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Leave methamphetamine to be alive--Part II

Islam MN, Khan J, Jaafar H

Leg Med (Tokyo), 2009 Apr;11 Suppl 1:S143-6.
PMID: 19345604 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2009.02.045

Series of experiments have been completed with Methamphetamine (MA). Some were with the higher, medium or lower duration of MA administration and some were with acute or chronic doses. Whatever may be the dose or duration the ultimate result came out with the further establishment of cardio-toxic effect of this drug. Cardiovascular symptoms related to MA toxicity include chest pain, palpitations, dyspnoea, hypertension, tachycardia, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and myocardial ischemia. MA abusers often go through a repeated pattern of frequent drug administrations followed by a period of abstinence. Previous studies have focused largely upon the chronic effect of MA intake to major organs, such as the brains and the heart, by using animal experiments. However, there is a lack of research into the effects of acute dose of MA, especially pertaining to the heart. To clarify the effect of MA on myocardium, 22 male Wister rats aged six weeks were divided into MA, Placebo (P) and Control (C) group were examined following single intraperitoneal administration of MA at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. Normal saline was similarly injected in P group. Light microscopic changes was seen in the myocardium of MA treated group including cellular infiltration, with clusters of macrophage-like cells having large nuclei and little cytoplasm evident in the sub-endocardium region. There were presence of few macrophages, leucocytes, and spindle-like fibroblasts. Bringing in to account of cardiac changes by a single dose of MA, slogan should be voiced out to leave methamphetamine.
Relationship between organizational dehumanization and nurses' deviant behaviors: A moderated mediation model

Sarwar A, Khan J, Muhammad L, Mubarak N, Jaafar M

J Nurs Manag, 2021 Jan 04.
PMID: 33394539 DOI: 10.1111/jonm.13241

AIM(S): This paper investigated the impact of organisational dehumanization on nurses' deviant behaviours in the Pakistani health sector directly and indirectly through job stress. The study also examined the moderation role of occupational self-efficacy on the relationship between organisational dehumanization and job stress.
BACKGROUND: While the attitudinal outcomes of organisational dehumanization have been a focus of research, its behavioural outcomes are a relatively ignored research area.
METHOD: Data were collected from 295 nurses working in hospitals across Pakistan via self-administered questionnaires with two measurement points to test the direct and indirect effects of organisational dehumanization.
RESULTS: The hypothesized relationships were tested with SPSS 25 and the Process Macro Model 7. The results showed that organisational dehumanization increased deviant behaviours among nurses directly and indirectly via job stress. Moreover, occupational self-efficacy plays moderation role and weakens the relationship between organisational dehumanization and job stress.
CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the existing literature by concentrating on predictors that trigger deviant behaviour among nurses. It also assessed the mediating impact of job stress, an essential endeavour for researchers and practitioners.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The study outcomes can help the health sector improve their strategies to address organisational dehumanization and deviant behaviour among nurses.
What Makes People Hide Knowledge? Influence of Passive Leadership and Creative Self-Efficacy

Mubarak N, Osmadi A, Khan J, Mahdiyar A, Riaz A

Front Psychol, 2021;12:740880.
PMID: 34690895 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.740880

Although numerous studies have been conducted in the field of knowledge sharing with a focus given to its importance, very little attention has been given to knowledge hiding practices. A very few studies have been found to make an attempt to figure out its impact and antecedents. Likewise, the negative role of passive leadership in the project management literature has not been evidenced enough despite its existence in project-based organizations. Both knowledge hiding and passive leadership are the highly neglected areas in the project management literature. Therefore, this study not only attempts to investigate the influence of passive leadership on knowledge hiding but also aims to explore the role of creative self-efficacy between them. IT project organizations were chosen to collect data because of their high failure rate due to an insufficient knowledge transfer. The findings of this study revealed that the neglected passive leadership greatly influences the knowledge hiding practices among individuals. However, according to the results, knowledge hiding practices are found to reduce the presence of creative self-efficacy. Thus, the antecedents of knowledge hiding should be considered to create an innovative and successful business environment. The results are highly significant not only for the field of project management but also for other practitioners.
Studies on self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system of flurbiprofen employing long, medium and short chain triglycerides

Daar J, Khan A, Khan J, Khan A, Khan GM

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2017 Mar;30(2(Suppl.)):601-606.
PMID: 28650328

