A Study on Determinants of Inflation in Rwanda from 1970-2013

Keeping low inflation rate is regarded as a measure of macroeconomic stability, to deal with it; determinants of inflation have to be well managed. This paper investigates the influence of government spending, import of goods and services, population growth, agriculture output and foreign direct investment on inflation. Time series data for the period of 1970-2013 have been used. The ordinary least squares (OLS) method was employed to estimate the regression model. We find that agriculture output and import of goods and services are the main drivers of inflation in Rwanda. Population growth is statistically significant and negatively correlated with inflation. Therefore, government spending and foreign direct investment have an insignificant negative and positive impact on inflation respectively. Policy implications of the findings have been discussed

Sinteza i farmakološko ispitivanje novih 4-(3-etilfenil)-1-supstituiranih 4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]kinazolin-5-ona kao nove klase H1-antihistaminika

A series of novel 4-(3-ethylphenyl)-1-substituted-4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinazolin-5-ones (4a-j) were synthesized by the cyclization of 3-(3-ethylphenyl)-2-hydrazino-3H-quinazolin-4-one (3) with various one-carbon donors. The starting material, compound 3, was synthesized from 3-ethyl aniline by a new innovative route with improved yield. When tested for their in vivo H1-antihistaminic activity on conscious guinea pigs, all test compounds protected the animals from histamine induced bronchospasm significantly. Compound 4-(3-ethylphenyl)-1-methyl-4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinazolin-5-one (4b) emerged as the most active compound of the series and it is more potent (74.6 % protection) compared to the reference standard chlorpheniramine maleate (71 % protection). Compound 4b shows negligible sedation (10 %) compared to chlorpheniramine maleate (30 %). Therefore compound 4b can serve as the leading compound for further development of a new class of H1-antihistamines.Ciklizacijom 3-(3-etilfenil)-2-hidrazino-3H-kinazolin-4-ona (3) s različitim donorima jednog C atoma sintetizirana je serija novih 4-(3-etilfenil)-1-supstituiranih 4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]kinazolin-5-ona (4a-j). Početni spoj 3 pripravljen je iz 3-etil anilina na novi, inovativni način, s poboljšanim iskorištenjem. U testovima in vivo na zamorcima, svi testirani spojevi pokazali su značajno zaštitno djelovanje protiv bronhospazma induciranog histaminom. Spoj 4-(3-etilfenil)-1-metil-4H-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]kinazolin-5-on (4b) najaktivniji je među testiranim spojevima (zaštita 74.6 %) i jači od referentnog standarda klorfeniramin maleata (zaštita 71 %). Spoj 4b pokazuje zanemarivu sedaciju (10 %) u usporedbi s klorfeniramin maleatom (30 %). Stoga spoj 4b može biti vodeći spoj za daljnji razvoj nove klase H1-antihistaminika

Sinteza i farmakološka evaluacija 3-cikloheksil-2-supstituiranih hidrazino-3H-kinazolin-4-ona kao analgetika i antiinflamatorika

A series of novel 3-cyclohexyl-2-substituted hydrazino-quinazolin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized by reacting the amino group of 3-cyclohexyl-2-hydrazino quinazolin-4(3H)-one with a variety of aldehydes and ketones. The starting material, 3-cyclohexyl-2-hydrazino quinazolin-4(3H)-one, was synthesized from cyclohexyl amine. Title compounds were investigated for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic behavior. The compound 3-cyclohexyl-2-(1-methylbutylidene-hydrazino)-3H-quinazolin-4-one (4c) emerged as the most active compound of the series and is moderately more potent in its analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities compared to the reference standard diclofenac sodium. Interestingly, test compounds showed only mild ulcerogenic potential when compared to acetylsalicylic acid.Reakcijom amino skupine 3-cikloheksil-2-hidrazino kinazolin-4(3H)-ona s različitim aldehidima i ketonima sintetizirani su novi 3-cikloheksil-2-supstituirani hidrazino-kinazolin-4(3H)-oni. Početni spoj 3-cikoheksil-2-hidrazino kinazolin-4(3H)-on pripravljen je iz cikloheksilamina. Sintetizirani spojevi testirani su na analgetsko i protuupalno djelovanje te ulcerogena svojstva. Spoj 3-cikloheksil-2-(1-metilbutiliden-hidrazino)-3H-kinazolin-4-on (4c) imao je najjače analgetsko i protuupalno djelovanje, nešto jače nego referentni spoj diklofenak natrij. Osim toga, testirani spojevi imaju samo blago ulcerogeno djelovanje u usporedbi s acetilsalicilnom kiselinom

A call for action to the biomaterial community to tackle antimicrobial resistance

