Development and Evaluation of Surface Modified Poly (lactic acid) Microsphere via Irradiation Techniques for Drug Delivery System

AbstractPoly (lactic acid) (PLA) has been used in medical field because it is biocompatible, biodegradable and has good mechanical properties. However, its surface characteristic which is hydrophobic and chemically inert is not suitable as a carrier in drug delivery system. Purpose of this study is to modify and improve PLA microspheres surface by grafting hydrophilic monomers onto its surface via irradiation techniques. Two sets of PLA microspheres with and without hydrophilic monomers were irradiated using high energy irradiations which are electron beam and Gamma (γ) rays respectively. Although dose used in irradiating samples were same for both electron beam and γ-rays, but the dose rate were different where electron beam has the higher dose rate. Free radicals will be formed when a matter is irradiated with ionising radiation and these radicals will interact with monomers and initiate grafting. Three hydrophilic monomers were used in this study i.e. Acrylic Acid (AA), Acrylamide and Maleic Anhydride (MAH). Surface modified PLA microspheres were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). PLA microspheres surface were successfully modified and grafted with selected monomers and confirmed by FTIR results. The degrees of grafting were found to be dependent on irradiation dose and dose rate of irradiation as well as monomer used in the grafting. SEM shows surface of PLA microsphere after surface modification is rougher compared to before surface modification

A cross-sectional study of hypertensive outpatients to determine the necessity of asking about erectile dysfunction symptoms.

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common amongst hypertensive men. Hypertensive patients often attribute it to antihypertensive drugs, although conflicting evidence linking ED with antihypertensive medication exists. The objectives were to determine the prevalence and severity of ED, the type of treatment sought, and the risk factors for ED among hypertensive men. Method: A cross-sectional survey conducted over six months from June to November 2008 at University Kebangsaan, Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Inclusion criteria included hypertensive men above 30 years old, with essential hypertension for at least three months. We excluded diabetics, a history of pelvic surgery and known psychiatric illnesses. The International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) assessment was used with a standardised checklist. We analysed data using SPSS, to assess the prevalence and association of ED with selected variables. Results: Of the 200 participants screened, 35.5% perceived that they had ED. However, prevalence increased to 69% after screening using an IIEF-5 questionnaire. Forty-eight per cent were reported to have moderate-tosevere ED. ED was significantly associated with age (p-value = 0.0001). No significant associations were found between ED and the duration of the hypertension (p-value = 0.505), hypertension control (p-value > 0.05), smoking status (p-value = 0.858) or number of antihypertensive medication taken (p-value > 0.05). Among perceived and proven ED patients, traditional medicines were mainly used for treatment (18.3% and 17.2% respectively). Conclusion: ED is a problem among hypertensive patients. It was associated with age but not with hypertension duration, control, number of antihypertensive drugs or smoking. Physicians should enquire about ED symptoms in hypertensive patients, as most of them resorted to self-treatment with traditional medicines

An experimental study of welded bar sleeve wall panel connection under tensile, shear, and flexural loads

This paper presents an experimental study of a new grouted splice connection for wall panels, called Welded Bar Sleeve (WBS). The connections were made from steel pipes and tested with incremental tensile, shear and flexural loads until failure. The aim is to determine the behaviour of the connection under the three load cases. For this, the connections are evaluated in terms of the load–displacement responses, ultimate capacities, ductility responses and some feasibility assessment criteria. WBS was found to provide sufficient strength at the bar embedded length of 8, 8 and 11 times the bar diameter under tensile, shear and flexural loads, respectively. It is effective under tension, but could only service up to 1/3 of its ultimate shear capacity. Flexural load is the most critical load case for the connection. For this, further enhancements are required when subjected to shear and flexural loads

Evaluation of gastroprotective effects of the ethanolic extract of Peperomia pellucida (L) Kunth

This work was carried out to investigate the anti-ulcerogenic activity of Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth in necrotizing agent ie (ethanol, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid) and indomethacin-induced models in rats. The 70% of ethanolic extract of aerial part of Peperomia pellucida (PPE) was prepared. Four doses ie 10, 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg were selected for further study. Ulcer effects were determined by counting the total surface area of lesion in mm2. Results showed that PPE provided significant protection in various experimental models used. Pretreatment with the PPE at all doses (10,30,100 and 300 mg/kg) has produced significant inhibition of gastric mucosal damage induced by 80% EtOH, 25% NaCl, 0.6 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH and 30 mg/kg indomethacin. The result suggests that PPE possesses anti-ulcer properties

Virtual Machine based Autonomous Web Server

Enterprises are turning to Internet technology to circulate information, interact with potential customers and establish an e-commerce business presence. These activities are depending highly on Web server and maintaining good server security has been a requirement for avoiding any malicious attacks especially web defacements and malware. Web server administrators should be alert and attentive to the status of the server at all time. They need to be persistent in monitoring the server in order to detect any attempted attacks. This is an advantage for a web server that is maintained by a big company that has a big budget to hire a knowledgeable web server administrator, for a new established small company it will only burden their expenses. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes a low cost system called Autonomous Web Server Administrator (AWSA) that is fully developed using open source software. AWSA combines several computing concepts such as Virtual Machine, Intrusion Detection System and Checksum. AWSA offers a Virtual Machine based Web server that has the ability to automatically detect intrusions and reconstruct corrupted data or the file system without any human intervention

