Enhanced Dissolution of Ibuprofen Using Solid Dispersion with Polyethylene Glycol 20000

To improve its dissolution, ibuprofen solid dispersions (SDs) were prepared in a relatively easy and simple manner, characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and evaluated for solubility and in vitro drug release. Loss of individual surface properties during melting and re-solidification as revealed by SEM micrographs indicated the formation of effective SDs. Absence or shifting toward the lower melting temperature of the drug peak in SDs in DSC study indicated the possibilities of drug–polymer interactions. FTIR spectra showed the presence of drug crystalline in SDs. The effect of improved dissolution on the oral absorption of ibuprofen in rats was also studied. Quicker release of ibuprofen from SDs in rat intestine resulted in a significant increase in AUC and C_max, and a significant decrease in T_max over pure ibuprofen. Preliminary results from this study suggested that the preparation of fast dissolving ibuprofen SDs by low-temperature melting method using polyethylene glycol 20000 as a meltable hydrophilic polymer carrier could be a promising approach to improve solubility, dissolution, and absorption rate of ibuprofen.     

Gold nanorods mediated controlled release of doxorubicin: nano-needles for efficient drug delivery

Use of cysteamine hydrochloride (Cys-HCl) protected gold nanorods (GNRs) as efficient carrier of widely used anti-cancer drug doxorubicin using folic acid as navigational molecule is presented in this work. GNRs were found to have excellent drug loading capacity of >97 %. A detailed comprehension of in vitro drug release profile under ideal physiological condition was found to obey 1st order kinetics at pH 6.8, 5.3 and 7.2, an ideal milieu for drug delivery to solid tumours.     

Optical properties of lead iodide between 0.4946 and 6.185 eV

The optical and dielectric constants of PbI₂ thin films have been determined from transmittance and reflectance measurements, for photon energies between 0.4946 and 6.185 eV. The absorption coefficient, bandgap energy, and dielectric constants were determined at room temperature by the normal incidence method. The first three lines of the hydrogenic exciton series associated with the absorption edge are well resolved in reflectivity measurements. The transmittance measurements enable the evaluation of the value of bandgap energy E_g. The bandgap energy of PbI₂ at room temperature was found to be 2.55 eV. A careful analysis of the absorption coefficients indicated the crystalline character of the sample studied; a similar diagnosis was obtained from X-ray evidence. SEM analysis revealed that as the thickness of the films increases the material becomes amorphous.     

Surface profiling of a transparent object by use of phase-shifting Talbot interferometry

Talbot interferometry is used to study the surface profile of a transparent object. Periodic patterns are produced by illuminating a grating with a collimated laser beam. The object is placed on the self-image plane of the grating. The deformed grating image, which interferes with another grating, results in the Talbot interferometric fringes. The fringe pattern is recorded on a CCD camera for subsequent analysis, and the phase variation is achieved by a linear translation stage. In this application two specimens are tested to demonstrate the validity of the method; one is a transparent object with a spherical shape with a height of less than 350 microm, and the other is a transparent object with an uneven surface of 50-microm average height. The experimental results are compared with the test results obtained with the mechanical stylus method.     

Structural and optical properties of Zn3P2 thin films

Conditions have been developed for the deposition of a stoichiometric thin film of zinc phosphide (Zn₃P₂) using electron beam evaporation. Structural properties of as-deposited and annealed thin films of zinc phosphide have been studied using electron and X-ray diffraction. The as-deposited film is non-crystalline, structural ordering starts on annealing at 200° C and the film becomes crystalline at 300° C with the structure matching that of the bulk material. Optical absorption has been investigated over the range 1 to 3 eV with emphasis on the region of interband absorption. The thin film absorption edge is found to be exponential for lower values of absorption coefficient. Analysis of thin film data showed that Zn₃P₂ is a direct-band-gap material. On annealing there is a shift in the band edge towards higher energy. NCL Communication No. 3571.     

Microwave-irradiated novel mesoporous nickel oxide carbon nanocomposite electrodes for supercapacitor application

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The present work accentuates the aspects of electrochemical analysis determined by cyclic voltammeter (CV), especially enhancement in...     

Correction of post burns contracture of wrist with Ilizarov method

A case of severe post burns contracture of the wrist, of 43 years duration resulting in recurrent ulceration of the skin was successfully treated by gradual distraction using the Ilizarov method. This method is superior to plaster of Paris cast and is more versatile than other forms of external fixation.     

A New Economical Implementation for Scannable Flip-Flops in MOS

A New implementation for scannable flip-flops in MOS is economical for use in systems that use single latch design. The ?System Latch-Scannable Flop? (SL-SF) requires two additional transfer gates, two test clocks, and possibly a test mode signal. Hardware pernalties paid in SL-SF can be the least among other implementations with equivalent test functionality. This article discusses SL-SF only in the context of its scan-path implementation; its applicability to linear feedback shift-register-based self-test should be obvious.     

Chitosan: Application in tissue engineering and skin grafting

Tissue Engineering and skin grafting, an essential part of regenerative medicine is one of the fastest growing biomedical fields which could offer an important therapeutic strategy for management of hard to heal wounds. 2D and 3D polymeric scaffolds are prerequisites in this field to promote cell adhesion, proliferation and tissue regeneration. Convergence of technology and research has successfully unveiled unknown properties of Chitosan as a bioactive polymer. Natural abundance, cost effectiveness, biodegradability, biocompatibility and wound healing capabilities of chitosan and its derivatives has drawn the attention of many researchers for its use as an alternative for fabrication of a scaffold in tissue engineering and skin graft. However lower mechanical strength and solubility has limited its application in the biomedical field. It has been found that the derivatization and combination with other polymers can successfully overcome these limitations. This review focuses on the applicability of chitosan and its derivatives in combination with other polymers in tissue engineering and skin grafting along with the novel scaffold fabrication techniques. Studies so far have demonstrated the potential of chitosan and its derivative as a scaffold in the field of regenerative medicine. However, even if the promising results obtained from in-vitro and preclinical studies prove the efficacy of chitosan scaffolds it still has a long way to go to be used in clinical set ups.