Interactive Mixture as a Rapid Drug Delivery System

The effectiveness of an interactive mixture as a rapid drug delivery system is compared with that of a solid dispersion. The influences of drug load, particle size, and crystallinity of these test systems are investigated. The interactive mixtures and solid dispersions were prepared from polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 and hydrophobic nifedipine drug by means of physical mixing and melting methods, respectively. The formed products were subjected to drug particle size and crystallinity analyses, and dissolution tests. In comparison with the interactive mixtures, the solid dispersions with low drug load were more effective as a rapid drug delivery system, as the size of a given batch of drug particles was markedly reduced by the molten PEG 3350. The rate and extent of drug dissolution were mainly promoted by decreasing effective drug particle size. However, these were lower in the solid dispersions than in the interactive mixtures when a high load of fine drug particles was used as the starting material. This was attributed to drug coarsening during the preparation of the solid dispersion. Unlike solid dispersions, the interactive mixtures could accommodate a high load of fine drug particles without compromising its capacity to enhance the rate and extent of drug dissolution. The interactive mixture is appropriate for use to deliver a fine hydrophobic drug in a formulation requiring a high drug load.     

The role of wild edible plants in household food security among transitioning hunter-gatherers: evidence from the Philippines

The Ati Negrito people, a recently settled hunter-gatherer indigenous group in the Philippines, are faced once more with the challenge of adapting to new settlements and gradually declining areas of prime food sources. The research is a documentation of uses and importance of wild edible plants the group collects and consumes as a transitioning hunter-gatherer community. Interviews were conducted with 44 female key informants representing 40 households. A total of 69 wild edible plant taxa in 31 plant families were recorded. Informant consensus revealed that many wild food plants are prioritized for their caloric content and dietary structure to complement oftentimes monotonous diets. Some of the recorded edibles were found to be non-native weedy introductions, signs of mechanisms for coping with environmental and socio-cultural changes. Preferences for certain wild edible plants also revealed that non-food factors underlay food choices. Significant factors that influence food knowledge and selection appeared to be household income, acculturation and past experiences of food scarcity. Further studies, however, have yet to provide concrete evidence that there is erosion of traditional knowledge. Regardless, determining informant confidence in selecting wild food plants has emphasized that preferences are decided based on socio-economic, cultural and ecological conditions.     

Analytical Landau-type model of polarization switching in ferroelectrics

The polarization switching properties of ferroelectric materials have been extensively studied, both experimentally and theoretically owing to their wide applications in industry and hence generating a need to gain a deeper understanding of factors affecting their switching behaviour. In this paper, an analytical Landau theory incorporating the Landau–Khalatnikov equation has been developed to describe the switching properties of second order ferroelectrics. Analytical expressions derived from exact results of Landau theory are used in modelling work carried out in this study for comparison with trends predicted by empirical laws used to describe polarization switching behaviour at high electric fields. As such this work has established the theoretical basis for empirical laws of polarization switching and developed simple numerical tools which can be quickly used to model trends in polarization switching behaviour of ferroelectrics.     

THZ531 Induces a State of BRCAness in Multiple Myeloma Cells: Synthetic Lethality with Combination Treatment of THZ 531 with DNA Repair Inhibitors

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological disease marked by abnormal growth of B cells in bone marrow. Inherent chromosomal instability and DNA damage are major hallmarks of MM, which implicates an aberrant DNA repair mechanism. Studies have implicated a role for CDK12 in the control of expression of DNA damage response genes. In this study, we examined the effect of a small molecule inhibitor of CDK12–THZ531 on MM cells. Treatment of MM cells with THZ531 led to heightened cell death accompanied by an extensive effect on gene expression changes. In particular, we observed downregulation of genes involved in DNA repair pathways. With this insight, we extended our study to identify synthetic lethal mechanisms that could be exploited for the treatment of MM cells. Combination of THZ531 with either DNA-PK inhibitor (KU-0060648) or PARP inhibitor (Olaparib) led to synergistic cell death. In addition, combination treatment of THZ531 with Olaparib significantly reduced tumor burden in animal models. Our findings suggest that using a CDK12 inhibitor in combination with other DNA repair inhibitors may establish an effective therapeutic regimen to benefit myeloma patients.     

Effect of coupling agent content on properties of composites made from polylactic acid and chrysanthemum waste

Chrysanthemum flower is among one of the highly sought after and widely planted flower crops, in particular for cultural and religious ceremonies. However, the chrysanthemum stem and stalk have little value and usually discard as by‐product waste from floristry. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential value of utilizing chrysanthemum stem and stalk as reinforcing fillers for thermoplastic composites. In this study, 2‐mm thick composite sheet containing predefined formulations of polylactic acid (PLA), chrysanthemum waste filler (CWF) ranging from 15 to 60 phr, and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) coupling agent up to 5 phr were prepared with the aid of Haake internal mixer and compression molding. The effect of MAPE loading on tensile, thermal, and morphological properties of PLA/CWF composites was investigated. The findings revealed that PLA/CWF composite attained improved tensile modulus compared to the neat PLA, and the tensile modulus increases with higher concentration of CWF. However, both tensile strength and elongation at break reduces with increase loading of CWF. Overall, PLA/CWF composites with MAPE shows better performance compared to those without MAPE, where an optimum strength of 21.8 MPa can be achieved with 60 phr CW and 3 phr MAPE. The measured tensile strength is comparable to alternatives natural fiber thermoplastic composites demonstrating its potential to be used in non‐structurally demanding application. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 26:10–16, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Incorporation and metabolic conversion of erucic acid in various tissues of the rat in short term experiments

Rats were intravenously injected with a mixture of free (14-¹⁴C) erucic acid (22∶1) and (9–10³H) oleic acid (18∶1). After 2, 4, 8, 16, and 30 min, radioactivity was examined in blood, liver, heart, kidneys, and spleen. Free (¹⁴C) 22∶1 disappeared from the blood more rapidly than free (¹⁴C) 18∶1 between 0 and 8 min. Incorporation of label into triglycerides only appeared after 16 min and at 30 min they represented 4% of the injected radioactivity. In this fraction, 63% of¹⁴C radioactivity was present as 18∶1 and not as the original 22∶1, while almost all³H radioactivity was recovered as unchanged 18∶1. At all times studied, the majority of radioactivity was found in the liver, primarily as triglycerides (60% of radioactivity in total lipids) and as phospholipids (20–30%).¹⁴C was present in nearly the same proportion as³H (13% of injected radioactivity after only 2 min, 11% at 30 min).¹⁴C radioactivity was contained in 18∶1 in higher proportion than 22∶1 (45% in triglycerides, 65% in phospholipids). Since labeled triglycerides of blood, rich in (¹⁴C) 18∶1, mainly originate from the liver triglycerides, it appears that 18∶1 is the major form of utilization of 22∶1 in the tissues after its conversion in liver. In the other organs tested, radioactivity was found 10–15 times lower than in liver. In the heart,¹⁴C was 3 to 4 times higher than³H. More than 80% was recovered as 22∶1 in triglycerides. In spleen and kidneys, the¹⁴C:³H ratio was particularly high in free fatty acids and monoglycerides. In kidneys, 60% of¹⁴C was present as nervonic acid (24∶1) in monoglycerides and 40% in phospholipids, suggesting that the mononervonin formed was used for phospholipid biosynthesis. A preliminary report of this work was presented at the 10th International Congress of Nutrition, Kyoto, Japan, August 1975.     

Effects of coconut oil on heart lipids and on fatty acid utilization in rapeseed oil

Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 15% by weight of sunflower oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil or combinations of these oils for 5 or 60 days. The digestibility of erucic acid (22∶1), lauric acid (12∶0) and linoleic acid (18∶2) was measured and found to be decreased for erucic acid at both time intervals, and for lauric acid after 60 days when coconut oil and rapeseed oil were blended. The cardiac lipodosis was proportional to the content of erucic acid in the diet. At 60 days, the high level of 22∶6 in the cardiac phospholipids of rats fed rapeseed oil was reduced by the addition of sunflower oil but not by coconut oil. Thus, the blending of rapeseed oil with coconut oil apparently is less desirable than that of rapeseed oil and sunflower oil.     

Investigation of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) and bacterial regrowth in drinking water distribution system

This paper investigated the variation of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) concentrations in water from several typical water treatment plants and distribution systems in a northern city of China. It is concluded from this study that: (1) The AOC in most of the product water of the studied water treatment plants and the water from the associated distribution systems could not meet the biostability criteria of 50-100 microg/L. (2) Only 4% of the measured AOC concentrations were less than 100 microg/L. However, about half of the measured AOC values were less than 200 microg/L. (3) Better source water quality resulted in lower AOC concentrations. (4) The variation of AOC concentrations in distribution systems was affected by chlorine oxidation and bacterial activity: the former resulted in an increase of AOC value while the latter led to a reduction in AOC. (5) The variation of AOC concentration followed different patterns in different distribution systems or different seasons due to their respective operational characteristics. (6) Less than 30% of AOC could be removed by a conventional treatment process, whereas 30-60% with a maximum of 50-60% could be removed by granular activated carbon (GAC). (7) The observation via scanning electron microscope (SEM) on distribution pipe tubercle samples demonstrated that the pipe inner wall was not smooth and bacteria multiplied in the crevice as well as in the interior wall of distribution pipes.     

A new method for characterizing denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria by using three different types of electron acceptors

This study investigated the characteristics of denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria by using three different types of electron acceptors as well as the positive role of nitrite in phosphorus removal process. Denitrifying phosphorous removal bacteria was enriched under anaerobic-anoxic (A/A) condition. To understand A/A sludge better, sludge from two other sources were also studied. These include sludges obtained from a lab-scale anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A/A/O) system and a local sewage treatment plant. Three types of possible electron acceptors (oxygen, nitrate and nitrite) were examined for their roles in phosphorus uptake. The results obtained indicated that oxygen, nitrate and nitrite were able to act as electron acceptors successfully. This observation suggested that in addition to the two well-accepted groups of phosphorus removal bacteria (one can only utilize oxygen to take up phosphorus, P(O), while the other can use both oxygen and nitrate, P(ON)), a new group of phosphorus removal bacteria, P(ON(n)), which could use oxygen, nitrate or nitrite to take up phosphorus was identified. The relative population of these three types of bacteria could be calculated from results obtainable from phosphorus uptake batch experiments with either oxygen or nitrate or nitrite as electron acceptor. The results obtained in this study showed that A/A sludge had similar phosphorus removal performance as the A/A/O sludge. However, it has better denitrifying phosphorus removal capability, which was demonstrated by the relative population of the three groups of bacteria. The results also suggested that nitrite was not an inhibitor to phosphorus removal process. Instead, it is an alternative electron acceptor to oxygen or nitrate.