The effect of different water regimes on growth, gas exchange rate and water relations of three varieties of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) under glasshouse condition

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L., Malvaceae) is a warm season annual fiber crop closely related to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L., Malvaceae) that can be successfully produced in different areas most importantly producing fiber. The effects of water stress on growth, gas exchange rate and water relation of three different varieties of kenaf, namely Fuhong 991 (FH991), V36 and Kohn-Kaen 60 (KK60), were investigated. The plants were grown on a loose-textured clay soil, Serdang series (soil texture class by USDA) in the glasshouse at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Three watering regimes consisting of 100% of field capacity (control), 50% of field capacity and 25% of field capacity were imposed on the plants. Each water treatment was replicated three times in a randomized complete block design as split plot arrangement The objectives of this study were to evaluate growth parameters of different varieties of kenaf and determine gas exchange rate and water relationship of these varieties under different water treatments; therefore, throughout a period of 90 days, parameters of growth, gas exchange attributes and water relations were measured within three regular intervals of every three weeks. Shoot height, stem diameter and total biomass were the most prominent parameters of kenaf fiber yield in which variety FH991 with water treatment of 100% field capacity attained the highest values (242.67 cm for shoot height, 14.3 mm for stem diameter and total biomass of 93.26 g/plant) compared to others. Kenaf avoids drought by leaf rolling and stomata closure. The water potential went down as low as -1.5 MPa under severe stress. The results of this study showed that varieties and different water treatments significantly differed in growth parameters, water relations and gas exchange attributes, so that the greatest values belonged to variety FH991 at water treatment of 100% field capacity

IPv6 and IPv4 Security Issues

In the near future IPv6 is said to become the new version of internet protocol replacing IPv4 protocol. Other than providing huge populated address, IPv6 also provides simplicity in configuration, routing speed, quality of services and more importantly improve the security mechanism. The deployment of IPv6 will not occur over night but it may take several years. Several methods have been found to be applied in the transition of IPv6 to IPv4 protocol. As IPv6 is not yet in full throttle there are possibilities of intrusion and computer threat especially during the transition period. This paper reviews the security threats of an IPv4 and how it ’s going to effect the implementation of IPv6

Next Generation Internet Protocol — Test6-I Deployment

Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) is the next generation internet protocol. It is not yet possible to completely migrate to IPv6, but several transitions mechanisms are available to allow IPv6 and IPv4 coexist together in the same network infrastructure. The main benefit of this protocol is a larger address space and enhanced security options. In transition from current Internet Protocol version four (IPv4) to Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) is not easy as “Plug n Play" since both are incompatible protocol. For smooth integration between these protocols, native IPv6 tested (T EST 6) was deployed in UTeM. In other hand, this gained an experience and confidence before fully integrating it with an existing Internet protocol. This paper describes how TEST6 was setup in intranet environment (TEST6-I) through numerous of process and the network test performed to verify the connectivity

Ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant attributes of selected Malaysian herbs: characterisation of flavonoids and correlation of functional activities

In the present work, aqueous ethanolic (60% ethanol) extracts from selected Malaysian herbs including Murraya koenigii L. Spreng, Lawsonia inermis L., Cosmos caudatus Kunth, Piper betle L., and P. sarmentosum Roxb. were evaluated for their ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant potentials. Results showed that the analysed herbs had ergogenic property and were able to activate 5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in a concentration dependant manner. The highest AMPK activation was exhibited by M. koenigii extract which showed no significant (p > 0.05) difference with green tea (positive control). For anti-diabetic potential, the highest α-glucosidase inhibition was exhibited by M. koenigii extract with IC50 of 43.35 ± 7.5 μg/mL, which was higher than acarbose (positive control). The determinations of free radical scavenging activity and total phenolics content (TPC) indicated that the analysed herbs had good antioxidant activity. However, C. caudatus extract showed superior antioxidant activity with IC50 against free radical and TPC of 21.12 ± 3.20 μg/mL and 221.61 ± 7.49 mg GAE/g, respectively. RP-HPLC analysis established the presence of flavonoids in the herbs wherein L. inermis contained the highest flavonoid (catechin, epicatechin, naringin and rutin) content (668.87 mg/kg of extract). Correlations between the analyses were conducted, and revealed incoherent trends. Overall, M. koenigii was noted to be the most potent herb for enhancement of AMPK activity and α-glucosidase inhibition but exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. These results revealed that the selected herbs could be potential sources of natural ergogenic and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents due to their rich profile of phenolics. Further analysis in vivo should be carried out to further elucidate the mechanism of actions of these herbs as ergogenic aids and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents