215 research outputs found
Metformin’s Enigma: Bridging Gaps in Research on Potential Benefits & Associated Risks - A Critical Plea for Comprehensive Investigation [Response to Letter]
No full textSiddhartha Dutta,1 Rima B Shah,1 Shubha Singhal,1 Sudeshna Banerjee Dutta,2 Sumit Bansal,3 Susmita Sinha,4 Mainul Haque5 1Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rajkot, Gujarat, India; 2Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Shri Anand Institute of Nursing, Rajkot, Gujarat, India; 3Department of Anesthesiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rajkot, Gujarat, India; 4Department of Physiology, Khulna City Medical College and Hospital, Khulna, Bangladesh; 5Unit of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaCorrespondence: Mainul Haque, Email [email protected]
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Effects of polymer chemistry, concentration and pH on doxorubicin release kinetics from hydroxyapatite-PCL-PLGA composite for bone tissue engineering
No full textIncorporation of polymers into implant surface as carriers of drug can minimise chances of toxic effects in the body, and can also help deliver effective doses of drugs locally to the target tissues as compared to the oral drug delivery approach. This study aimed to understand the effects of the different compositions and concentration of polymeric matrix and pH of the release media towards the drug release kinetics. The coating characteristics and the drug along with their interactions with the polymer coating and the calcium phosphate matrix govern the release kinetics substantially. In this study, we report doxorubicin release behaviour from polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly-lactide-glycolide (PLGA) based hydroxyapatite (HAp). Doxorubicin is an anthracycline chemotherapeutic drug with a narrow therapeutic index. Three different compositions of the polymers with PCL, PLGA and a blend of PCL - PLGA with Hap in the implants are studied for doxorubicin release kinetics at pHs 7.4 and 5.0. Burst and uncontrolled release kinetics has been observed from bare HAp whereas, all the polymers incorporated implants showed sustained release kinetics. Percentages of the polymers are varied to investigate the effects of the polymer chemistry on the release kinetics. PCL incorporated samples were able to control the release more than the PLGA or blend incorporated samples. The hydrophilic-hydrophobic and hydrophobichydrophobic interaction between the polymer and the drug depending on the pHs are believed to be a pivotal factor controlling the release kinetics from the samples in contrast to the degradation or the dissolution process. No cytotoxicity was observed due to the drug incorporation at the early time points when cultured with human osteoblast cells. This study mainly bases on the comprehension of the effects of chemistry, environment and polymer - drug interactions towards the design of drug delivery devices
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM
No full text<p>FOSET Academic MEET 2023</p>
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3D PRINTED CALCIUM PHOSPHATE SCAFFOLDS AND COATINGS ON TITANIUM ALLOYS FOR OTHOPEDIC APPLICATIONS: EFFECTS OF DOPANTS AND NATURAL MEDICINAL COMPOUNDS ON BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
No full textThis study intends to understand the effects of dopants and natural medicinal compounds with osteogenic potential to improve bone formation leading to accelerated healing and improved implant performance.Doped hydroxyapatite coatings were developed on Ti alloys and were dip coated by acemannan to analyze its effects on the neo bone formation and chitosan to analyze the effects of polymer coating on the release kinetics. Chitosan leads to a controlled release of acemannan for 30 days. In vitro results demonstrate an enhanced osteoblast cell viability and proliferation by acemannan after 2 and 5 days of culture. Acemannan improved neo bone formation at early points in a rat distal femur defect model and chitosan enhanced mineralization. The bioavailability of acemannan was found to peak at ~25-30 days in a rat body.Increased systematic pH concentrations locally by the release of sodium bicarbonate diminished acidosis and alleviated malignancy. The same of dosage of doxorubicin inhibited both osteoblast and osteosarcoma cell attachment and viability whereas, sodium bicarbonate abated osteosarcoma cell proliferation. Sodium bicarbonate also inhibited osteoblast cell proliferation in the early time points, however, the cell viability increased after the initial burst release of the molecule. A coating of polycaprolactone (PCL) controlled the initial burst release of bicarbonate, which enhanced the osteoblast cell viability, but was capable of diminishing osteosarcoma cell proliferation.Calcium phosphate scaffolds with 3D-interconnected channels were fabricated to provide pathways for micronutrients and improved cell-material interactions through bioactive fixation. Gingerol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecule, enhances osteoblastic activity in addition to its anti-osteoclastic activity. However, due to its poor solubility and high intestinal liver metabolism, it showed limited oral efficacy in various preclinical and clinical studies. To enhance its bioavailability and to provide higher release, PCL and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used as the polymeric system to enable continuous release of gingerol from the hydroxyapatite matrix for 25 days. Enhanced cell viability was observed with gingerol-PCL-PEG in static and dynamic culture conditions.Results show that local release of natural medicines and dopants has the potential for being used for wound healing and tissue regeneration applications in bone tissue engineering
