<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Vivo</Emphasis> Evaluation of a PEO-Gellan Gum Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Network for the Oral Delivery of Sulpiride

In this study, an optimized epichlorohydrin-crosslinked semi-interpenetrating polymer network xerogel matrix system (XePoMas) for the controlled delivery of sulpiride was prepared. The ability of XePoMas to sustain drug release was determined by in vitro and in vivo drug release experiments. Swelling of the xerogel over the 24-h experimental period ranged from 346 to 648%; swelling was observed to increase exponentially over the initial 8 h. In vitro drug release depicted a linear zero order drug release profile with an R ² value of 0.9956. The ability of the fabricated XePoMas to sustain drug release and enhance bioavailability of sulpiride in vivo was investigated by evaluating the plasma drug concentration over 24 h in the large pig model. The optimized XePoMas formulation was shown to increase intestinal absorption of sulpiride to a greater extent than the marketed product in vivo, with a C _max of 830.58 ng/mL after 15 h.     

Lidocaine-loaded fish scale-nanocellulose biopolymer composite microneedles

Microneedle (MN) technology has emerged as an effective drug delivery system, and it has tremendous potential as a patient friendly substitute for conventional methods for transdermal drug delivery (TDD). In this paper, we report on the preparation of lidocaine-loaded biodegradable microneedles, which are manufactured from fish scale-derived collagen. Lidocaine, a common tissue numbing anaesthetic, is loaded in these microneedles with an aim of delivering the drug with controlled skin permeation. Evaluation of lidocaine permeation in porcine skin has been successfully performed using Franz diffusion cell (FDC) which has shown that the drug permeation rate increases from 2.5 to 7.5% w/w after 36 h and pseudo steady state profile is observed from 5.0 to 10.0% w/w lidocaine-loaded microneedle. Swelling experiments have suggested that the microneedles have negligible swellability which implies that the patch would stick to the tissue when inserted. The experiments on MN dissolution have depicted that the lidocaine loaded in the patch is lower than the theoretical loading, which is expected as there can be losses of the drug during initial process manufacture.     

Statistical analysis and optimization of biodiesel production from waste coffee grounds by a two-step process

Biodiesel was produced using waste coffee grounds (WCGs) via a two-step process comprising lipid extraction and subsequent transesterification steps. Each step was statistically analyzed, and optimum conditions for each step were suggested. WCGs were found to have 16.4% lipid content with 1.9% free fatty acid (FFA) content. The liquid-solid ratio (LSR) significantly influenced lipid extraction from WCGs, while extraction time and temperature did not; 92.7% of lipid extraction efficiency was achieved at 13.7 mL-hexane/g-WCGs, 30 min of extraction time, and 25°C. Owing to the relatively low FFA content, an alkaline catalyst (NaOH) reaction was used that requires less amount of catalyst, methanol, and shorter reaction time compared to an acid catalyst reaction. Reaction time and temperature were the major factors affecting biodiesel conversion, and 94.0% of biodiesel conversion was obtained at optimum conditions for transesterification: 0.5% catalyst, 1.5 mL-methanol/g-lipid, 45°C, and 9 h of reaction time. With the use of statistical analysis tools, high lipid extraction efficiency and biodiesel conversion were achieved at relatively mild conditions, which would reduce biodiesel production cost substantially.     

Relationship of self-mutilative behaviour with history of childhood trauma and adult ADHD symptoms in a sample of inpatients with alcohol use disorder

The aim of the present study was to evaluate relationship of self-mutilative behaviour (SMB) with the severity of childhood trauma and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a sample of inpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants included 188 inpatients with AUD. Participants were evaluated with the Self-mutilative Behaviour Questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28) and the Adult ADD/ADHD DSM-IV Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale (Adult ADHD Scale). Among inpatients with AUD those who have a history of SMB constituted the SMB group (n = 57, 30.3%), and those without a history of SMB constituted the group without SMB (n = 131, 69.7%). Risk of high ADHD risk was 2.5 times higher among those with SMB. Adult ADHD Scale and CTQ-28 scores were also higher in the group with SMB. In the first backward logistic regression model, the severity of ADHD symptoms predicted the presence of SMB, together with the severity of childhood trauma, whereas in the second model, physical neglect and inattentive (IN) dimension of ADHD predicted the presence of SMB. These findings suggest that the higher severity of physical neglect and adult IN dimension of ADHD may be related to SMB among inpatients with AUD.     

