A new blend of polymeric encapsulation of azithromycin by spray-drying with a pH responsive in drug release

The microencapsulation of macrolides with polymers has been reported to retard the release of the drug in oral cavity. However, these methods are unable to control drug release in gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of formulation of a new polymeric encapsulation of azithromycin which is suitable for both masking and sustained release usage. Eudragit E100 and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 were chosen as the barrier coatings. The spray drying technique was used to obtain the microcapsules containing azithromycin. To obtain the initial results, the effects of several parameters were evaluated. A 3:2:1 ratio of E100:PEG 4000:azithromycin at pH 6 gave the best coating condition. Thermogravimetric analysis and IR analysis data confirmed the encapsulation of azithromycin inside polymers. The encapsulated drug was released in different rates from the particles by changing the pH (1.7 and 7.4). An analysis of the kinetic release properties indicates that the release of the drug is a combination of swelling and diffusion mechanism. The synergistic cooperation between polymers and drug due to the existence of several hydrogen bonding is supposed to influence the pH-responsive property of the encapsulated drug. Moreover, the use of mixtures of E100 and PEG 4000 appears to offer a good balance between cost and efficiency.     

Precipitate alterations in the heat-affected zone of a Grade 100 microalloyed steel

Microalloy precipitate alterations (particularly dissolution) in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of a Grade 100 steel, microalloyed by titanium, niobium, and vanadium and produced in the form of a plate with a thickness of 8 mm, was examined both theoretically and experimentally. For theoretical analysis of precipitate dissolution, pairs of effective peak temperature and holding time were extracted from the thermal cycles of welding, and were superimposed on the Ashby and Easterling non-equilibrium solubility curves for different fractions of precipitate dissolution. Intersections between the effective T–t curves and the non-equilibrium solubility curves gave critical pairs of effective peak temperature and holding time for dissolution of different fractions of a precipitate, which resulted in the establishment of precipitate dissolution profiles in the HAZ. Experimental analysis of precipitate alterations was carried out using carbon extraction replicas in a transmission electron microscope. The theoretical analyses were in agreement with experimental results, showing that it is the dissolution of small Nb-rich particles that paves the way to grain growth in the coarse-grained HAZ. Reprecipitation was generally suppressed in the low heat-input weld sample. There was some reprecipitation in the higher heat-input weld samples. Coarsening of TiN did not occur in the HAZ, due to the large size of these particles in the steel examined.     

The synergistic cooperation between MCM-41 and azithromycin: a pH responsive system for drug adsorption and release

The capability of MCM-41 silica for accepting and delivering poorly soluble azithromycin (AZT) in water is reported as robust drug delivery system. This property has been evidenced by using two MCM-41 samples with different pore sizes as hosts of AZT. The choice of this macrolide antibiotic is due not only to its low bioavailability but also to its molecular size which lies in the range of pore diameter of MCM-41s. The drug was loaded inside the pore voids of the mesoporous when MCM-41 was stirred at AZT solution, based on XRD, Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, TGA analysis data and FT-IR spectroscopy. The amount of AZT stored inside the pores of MCM-41 s was between 22 and 25 wt%. The loaded drug was released in different rates from the particles by changing the pH (1.7 and 7.4) to give a smart pH-responsive carrier system. The drug release kinetics was fitted to Korsmeyer–Peppas and Higuchi models which indicated that the rate of drug release was controlled by the diffusion of the drug. The result of the present study confirms that the controlled adsorption and liberation of AZT may improve the oral bioavailability of poor water soluble AZT. This study demonstrates the feasibility of designing reliable drug delivery systems by appropriate choice of the matrix and the organic molecule. In general, MCM-41 is a promising matrix for AZT adsorption with different application from drug delivery to wastewater filtration.     

Metamaterial loads used in microstrip antenna for circular polarization: Review

The metamaterial elements and structures have been noticed for obtaining circular polarization (CP) while developing various procedures. In this paper, we have mentioned some of these cases and compared the metamaterial loads effect on antenna current distribution. We have classified them into four categories. The first case covers patch antenna based on composite right/left‐handed method, where the metamaterial has been used for changing the current distribution in the loop form. The second case has been achieved by radome and metasurface. In the third model, the interaction between feed and metamaterial load has been considered and the last case has been made by the metamaterial load with truncated structure. The metamaterial loading has been modeled based on Nicolson‐Ross or transmission/reflection techniques for extracting the permittivity and permeability. While the microstrip slot antennas are attractive for wider bandwidth, the truncated structure can change the current for achieving CP. Here, we have studied the antenna for wireless and WiMAX applications.