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Personality assessment in military - Bright and dark sides of the assessment measures: A review

Sohail M, Naeem F, Javaid MU, Ibikunle AK

Work, 2023;76(3):979-990.
PMID: 37182851 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-220454

BACKGROUND: Personality assessment has its own bright and dark sides, especially in the military setting. It is at play since the emergence of clinical psychology and its application in the recruitment process during World War I and II. Change in personality assessment trends, the evolution of complex personality traits, and changing geopolitical settings across the world necessitate the development of cost-effective, time-efficient, and reliable assessment measures that overcome issues in current assessment measures and fulfil the needs of present timesOBJECTIVE:The objective of this paper is to explore the evolution of personality assessment measures and their uses in military settings along with the comparison of self-report and non-self-report measures. It would give directions for the development of new measures to overcome the issues and drawbacks associated with current measures of research.
METHODS: The research question was formulated using the most valid SPIDER technique for a comprehensive search. PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycNet databases were searched. 19 articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria out of 775 articles.
RESULTS: Thematic analyses show that personality assessment in the military is done to a) detect psychopathology, b) detect aberrant responses, c) recruit new personnel, d) predict training and performance outcomes, and e) predict leadership. The research contributes to the body of knowledge by showing an integrated picture of the most widely used assessment tools and the purpose it serves.
CONCLUSION: There is a need to develop assessment measures that are culture free and can assess more complex personality attributes.
Fulltext Adult pyloric stenosis masquerading as acute renal failure

Siow SL, Wong CM, Sohail M

Med J Malaysia, 2009 Jun;64(2):168-9.
PMID: 20058581 MyJurnal

Gastric outlet obstruction and in particular, pyloric stenosis, is relatively common in developing countries. Acute clinical presentation is often the manifestation of biochemical and electrolyte changes. The presence of metabolic alkalosis in combination with acute renal failure should alarm us to the possibility of adult pyloric stenosis. We report a case of adult pyloric stenosis that presented as acute renal failure and discuss its pathophysiology.
Intestinal knotting: A case report and brief literature review

Sohail M, Alyson T, Sim SK, Nik Azim NA

Med J Malaysia, 2020 09;75(5):606-608.
PMID: 32918439

Ileo-ileal knotting is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction. In this condition, one bowel loop makes a knot with an adjacent bowel loop, resulting in mechanical obstruction and even gangrene of the bowel. We present a case of a young girl with ileo-ileal knotting resulting in a closed-loop obstruction and gangrene of the small bowel loop. This is a difficult condition to diagnose; a high index of suspicion and early surgical intervention are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Right ureteric reconstruction with vascularised interpositional appendix graft in retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma

Sohail M, Loke SN, Sim SK, Nik Azim NA

Med J Malaysia, 2021 05;76(3):432-435.
PMID: 34031348

We present here a case of a 66-year-old lady who was diagnosed with right iliac fossa retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma at Hospital Umum Sarawak. The challenge in this case was the extension of tumour with the involvement of her right ureter causing proximal hydroureter and hydronephrosis. After resection of tumour en-block with the involved segment of ureter, it was not possible to repair the ureteric defect directly. We used interpositional vascularized appendix graft to repair this large (7 cm) ureteric defect. We describe here this uncommon technique of ureter reconstruction.
Jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumour masquerading as an ovarian cancer: A case report

Sohail M, Chua RHB, Sim SK, Nik Azim NA

Med J Malaysia, 2022 Jan;77(1):125-127.
PMID: 35087013

A 60-year-old lady presented with lower abdominal discomfort and a huge palpable intra-abdominal mass for 4 months, with significant weight loss over half a year. Transvaginal ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) abdomen showed a large right solid cystic mass likely ovarian in origin. The CA-125 was raised. With the provisional diagnosis of ovarian cancer patient underwent laparotomy at Hospital Umum Sarawak, Malaysia. However intraoperative findings showed that uterus and both ovaries were normal. The tumour was arising from the jejunum and adherent to the dome of the urinary bladder and right broad ligament. The tumour was resected and final diagnosis was jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). We described this case which was misinterpreted as an ovarian cancer.
Team-based self-directed learning enhanced students' learning experience in undergraduate surgical teaching

