Nanoshuttles are unique structures that resemble double-headed arrows or a nanorod with sharp tips for better penetration into the tumor cells, reduction of toxicity and minimization of off-targeting ...effect. These biologically- inspired multimetallic or bimetallic nano swimmers are capable of transporting cargoes from one end to another via self-propulsion in an efficient manner. Encapsulation with pH- and heat-sensitive polymers allows nanoshuttles to release cargos at the targeted site in a controlled fashion. This review article focuses on the methods of preparation and characterization of nanoshuttles with applications in the field of antineoplastic, antibacterial, erectile dysfunction, electrochemical biosensing, anticounterfeiting, on-demand and targeted delivery system for imaging as well as cell ablation therapy. Magnetic nanoshuttles exhibit modified optical properties for utilization in diagnostic imaging for sensitive and early diagnosis of diseases. Smart drug delivery is achieved when nanoshuttles are combined with nanomotors to exhibit distinctive, rapid and unidirectional movement in the bloodstream. Cost-effective synthesis of nanoshuttles will extend their applications in the commercial sectors by overcoming the limitations like scale-up and regulatory approval. In the near future, nanoshuttles will diversify in the fields of energy conversion, energy storage, 3D printing, stem cell fabrication and theranostics.
Author: Craig Malkin Publisher: Harper Collins, New York Year of Publication: 2015 Language: English No. of Pages: 256 ISBN: 978-0-06-234810-4 Price: US$18 INLINE:1 The recent existent literature on ...narcissism has focused on its description and its consequences, or on how to save oneself from a narcissist, but none of the texts have described how to deal adequately and maintain relationships with a narcissist or what to do if you have identified yourself as a narcissist. The book has useful suggestions for parents to curb the narcissistic tendencies of their children at a young age and raise a confident, caring child by being an authoritative parent, practicing firm empathy, expressing appreciation for the child's good behavior, modeling vulnerabilities, setting limits, and coaching the child. ...the text explores the role of social media in the development and sustenance of narcissists.
The rapidly growing segment of older adults living with HIV faces unique set of psychosocial challenges that may differ from their younger counterparts. The objective of this review is to ...systematically examine current published literature on interventions designed to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of older adults living with HIV. A pre-specified search strategy was applied to four databases: PubMed, CINAHL Plus with Text, PsycINFO, and Health Source. Authors reviewed published studies on psychosocial interventions for older adults with HIV and reported psychosocial variables as primary outcomes of the interventions. The final review included nine intervention studies. Psychosocial outcomes measured across multiple studies included depression, quality of life, social support, cognitive functioning, and coping skills. Some studies also measured physical activity, HIV-related discrimination, lack of affordable housing, and access to substance abuse treatment. Our study suggests a paucity of psychosocial intervention research on adults aging with HIV. This review suggests that most psychosocial interventions had small to moderate effects in improving the psychosocial wellbeing of older people living with HIV. Findings highlight the need for clinical, community, and home-based interventions to ensure that individuals can achieve a higher quality of life while aging with HIV.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Cubosome is a biocompatible, thermodynamically stable and bioadhesive drug carrier that is prepared from certain amphiphilic lipids and surfactants when mixed in a definite ratio. Structurally, they ...are selfassembled nano-constructed liquid crystalline particles comprising three-dimensionally arranged bicontinuous as well as nonintersecting lipid bilayers that give them a honeycomb-like appearance. Morphological characterization through SAXS (small-angle X-ray scattering) and cryo-TEM (cryo-transmission electron microscopy) revealed that they are square and round shaped particles in the nanometer range. These carriers have two separate aqueous regions and a large interfacial area that allow them to carry a variety of bioactive molecules having hydrophobic, hydrophilic or amphiphilic behavior. One of either two strategies i.e., top-down or bottom-up methods can be adopted to prepare these cubic structures. A number of dispersion techniques like sonication, spray drying, high-pressure homogenization or spontaneous emulsification can be adopted to prepare cubosomes. Their characteristics and benefits like multicompartmental structure, high drug loading, simple and convenient method of preparation, use of biodegradable lipids such as glycerol monooleate, encapsulation of hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic moieties, targeted and controlled release make them versatile bioactive carriers that can be administered through multiple biological routes like topical, transdermal, parenteral, and oral. Cubosomes have appreciable applications in various fields especially in the pharmaceutical industry where they are used as potential bioactive carriers. Molecules like paclitaxel, oligonucleotide, δ-amino-levulinic acid, bovine serum albumin, etc. can be easily delivered through this system. This article provides a detailed note on the structure of cubosomes, ingredients and techniques used for their preparation, mechanism of drug release, applications and routes of drug administration, their formulations, patent review and market scenario.
