin and salicin in the plant bark.Results: TLC showed the presence of populin and salicin in crude plant extract at Rf value 0.84 and 0.52, respectively. The results of monthly variation showed a consistent pattern of two PG's for both the sexes. However, salicin content was observed highest compared to populin content. Whereas female trees were observed with low content of PG's compared to male trees. The maximum content of salicin and populin was observed in the flowering season. LC-MS of bark methanolic extract confirmed the presence of a significantly larger peak, which was identified as a cinnamoyl-salicin peak at 463.Conclusion: The study confirms the highest content of PG's in the flowering season. Additionally, LC-MS study concluded a new compound cinnamoyl-salicin (M+at 463) which is reported first time to the best of author's knowledge. It seems that it could be the denaturation product of 2'-O-cinnamoyl salicortin and can be further explored for biological applications

NOVEL RP-HPLC METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF SAXAGLIPTIN AND GLIMEPIRIDE

Objective: The objective of the present study was to develop, and validate a novel reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method, for simultaneous determination of saxagliptin (SAXA) and glimepiride (GLIM), in bulk mixtures, and in tablets.Methods: Determination of the drugs, SAXA and GLIM, was carried out employing ODS C18 column (250 mm X 4.6 mm i. d, 5 µm particle size), with diode array detector at λmax of 230 nm. The mobile phase employed for the current study, composed of two solvents, i.e., A (acetonitrile), and B (0.1 % w/v sodium di-hydrogen orthophosphate buffer, pH 3.8 adjusted with orthophosphoric acid). The mobile phase was pumped at a flow rate of 0.75 ml/min in the gradient mode. The validation study with respect to specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ), was carried out employing the ICH Guidelines.Results: The developed method was selective and linear for both the drugs, i.e., between 15.63 µg/ml and 250.00 µg/ml for SAXA, and 7.81 µg/ml and 125.00 µg/ml for GLIM, with a correlation coefficient (R2) 0.9977 and 0.9982, for SAXA, and GLIM, respectively. The % recovery obtained was 102.98±0.14% for SAXA, and 101.84±1.96% for GLIM. The LOD and LOQ values for SAXA were obtained to be 1.30 µg/ml, and 3.94 µg/ml, respectively, while for GLIM, LOD was 0.82 µg/ml and LOQ was 2.48 µg/ml. The method also exhibits good robustness for different chromatographic conditions like wavelength, flow rate, mobile phase and injection volume.Conclusion: The method was successfully employed, for the quantification of SAXA and GLIM, in the quality control of in-house developed tablets, and can be applied for the industrial use

Acid Rain and Seed Germination: A Predictive Model Using ML-based CART Algorithm

The impact of acid rain on the germination of seeds is a significant concern in agricultural and environmental studies. Acid rain, characterized by elevated acidity levels due to pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, can adversely affect the germination process of various plant species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the germination of Brinjal (Solanum melongena Linn.) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata ssp. cylindrica L. Walpers) crops. The experiments were conducted using eight plastic trays of approximately 25 cm. x 30 cm dimensions. Four trays were used for experiments with brinjal seeds (Set I), while the other four were used for cowpea seeds (Set II). One tray from each set was used as positive control and treated with normal pH 5.6, while the other three trays from each batch were treated with SAR solutions of pH 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5. Brinjal seed germination percentage and seed vigor were inferior to Cowpea seeds. The seeds treated with SAR (pH 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5) showed hindered seed germination. Furthermore, a more significant inhibitory effect was observed at lower pH values. The mean germination percentage of seeds was highest for standard SAR (pH 5.6) in the case of Brinjal seeds, while it was recorded lowest for Cowpea seeds. The results indicate that plants do not respond uniformly to SAR. To investigate the behavior of the simulated acid rain data, a Machine Learning-based Decision Tree Algorithm was employed to identify and optimize conditions. Cowpea was predicted to get 95% seed germination, whereas brinjal would only be 64% in acid rain of pH value 5.05 for 36 hours. In conclusion, utilizing a Machine Learning-based CART algorithm has provided valuable insights into predicting the germination behavior of seeds under the influence of acid rain

Evaluating the fabric performance and antibacterial properties of 3-D piezoelectric spacer fabric

The increasing need of on-demand power for enabling portable low-power devices and sensors has necessitated work in novel energy harvesting materials and devices. In a recent work, we demonstrated the production and suitability of three-dimensional (3-D) spacer all fibre piezoelectric textiles for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy for wearable and technical applications. The current work investigates the textile performance properties of these 3-D piezoelectric fabrics including porosity, air permeability, water vapour transmission and bursting strength. Furthermore, as these textiles are intended for wearable applications, we have assessed their wear abrasion and consequently provide surface resistance measurements which can affect the lifetime and efficiency of charge collection in the piezoelectric textile structures. The results show that the novel smart fabric with a measured porosity of 68% had good air (1855 l/m2/s) and water vapour permeability (1.34 g/m2/day) values, good wear abrasion resistance over 60,000 rotations applied by a load of 12 kPa and bursting strength higher than 2400 kPa. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of 3-D piezoelectric fabrics revealed that owing to the use of Ag/PA66 yarns, the textiles exhibit excellent antibacterial activity against not only Gram-negative bacteria E. coli but they are also capable of killing antibiotic methicillin-resistant bacteria S. aureus

Azelaic acid and Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil co-loaded vesicular carrier for combinational therapy of acne

Aim: Azelaic acid (AzA), a comedolytic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory anti-melanogenic agent, prescribed against acne vulgaris is safe on skin. Its combination with another widely used anti-acne agent, tea tree oil (EO) whose delivery is limited by volatility, instability and lipophilicity constraints was attempted. Method: Solvent injection was used to prepare AzA-EO integrated ethosomes. Result: Ethosomes were transformed into carbopol hydrogel, which exhibited pseudo-plastic properties with appreciable firmness, work of shear, stickiness and work of adhesion. The hydrogel showed better permeation and retention characteristics vis-a-vis commercial formulation (AzidermTM), when evaluated in Wistar rat skin. Further, ethosome hydrogel composite was better tolerated with no side effects. Conclusion: The findings suggests that the aforementioned strategy could be a potential treatment used for acne management. </jats:p

Understanding of colistin usage in food animals and available detection techniques: a review

Progress in the medical profession is determined by the achievements and effectiveness of new antibiotics in the treatment of microbial infections. However, the development of multiple-drug resistance in numerous bacteria, especially Gram-negative bacteria, has limited the treatment options. Due to this resistance, the resurgence of cyclic polypeptide drugs like colistin remains the only option. The drug, colistin, is a well-known growth inhibitor of Gram-negative bacteria like Acinetobacter baumanni, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Technological advancements have uncovered the role of the mcr-1(mobilized colistin resistance) gene, which is responsible for the development of resistance in Gram-negative bacteria, which make them distinct from other bacteria without this gene. Additionally, food animals have been determined to be the reservoir for colistin resistance microbes, from which they spread to other hosts. Due to the adverse effects of colistin, many developed countries have prohibited its usage in animal foods, but developing countries are still using colistin in animal food production, thereby imposing a major risk to the public health. Therefore, there is a need for implementation of sustainable measures in livestock farms to prevent microbial infection. This review highlights the negative effects (increased resistance) of colistin consumption and emphasizes the different approaches used for detecting colistin in animal-based foods as well as the challenges associated with its detectio

Hydrogel composite containing azelaic acid and tea tree essential oil as a therapeutic strategy for Propionibacterium and testosterone-induced acne.