Sim SK, Myo N, Sohail M

Med J Malaysia, 2023 Jan;78(1):61-67.
PMID: 36715193

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the effectiveness of team-based self-directed learning (SDL) in the teaching of the undergraduate Year 5 surgical posting.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted to develop and administer a team-based SDL versus a conventional SDL to teach undergraduate surgical topics. One hundred and seventy-four medical students who underwent the Year 5 surgical posting were recruited. They were assigned to two groups receiving either the teambased SDL or the conventional SDL. Pre- and post-SDL assessments were conducted to determine students' understanding of selected surgical topics. A selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect student feedback on the team-based SDL.
RESULTS: The team-based SDL group scored significantly higher than the conventional SDL group in the post-SDL assessment (74.70 ± 6.81 vs. 63.77 ± 4.18, t = -12.72, p < 0.01). The students agreed that the team-based SDL method facilitated their learning process.
CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the use of a teambased SDL is an effective learning strategy for teaching the Year 5 surgical posting. This method encouraged peer discussion and promoted teamwork in completing task assignments to achieve the learning objectives.
Fulltext Norfloxacin Loaded Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles for Oral Administration: Fabrication, Characterization, In Silico Modelling and Toxicity Evaluation

Khan MA, Khan S, Kazi M, Alshehri SM, Shahid M, Khan SU, et al.

Pharmaceutics, 2021 Oct 06;13(10).
PMID: 34683925 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13101632

Norfloxacin (NOR), widely employed as an anti-bacterial drug, has poor oral bioavailability. Nano based drug delivery systems are widely used to overcome the existing oral bioavailability challenges. Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles (LPHNs) exhibit the distinctive advantages of both polymeric and liposomes nanoparticles, while excluding some of their disadvantages. In the current study, NOR loaded LPHNs were prepared, and were solid amorphous in nature, followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation. The optimized process conditions resulted in LPHNs with the acceptable particle size 121.27 nm, Polydispersity Index (PDI) of 0.214 and zeta potential of -32 mv. The addition of a helper lipid, oleic acid, and polymers, ethyl cellulose, substantially increased the encapsulation efficiency (EE%) (65% to 97%). In vitro study showed a sustained drug release profile (75% within 12 h) for NOR LPHNs. The optimized NOR LPHNs showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in bioavailability compared to the commercial product. From the acute toxicity study, the LD50 value was found to be greater than 1600 mg/kg. The molecular modelling studies substantiated the experimental results with the best combination of polymers and surfactants that produced highly stable LPHNs. Therefore, LPHNs proved to be a promising system for the delivery of NOR, as well as for other antibiotics and hydrophobic drugs.
Fulltext Nanostructure Engineering via Intramolecular Construction of Carbon Nitride as Efficient Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction

Sohail M, Altalhi T, Al-Sehemi AG, Taha TAM, S El-Nasser K, Al-Ghamdi AA, et al.

Nanomaterials (Basel), 2021 Nov 29;11(12).
PMID: 34947595 DOI: 10.3390/nano11123245

Light-driven heterogeneous photocatalysis has gained great significance for generating solar fuel; the challenging charge separation process and sluggish surface catalytic reactions significantly restrict the progress of solar energy conversion using a semiconductor photocatalyst. Herein, we propose a novel and feasible strategy to incorporate dihydroxy benzene (DHB) as a conjugated monomer within the framework of urea containing CN (CNU-DHBx) to tune the electronic conductivity and charge separation due to the aromaticity of the benzene ring, which acts as an electron-donating species. Systematic characterizations such as SPV, PL, XPS, DRS, and TRPL demonstrated that the incorporation of the DHB monomer greatly enhanced the photocatalytic CO2 reduction of CN due to the enhanced charge separation and modulation of the ionic mobility. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of CNU-DHB15.0 in comparison with parental CN was 85 µmol/h for CO and 19.92 µmol/h of the H2 source. It can be attributed to the electron-hole pair separation and enhance the optical adsorption due to the presence of DHB. Furthermore, this remarkable modification affected the chemical composition, bandgap, and surface area, encouraging the controlled detachment of light-produced photons and making it the ideal choice for CO2 photoreduction. Our research findings potentially offer a solution for tuning complex charge separation and catalytic reactions in photocatalysis that could practically lead to the generation of artificial photocatalysts for efficient solar energy into chemical energy conversion.
Fulltext Successful laparoscopic management of combined traumatic diaphragmatic rupture and abdominal wall hernia: a case report

