Functionality of xanthan and almond gum in colloidal shellac nanoparticles containing cinnamon

Instability of shellac nanoparticles at acidic pH is the main challenge of its use as an oral delivery system. This study aims to investigate the functionality of xanthan and almond gum in shellac nanoparticles containing cinnamon prepared by anti-solvent precipitation. The gums were added into the anti-solvent phase while the cinnamon extract was incorporated into the solvent phase. The results show that the minimum concentration of xanthan and almond gum to prevent shellac aggregation at simulated gastric pH (1.2) was 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively. Higher concentration of gums resulted in a bigger particle size and more negative zeta-potential, regardless the type of the gums. Cinnamon loading in the shellac-xanthan gum complex resulted in nanoscale sized particles, while the complex system consisted of shellac, almond gum 0.6% and cinnamon extract created a network entrapping the individual particle. In conclusion, xanthan gum incorporation was better than almond gum to stabilise shellac nanoparticle containing cinnamon in simulated gastric pH. This study confirms that shellac-xanthan gum complex can be potentially used for an oral delivery system of bioactive compounds

UJI BEDA SENSITIVITAS JAMUR MALASSEZIA SP. TERHADAP KETOKONAZOL DAN MIKONAZOL SECARA IN VITRO

Latar Belakang: Pitiriasis versikolor merupakan infeksi jamur superfisial pada kulit yang disebabkan oleh jamur Malassezia sp. Saat ini penggunaan antifungal topikal masih menjadi terapi lini pertama. Menurut Danish Society of Dermatology antifungal golongan azol yaitu ketokonazol dan mikonazol menjadi rekomendasi untuk pengobatan topikal pitiriasis versikolor. Uji sensitivitas secara berkala diperlukan untuk mengetahui sensitivitas obat antijamur. Tujuan: Menganalisis perbedaan sensitivitas jamur Malassezia sp. terhadap ketokonazol dan mikonazol secara in vitro. Metode: Penelitian analitik observasional dengan rancangan cross sectional design dilaksanakan di Rumah Sakit Nasional Diponegoro. Didapatkan 20 subjek, namun hanya 16 subjek yang memenuhi kriteri inklusi: pasien pitiriasis versikolor berusia 16-64 tahun, tidak sedang mengonsumsi obat antijamur, dan diagnosis pitiriasis versikolor positif. Sampel dilakukan scrapping lesi dan ditemukan spagghetti and meatball pada mikroskop kemudian dikultur. Hanya 10 sampel positif kultur, sehingga 6 dari 10 sampel yang tumbuh dipilih secara acak kemudian dilakukan subkultur. Sampel yang tumbuh kemudian dilakukan uji sensitivitas terhadap ketokonazol dan mikonazol. Perbedaan sensitivitas dianalisis menggunakan uji chi square (uji x2). Hasil: Berdasarkan statistik perbedaan sensitivitas ketokonazol dan mikonazol menunjukan hasil yang signifikan (P=0,001), dimana 16 sampel sensitif ketokonazol, sedangkan mikonazol didapatkan resisten 10 sampel dan 6 sampel intermediet. Kesimpulan: Terdapat perbedaan bermakna pada sensitivitas jamur Mallasezia sp. terhadap ketokonazol dan mikonazol secara in vitro. Kata Kunci: Pitiriasis versikolor, sensitivitas, disc diffusion, Ketokonazol, Mikonazol, Malassezia sp

Serum Cystatin C as an Early Marker of Neutrophil Gelatinase‐associated Lipocalin‐positive Acute Kidney Injury Resulting from Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease

ObjectiveAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication resulting from cardiopulmonary bypass in infants. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a sensitive and specific marker of such injury. In this study, we compared the performance of serum cystatin C (Cys C) and serum creatinine (Cr) as early markers of renal dysfunction in infants undergoing cardiac surgery under bypass.Study Design, Setting, and PatientsThe study was designed as a prospective observational study. The study was conducted in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary, academic children's hospital in the United States. Infants (age <1 year) undergoing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass were included in the study.Outcome MeasureAcute kidney injury was defined based on postoperative urinary NGAL.ResultsA total of 17 infants were included in the study, and five of them developed AKI. Serum Cys C and Cr levels were measured postoperatively on days 1, 2, and 3, and compared with baseline levels. On postoperative day 2, infants with AKI showed significant change from baseline in serum Cys C levels compared with non‐AKI infants (28% vs. −9%, P = .03). The two groups did not show significant differences with respect to rise in serum Cr on any of the 3 postoperative days. Serum Cr on days 1 and 2 showed nonspecific increases in both AKI and non‐AKI groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for day 2 Cys C was 0.87 (95% CI 0.67–1.00) in recognizing NGAL‐positive AKI.ConclusionsPostoperative serum Cys C appears to be a more specific and sensitive biomarker for NGAL‐positive AKI resulting from cardiopulmonary bypass surgery in infants undergoing cardiac surgery.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113151/1/chd12253.pd

A voxelized immersed boundary (VIB) finite element method for accurate and efficient blood flow simulation

We present an efficient and accurate immersed boundary (IB) finite element (FE) method for internal flow problems with complex geometries (e.g., blood flow in the vascular system). In this study, we use a voxelized flow domain (discretized with hexahedral and tetrahedral elements) instead of a box domain, which is frequently used in IB methods. The proposed method utilizes the well-established incremental pressure correction scheme (IPCS) FE solver, and the boundary condition-enforced IB (BCE-IB) method to numerically solve the transient, incompressible Navier--Stokes flow equations. We verify the accuracy of our numerical method using the analytical solution for the Poiseuille flow in a cylinder, and the available experimental data (laser Doppler velocimetry) for the flow in a three-dimensional 90{\deg} angle tube bend. We further examine the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method by considering flow within complex geometries, such as blood flow in aneurysmal vessels and the aorta, flow configurations that would otherwise be difficult to solve by most IB methods. Our method offers high accuracy, as demonstrated by the verification examples, and high applicability, as demonstrated through the solution of blood flow within complex geometry. The proposed method is efficient, since it is as fast as the traditional finite element method used to solve the Navier--Stokes flow equations, with a small overhead (not more than 5$\%$) due to the numerical solution of a linear system formulated for the IB method.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2007.0208

Algumas controvérsias sobre a origem da vida

In the present paper some controversies on the origin of life are discussed. Did the first living beings on Earth have an autotrophic or heterotrophic origin? What did come first, genetic code or metabolism? Were cells invented early? What was the role of minerals regarding the origin of life

Penggabungan Konsep Web 2.0 dan Mashup dalam Pembuatan Situs Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Provinsi DKI Jakarta

This study aims to design a website of the Jakarta regional office of Culture and Tourism by combining the concept of web 2.0 and mashup. This concept combines several APIs (Application Programming Interface) into a new application. The APIs used are Facebook, Google Maps, Twitter, and Yahoo Weather. The created site applies the latest technology and advanced multimedia elements. With the combination of all elements above, a more interactive and dynamic site is succesfully obtained