Role of Empowering Leadership in Absorptive Capacity through Outcome Interdependence: A Cultural Perspective

This study explores the influence process involved in the relationship between empowering leadership and absorptive capacity. On 217 samples from manufacturing and service organizations, the study has found that outcome interdependence mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and knowledge identification, knowledge assimilation, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge application. The findings show that members’ empowerment is essential for inducing them to engage in knowledge processes

Enteric coated HPMC capsules plugged with 5-FU loaded microsponges: a potential approach for treatment of colon cancer

The work was aimed at developing novel enteric coated HPMC capsules (ECHC) plugged with 5 Florouracil (5-FU) loaded Microsponges in combination with calcium pectinate beads. Modified quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method was used to formulate microsponges based on 32 factorial design and the effects of independent variables (volume of organic solvent and Eudragit RS100 content) on the dependent variables (Particle size, %EE & % CDR) were determined. The optimized microsponges (F4) were characterized by SEM, PXRD, TGA and were plugged along with calcium pectinate beads in HPMC capsules and the HPMC capsules were further coated with enteric polymer Eudragit L 100 (Ed-L100) and/ or Eudrgit S 100 (Ed-S 100) in different proportions. In vitro release study of ECHC was performed in various release media sequentially SGF for 2 h, followed by SIF for the next 6 h and then in SCF (in the presence and absence of pectinase enzyme for further 16 h). Drug release was retarded on coating with EdS-100 in comparison to blend of EdS-100: EdL-100 coating. The percentage of 5-FU released at the end of 24 h from ECHC 3 was 97.83 ± 0.12% in the presence of pectinase whereas in control study it was 40.08 ± 0.02% drug. The optimized formulation was subjected to in vivo Roentgenographic studies in New Zealand white rabbits to analyze the in vivo behavior of the developed colon targeted capsules. Pharmacokinetic studies in New Zealand white rabbits were conducted to determine the extent of systemic exposure provided by the developed formulation in comparison to 5-FU aqueous solutions. Thus, enteric coated HPMC capsules plugged with 5-FU loaded microsponges and calcium pectinate beads proved to be promising dosage form for colon targeted drug delivery to treat colorectal cancer.O trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de novas cápsulas com revestimento entérico HPMC (ECHC) conectadas com microesponjas carregadas com fluoruracila (5-FU) em combinação com grânuos de pectinato de cálcio. O método de difusão de solvente modificado quasi-emulsão foi usado para formular microesponjas com base no planejamento fatorial 32 e determinaram-se os efeitos das variáveis independentes (volume de solvente orgânico e conteúdo Eudragit RS100) sobre as variáveis dependentes (tamanho de partícula, EE% e % CDR). As microesponjas otimizadas (F4) foram caracterizadas por SEM, PXRD, TGA e ligadas aos grânulos de pectinato de cálcio em cápsulas de HPMC e estas foram, ainda, revestidas com polímero entérico Eudragit L 100 (Ed-L100) e/ou Eudrgit S 100 (Ed S 100) em diferentes proporções. No estudo de liberação in vitro de ECHC foi realizada em vários meios de liberação sequencial SGF durante 2 h, seguido de SIF para as próximas 6 h, e, em seguida, em SCF (na presença e na ausência de enzima pectinase por mais 16 h). A liberação do fármaco foi retardada em revestimento com a EDS-100, em comparação com mistura de EDS-100: EDL-100, de revestimento. O percentual de 5-FU liberado de ECHC 3 ao final de 24 h foi 97,83 ± 0,12% em presença de pectinase, enquanto que para o controle foi de 40,08 ± 0,02% do fármaco. A formulação otimizada foi submetida a estudos Roentgenográficos in vivo, em coelhos brancos Nova Zelândia, para analisar o comportamento das cápsulas desenvolvidas direcionadas ao cólon. Os estudos de farmacocinética em coelhos brancos da Nova Zelândia foram conduzidos para determinar a extensão da exposição sistêmica propiciada pela formulação desenvolvida, em comparação com solução aquosa de 5-FU. Assim, cápsulas entéricas de HPMC revestidas e conectadas com microesponjas carregadas com 5-FU e grânulos de pectinato de cálcio se mostraram promissoras como formulação para liberação do fármaco no cólon no tratamento do câncer colorretal

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Joint preservation surgery in grade 2 and 3 giant cell tumors of bone around the knee