Siow SL, Wong CM, Hardin M, Sohail M

J Med Case Rep, 2016 Jan 18;10:11.
PMID: 26781191 DOI: 10.1186/s13256-015-0780-8

Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture and traumatic abdominal wall hernia are two well-described but rare clinical entities associated with blunt thoracoabdominal injuries. To the best of our knowledge, the combination of these two clinical entities as a result of a motor vehicle accident has not been previously reported.
Nano-scaled materials may induce severe neurotoxicity upon chronic exposure to brain tissues: A critical appraisal and recent updates on predisposing factors, underlying mechanism, and future prospects

Hussain Z, Thu HE, Elsayed I, Abourehab MAS, Khan S, Sohail M, et al.

J Control Release, 2020 12 10;328:873-894.
PMID: 33137366 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.10.053

Owing to their tremendous potential, the inference of nano-scaled materials has revolutionized many fields including the medicine and health, particularly for development of various types of targeted drug delivery devices for early prognosis and successful treatment of various diseases, including the brain disorders. Owing to their unique characteristic features, a variety of nanomaterials (particularly, ultra-fine particles (UFPs) have shown tremendous success in achieving the prognostic and therapeutic goals for early prognosis and treatment of various brain maladies such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, brain lymphomas, and other ailments. However, serious attention is needful due to innumerable after-effects of the nanomaterials. Despite their immense contribution in optimizing the prognostic and therapeutic modalities, biological interaction of nanomaterials with various body tissues may produce severe nanotoxicity of different organs including the heart, liver, kidney, lungs, immune system, gastro-intestinal system, skin as well as nervous system. However, in this review, we have primarily focused on nanomaterials-induced neurotoxicity of the brain. Following their translocation into different regions of the brain, nanomaterials may induce neurotoxicity through multiple mechanisms including the oxidative stress, DNA damage, lysosomal dysfunction, inflammatory cascade, apoptosis, genotoxicity, and ultimately necrosis of neuronal cells. Our findings indicated that rigorous toxicological evaluations must be carried out prior to clinical translation of nanomaterials-based formulations to avoid serious neurotoxic complications, which may further lead to develop various neuro-degenerative disorders.
Cell membrane cloaked nanomedicines for bio-imaging and immunotherapy of cancer: Improved pharmacokinetics, cell internalization and anticancer efficacy

Hussain Z, Rahim MA, Jan N, Shah H, Rawas-Qalaji M, Khan S, et al.

J Control Release, 2021 07 10;335:130-157.
PMID: 34015400 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.05.018

Despite enormous advancements in the field of oncology, the innocuous and effectual treatment of various types of malignancies remained a colossal challenge. The conventional modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery have been remained the most viable options for cancer treatment, but lacking of target-specificity, optimum safety and efficacy, and pharmacokinetic disparities are their impliable shortcomings. Though, in recent decades, numerous encroachments in the field of onco-targeted drug delivery have been adapted but several limitations (i.e., short plasma half-life, early clearance by reticuloendothelial system, immunogenicity, inadequate internalization and localization into the onco-tissues, chemoresistance, and deficient therapeutic efficacy) associated with these onco-targeted delivery systems limits their clinical viability. To abolish the aforementioned inadequacies, a promising approach has been emerged in which stealthing of synthetic nanocarriers has been attained by cloaking them into the natural cell membranes. These biomimetic nanomedicines not only retain characteristics features of the synthetic nanocarriers but also inherit the cell-membrane intrinsic functionalities. In this review, we have summarized preparation methods, mechanism of cloaking, and pharmaceutical and therapeutic superiority of cell-membrane camouflaged nanomedicines in improving the bio-imaging and immunotherapy against various types of malignancies. These pliable adaptations have revolutionized the current drug delivery strategies by optimizing the plasma circulation time, improving the permeation into the cancerous microenvironment, escaping the immune evasion and rapid clearance from the systemic circulation, minimizing the immunogenicity, and enabling the cell-cell communication via cell membrane markers of biomimetic nanomedicines. Moreover, the preeminence of cell-membrane cloaked nanomedicines in improving the bio-imaging and theranostic applications, alone or in combination with phototherapy or radiotherapy, have also been pondered.
Chitosan based thermosensitive injectable hydrogels for controlled delivery of loxoprofen: development, characterization and in-vivo evaluation

