Polyacrylamide (PAM), a commonly used organic synthetic flocculant, is known to have high reduction in turbidity treatment. However, PAM is not readily degradable. In this paper, pectin as a biopolymeric flocculant is used. The objectives are (i) to determine the characteristics of both flocculants (ii) to optimize the treatment processes of both flocculants in synthetic turbid waste water. The results obtained indicated that pectin has a lower average molecular weight at 1.63 x 10(5) and PAM at 6.00 x 10(7). However, the thermal degradation results showed that the onset temperature for pectin is at 165.58 degrees C, while the highest onset temperature obtained for PAM is at 235.39 degrees C. The optimum treatment conditions for the biopolymeric flocculant for flocculating activity was at pH 3, cation concentration at 0.55 mM, and pectin concentration at 3 mg/L. In contrast, PAM was at pH 4, cation concentration >0.05 mM and PAM concentration between 13 and 30 mg/L.
This article describes a technique of constructing a set of maxillary and mandibular complete dentures in three visits instead of the usual five clinical appointments. This system of complete-denture construction is made possible because of the combined use of visible light-cured material as an impression tray and record base material, as well as the use of new biometric wax occlusion rims. Unlike some earlier techniques that use light-cured resin composites as the denture base materials, this method retains the use of heat-cured polymethylmethacrylate as the denture base material.
Vaccine administration via the oral route is preferable to parenteral routes due to ease of administration. To date, most available oral vaccines comprises of live attenuated pathogens as oppose to peptide-based vaccines due to its low bioavailability within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Over the years, probiotic-based peptide delivery vehicles comprising of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactococcus lactis has emerged as an interesting alternative due to its generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status, a fully sequenced genome, transient gut colonization time, and is an efficient cellular factory for heterologous protein production. However, its survivability through the GI tract is low, thus better delivery approaches are being explored to improve its bioavailability. In this study, we employ the incorporation of a double coated mucoadhesive film consisting of sodium alginate and Lycoat RS 720 film as the inner coat. The formulated film exhibits good mechanical properties of tensile strength and percent elongation for manipulation and handling with an entrapment yield of 93.14±2.74%. The formulated mucoadhesive film is subsequently loaded into gelatin capsules with an outer enteric Eudragit L100-55 coating capable of a pH-dependent breakdown above pH 5.5 to protect against gastric digestion. The final product and unprotected controls were subjected to in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestions to assess its survivability. The product demonstrated enhanced protection with an increase of 69.22±0.67% (gastric) and 40.61±8.23% (intestinal) survivability compared to unprotected controls after 6 hours of sequential digestion. This translates to a 3.5 fold increase in overall survivability. Owing to this, the proposed oral delivery system has shown promising potential as a live gastrointestinal vaccine delivery host. Further studies involving in vivo gastrointestinal survivability and mice immunization tests are currently being carried out to assess the efficacy of this novel oral delivery system in comparison to parenteral routes.
Stimuli-responsive bacterial cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels were investigated for their potential use as an oral delivery system for proteins. These hydrogels were synthesized using electron beam irradiation without any cross-linking agents, thereby eliminating any potential toxic effects associated with cross-linkers. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), a model protein drug, was loaded into the hydrogels, and the release profile in simulated gastrointestinal fluids was investigated. Cumulative release of less than 10% in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) demonstrated the potential of these hydrogels to protect BSA from the acidic environment of the stomach. Subsequent conformational stability analyses of released BSA by SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism, and an esterase activity assay indicated that the structural integrity and bioactivity of BSA was maintained and preserved by the hydrogels. Furthermore, an increase in BSA penetration across intestinal mucosa tissue was observed in an ex vivo penetration experiment. Our fabricated hydrogels exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and showed no sign of toxicity, indicating the safety of these hydrogels for in vivo applications.
A high-performance polyacid ion exchange (IEX) nanofiber membrane was used in membrane chromatography for the recovery of lysozyme from chicken egg white (CEW). The polyacid IEX nanofiber membrane (P-BrA) was prepared by the functionalization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane with ethylene diamine (EDA) and bromoacetic acid (BrA). The adsorption performance of P-BrA was evaluated under various operating conditions using Pall filter holder. The results showed that optimal conditions of IEX membrane chromatography for lysozyme adsorption were 10% (w/v) of CEW, pH 9 and 0.1 mL/min. The purification factor and yield of lysozyme were 402 and 91%, respectively. The adsorption process was further scaled up to a larger loading volume, and the purification performance was found to be consistent. Furthermore, the regeneration of IEX nanofiber membrane was achieved under mild conditions. The adsorption process was repeated for five times and the adsorption capacity of adsorber was found to be unaffected.