The aim of the study was to successfully design, formulate and evaluate self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) of poorly aqueous soluble drug viz. flurbiprofen using long (LCT), medium (MCT) and short chain triglycerides (SCT). The SNEDDS are thermodynamically stable lipid based drug delivery systems which consist of mixture of oil, surfactant and co-surfactant. Upon aqueous dilution, this mixture produces nano-emulsion spontaneously on slight agitation. The excipients intended to be used were screened for their potential to dissolve the drug and to form clear dispersion upon aqueous dilution. Labrafil M 1944 CS, capryol-90 and triacetin were selected as long, medium and short chain triglycerides, respectively, as lipids while tween-80 and polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400)/ethanol (3:1 ratio) were selected as surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively. The excipients were studied at every possible combination ratios using pseudo-ternary diagram. The LCT, MCT and SCT-SNEDDS were optimized using thermodynamic studies, percentage transmittance value, viscosity, refractive index (RI), electrical conductivity, globule size analysis and in-vitro drug release studies. The drug release profiles of optimized SNEDDS were then compared with market product at different pH mediums. The LCT-SNEDDS was considered to be superior for enhancement of the drug bioavailability when compared with other SNEDDS formulations and market product.
Molecular prevalence of Anaplasma marginale in ruminants and Rhipicephalus ticks in northern Pakistan

Ali S, Hasan M, Ahmad AS, Ashraf K, Khan JA, Rashid MI

Trop Biomed, 2023 Mar 01;40(1):7-13.
PMID: 37355998 DOI: 10.47665/tb.40.1.005

Anaplasma marginale is the most prevalent tick-borne haemoparasite of cattle and causes huge economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of A. marginale infection in blood and tick samples collected from livestock animals in the districts located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. A total of 184 blood and 370 tick samples were included in this study. It has never been reported that sheep, goats, and cattle in Tank, Ghulam Khan, Birmil and Miran Shah areas were infected with A. marginale. All samples of blood and ticks were collected through random sampling from March 2021 to January 2022 from cattle, sheep and goats and screened through PCR for anaplasmosis by using primer pairs of Anaplasma spp. Three hundred and seventy ticks were collected from infested hosts (120/184, 64.21%). Among the four morphologically identified tick species, the highest occurrence was recorded for Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n=138, 37.29%), followed by Rhipicephalus microplus (n=131, 35.4%), Rhipicephalus annulatus (n=40, 10.81%), Hyalomma anatolicum (n=31, 8.37%), and Hyalomma marginatum (n=30, 8.1%). The occurrence of female tick was highest (n=160, 43.24%), followed by nymphs (n=140, 37.38%) and males ticks (n=70, 18.9%). Among these ticks, A. marginale was detected in female ticks of R. microplus, and R. sanguineus. Molecular identification of A. marginale was confirmed in 120 out of 184 blood samples and 6 out of 74 tick samples. Overall, occurrence of A. marginale in blood and tick samples was found to be 65.21% and 8.1% respectively. Species-wise occurrence in blood samples of goats were 71.11% followed by sheep 68.31% and cattle 50%. Specie-wise occurrence of A. marginale in tick samples of cattle were 12.5% followed by goats 6.89%. The obtained sequence showed similarity with A. marginale reported from Kenya and USA. We report the first PCR based detection of A. marginale infection in blood samples and in R. sanguineus ticks of goats simultaneously.
Fulltext Impact of public health education on undue fear of COVID-19 among nurses: The mediating role of psychological capital

Mubarak N, Safdar S, Faiz S, Khan J, Jaafar M

Int J Ment Health Nurs, 2021 Apr;30(2):544-552.
PMID: 33230850 DOI: 10.1111/inm.12819

This study looked into the mechanism through which health education can reduce the fear of being infected with COVID-19 because health education helps individuals to improve their knowledge and attitudes towards a disease. The spread of COVID-19 has escalated the level of fear among public and nurses. Nevertheless, the mechanism that contributes to minimize the fear towards this pandemic remains unexplored. A cross-sectional survey was adopted to test the relationships among public health education, psychological capital, and fear of COVID-19. In total, 243 responses were obtained via online survey from nurses. The results revealed that public health education can reduce one's fear of COVID-19. Psychological capital emerged as a strong explanatory mechanism for the phenomenon. Drawing on spillover theory, public health education seems to reduce fear of COVID-19 with the mediating role of psychological capital. Limitations and future directions are at the end of this paper. The study outcomes revealed that organizations should focus on educating nursing staff to overcome fear of COVID-19. One way to induce positivity among nursing staff is by holding trainings.
Fulltext Relationship Between Problematic Social Media Usage and Employee Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mindfulness and Fear of COVID-19

