<b>Effect of binders on 500mg metformin hydrochloride tablets produced by wet granulation</b>

Metformin hydrochloride (MH) is an oral hypoglycemic agent and a high-dose drug that has poor flow and compression properties. In this study, the feasibility of developing adequate, low cost 500mg tablets of metformin hydrochloride by wet granulation was tested with several binders (Starch / PVP K30®; Starch 1500® /PVP K30®, PVP K30® and PVP K90®) in a simple tablet press of the type used in small pharmaceutical laboratories. The drug powder was tested for ability to flow, by determining Carr’s Index (CI) and the Hausner ratio (HR). Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were carried out on isolated MH and 1:1 (w/w) binary mixtures with the excipients. The size distribution, friability, flow properties and drug content of the granules were analyzed, as were the hardness, friability, disintegration, dissolution and uniformity of the dosage form. The drug powder showed CI > 22% and HR > 1.25, characteristic of a poor flow powder, and no significant incompatibilities with the excipients. All the granules showed adequate flow properties and were suitable for pressing into tablets, all of which complied with pharmacopeial specifications. The starch /PVP K30® and starch 1500® /PVP K30® mixtures were best for producing 500 mg MH tablets. <b>Keywords</b>: Metformin hydrochloride. Tablets. Wet granulation. Binders

Ecological restoration in Brazilian biomes: Identifying advances and gaps

The Bonn challenge aims at the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded ladscapes by 2030. In Brazil, the restoration goal for 2030 is 12 million hectares. Despite the great demand for ecological restoration across the whole of Brazil, there have been no analyses of the studies carried out in different biomes. In addition, conservation efforts must cover all biomes, so that different regions can take advantage of the many benefits of restoration. Our aim was to identify advances and gaps in current restoration knowledge in order to guide future efforts in Brazil. Our bibliometric survey in the Web of Science using 23 keywords related to restoration generated a total of 530 papers, of which 291 were included in the analysis. The papers were published in 121 scientific journals between 1988 and 2018, with the largest number of papers in 2016. The Atlantic Forest was the biome with the highest number of studies, as it is one of the most threatened tropical forest regions in the world and maintains the largest number of research institutions and receives the highest level of funding support in the country. Regarding the types of studies, temporal monitoring was more frequent in the Amazon, Cerrado, Castings, and Pampa, while the monitoring at one point in time was more frequent in the Atlantic Forest. From the studies examined, 31% used a reference area for comparing restoration success. The most studied organisms were plants (81%), and among them, trees were the most frequent, followed by fungi, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles. The pre-restoration degradation differed among biomes, with deforestation for logging the most cited in the Amazon, agriculture, and livestock in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, logging and cattle ranching in Caatinga, and livestock in the Pampa and Pantanal. In general, active/assisted natural succession was the most frequent restoration process: planting seedlings more readily occurred in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Caatinga, whereas natural regeneration in the Cerrado and Pantanal and sowing in Pampa. The studies varied among the age of restoration ( > 1 to 67 years for active restoration and > 1 to 120 years for passive/unassisted natural succession), and the number of species planted (1 to 121 species). We identified an important regional knowledge gap for the Pantanal, Caatinga, and Pampa, as well as the need to include reference areas, evaluate different restoration techniques (besides planting seedlings), and the inclusion of other taxa and life forms in biodiversity studies apart from trees. We also identified the need to expand research to assess landscape metrics, prioritization, legislation, and public policies