Electrochemical biosensors for phenolic compound determination were developed by immobilization of tyrosinase enzyme in a series of methacrylic-acrylic based biosensor membranes deposited directly using a photocuring method. By modifying the hydrophilicity of the membranes using different proportions of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and butyl acrylate (nBA), we developed biosensor membranes of different hydrophilic characters. The differences in hydrophilicity of these membranes led to changes in the sensitivity of the biosensors towards different phenolic compounds. In general biosensors constructed from the methacrylic-acrylic based membranes showed the poorest response to catechol relative to other phenolic compounds, which is in contrast to many other biosensors based on tyrosinase. The decrease in hydrophilicity of the membrane also allowed better selectivity towards chlorophenols. However, phenol biosensors constructed from the more hydrophilic membrane materials demonstrated better analytical performance towards phenol compared with those made from less hydrophilic ones. For the detection of phenols, these biosensors with different membranes gave detection limits of 0.13-0.25 microM and linear response range from 6.2-54.2 microM phenol. The phenol biosensors also showed good phenol recovery from landfill leachate samples (82-117%).
Nanofiber membrane chromatography integrates liquid membrane chromatography and nanofiber filtration into a single-step purification process. Nanofiber membrane can be functionalised with affinity ligands for promoting binding specificity of membrane. Dye molecules are a good affinity ligand for nanofiber membrane due to their low cost and high binding affinity. In this study, a dye-affinity nanofiber membrane (P-Chitosan-Dye membrane) was prepared by using polyacrylonitrile nanofiber membrane modified with chitosan molecules and immobilized with dye molecules. Reactive Orange 4, commercially known as Procion Orange MX2R, was found to be the best dye ligand for membrane chromatography. The binding capacity of P-Chitosan-Dye membrane for lysozyme was investigated under different operating conditions in batch mode. Furthermore, desorption of lysozyme using the P-Chitosan-Dye membrane was evaluated systematically. The recovery percentage of lysozyme was found to be ~100%. The optimal conditions obtained from batch-mode study were adopted to develop a purification process to separate lysozyme from chicken egg white. The process was operated continuously using the membrane chromatography and the characteristic of the breakthrough curve was evaluated. At a lower flow rate (i.e., 0.1 mL/min), the total recovery of lysozyme and purification factor of lysozyme were 98.59% and 56.89 folds, respectively.
Gastrointestinal disturbances, such as nausea and vomiting, are considered amongst the main adverse effects associated with oral anticancer drugs due to their fast release in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Sustained release formulations with proper release profiles can overcome some side effects of conventional formulations. The current study was designed to prepare sustained release tablets of Capecitabine, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carbomer934P, sodium alginate, and sodium bicarbonate. Tablets were prepared using the wet granulation method and characterized such that floating lag time, total floating time, hardness, friability, drug content, weight uniformity, and in vitro drug release were investigated. The sustained release tablets showed good hardness and passed the friability test. The tablets' floating lag time was determined to be 30-200 seconds, and it floated more than 24 hours and released the drug for 24 hours. Then, the stability test was done and compared with the initial samples. In conclusion, by adjusting the right ratios of the excipients including release-retarding gel-forming polymers like HPMC K4M, Na alginate, carbomer934P, and sodium bicarbonate, sustained release Capecitabine floating tablet was formulated.
Dental rehabilitation of a completely edentulous geriatric patient has always been a challenge to the clinician, especially in treating those with higher expectations and demands. Treatment duration and the amount of residual alveolar bone available are often important considerations when planning for dental implant-based fixed treatment for these patients. With the introduction of zygomatic implants, a graftless alternative solution has emerged for deficient maxillary bone with provision for immediate loading. This article describes the treatment of a completely edentulous elderly patient using zygomatic implants in conjunction with conventional implants. The implants were immediately loaded using a definitive acrylic resin fixed denture reinforced with a cast metal framework, to provide function and aesthetics.
