Targeted drug delivery system:- formulation and evaluation of chitosan nanospheres containing doxorubicin hydrochloride

A chitosan molecule form self-assembled nanoparticles that can encapsulate a quantity of drugs and deliver them to a specific site. Chemical attachment of drug to chitosan throughout the functional linker has possibility to produce useful prodrugs, exhibiting biological activity at target site. In vivo residence time of the dosage form in the gastrointestinal tract and bioavailability of various drugs increases by mucoadhesive and absorption enhancement properties of chitosan. Antitumour activity of doxorubicin(DOX)-incorporated nanoparticles in vitro on DOX- resistant C6 glioma cells. Nanoparticles showed increased cytotoxicity compared to DOX alone. These results suggest that doxorubicin (DOX) was unable to penetrate into cells and did not effectively inhibit cell proliferation. In contrast, nanoparticles can penetrate into cells and effectively inhibit cell proliferation. There are 3 batches of drug loaded nanospheres in which 2.5mg,5mg and 10mg of DOX were loaded into nanospheres where the concentration of chitosan is 1%w/v. Anticancer drugs without targeting a specific site cause side effects. The objective of this research is to reduce side effects. HPLC device was used to quantitatively analyze amount of doxorubicin loaded in nanospheres. The result had showed concentration of anticancer drug loaded in nanospheres is directly proportional to the drug payload capacity until saturation point. The in vitro drug release studies was carried out for 48 hours to obtain a more precise result by carrying out this studies in a medium resembling our body environment such as pH7.4, 37ºC with analytical grade water for this studies. In vitro release of doxorubicin is of zero order kinetic. This shows that release is independent of the concentration of drug loaded in the nanospheres. Besides that, the graphs also show a sustained release manner, indicating these nanospheres formulation are suitable for targeting drug delivery system and for efficient treatment of cancerous cells

Effects Of Discrimination in The Workplace on Turnover rate

Discrimination has been identified as a significant risk factor for employee turnover and organizational performance. Discriminatory encounters may behave similarly to other pressures in that they trigger physiological responses that accelerate turnover. The purpose of this conceptual literature review is to summarize the past studies on discrimination and turnover rate and to analyze the impact of workplace discrimination on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. This paper used to systematically examine English-only research retrieved from the Emerald, Science Direct, and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) databases. This study found that both females and males experienced gender discrimination in the workplace. The lower the workplace discrimination the lower turnover rate in an organization. This study points out limitations in the available evidence and makes recommendations for future research into the relationship between discrimination and turnover rate

The mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between executive functioning deficits and employee well-being

Executive functioning and its related components have been found to promote well-being. However, there is a limited understanding of the underlying mechanism. Drawing from the job demands–resources and PERMA models, the present study examined the hypothetical mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between executive functioning deficit and well-being among 314 working adults in Malaysia. Participants answered a survey consisting of the Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (ESQ-R; a new measure of executive functioning deficits for working adults), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Employee Well-Being Scale, and Self-Rated Creativity Scale. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the ESQ-R score was negatively associated with all other target variables, while the latter was positively related to each other. Moreover, supporting the hypotheses, the results of mediation analysis using PROCESS macro found that work engagement mediated the negative relationship between executive functioning deficits and well-being after statistically controlling for the creativity score. The findings not only replicate the beneficial role of executive functioning in employees’ well-being but also shed light on the underlying process of the relationship. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed

Targeted drug delivery system:- formulation and evaluation of chitosan nanospheres containing doxorubicin hydrochloride

A chitosan molecule form self-assembled nanoparticles that can encapsulate a quantity of drugs and deliver them to a specific site. Chemical attachment of drug to chitosan throughout the functional linker has possibility to produce useful prodrugs, exhibiting biological activity at target site. In vivo residence time of the dosage form in the gastrointestinal tract and bioavailability of various drugs increases by mucoadhesive and absorption enhancement properties of chitosan. Antitumour activity of doxorubicin(DOX)-incorporated nanoparticles in vitro on DOX- resistant C6 glioma cells. Nanoparticles showed increased cytotoxicity compared to DOX alone. These results suggest that doxorubicin (DOX) was unable to penetrate into cells and did not effectively inhibit cell proliferation. In contrast, nanoparticles can penetrate into cells and effectively inhibit cell proliferation. There are 3 batches of drug loaded nanospheres in which 2.5mg,5mg and 10mg of DOX were loaded into nanospheres where the concentration of chitosan is 1%w/v. Anticancer drugs without targeting a specific site cause side effects. The objective of this research is to reduce side effects. HPLC device was used to quantitatively analyze amount of doxorubicin loaded in nanospheres. The result had showed concentration of anticancer drug loaded in nanospheres is directly proportional to the drug payload capacity until saturation point. The in vitro drug release studies was carried out for 48 hours to obtain a more precise result by carrying out this studies in a medium resembling our body environment such as pH7.4, 37ºC with analytical grade water for this studies. In vitro release of doxorubicin is of zero order kinetic. This shows that release is independent of the concentration of drug loaded in the nanospheres. Besides that, the graphs also show a sustained release manner, indicating these nanospheres formulation are suitable for targeting drug delivery system and for efficient treatment of cancerous cells

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT≥20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60≤pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2≤{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011