Majeed M, Irshad M, Fatima T, Khan J, Hassan MM

Front Psychol, 2020;11:557987.
PMID: 33391075 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.557987

Social media plays a significant role in modern life, but excessive use of it during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a source of concern. Supported by the conservation of resources theory, the current study extends the literature on problematic social media usage during COVID-19 by investigating its association with emotional and mental health outcomes. In a moderated mediation model, this study proposes that problematic social media use by workers during COVID-19 is linked to fear of COVID-19, which is further associated with depression. The current study tested trait mindfulness as an important personal resource that may be associated with reduced fear of COVID-19 despite problematic social media use. The study collected temporally separate data to avoid common method bias. Pakistani employees (N = 267) working in different organizations completed a series of survey questionnaires. The results supported the moderated mediation model, showing that problematic social media use during the current pandemic is linked to fear of COVID-19 and depression among employees. Furthermore, trait mindfulness was found to be an important buffer, reducing the negative indirect association between problematic social media use and depression through fear of COVID-19. These results offer implications for practitioners. The limitations of this study and future research directions are also discussed.
Fulltext Pattern of Sexual Offences Attended at Accident and Emergency Department of HUSM from Year 2000 to 2003: A Retrospective Study

Islam MN, See KL, Ting LC, Khan J

Malays J Med Sci, 2006 Jan;13(1):30-6.
PMID: 22589588

This paper investigates the pattern of sexual offence cases attended at the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC) of the Accident and Emergency Department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. A total of 439 reported sexual offence cases were examined over a period of 4 years from 2000 to 2003. Sexual offence constituted by male partner or boyfriend in 18.9%, by relatives in 27.3% and by "others" in 53.8% of cases. Only 0.7% of victims did not attempt to lodge a police report. There is a significant relationship between occupation and the risk of experiencing sexual violence. Students were mostly targeted by the perpetrator throughout the study period. Among the offences, rape cases were the highest in number, among those who attended at the OSCC, HUSM with a total of 72.7%; followed by 27.3% of incest; 26.4% of child sexual abuse; 4.8% of sodomy and lastly 1.6% of gerontophilia cases. Only 70% of the specimens obtained from sexual offences victims were sent for laboratory analysis. The result remained negative in 82.4% specimens and thus the laboratory analysis result is merely functioning as a supportive evidence for sexual offence cases attended at OSCC. The studies showed that most of the sexual assault perpetrators were known to the victims. The place of crime was also known to the perpetrators. Health sectors of various levels should be working in conjunction to promote a societal changes to improve more of the women's right and thus to reduce the violence crime.
A stable hydrocortisone nanosuspension for improved dissolution: Preparation, characterization and in vitro evaluation

Ali HS, Khan S, York P, Shah SM, Khan J, Hussain Z, et al.

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2017 Sep;30(5):1635-1643.
PMID: 29084684

Drug nanosuspensions have gained tremendous attraction as a platform in drug delivery. In the present work, a nanosuspension was prepared by a wet milling approach in order to increase saturation solubility and dissolution of the water insoluble drug, hydrocortisone. Size of the generated particeles was 290 nm ± 9 nm having a zeta potential of -1.9 mV ± 0.6 mV. Nanosized particles were found to have a rod shape with a narrow particle size distribution (PDI =0.17). Results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses revealed minor modifications of crystallinity of hydrocortisone following the milling process. Solubility of hydrocortisone was enhanced by nanonization to 875µg/ml ±2.5, an almost 2.9-fold compared to the raw hydrocortisone. Moreover, the nanosuspension formulation substabtially enhanced the dissolution rate of hydrocortisone where >97% of the hydrocortisone was dissolved within 10 minutes opposed to 22.3% for the raw 50% for the raw hydrocortisone and the commercial tablet, respectively. The bioavailability study resulted in AUC 0-9h for HC nanosuspensions (31.50±2.50), which is significantly (p<0.05) higher compared to the AUC 0-9h (14.85±3.25) resulted for HC solution. The nanosuspension was physically stable at room temperature for 24 months.
Fulltext Age, gender and socioeconomic patterns of awareness and usage of e-cigarettes across selected WHO region countries: evidence from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey

Kundu S, Shaw S, Khan J, Chattopadhyay A, Baptista EA, Paswan B

BMJ Open, 2023 Jan 19;13(1):e070419.
PMID: 36657753 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070419

OBJECTIVES: The study explores the awareness and e-cigarette use by demographic and socio-economic characteristics of selected 14 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) countries.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional.
SETTING: 14 countries.
PARTICIPANTS: Surveyed population ≥15 years selected through multi-stage cluster sampling.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We selected 14 countries from 6 different WHO regions where GATS was conducted in different years during 2011-2017.
RESULTS: Awareness and usage of e-cigarette were highest in Greece and lowest in India. Females were less aware of e-cigarette across ages. The gender gap in awareness is wide in Greece post 50 years of age, while the gap is distinct in early ages in Kazakhstan and Qatar. The gender difference in use of e-cigarette was negligible in most of the countries except among the younger cohorts of Russia, Philippines Malaysia and Indonesia. Relatively higher prevalence of e-cigarette smoking among females in the older adult age was observed in some of the Asian countries like India. Multivariate analysis indicates that those who were younger, male, residing in urban areas, current tobacco smokers were more likely to use e-cigarette than their counterparts. Though prevalence of e-cigarette use increased with wealth and education, such pattern is not strong and consistent. Promotional advertisement plays important role in higher use of e-cigaratte. The predicted national prevalence of e-ciragette use was highest in Malaysia .
CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use is more among urban adults, current smokers, males and in countries with promotional advertisement of e-cigarette. Area specific interventions are needed to understand the nature of e-cigarette use. Russia, Ukraine, Costa Rica and Mexico need better understanding to explore whether e-cigaratte use is an indulgence to new mode of addiction, as youth being highly likely to adopt this practice.
Fulltext Levulinic Acid Production from Waste Corncob Biomass Using an Environmentally Benign WO3-Grafted ZnCo2O4@CeO2 Bifunctional Heterogeneous Catalyst

Perveen F, Farooq M, Ramli A, Naeem A, Khan IW, Saeed T, et al.

ACS Omega, 2023 Jan 10;8(1):333-345.
PMID: 36643508 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04545

Herein, a novel and environmentally benign solid catalyst was fabricated by grafting WO3 active species onto the ZnCo2O4@CeO2 support for efficient levulinic acid production from corncob waste biomass. The morphological, compositional, and textural properties of the designed catalyst were investigated using different characterization techniques to identify suitable catalyst formulation with enhanced catalytic activity and stability. The results demonstrated that WO3 active species were successfully loaded with uniform distribution onto the support to develop a robust catalyst with both acidic and basic sites. The experimental investigation showed that among the catalysts, WO3(10 wt %)/ZnCo2O4@CeO2 exhibited the best catalytic activity, providing a maximum levulinic acid yield of 78.49% at the optimal conditions of 6 wt % catalyst dosage, reaction temperature of 180 °C, and reaction time of 200 min. The presence of an optimum number of both acid and base active sites on the catalyst surface could lead to the highest catalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst. Finally, the reusability investigation indicated that the synthesized catalyst possessed sufficient recyclability of up to four times for the levulinic acid production from the selected biomass with negligible drop in the catalytic activity.
Visible-light-driven photocatalytic dual-layer hollow fibre membrane ameliorates the changes of bisphenol A exposure in gastrointestinal tract

Kamaludin R, Othman MHD, Kadir SHSA, Khan J, Ismail AF, Rahman MA, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Jan;30(1):259-273.
PMID: 35902521 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22121-w