Commercial low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were UV/ozone treated and coated using a layer-by-layer (LbL) technique by alternating the deposition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) polymer solutions and antimicrobial silver (Ag). The effects of the initial pH of the PEI/PAA polymer solutions alternating layers (pH 10.5/4 or 9/6.5) on the antimicrobial activity of the developed LbL coatings combined with Ag against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were investigated. The results from fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and toluidine blue O assay showed that LDPE LbL coated using PEI/PAA polymer solutions with initial pH of 10.5/4 significantly increased the presence of carboxylic acid groups and after Ag attachment the coating had higher antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria compared to the LDPE LbL coated using PEI/PAA polymer solutions with initial pH of 9/6.5. The LDPE LbL coated films using non-modified pH PEI/PAA polymer solutions decreased the water contact-angle indicating an increased hydrophilicity of the film, also increased the tensile strength and roughness of LDPE LbL coated films compared to uncoated LbL samples. The LDPE LbL coated films attached with Ag(+) were UV/ozone treated for 20 min to oxidise Ag(+) to Ag(0). The presence of Ag(0) (Ag nanoparticles (NPs)) on the LDPE LbL coated films was confirmed by XRD, UV-vis spectrophotometer and colour changes. The overall results demonstrated that the LbL technique has the potential to be used as a coating method containing antimicrobial Ag NPs and that the manufactured films could potentially be applied as antimicrobial packaging.
Imatinib mesylate is an antineoplastic agent which has high absorption in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Conventional imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) tablets produce rapid and relatively high peak blood levels and requires frequent administration to keep the plasma drug level at an effective range. This might cause side effects, reduced effectiveness and poor therapeutic management. Therefore, floating sustained-release Imatinib tablets were developed to allow the tablets to be released in the upper part of the GIT and overcome the inadequacy of conventional tablets.
Adhesive bond strength studies for the tray adhesive of an addition vinyl polysiloxane (President) impression material were conducted with an acrylic resin, chromium-plated brass, and plastic trays. Tensile and shear stress studies were performed on the Instron Universal testing machine. Acrylic resin specimens roughened with 80-grit silicon carbide paper exhibited appreciably higher bond strengths compared with different types of tray material and methods of surface preparation.
The current conventional injectable vaccines face several drawbacks such as inconvenience and ineffectiveness in mucosal immunization. Therefore, the current development of effective oral vaccines is vital to enable the generation of dual systemic and mucosal immunity. In the present study, we examine the potential of pH-responsive bacterial nanocellulose/polyacrylic acid (BNC/PAA) hydrogel microparticles (MPs) as an oral vaccine carrier. In-vitro entrapment efficiency and release study of Ovalbumin (Ova) demonstrated that as high as 72% of Ova were entrapped in the hydrogel, and the release of loaded Ova was pH-dependent. The released Ova remained structurally conserved as evident by Western blot and circular dichroism. Hydrogel MPs reduced the TEER measurement of HT29MTX/Caco2/Raji B triple co-culture monolayer by reversibly opening the tight junctions (TJs) as shown in the TEM images. The ligated ileal loop assay revealed that hydrogel MPs could facilitate the penetration of FITC-Ova into the Peyer's patches in small intestine. Ova and cholera toxin B (CTB) were utilized in in-vivo oral immunization as model antigen and mucosal adjuvant. The in-vivo immunization revealed mice orally administered with Ova and CTB-loaded hydrogel MPs generated significantly higher level of serum anti-Ova IgG and mucosal anti-Ova IgA in the intestinal washes, compared to intramuscular administrated Ova. These results conclude that BNC/PAA hydrogel MPs is a potential oral vaccine carrier for effective oral immunization.
The research work was intended to formulate teriflunomide (TFM) loaded nano lipid-based (TNLC) carbopol-gellan gum in situ gel (TNLCGHG) and to investigate its therapeutic efficacy against glioma, a brain and spine tumor. Nanoformulation was developed using gellan gum and carbopol 974P as gelling and mucoadhesive agents, respectively, Glyceryl di-behenate and Glyceryl mono-linoleate blend as lipids, and Gelucire 44/14: water blend as surfactant system. Globule size, PDI, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, mucoadhesive strength, and nasal permeation were found to be 117.80 nm, 0.56, -21.86 mV, 81.16%, 4.80 g, and 904 μg/cm2, respectively. Anticancer efficacy of TFM-loaded nano lipid-based carbopol-gellan gum in situ gel (TNLCGHG) was determined in human U-87MG glioma cell line. IC50 was found 7.0 μg/mL for TNLCGHG, 4.8 μg/mL for pure TFM, and 78.5 μg/mL for TNLC, which approve the superiority of surfactant along with gellan gum as permeation enhancer. Brain Cmax for technetium (99mTC) labeled intranasal (i.n.) 99mTC-TNLCGHG was found 2-folds higher than 99mTC-TNLC (i.n.) and 99mTC-TNLC intravenous (i.v.) because the TNLCGHG formulation contains surfactant with natural gelling polymers, which promisingly improved drug permeability. Finally, this research revealed encouraging outcomes and successfully developed intranasal TNLCGHG nanoformulation as a novel tool for safe delivery of TFM in glioma patients.