Ahmad U, Sohail M, Ahmad M, Minhas MU, Khan S, Hussain Z, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 May 15;129:233-245.
PMID: 30738157 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.02.031

Oral drug delivery is natural, most acceptable and desirable route for nearly all drugs, but many drugs like NSAIDs when delivered by this route cause gastrointestinal irritation, gastric bleeding, ulcers, and many undesirable effects which limits their usage by oral delivery. Moreover, it is almost impossible to control the release of a drug in a targeted location in body. We developed thermo-responsive chitosan-co-poly(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) injectable hydrogel as an alternative for the gastro-protective and controlled delivery of loxoprofen sodium as a model drug. A free radical polymerization technique was used to synthesize thermo-responsive hydrogel by cross-linking chitosan HCl with NIPAAM using glutaraldehyde as cross-linker. Confirmation of crosslinked hydrogel structure was done by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). The thermal stability of hydrogel was confirmed through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to evaluate the structural morphology of cross-linked hydrogel. To evaluate the rheological behavior of hydrogel with increasing temperature, rheological study was performed. Swelling and in vitro drug release studies were carried out under various temperature and pH conditions. The swelling study revealed that maximum swelling was observed at low pH (pH 1.2) and low temperature (25 °C) compared to the high range of pH and temperature and it resulted in quick release of the drug. The high range of pH (7.4) and temperature (37 °C) however caused controlled release of the drug. The in vivo evaluation of the developed hydrogel in rabbits demonstrated the controlled release behavior of fabricated system.
Curcumin-laden hyaluronic acid-co-Pullulan-based biomaterials as a potential platform to synergistically enhance the diabetic wound repair

Shah SA, Sohail M, Minhas MU, Khan S, Hussain Z, Mahmood A, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2021 Aug 31;185:350-368.
PMID: 34171251 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.119

Injectable hydrogel with multifunctional tunable properties comprising biocompatibility, anti-oxidative, anti-bacterial, and/or anti-infection are highly preferred to efficiently promote diabetic wound repair and its development remains a challenge. In this study, we report hyaluronic acid and Pullulan-based injectable hydrogel loaded with curcumin that could potentiate reepithelization, increase angiogenesis, and collagen deposition at wound microenvironment to endorse healing cascade compared to other treatment groups. The physical interaction and self-assembly of hyaluronic acid-Pullulan-grafted-pluronic F127 injectable hydrogel were confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and cytocompatibility was confirmed by fibroblast viability assay. The CUR-laden hyaluronic acid-Pullulan-g-F127 injectable hydrogel promptly undergoes a sol-gel transition and has proved to potentiate wound healing in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model by promoting 93% of wound closure compared to other groups having 35%, 38%, and 62%. The comparative in vivo study and histological examination was conducted which demonstrated an expeditious recovery rate by significantly reducing the wound healing days i.e. 35 days in a control group, 33 days in the CUR suspension group, 21 days in unloaded injectable, and 13 days was observed in CUR loaded hydrogel group. Furthermore, we suggest that the injectable hydrogel laden with CUR showed a prompt wound healing potential by increasing the cell proliferation and serves as a drug delivery platform for sustained and targeted delivery of hydrophobic moieties.
Hyaluronic acid, a promising skin rejuvenating biomedicine: A review of recent updates and pre-clinical and clinical investigations on cosmetic and nutricosmetic effects

Bukhari SNA, Roswandi NL, Waqas M, Habib H, Hussain F, Khan S, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2018 Dec;120(Pt B):1682-1695.
PMID: 30287361 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.09.188