The global surge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major concern for public health and proving to be a key challenge in modern disease treatment, requiring action plans at all levels. Microorganisms regularly and rapidly acquire resistance to antibiotic treatments and new drugs are continuously required. However, the inherent cost and risk to develop such molecules has resulted in a drying of the pipeline with very few compounds currently in development. Over the last two decades, efforts have been made to tackle the main sources of AMR. Nevertheless, these require the involvement of large governmental bodies, further increasing the complexity of the problem. As a group with a long innovation history, the biomaterials community is perfectly situated to push forward novel antimicrobial technologies to combat AMR. Although this involvement has been felt, it is necessary to ensure that the field offers a united front with special focus in areas that will facilitate the development and implementation of such systems. This paper reviews state of the art biomaterials strategies striving to limit AMR. Promising broad-spectrum antimicrobials and device modifications are showcased through two case studies for different applications, namely topical and implantables, demonstrating the potential for a highly efficacious physical and chemical approach. Finally, a critical review on barriers and limitations of these methods has been developed to provide a list of short and long-term focus areas in order to ensure the full potential of the biomaterials community is directed to helping tackle the AMR pandemic

Antimicrobial activity of Ti-ZrN/Ag coatings for use in biomaterial applications

Severely broken bones often require external bone fixation pins to provide support but they can become infected. In order to reduce such infections, novel solutions are required. Titanium zirconium nitride (Ti-ZrN) and Ti-ZrN silver (Ti-ZrN/Ag) coatings were deposited onto stainless steel. Surface microtopography demonstrated that on the silver containing surfaces, Sa and Sv values demonstrated similar trends whilst the Ra, average height and RMS value and Sp values increased with increasing silver concentration. On the Ti-ZrN/Ag coatings, surface hydrophobicity followed the same trend as the Sa and Sv values. An increase in dead Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis cells was observed on the coatings with a higher silver concentration. Using CTC staining, a significant increase in S. aureus respiration on the silver containing surfaces was observed in comparison to the stainless steel control whilst against S. epidermidis, no significant difference in viable cells was observed across the surfaces. Cytotoxicity testing revealed that the TiZrN coatings, both with and without varying silver concentrations, did not possess a detrimental effect to a human monocyte cell line U937. This work demonstrated that such coatings have the potential to reduce the viability of bacteria that result in pin tract infections

Antimicrobial Strategies and Economic Considerations for Polymeric Medical Implants.

Healthcare acquired infections (HAI's) are a worldwide problem that can be exacerbated by surgery and the implantation of polymeric medical devices. The use of polymer based medical devices which incorporate antimicrobial strategies are now becoming an increasingly routine way of trying to prevent the potential for reduce chronic infection and device failure. There are a wide range of potential antimicrobial agents currently being incorporated into such polymers. However, it is difficult to determine which antimicrobial agent provides the greatest infection control. The economics of replacing current methods with impregnated polymer materials further complicates matters. It has been suggested that the use of a holistic system wide approach should to be developed around the implantation of medical devices which minimises the potential risk of infection. However, the use of such different approaches is still being developed. The control of such infections is important for individual patient health and the economic implications for healthcare services

Bacterial adherence and biofilm formation on medical implants: a review

Biofilms are a complex group of microbial cells that adhere to the exopolysaccharide matrix present on the surface of medical devices. Biofilm-associated infections in the medical devices pose a serious problem to the public health and adversely affect the function of the device. Medical implants used in oral and orthopedic surgery are fabricated using alloys such as stainless steel and titanium. The biological behavior, such as osseointegration and its antibacterial activity, essentially depends on both the chemical composition and the morphology of the surface of the device. Surface treatment of medical implants by various physical and chemical techniques are attempted in order to improve their surface properties so as to facilitate bio-integration and prevent bacterial adhesion. The potential source of infection of the surrounding tissue and antimicrobial strategies are from bacteria adherent to or in a biofilm on the implant which should prevent both biofilm formation and tissue colonization. This article provides an overview of bacterial biofilm formation and methods adopted for the inhibition of bacterial adhesion on medical implant

Microstructural Analysis of Terbium Doped Zirconia and Its Biological Studies

Zirconia has its place in the biomedical industry because of its mechanical strength, bio-inertness, and physiochemical properties. Zirconia was synthesized and doped with Terbium (Tb), a lanthanide that was reported to show a photoluminescence property, which was a major characteristic for carcinogenic studies. Zirconia and Tb doped Zirconia were synthesized using the co-precipitation technique and were sintered at a temperature ranging from 900 to 1200 °C. The Zirconia sample and Tb doped Zirconia were thus studied for structural diversities using the X-ray powder diffraction technique (XRD), FTIR, FE-SEM, and TEM. From XRD, Zirconia phase transformation from monoclinic to tetragonal phase was observed, which signified limited fracture, elasticity, and crack formation. It was evident that Terbium stabilized the tetragonal phase of Zirconia, which reportedly shows mechanical properties, which include fracture toughness and flexural strength. The particle size of the Zirconia was comparatively more than the Tb doped Zirconia. The particle size of Zirconia ranged between 176 nm and 393 nm and the particle size of Tb doped Zirconia ranged between 110 nm and 343 nm. The biocompatibility of both the samples was tested using an Mg-63 cell line, and the cell viability was observed to be higher in Tb doped Zirconia when compared to the undoped Zirconia sample