Multifunctional nanocarriers harbouring specific targeting moieties and with pH-responsive properties offer great potential for targeted cancer therapy. Several synthetic drug carriers have been studied extensively as drug delivery systems but not much information is available on the application of virus-like nanoparticles (VLNPs) as multifunctional nanocarriers. Here, we describe the development of pH-responsive VLNPs, based on truncated hepatitis B virus core antigen (tHBcAg), displaying folic acid (FA) for controlled drug delivery. FA was conjugated to a pentadecapeptide containing nanoglue bound on tHBcAg nanoparticles to increase the specificity and efficacy of the drug delivery system. The tHBcAg nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) demonstrated a sustained drug release profile in vitro under tumour tissue conditions in a controlled manner and improved the uptake of DOX in colorectal cancer cells, leading to enhanced antitumour effects. This study demonstrated that DOX-PAA can be packaged into VLNPs without any modification of the DOX molecules, preserving the pharmacological activity of the loaded DOX. The nanoglue can easily be used to display a tumour-targeting molecule on the exterior surface of VLNPs and can bypass the laborious and time-consuming genetic engineering approaches.
The purpose of this work was to study the effect of various permeation enhancers on the permeation of salbutamol sulphate (SS) buccal patches through buccal mucosa in order to improve the bioavailability by avoiding the first pass metabolism in the liver and possibly in the gut wall and also achieve a better therapeutic effect. The influence of various permeation enhancers, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), linoleic acid (LA), isopropyl myristate (IPM) and oleic acid (OA) on the buccal absorption of SS from buccal patches containing different polymeric combinations such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), carbopol, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrollidone (PVP), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC), acid and water soluble chitosan (CHAS and CHWS) and Eudragit-L100 (EU-L100) was investigated. OA was the most efficient permeation enhancer increasing the flux greater than 8-fold compared with patches without permeation enhancer in HPMC based buccal patches when PEG-400 was used as the plasticizer. LA also exhibited a better permeation enhancing effect of over 4-fold in PVA and HPMC based buccal patches. In PVA based patches, both OA and LA were almost equally effective in improving the SS permeation irrespective of the plasticizer used. DMSO was more effective as a permeation enhancer in HPMC based patches when PG was the plasticizer. IPM showed maximum permeation enhancement of greater than 2-fold when PG was the plasticizer in HPMC based buccal patches.
The emergence of thermal modalities has promoted the use of heat-sensitive phantoms for calibration, measurement, and verification purposes. However, development of durable phantoms with high precision ability to represent the temperature distribution remains a challenge. This study aims to introduce a reusable phantom that provides an accurate assessment of the heated region in various thermal modalities.
Anthocyanins not just have various benefits in food industry but also have been used as natural colourants in cosmetic, coating products and as potential natural photosensitizers in solar cell. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to obtain information on the maximum yield of anthocyanin that can be recovered from Melastoma malabathricum fruit. Factors such as extraction temperature, extraction time, and solid to liquid ratio were identified to be significantly affecting anthocyanin extraction efficiency. By using three-level three-factor Box-Behnken design, the optimized conditions for anthocyanin extraction by acidified methanol (R (2) = 0.972) were temperature of 60°C, time of 86.82 min, and 0.5 : 35 (g/mL) solid to liquid ratio while the optimum extraction conditions by acidified ethanol (R (2) = 0.954) were temperature of 60°C, time of 120 min, and 0.5 : 23.06 (g/mL) solid to liquid ratio. The crude anthocyanin extract was further purified by using Amberlite XAD-7 and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Identification of anthocyanins revealed the presence of cyanidin dihexoside, cyanidin hexoside, and delphinidin hexoside as the main anthocyanins in M. malabathricum fruit.
Mid-facial defect is one of the most disfiguring and impairing defects. A design of prosthesis that is aesthetic and stable can be precious to a patient who has lost part of his face due to surgical excision. Prosthesis can restore the patients' self-esteem and confidence, which affects the patients and their life style. The aim of this case report is to describe a technique of mid-facial silicone prosthesis fabrication.