Hyaluronic acid (HA) plays multifaceted role in regulating the various biological processes such as skin repairmen, diagnosis of cancer, wound healing, tissue regeneration, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulation. Owing to its remarkable biomedical and tissue regeneration potential, HA has been numerously employed as one of the imperative components of the cosmetic and nutricosmetic products. The present review aims to summarize and critically appraise recent developments and clinical investigations on cosmetic and nutricosmetic efficacy of HA for skin rejuvenation. A thorough analysis of the literature revealed that HA based formulations (i.e., gels, creams, intra-dermal filler injections, dermal fillers, facial fillers, autologous fat gels, lotion, serum, and implants, etc.) exhibit remarkable anti-wrinkle, anti-nasolabial fold, anti-aging, space-filling, and face rejuvenating properties. This has been achieved via soft tissue augmentation, improved skin hydration, collagen and elastin stimulation, and face volume restoration. HA, alone or in combination with lidocaine and other co-agents, showed promising efficacy in skin tightness and elasticity, face rejuvenation, improving aesthetic scores, reducing the wrinkle scars, longevity, and tear trough rejuvenation. Our critical analysis evidenced that application/administration of HA exhibits outstanding nutricosmetic efficacy and thus is warranted to be used as a prime component of cosmetic products.
Fulltext Psychosocial safety climate and self-efficacy: Moderating role of job-related expectations in Pakistani private-sector employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

Maqsood S, Sohail M, Naeem F, Nazri M, Fatima D

Front Psychol, 2022;13:1016050.
PMID: 36926534 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016050

The labor force in Pakistan comprises 59.8 million individuals. The employees have faced major changes in work dynamics and psychosocial safety climate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the current study is to find the relationship between psychosocial safety climate, self-efficacy, and job-related expectations. It explores the moderating role of job-related expectations on the relationship between psychosocial safety climate and self-efficacy. It was hypothesized that there is likely to be a significant relationship between psychosocial safety climate, self-efficacy, and job-related expectations, job-related expectations are likely to moderate the relationship between psychosocial safety climate and self-efficacy, and there are likely to be differences between married and unmarried employees; men and women; satisfied and unsatisfied employees with respect to psychosocial safety, self-efficacy, and job-related expectations. A correlational research design and a convenience sampling strategy were used. A total of 281 employees (M = 30.74 years, SD = 10.99) of the private-sector (including educational, industrial, and IT) organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic were part of the study. Results show that psychosocial safety climate had a positive significant relationship with job-related expectations and self-efficacy. Job expectations also significantly correlated with self-efficacy. There were significant differences in measures of study variables with respect to gender, marital status, and employee satisfaction. This research has implications for administration, managers, policymakers, and organizational psychologists.
Fulltext Potential application of nanotechnology in the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of schistosomiasis

Qadeer A, Ullah H, Sohail M, Safi SZ, Rahim A, Saleh TA, et al.

Front Bioeng Biotechnol, 2022;10:1013354.
PMID: 36568300 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1013354

Schistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Globally, it affects economically poor countries, typically due to a lack of proper sanitation systems, and poor hygiene conditions. Currently, no vaccine is available against schistosomiasis, and the preferred treatment is chemotherapy with the use of praziquantel. It is a common anti-schistosomal drug used against all known species of Schistosoma. To date, current treatment primarily the drug praziquantel has not been effective in treating Schistosoma species in their early stages. The drug of choice offers low bioavailability, water solubility, and fast metabolism. Globally drug resistance has been documented due to overuse of praziquantel, Parasite mutations, poor treatment compliance, co-infection with other strains of parasites, and overall parasitic load. The existing diagnostic methods have very little acceptability and are not readily applied for quick diagnosis. This review aims to summarize the use of nanotechnology in the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. It also explored safe and effective substitute approaches against parasitosis. At this stage, various nanomaterials are being used in drug delivery systems, diagnostic kits, and vaccine production. Nanotechnology is one of the modern and innovative methods to treat and diagnose several human diseases, particularly those caused by parasite infections. Herein we highlight the current advancement and application of nanotechnological approaches regarding the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of schistosomiasis.
Fulltext A new strategy for taste masking of azithromycin antibiotic: development, characterization, and evaluation of azithromycin titanium nanohybrid for masking of bitter taste using physisorption and panel testing studies

Amin F, Khan S, Shah SMH, Rahim H, Hussain Z, Sohail M, et al.