Azelaic acid (AzA) is a USFDA bioactive prescribed against acne vulgaris. It possesses delivery challenges like poor aqueous solubility, low skin-penetrability, and dose-dependent side effects, which could be overcome by its synergistic combination with tea tree oil (TTO) as a microemulsion (ME)-based hydrogel composite. AzA-TTO ME was prepared to employ pseudo-ternary phase diagram construction. The best AzA-TTO ME was of uniform size (polydispersity index  90%), and negative zeta potential (-1.42 ± 0.25% mV) values. ME hydrogel composite with optimum rheological and textural attributes showed better permeation, retention, and skin-compliant characteristics, vis-a-vis marketed formulation (Aziderm™) when evaluated in Wistar rat skin. In vitro antibacterial efficacy in bacterial strains, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Propionibacterium acne, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, was evaluated employing agar well plate diffusion and broth dilution assay. ME hydrogel has shown an increase in zone of inhibition by two folds and a decrease in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by eightfold against P. acnes vis-a-vis AzA. Finally, ME hydrogel composite exhibited a better reduction in the papule density (93.75 ± 1.64%) in comparison to Aziderm™ 72.69 ± 4.67%) on acne as developed in rats by inducing testosterone. Thus, the developed AzA-TTO ME hydrogel composite promises an efficacious and comparatively safer drug delivery system for the topical therapy of acne vulgaris