Various treatments of choice are available to overcome contamination of bisphenol A (BPA) in the environment including membrane technologies; however, the treatment still releases contaminants that threaten the human being. Therefore, the present study is conducted to investigate the degradation of BPA by recently developed visible-light-driven photocatalytic nitrogen-doping titanium dioxide (N-doped TiO2) dual-layer hollow fibre (DLHF) membrane and its efficiency in reducing the level of BPA in contaminated water. Fabricated with suitable polymer/photocatalyst (15/7.5 wt.%) via co-extrusion spinning method, the DLHF was characterized morphologically, evaluated for BPA degradation by using submerged photocatalytic membrane reactor under visible light irradiations followed by the investigation of intermediates formed. BPA exposure effects were accessed by immunohistochemistry staining of gastrointestinal sample obtained from animal model. BPA has been successfully degraded up to 72.5% with 2 intermediate products, B1 and B2, being identified followed by total degradation of BPA. BPA exposure leads to the high-intensity IHC staining of Claudin family which indicated the disruption of small intestinal barrier (SIB) integrity. Low IHC staining intensity of Claudin family in treated BPA group demonstrated that reducing the level of BPA by N-doped TiO2 DLHF is capable of protecting the important component of SIB. Altogether, the fabricated photocatalytic DLHF membrane is expected to have an outstanding potential in removing BPA and its health effect for household water treatment to fulfil the public focus on the safety of their household water and their need to consume clean water.
Eco-friendly alkali lignin-assisted water-based graphene oxide ink and its application as a resistive temperature sensor

Khan J, Mariatti M, Zubir SA, Rusli A, Manaf AA, Khirotdin RK

Nanotechnology, 2023 Nov 15;35(5).
PMID: 37879329 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad06d4

Inkjet-printable ink formulated with graphene oxide (GO) offers several advantages, including aqueous dispersion, low cost, and environmentally friendly production. However, water-based GO ink encounters challenges such as high surface tension, low wetting properties, and reduced ink stability over prolonged storage time. Alkali lignin, a natural surfactant, is promising in improving GO ink's stability, wettability, and printing characteristics. The concentration of surfactant additives is a key factor in fine-tuning GO ink's stability and printing properties. The current study aims to explore the detailed effects of alkali lignin concentration and optimize the overall properties of graphene oxide (GO) ink for drop-on-demand thermal inkjet printing. A meander-shaped temperature sensor electrode was printed using the optimized GO ink to demonstrate its practical applicability for commercial purposes. The sensing properties are evaluated using a simple experimental setup across a range of temperatures. The findings demonstrate a significant increase in zeta potential by 25% and maximum absorption by 84.3%, indicating enhanced stability during prolonged storage with an optimized alkali lignin concentration compared to the pure GO dispersions. The temperature sensor exhibits a remarkable thermal coefficient of resistance of 1.21 within the temperature range of 25 °C-52 °C, indicative of excellent sensitivity, response, and recovery time. These results highlight the potential of alkali lignin as a natural surfactant for improving the performance and applicability of inkjet-printable GO inks in various technological applications.
Fulltext Single-fed broadband CPW-fed circularly polarized implantable antenna for sensing medical applications

Butt AD, Khan J, Ahmad S, Ghaffar A, Abdullah Al-Gburi AJ, Hussein M

PLoS One, 2023;18(4):e0280042.
PMID: 37053176 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280042

Biomedical telemetry relies heavily on implantable antennas. Due to this, we have designed and tested a compact, a circularly polarized, a low-profile biomedical implantable antenna that operate in the 2.45 GHz ISM band. In order to keep the antenna compact, modified co-planar waveguide (CPW) technology is used. Slotted rectangular patch with one 45-degree angle slot and truncated little patch on the left end of the ground plane generate a frequency-range antenna with circular polarization. Using a 0.25-millimeter-thick Roger Duroid-RT5880 substrate with a thickness of εr = 2.2, tanδ = 0.0009 provides flexibility. The volume of the antenna is 21 mm x 13.5 mm x 0.254 mm (0.25λg × 0.16λg × 0.003λg). The antenna covers 2.35-2.55 GHz (200 MHz) in free space and 1.63-1.17 GHz (1.17 GHz) in epidermal tissue. With skin tissue that has more bandwidth, the (x and y)-axis bends of the antenna are also simulated via the simulation. Bended antenna simulations and measurements show excellent agreement. At 2.45 GHz, the skin-like gel had -10dB impedance and 3dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidths of 47.7 and 53.8%, respectively. The ultimate result is that the SAR values are 0.78 W/kg in skin over 1 g of bulk tissue, as determined by simulations. The suggested SAR values are lower than the FCC's maximum allowable limit (FCC). This antenna is small enough to be implanted in the body, making it perfect for biomedical applications.
Identification of Four Novel Candidate Genes for Non-syndromic Intellectual Disability in Pakistani Families

Ahmed I, Muzammal M, Khan MA, Ullah H, Farid A, Yasin M, et al.