Neighborhood life and culture in the periodical Magazines: Special Reading ‘Prabha’ 1412 Ashwin issue/ সাময়িক পত্রে প্রতিবেশী জীবন ও সংস্কৃতি : বিশেষ পাঠ ‘প্রবাহ’ ১৪১২ আশ্বিন সংখ্যা
No full textThe entire literary practice of the Northeast is basically based on newspapers. \u27Prabha\u27 is a representative local newspaper in the field of prose literature practice of the Barak Valley. For a long time, Prabha has been doing research-based work, especially on various aspects of the traditional culture of the Northeast. More than 250 ethnic groups live in our Northeast, called the Seven Sisters. Their economic, social and cultural traditions and conditions are also different. Among them, the neighboring state of Manipur is also a rich state in art and culture. Manipur\u27s tradition, agriculture, personal-social or religious reforms have their own uniqueness in every field. This state, which is unwavering in its ancient religious beliefs and takes great care of its heritage, has enriched not only the art of Manipur but also the art of the whole of India with its traditional art. Therefore, in our article, based on the 1412 Ashwin special issue of Prabha magazine, we will try to explore the diverse aspects and forms of life and culture of the neighboring Manipuri state
Environmental regulation and development : a cross-country empirical analysis
No full textThe authors develop comparative indices of environmental policy and performance for 31 countries using a quantified analysis of reports prepared for the United Nations Conference on Environmental and Development. In cross-country regressions, they find a very strong, continuous association between their indicators and national income per capita, particularly when adjusted for purchasing power parity. Their results suggest a characteristic progression in development. Poor agrarian economies focus first on natural resource protection. With increased urbanization and industrialization, countries move from initial regulation of water pollution to air pollution control. The authors highlight the importance of institutional development. Environmental regulation is more advanced in developing countries with relatively secure property rights, effective legal and judicial systems, and efficient public administration.Public Health Promotion,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Agricultural Research,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Agricultural Research,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Governance
Does strict employment protection discourage job creation? Evidence from Croatia
No full textEmployment protection legislation in Croatia is among the most strict in Europe. Firing is difficult and costly, and flexible forms of employment are limited. Is this apparent rigidity reflected-as one would expect based on standard economic theory-in low labor market dynamics? Is job creation low and hiring limited? Is the job security of insiders achieved at the cost of outsiders not being able to enter thelabor market? The author attempts to answer these questions by examining job flows. If the employment protection legislation is binding, then job and worker turnover should be low. He shows that this is indeed the case. Hiring is limited and the average job tenure is very long in Croatia. Job destruction is low, however job creation is still lower. The result is accumulation of unemployment, in large part due to new labor market entrants not being able to find a job. The high degree of job protection also seems to strengthen the bargaining position of insiders and results in relatively high wages. So, wages in Croatia are higher than among its competitors, even after adjusting for productivity. These high labor costs are likely to contribute to limited job creation in existing firms, but also are likely to discourage the entry of-and thus job creation in-new firms. The author presents evidence that firm growth has been indeed limited in Croatia, contributing to the low employment level. The author examines other potential causes of high unemployment in Croatia (the unemployment benefit system, labor taxation, the wage structure, and skill and spatial mismatches). He argues that they do not play a substantial part in accounting for poor labor market outcomes in Croatia. The author concludes that the stringent employment protection legislation is the key labor market institution behind low job creation and high unemployment. Based on this he recommends specific measures aimed at liberalizing the labor market to foster job creation and employment.Labor Management and Relations,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Finance and Investment,Labor Markets,Labor Management and Relations,Labor Standards,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies
Voucher privatization with investment funds : an institutional analysis
No full textCommon wisdom among post-socialist reformers has beento use voucher investment funds to provide the corporate governance needed to restructure newly privatized enterprises after mass privatization efforts. The idea has been that mass privatization would spread the ownership too wide and make corporate governance difficult. The author examines the likely institutional behavior of voucher funds and the possible effects of their development on a transition economy. Since most policy advice has been in favor of voucher privatization with investment funds, the author can be seen as playing the devil's advocate, but his argument is institutional, not statistical. Policymaking requires insight and foresight into how institutions will tend to function. He concludes that voucher funds will introduce a bias in the economy away from the real industrial sector toward an ersatz"financial sector"that will have little if any positive financial role but will be well-protected by friendly regulators. One long-term consequence of voucher privatization with investment funds, according to this view, is a de facto"industrial policy"of real sector decapitalization in favor of short-term rent-seeking by fund managers through board sinecures and lucrative side deals with portfolio companies and through financial market manipulation and paper entrepreneurship in the"financial sector."Without strong corporate governance from the funds and without stable ownership of their own, many enterprise managers will exploit the post-socialist version of the"separation of ownership and control"to grab what they can in the form of salaries, bonuses, perquisites, and side deals. The most likely results of the strategy of voucher privatization with investment funds may be a two-sided grab fest by fund managers and enterprise managers -- together with the accompanying drift, stagnation, and decapitalization of the privatized industrial sector.Economic Adjustment and Lending,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Adjustment and Lending,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research
Effects of Aloe Vera Gel Extract in Doped Hydroxyapatite-Coated Titanium Implants on <i>in Vivo</i> and <i>in Vitro</i> Biological Properties
No full textHydroxyapatite-coated
titanium alloys have been a popular choice
as bone implants for load-bearing applications for the compositional
similarity of hydroxyapatite to natural bone. The limited osteoinductive
properties exhibited by the hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have led
to the incorporation of growth factor or dopants for improved osseointegration.
This study aims to investigate the effects of a naturally occurring
aloe vera gel extract, acemannan, in doped hydroxyapatite coatings
on the in vitro osteoblast cell viability and in vivo new bone formation in a rat distal femur model.
Silver oxide and silica-doped hydroxyapatite coatings were developed
by the induction plasma spray coating method on Ti alloys to introduce
antibacterial properties along with induction of angiogenic properties,
respectively. The doped coating was further consecutively dip coated
with acemannan to analyze its effects on the in vivo early stage osseointegration and chitosan to control the burst release
of the acemannan from the calcium phosphate matrix. The results show
controlled release of acemannan from the chitosan coatings, with enhanced
osteoblast cell viability by the incorporation of acemannan in vitro. Improved osseointegration with a seamless implant
interface and improved new bone formation was noted by the acemannan
and chitosan coating in vivo, 5 weeks after implantation.
Our results demonstrate the efficacy of a combination of natural medicine
and naturally occurring polymer in a doped hydroxyapatite-coated titanium
implant on the bone tissue regeneration for load-bearing orthopedic
applications
Does"grease money"speed up the wheels of commerce?
No full textIf bureaucratic burden and delay are exogenous, a firm may find bribes a helpful way to cut through red tape. According to the"efficient grease"hypothesis, corruption can improve economic efficiency, and,fighting bribery can be counterproductive. This need not be the case. In a general equilibrium in which regulatory burden and delay can be endogenously chosen by rent-seeking bureaucrats, the effective (not just nominal) red tape and bribery may be positively correlated across firms. Using data from three worldwide firm-level surveys, the authors examine the relationship between bribe and payments, management time wasted with bureaucrats, and cost of capital. They find that firms that pay more in bribes are also likely to spend more, not less, management time with bureaucrats, negotiating regulations. They also face a higher, not lower, cost of capital.Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Decentralization,Pharmaceuticals&Pharmacoeconomics,Social Policy,Corruption&Anitcorruption Law,Governance Indicators,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Corruption&Anitcorruption Law,TF054599-PHRD-KYRGYZ REPUBLIC: WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT,Pharmaceuticals&Pharmacoeconomics
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