Automatic non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy screening system based on color fundus image

Background

Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. Automatic detection of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is significant for clinical diagnosis, early screening and course progression of patients.

Methods

This paper introduces the design and implementation of an automatic system for screening non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy based on color fundus images. Firstly, the fundus structures, including blood vessels, optic disc and macula, are extracted and located, respectively. In particular, a new optic disc localization method using parabolic fitting is proposed based on the physiological structure characteristics of optic disc and blood vessels. Then, early lesions, such as microaneurysms, hemorrhages and hard exudates, are detected based on their respective characteristics. An equivalent optical model simulating human eyes is designed based on the anatomical structure of retina. Main structures and early lesions are reconstructed in the 3D space for better visualization. Finally, the severity of each image is evaluated based on the international criteria of diabetic retinopathy.

Results

The system has been tested on public databases and images from hospitals. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system achieves high accuracy for main structures and early lesions detection. The results of severity classification for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy are also accurate and suitable.

Conclusions

Our system can assist ophthalmologists for clinical diagnosis, automatic screening and course progression of patients.

     

Rural-urban differences on the rates and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding in Nigeria: further analysis of the Nigeria demographic and health survey, 2013

Background

This study investigates and compares the rates and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) within one hour of birth in rural and urban Nigeria.

Methods

Data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) were analyzed. The rates of EIBF were reported using frequency tabulation. Associated factors were examined using Chi-Square test and further assessed on multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results

The rates of EIBF were 30.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 29.0, 32.6) and 41.9% (95% CI 39.6, 44.3) in rural and urban residences, respectively (p?<?0.001). The North-Central region had the highest EIBF rates both in rural (43.5%) and urban (63.5%) residences. Greater odds of EIBF in rural residence were significantly associated with higher birth order (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.29, 95% CI 1.10, 1.60), large birth size (AOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.10, 1.60), and health facility delivery (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.23, 1.72). Rural mothers in the rich wealth index, not working and whose husbands obtained at least a secondary school education had significantly higher odds of early initiation of breastfeeding. Regardless of residence, greater odds of EIBF were significantly associated with non-cesarean delivery (Rural AOR 3.50, 95% CI 1.84, 6.62; Urban AOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.60, 3.80) and living in North-Central (Rural AOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.34, 2.52; Urban AOR 4.40, 95% CI 3.15, 6.15) region. Also, higher odds of EIBF were significantly associated with living in North-East (Rural AOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.05, 2.08; Urban AOR 3.50, 95% CI 2.55, 4.83), South-South (Rural AOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.11, 2.10; Urban AOR 2.84, 95% CI 2.03, 3.97) and North-West (Urban residence only AOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.54, 2.80) regions.

Conclusions

Rural-urban differences in the rates and factors associated with EIBF exist in Nigeria with rural residence having significantly lower rates. Intervention efforts which address the risk factors identified in this study may contribute to improved EIBF rates. Efforts need to prioritize rural mothers generally, (particularly, those in rural North-West region) as well as mothers in urban South-West region of Nigeria.

     

Modeling the behavior of human induced pluripotent stem cells seeded on melt electrospun scaffolds

Background

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can form any tissue found in the body, making them attractive for regenerative medicine applications. Seeding hiPSC aggregates into biomaterial scaffolds can control their differentiation into specific tissue types. Here we develop and analyze a mathematical model of hiPSC aggregate behavior when seeded on melt electrospun scaffolds with defined topography.

Results

We used ordinary differential equations to model the different cellular populations (stem, progenitor, differentiated) present in our scaffolds based on experimental results and published literature. Our model successfully captures qualitative features of the cellular dynamics observed experimentally. We determined the optimal parameter sets to maximize specific cellular populations experimentally, showing that a physiologic oxygen level (～?5%) increases the number of neural progenitors and differentiated neurons compared to atmospheric oxygen levels (～?21%) and a scaffold porosity of ～?63% maximizes aggregate size.

Conclusions

Our mathematical model determined the key factors controlling hiPSC behavior on melt electrospun scaffolds, enabling optimization of experimental parameters.