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes of joint preservation surgery in high-grade giant cell tumors (GCT) around the knee joint. Methods: A retrospective review of 25 patients of high-grade GCT (Campanacci grade 2 and 3) involving proximal tibia or distal femur managed by extended curettage, bone grafting, and stabilization with knee spanning external fixator between 2016 and 2018 was done. The radiographic outcomes, functional outcomes (Musculoskeletal Tumor Society [MSTS] score for lower limb), and complications including donor site morbidity were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patient population was 24.04 years with an average follow-up period of 30.24 months. Fourteen patients had involvement of distal femur, and 11 involved proximal tibia. There were 16 cases of grade 2 lesions and 9 cases of grade 3 lesions. Twenty-four out of the 25 patients had radiological consolidation of graft, while one patient had graft subsidence. Twenty-two out of 25 patients had full extension and knee flexion more than 100 degrees. The mean MSTS score was 25.2. Three patients had an MSTS score under 20. All three patients had an extension lag with a restricted range of motion. Conclusion: Joint preservation surgery, when done in line with the basic principles of tumor surgery, gives good radiographic and functional outcomes even in grade 2 and 3 giant cell tumors of bone around the knee and should be attempted before replacement surgeries

Enteric coated HPMC capsules plugged with 5-FU loaded microsponges: a potential approach for treatment of colon cancer

The work was aimed at developing novel enteric coated HPMC capsules (ECHC) plugged with 5 Florouracil (5-FU) loaded Microsponges in combination with calcium pectinate beads. Modified quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method was used to formulate microsponges based on 32 factorial design and the effects of independent variables (volume of organic solvent and Eudragit RS100 content) on the dependent variables (Particle size, %EE & % CDR) were determined. The optimized microsponges (F4) were characterized by SEM, PXRD, TGA and were plugged along with calcium pectinate beads in HPMC capsules and the HPMC capsules were further coated with enteric polymer Eudragit L 100 (Ed-L100) and/ or Eudrgit S 100 (Ed-S 100) in different proportions. In vitro release study of ECHC was performed in various release media sequentially SGF for 2 h, followed by SIF for the next 6 h and then in SCF (in the presence and absence of pectinase enzyme for further 16 h). Drug release was retarded on coating with EdS-100 in comparison to blend of EdS-100: EdL-100 coating. The percentage of 5-FU released at the end of 24 h from ECHC 3 was 97.83 ± 0.12% in the presence of pectinase whereas in control study it was 40.08 ± 0.02% drug. The optimized formulation was subjected to in vivo Roentgenographic studies in New Zealand white rabbits to analyze the in vivo behavior of the developed colon targeted capsules. Pharmacokinetic studies in New Zealand white rabbits were conducted to determine the extent of systemic exposure provided by the developed formulation in comparison to 5-FU aqueous solutions. Thus, enteric coated HPMC capsules plugged with 5-FU loaded microsponges and calcium pectinate beads proved to be promising dosage form for colon targeted drug delivery to treat colorectal cancer

Circulating plasma miR-23b-3p as a biomarker target for idiopathic Parkinson's disease: comparison with small extracellular vesicle miRNA

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an increasingly common neurodegenerative condition, which causes movement dysfunction and a broad range of non-motor symptoms. There is no molecular or biochemical diagnosis test for PD. The miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs and are extensively studied owing to their altered expression in pathological states and facile harvesting and analysis techniques. Methods: A total of 48 samples (16 each of PD, aged-matched, and young controls) were recruited. The small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) were isolated and validated using Western blot, transmission electron microscope, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Small RNA isolation, library preparation, and small RNA sequencing followed by differential expression and targeted prediction of miRNA were performed. The real-time PCR was performed with the targeted miRNA on PD, age-matched, and young healthy control of plasma and plasma-derived sEVs to demonstrate their potential as a diagnostic biomarker. Results: In RNA sequencing, we identified 14.89% upregulated (fold change 1.11 to 11.04, p &lt; 0.05) and 16.54% downregulated (fold change −1.04 to −7.28, p &lt; 0.05) miRNAs in PD and controls. Four differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-23b-3p, miR-29a-3p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-150-3p) were selected. The expression of miR-23b-3p was “upregulated” (p = 0.002) in plasma, whereas “downregulated” (p = 0.0284) in plasma-derived sEVs in PD than age-matched controls. The ROC analysis of miR-23b-3p revealed better AUC values in plasma (AUC = 0.8086, p = 0.0029) and plasma-derived sEVs (AUC = 0.7278, p = 0.0483) of PD and age-matched controls. Conclusion: We observed an opposite expression profile of miR-23b-3p in PD and age-matched healthy control in plasma and plasma-derived sEV fractions, where the expression of miR-23b-3p is increased in PD plasma while decreased in plasma-derived sEV fractions. We further observed the different miR-23b-3p expression profiles in young and age-matched healthy control.Validerad;2023;Nivå 2;2023-11-21 (hanlid);Funder: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (2020-1194); Department of Health Research (DHR) (R.11013/21/2021-GIA/HR); Ministry of Health and Family WelfareFull text license: CC BY</p