Drug Des Devel Ther, 2018;12:3855-3866.
PMID: 30510401 DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S183534

Background: The obnoxious bitter taste of orally taken antibiotics is one of the biggest problems in the treatment of children. The pediatric population cannot tolerate the bitter taste of drugs and vomit out which ultimately leads to suboptimal therapeutic value, grimace and mental stress so it is the challenging task for the formulation scientists to formulate a palatable formulation particularly to overcome address the issue.
Purpose of study: The study aimed to mask and evaluate the unpleasant bitter taste of azithro-mycin (AZ) in the dry suspension dosage form by physisorption technique.
Materials and methods: AZ was selected as an adsorbent and titanium dioxide nanoparticles as adsorbate. The AZ nanohybrids (AZN) were prepared by treating fixed amount of adsorbent with a varied amount of adsorbate, prepared separately by dispersing it in an aqueous medium. The mixture was sonicated, stirred followed by filtration and drying. The AZN produced were characterized by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-rays (EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), HPLC and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR). The optimized nanohybrid was blended with other excipients to get stable and taste masked dry suspension dosage form.
Results: The results confirmed the adsorption of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the surface of AZ. The fabricated optimized formulation was subjected for taste masking by panel testing and accelerated stability studies. The results showed a remarkable improvement in bitter taste masking, inhibiting throat bite without affecting the dissolution rate. The product showed an excellent stability both in dry and reconstituted suspension. The optimized formulation of AZN and was found stable when subjected to physical and chemical stability studies, this is because of short and single step process which interns limits the exposure of the product to various environmental factors that could potentially affect the stability of the product. The dissolution rate of the optimized formulation of AZN was compared with its marketed counterpart, showing the same dissolution rate compared to its marketed formulation.
Conclusion: The current study concludes that, by fabricating AZ-titanium nanohybrids using physisorption can effectively mask the bitter taste of the drug. The palatability and stability of azithromycin formulation was potentially enhanced without affecting its dissolution rate.
Fulltext Engineering of Naproxen Loaded Polymer Hybrid Enteric Microspheres for Modified Release Tablets: Development, Characterization, in silico Modelling and in vivo Evaluation

Hameed HA, Khan S, Shahid M, Ullah R, Bari A, Ali SS, et al.

Drug Des Devel Ther, 2020;14:27-41.
PMID: 32021089 DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S232111

BACKGROUND: Naproxen (NP) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability, which may lead to therapeutic failure. NP causes crucial GIT irritation, bleeding, and peptic and duodenal ulcers.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to engineer and characterize polymer hybrid enteric microspheres using an integrated (experimental and molecular modelling) approach with further development to solid dosage form with modified drug release kinetics and improved bioavailability.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: NP loaded polymer hybrid enteric microspheres (PHE-Ms) were fabricated by using a modified solvent evaporation technique coupled with molecular modelling (MM) approach. The PHE-Ms were characterized by particle size, distribution, morphology, crystallinity, EE, drug-polymer compatibility, and DSC. The optimized NP loaded PHE-Ms were further subjected to downstream procedures including tablet dosage form development, stability studies and comparative in vitro-in vivo evaluation.
RESULTS: The hydrophobic polymer EUD-L100 and hydrophilic polymer HPMC-E5 delayed and modified drug release at intestinal pH while imparting retardation of NP release at gastric pH to diminish the gastric side effects. The crystallinity of the NP loaded PHE-Ms was established through DSC and P (XRD). The particle size for the developed formulations of PEH-Ms (M1-M5) was in the range from 29.06 ±7.3-74.31 ± 17.7 μm with Span index values of 0.491-0.69, respectively. The produced NP hybrid microspheres demonstrated retarded drug release at pH 1.2 and improved dissolution at pH 6.8. The in vitro drug release patterns were fitted to various release kinetic models and the best-followed model was the Higuchi model with a release exponent "n" value > 0.5. Stability studies at different storage conditions confirmed stability of the NP loaded PHE-Ms based tablets (P<0.05). The molecular modelling (MM) study resulted in adequate binding energy of co-polymer complex SLS-Eudragit-HPMC-Naproxen (-3.9 kcal/mol). In contrast to the NP (unprocessed) and marketed formulations, a significant increase in the Cmax of PHE-MT1 (44.41±4.43) was observed.
CONCLUSION: The current study concludes that developing NP loaded PHE-Ms based tablets could effectively reduce GIT consequences with restored therapeutic effects. The modified release pattern could improve the dissolution rate and enhancement of oral bioavailability. The MM study strengthens the polymer-drug relationship in microspheres.
Natural and synthetic polymer-based smart biomaterials for management of ulcerative colitis: a review of recent developments and future prospects