Biochem Genet, 2023 Nov 20.
PMID: 37985543 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-023-10556-w

Intellectual disability, a genetically and clinically varied disorder and is a significant health problem, particularly in less developed countries due to larger family size and high ratio of consanguineous marriages. In the current genetic study, we investigate and find the novel disease causative factors in the four Pakistani families with severe type of non-syndromic intellectual disability. For genetic analysis whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing was performed. I-TASSER and Cluspro tools were used for Protein modeling and Protein-protein docking. Sanger sequencing confirms the segregation of novel homozygous variants in all the families i.e., c.245 T > C; p.Leu82Pro in SLC50A1 gene in family 1, missense variant c.1037G > A; p.Arg346His in TARS2 gene in family 2, in family 3 and 4, nonsense mutation c.234G > A; p.Trp78Term and missense mutation c.2200G > A; p.Asp734Asn in TBC1D3 and ANAPC2 gene, respectively. In silico functional studies have found the drastic effect of these mutations on protein structure and its interaction properties. Substituted amino acids were highly conserved and present on highly conserved region throughout the species. The discovery of pathogenic variants in SLC50A1, TARS2, TBC1D1 and ANAPC2 shows that the specific pathways connected with these genes may be important in cognitive impairment. The decisive role of pathogenic variants in these genes cannot be determined with certainty due to lack of functional data. However, exome sequencing and segregation analysis of all filtered variants revealed that the currently reported variants were the only variations from the respective families that segregated with the phenotype in the family.
Fulltext Role of ErbB1 in the Underlying Mechanism of Lapatinib-Induced Diarrhoea: A Review

Raja Sharin RNFS, Khan J, Ibahim MJ, Muhamad M, Bowen J, Wan Mohamad Zain WNI

Biomed Res Int, 2022;2022:4165808.
PMID: 35800225 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4165808

Lapatinib, an orally administered small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (SM-TKI), is an effective treatment for ErbB2-positive breast cancer. However, its efficacy as one of the targeted cancer therapies has been hampered by several adverse effects, especially gastrointestinal toxicity, commonly manifested as diarrhoea. Although it can be generally tolerated, diarrhoea is reported as the most common and most impactful on a patient's quality of life and associated with treatment interruption. Severe diarrhoea can result in malabsorption, leading to dehydration, fatigue, and even death. ErbB1 is an epidermal growth factor profoundly expressed in normal gut epithelium while lapatinib is a dual ErbB1/ErbB2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Thus, ErbB1 inhibition by lapatinib may affect gut homeostasis leading to diarrhoea. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This review article provides evidence of the possible mechanisms of lapatinib-induced diarrhoea that may be related to/or modulated by ErbB1. Insight regarding the involvement of ErbB1 in the pathophysiological changes such as inflammation and intestinal permeability as the underlying cause of diarrhoea is covered in this article.
Fulltext Gliclazide in Binary and Ternary Systems Improves Physicochemical Properties, Bioactivity, and Antioxidant Activity

Ibrahim M, Munir S, Ahmed S, Chughtai AH, Ahmad W, Khan J, et al.

Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2022;2022:2100092.
PMID: 36466089 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2100092

The poor solubility of the antidiabetic drug gliclazide (Glc) is due to its hydrophobic nature. This research is aimed at improving Glc's solubility and drug release profile, as well as at investigating additional benefits such as bioactivity and antioxidant activity, by forming binary complexes with HPβCD at different w/w ratios (1 : 1, 1 : 2.5, 1 : 4, and 1 : 9) and ternary complexes with HPβCD and Tryp at 1 : 1 : 1, 1 : 1 : 0.27, 1 : 2.5 : 0.27, 1 : 3.6 : 3.6, 1 : 4 : 1, and 1 : 9 : 1, respectively. Complexes were prepared by the physical mixing (PM) and solvent evaporation (SE) methods. The prepared inclusion complexes were meticulously characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra. To verify our findings, the inclusion complexes were evaluated by equilibrium solubility, in vitro drug release profile, kinetic models, and antidiabetic and antioxidant activities in animal models. Our results demonstrated that the solubility and drug release profile were found to be enhanced through binary as well as ternary complexes. Notably, ternary complexes with a ratio of 1 : 9 : 1 showed the highest solubility and drug release profile compared to all other preparations. Data on antioxidant activity indicated that the ternary complex had the higher total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activity than the binary complex and Glc alone, in contrast to the diabetic group. In vivo antidiabetic activity data revealed a high percentage reduction in the blood glucose level by ternary complexes (49-52%) compared to the binary complexes (45-46%; p ≤ 0.05). HPβCD and Tryp provide a new platform for overcoming the challenges associated with poorly soluble Glc by providing greater complexing and solubilizing capabilities and imparting ancillary benefits to improve the drug's antidiabetic and antioxidant activities.
Fulltext Dendrimer: An update on recent developments and future opportunities for the brain tumors diagnosis and treatment