Geographic Access to Providers and Pediatric Mental Health Care

Introduction: Given the severe shortage of mental health care providers in the US and in Texas, variations in the distribution of the providers and its interaction with race/ethnicity and poverty level exist. Therefore, geographic access to provider could significantly affect the pediatric mental health care. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effect of geographic access to mental health care providers and its interaction with race and socioeconomic characteristics on the different level (identification of mental disorders, treatment engagement, and quality of treatment) of pediatric mental health care. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to examine the association of geographic access to providers (primary care provider (PCP): primary care physicians, physician assistants, registered nurse, and mental health care provider: psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse) with the following: (a) likelihood of receiving screening, in the pediatric population aged 4-18 years (Aim 1); (b) likelihood of engaging in the treatment(≥2 treatment-related visits) and receiving minimum guideline-concordant care in the pediatric depression patients (Aim 2) and (c) likelihood of engaging in the treatment and medication adherence in the pediatric ADHD patients of Medicaid managed care plan of Texas (Aim 3). Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using multiple data sources. An administrative claims data for the years 2013-2016 from a large pediatric Medicaid Managed Care Plan was the primary data source, that has individual level information such as age, gender, race, zip code of residence, health-related and provider- related information. This was linked to 2010 US Census data with a zip code of enrollees to get the neighborhood level information such as population, poverty level, racial/ethnic composition. It was further linked with the National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry using NPI codes to ascertain provider location and provider specialty. Three geographic access measures were used (a) Travel distance to the nearest provider for aim 1, travel distance to the provider who diagnosed mental disorders/initiated the treatment for aim 1 and aim 2. (b) PCP density per 10,000 individuals within 5-mile of travel distance, and (c) specialists density per 10,000 individuals within 5-mile of travel distance. For aim 1, the study period was of two years in which study population was all the enrollees (aged 4-18 years) that were enrolled for at least 20 months within two years in the health plan and did not have any mental disorders in the first year. Behavioral disorder screening claims were identified using CPT codes in the second year of the study period. Aim 2 included children and adolescents (4-18 years) who were newly diagnosed with depression (identified using ICD codes) and did not have any mental disorder related claims in previous 6 months and had received at least one treatment for the depression. Outcomes in this aim were treatment engagement (defined as ≥2 antidepressants prescription or psychotherapy sessions for depression) and minimally adequate guideline-concordant treatment ( defined as ≥8 sessions of psychotherapy within 84 days post-index treatment date or ≥ 84 days of continuous treatment with antidepressants out of 114 days post-index treatment date). Aim 3 included children and adolescents (4-18 years) who were newly diagnosed with ADHD (identified using ICD codes) and did not have any mental disorder related claims in the previous 6 months. Outcomes in this aim were treatment engagement (≥2 ADHD medication prescription or psychotherapy sessions for ADHD) and medication adherence (PDC ≥ 0.8) during 300 days post-index treatment. Medication adherence was only assessed in the patients who engaged in the treatment. Covariates included in the study were age, gender, race, Medicaid eligibility categories (family income), specialty of the provider who gave the index diagnosis (for the analysis of treatment engagement) or specialty of the provider who prescribed the index prescription (for Aim 2 and Aim 3), neighborhood poverty level, and urban influence on a zip code. Single level multivariable logistic regression was used in the study. ArcGIS® was used for all geographic information system (GIS) functions, except travel distance that was calculated using Google Map®. All statistical analyses were carried out using SAS®. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Houston. Results: For Aim 1, Behavioral disorder screening rate was 12.6% among 457,870 children and adolescents who met the inclusion criteria. Multivariable analysis stratified by patient race/ethnicity revealed that that travel distance was negatively associated with screening engagement only among Hispanics (10-20 miles vs. 0-10 miles: OR=0.78, 95% CI [0.71-0.86]; 20-30 miles vs. 0-10 miles: OR=0.35, 95% CI [0.23-0.54]). In the subgroup that had access to at least one PCP within 10 miles of travel distance, minorities were more sensitive to increase in PCP density compare to Whites for the likelihood of screening. For Aim 2, A total of 3,472 children and adolescents with newly diagnosed depression with at least one treatment-related visit were identified. Seventy percent of the MDD treatment was initiated by mental health specialists, and 25% by PCPs. The treatment engagement rate was 65%. Among those who engaged in the treatment, 13.63% met the minimum adequacy of treatment criteria. Travel distance to the provider who initiated the treatment was negatively associated with the likelihood of treatment engagement among Hispanics (Travel distance 5.0 - 14.9 miles vs 0 - 4.9 miles: OR=0.74, 95% CI [0.54-0.88], p value=0.03; Travel distance ≥15 miles vs 0 - 4.9 miles: OR=0.82, 95% CI [0.56-0.97], p value=0.048). Mental health specialist density was positively associated with treatment engagement among Blacks (specialist’ density per 10,000 in 5-mile travel distance 1.00-1.99 vs < 1.00: OR=1.63, 95% CI[1.03-4.51], p value=0.03; 2.00-4.99 specialists vs < 1.0 specialists: OR=2.28, 95% CI[1.21-7.11], p value<0.01; and ≥5.00 specialists vs <1 specialists: OR=1.74, 95% CI[1.11-5.53], p value=0.02). Regarding treatment completion, travel distance to the provider who initiated treatment had a statistically significant effect on all racial/ethnic groups. Those who lived 15 miles or more away from the provider who initiated the treatment were 22% less likely to complete the treatment as compared to those who had to travel less than 5 miles (OR=0.78, 95% CI [0.55-0.93], p value=0.03). For Aim 3, A total of 10,206 children and adolescents with an incident ADHD diagnosis were identified, of which 70% of were diagnosed by non-mental health specialists and among 68% of ADHD cases, medication was initiated by PCPs. The treatment engagement rate was 55%. Among those engaged with treatment, mean adherence (PDC) was 0.54 (0.24) and 27.5% with PDC ≥ 0.70. None of the geographic access measures were associated with the odds of treatment engagement and treatment adherence. Factors positively associated with treatment engagement were being White (Blacks vs Whites OR=0.63, 95% CI [0.54-0.73]; Hispanics vs Whites OR=0.43, 95% CI [0.37-0.49]), and diagnosed by mental health specialists (specialists vs PCP OR=1.20, 95% CI [1.05-1.37]), and factors positively associated with medication adherence were being White (Blacks vs Whites OR=0.40, 95% CI [0.31-0.52]; Hispanics vs Whites OR=0.43, 95% CI [0.33-0.55]), and treatment initiated by mental health specialists (specialists vs PCP OR=1.68, 95% CI [1.42-1.98]). Conclusion: Hispanics and Blacks were the most sensitive to geographic access to providers in receiving behavioral disorder screening and depression treatment. However, the study did not find any association of treatment engagement and medication adherence with the geographic access to providers in the ADHD subgroup. The findings of this study suggest that the involvement of PCP in mental health care may provide a solution to geographic access disparity.Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, Department o