Sohail M, Mudassir, Minhas MU, Khan S, Hussain Z, de Matas M, et al.

Drug Deliv Transl Res, 2019 04;9(2):595-614.
PMID: 29611113 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-018-0512-x

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon that severely affects the quality of life of patients and usually responds well to anti-inflammatory agents for symptomatic relief; however, many patients need colectomy, a surgical procedure to remove whole or part of the colon. Though various types of pharmacological agents have been employed for the management of UC, the lack of effectiveness is usually predisposed to various reasons including lack of target-specific delivery of drugs and insufficient drug accumulation at the target site. To overcome these glitches, many researchers have designed and characterized various types of versatile polymeric biomaterials to achieve target-specific delivery of drugs via oral route to optimize their targeting efficiency to the colon, to improve drug accumulation at the target site, as well as to ameliorate off-target effects of chemotherapy. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize and critically discuss the pharmaceutical significance and therapeutic feasibility of a wide range of natural and synthetic biomaterials for efficient drug targeting to colon and rationalized treatment of UC. Among various types of biomaterials, natural and synthetic polymer-based hydrogels have shown promising targeting potential due to their innate pH responsiveness, sustained and controlled release characteristics, and microbial degradation in the colon to release the encapsulated drug moieties. These characteristic features make natural and synthetic polymer-based hydrogels superior to conventional pharmacological strategies for the management of UC.
PEGylation: a promising strategy to overcome challenges to cancer-targeted nanomedicines: a review of challenges to clinical transition and promising resolution

Hussain Z, Khan S, Imran M, Sohail M, Shah SWA, de Matas M

Drug Deliv Transl Res, 2019 06;9(3):721-734.
PMID: 30895453 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-019-00631-4

On account of heterogeneity, intrinsic ability of drug resistance, and the potential to invade to other parts of the body (malignancy), the development of a rational anticancer regimen is dynamically challenging. Chemotherapy is considered the gold standard for eradication of malignancy and mitigation of its reoccurrence; nevertheless, it has also been associated with detrimental effects to normal tissues owing to its nonselectivity and nominal penetration into the tumor tissues. In recent decades, nanotechnology-guided interventions have been well-acclaimed due to their ability to facilitate target-specific delivery of drugs, avoidance of nontarget distribution, alleviated systemic toxicity, and maximized drug internalization into cancer cells. Despite their numerous biomedical advantages, clinical translation of nanotechnology-mediated regimens is challenging due to their short plasma half-life and early clearance. PEGylation of nanomedicines has been adapted as an efficient strategy to extend plasma half-life and diminished early plasma clearance via alleviating the opsonization (uptake by monocytes and macrophages) of drug nanocarriers. PEGylation provides "stealth" properties to nanocarrier's surfaces which diminished their recognition or uptake by cellular immune system, leading to longer circulation time, reduced dosage and frequency, and superior site-selective delivery of drugs. Therefore, this review aims to present a comprehensive overview of the pharmaceutical advantages and therapeutic feasibility of PEGylation of nanocarriers in improving tumor-specific targetability, reversing drug resistance, and improving pharmacokinetic profile of drugs and anticancer efficacy. Challenges to PEGylated cancer nanomedicines, possible adaptations to resolve those challenges, and pivotal requirement for interdisciplinary research for development of rational anticancer regimen have also been pondered.

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