Kaurav M, Ruhi S, Al-Goshae HA, Jeppu AK, Ramachandran D, Sahu RK, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2023;14:1159131.
PMID: 37006997 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1159131

A brain tumor is an uncontrolled cell proliferation, a mass of tissue composed of cells that grow and divide abnormally and appear to be uncontrollable by the processes that normally control normal cells. Approximately 25,690 primary malignant brain tumors are discovered each year, 70% of which originate in glial cells. It has been observed that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) limits the distribution of drugs into the tumour environment, which complicates the oncological therapy of malignant brain tumours. Numerous studies have found that nanocarriers have demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy in brain diseases. This review, based on a non-systematic search of the existing literature, provides an update on the existing knowledge of the types of dendrimers, synthesis methods, and mechanisms of action in relation to brain tumours. It also discusses the use of dendrimers in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and the future possibilities of dendrimers. Dendrimers are of particular interest in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours because they can transport biochemical agents across the BBB to the tumour and into the brain after systemic administration. Dendrimers are being used to develop novel therapeutics such as prolonged release of drugs, immunotherapy, and antineoplastic effects. The use of PAMAM, PPI, PLL and surface engineered dendrimers has proven revolutionary in the effective diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.
Fulltext Superior possibilities and upcoming horizons for nanoscience in COVID-19: noteworthy approach for effective diagnostics and management of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak

Bhattacharjee B, Ikbal AMA, Farooqui A, Sahu RK, Ruhi S, Syed A, et al.

Chem Zvesti, 2023 Apr 04.
PMID: 37362791 DOI: 10.1007/s11696-023-02795-3

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused great havoc and affected many parts of the world. It has imposed a great challenge to the medical and health fraternity with its ability to continue mutating and increasing the transmission rate. Some challenges include the availability of current knowledge of active drugs against the virus, mode of delivery of the medicaments, its diagnosis, which are relatively limited and do not suffice for further prognosis. One recently developed drug delivery system called nanoparticles is currently being utilized in combating COVID-19. This article highlights the existing methods for diagnosis of COVID-19 such as computed tomography scan, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, nucleic acid sequencing, immunoassay, point-of-care test, detection from breath, nanotechnology-based bio-sensors, viral antigen detection, microfluidic device, magnetic nanosensor, magnetic resonance platform and internet-of-things biosensors. The latest detection strategy based on nanotechnology, biosensor, is said to produce satisfactory results in recognizing SARS-CoV-2 virus. It also highlights the successes in the research and development of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines that are already in use. In addition, there are a number of nanovaccines and nanomedicines currently in clinical trials that have the potential to target COVID-19.
Fulltext Pharmacological impact of microRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Prevailing insights on molecular pathways, diagnosis, and nanomedicine treatment

Bhattacharjee B, Syeda AF, Rynjah D, Hussain SM, Chandra Bora S, Pegu P, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2023;14:1174330.
PMID: 37205904 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1174330

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is a disease that most commonly produce tumours from the lining of the epithelial cells of the lips, larynx, nasopharynx, mouth, or oro-pharynx. It is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. About one to two percent of all neo-plasm-related deaths are attributed to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which is responsible for about six percent of all cancers. MicroRNAs play a critical role in cell proliferation, differentiation, tumorigenesis, stress response, triggering apoptosis, and other physiological process. MicroRNAs regulate gene expression and provide new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic options for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In this work, the role of molecular signaling pathways related to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is emphasized. We also provide an overview of MicroRNA downregulation and overexpression and its role as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In recent years, MicroRNA nano-based therapies for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma have been explored. In addition, nanotechnology-based alternatives have been discussed as a promising strategy in exploring therapeutic paradigms aimed at improving the efficacy of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and attenuating their cytotoxicity. This article also provides information on ongoing and recently completed clinical trials for therapies based on nanotechnology.

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