Risk of Substance Use in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Predominately Inattentive Symptoms

Objective: Primary objective of the study was to compare the risk of substance use associated with various attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes in a large, nationally representative adolescent sample. Secondary objective was to explore the extent of this association being modified by pharmaceutical interventions especially in ADHD with predominately inattentive symptoms (ADHD/I subtype). Methods: National Comorbidity survey-Adolescent supplement (NCS-A), a nationally representative sample of adolescents (age 13-18) was used to assess the wide range of mental disorders and substance use information. Childhood ADHD subtypes and age at onset were calculated retrospectively with the variables of the ADHD DSM-IV criteria symptoms. Substance use information was assessed using the age at first use, frequency of use information about the illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Pharmaceutical intervention and onset of therapy were collected from the parent’s questionnaire about the prescription medication used for relieving the symptoms of ADHD. Association between ADHD subtype and substance use was examined using the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: In a nationally representative adolescent sample of US, our study found that individuals with ADHD with predominately hyperactivity symptoms (ADHD/H) and ADHD with predominately hyperactivity and inattention symptoms (ADHD/C) subtype has similar future risk of using substance as ADHD/I subtypes [ADHD/H (OR=0.91, 95% C.I.=0.38-2.17) and ADHD/C (OR=1.49, 95 %CI=0.90-0.34)], after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, comorbid conditions, environmental factors and ADHD pharmacotherapy. ADHD pharmacotherapy is effective in reducing the risk of substance use in ADHD/C and ADHD/H subtype, whereas it was not effective for the purpose in the ADHD/I subtype (in ADHD/I with mood disorder, OR=0.483, 95% C.I.=0.1-2.34, p value=0.36 and in ADHD/I without mood disorder, OR=0.544, 95% C.I.=0.28, p value=0.29). Conclusion: ADHD/I have a significant risk of substance use which is comparable to other subtypes. Still pharmacotherapy is seem to be not effective intervention strategy in ADHD/I subtype. More research is required for examining the effectiveness of behavioral therapy in reducing risk of substance use in the individuals with ADHD/I subtype.Pharmacy, College o

Role of graphene/metal oxide composites as photocatalysts, adsorbents and disinfectants in water treatment: a review

With a rapidly growing population, development of new materials, techniques and devices which can provide safe potable water continues to be one of the major research emphases of the scientific community. While the development of new metal oxide catalysts is progressing, albeit at a slower pace, the concurrent and rapid development of high surface area catalyst supports such as graphene and its functionalised derivatives has provided unprecedented promise in the development of multifunctional catalysts. Recent works have shown that metal oxide/graphene composites can perform multiple roles including (but not limited to): photocatalysts, adsorbents and antimicrobial agents making them an effective agent against all major water pollutants including organic molecules, heavy metal ions and water borne pathogens, respectively. This article presents a comprehensive review on the application of metal oxide/graphene composites in water treatment and their role as photocatalyst, adsorbent and disinfectant in water remediation. Through this review, we discuss the current state of the art in metal oxide/graphene composites for water purification and also provide a comprehensive analysis of the nature of interaction of these composites with various types of pollutants which dictates their photocatalytic, adsorptive and antimicrobial activities. The review concludes with a summary on the role of graphene based materials in removal of pollutants from water and some proposed strategies for designing of highly efficient multifunctional metal oxide/graphene composites for water remediation. A brief perspective on the challenges and new directions in the area is also provided for researchers interested in designing advanced water treatment strategies using graphene based advanced materials