Abstract
Introduction and aims
The prolonged use of topical steroids introduces notable dermatological risks, including the onset of permanent stretch marks, bruising, discoloration and vascular ...abnormalities. This study presents an innovative strategy by formulating GL-1, a steroid-free treatment amalgamating seaweed bioactives, sesame oil and naturally occurring salts and minerals. The objective of this study was to address the limitations of conventional topical steroids and introduce pioneering solutions to dermatological care.
Methods
To assess the safety and efficacy of GL-1 (product 1), a comprehensive battery of in vitro tests was employed. The skin corrosion test (OECD 431) established the noncorrosive nature of GL-1, validating its safety on reconstructed human epidermis. The skin irritation test (OECD 439) demonstrated the nonirritating attributes of GL-1, aligning with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling guidelines. Additionally, the bovine corneal opacity and permeability test (OECD 437) affirmed the noninducing nature of GL-1 in relation to eye irritation or serious eye damage.
Results
Preliminary outcomes from dermal clinical trials indicate promising Results for GL-1. In vitro experiments on HaCaT and human dermal fibroblasts, adult (HDFa) cell lines highlighted the noncytotoxicity of GL-1, contrasting with the ‘Cortopin’, which exhibited cytotoxicity. GL-1 exhibited a proliferative effect in HDFa cells, signifying its potential for regenerative applications. Furthermore, both GL-1 and ‘Cortopin’ displayed antioxidant activity in HaCaT cells, underscoring the additional merits of our formulation.
Conclusions
Our steroid-free formulation, GL-1, demonstrates exceptional safety and efficacy through a meticulous series of in vitro assessments and initial clinical trials. These findings position GL-1 as a promising candidate for diverse dermal applications, offering a secure alternative to traditional topical steroids. The potential impact of GL-1 transcends its therapeutic efficacy, emphasizing its robust safety profile validated through multiple in vitro evaluations.
Vaccination is likely the most effective approach to protect people from COVID-19. However, partisan differences have persisted for COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
The purpose of this study is to understand ...different health beliefs related to COVID-19 vaccine uptake based on Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs among individuals with different political affiliations.
The study used a cross-sectional design and data were collected using an online survey. The survey was developed to assess political affiliation and the HBM constructs operationalized toward COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
A total of 1187 individuals completed the survey. Results showed a significant difference between all of the HBM constructs and political affiliation with a small effect size. Compared to republicans and independents, democrats were more likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Findings from the study suggest that politically affiliated individuals view various constructs of HBM operationalized toward COVID-19 vaccine uptake differently.
The risk perception differences based on political affiliations identified in this study can inform community-based intervention to address hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. These efforts may help the United States reach herd immunity through successful COVID-19 vaccination at the earliest possible date.
Issues in prevention of iron deficiency anemia in India Anand, Tanu, M.B.B.S., M.D; Rahi, Manju, M.B.B.S., M.D; Sharma, Pragya, M.B.B.S., M.D ...
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.),
07/2014, Letnik:
30, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Abstract Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) continues to be major public health problem in India. It is estimated that about 20% of maternal deaths are directly related to anemia and another 50% of ...maternal deaths are associated with it. The question, therefore, is why, despite being the first country to launch the National Nutritional Anemia Prophylaxis Programme in 1970, the problem of IDA remains so widespread. As is to be expected, the economic implications of IDA are also massive. The issues of control of IDA in India are multiple. Inadequate dietary intake of iron, defective iron absorption, increased iron requirements due to repeated pregnancies and lactation, poor iron reserves at birth, timing of umbilical cord clamping, timing and type of complementary food introduction, frequency of infections in children, and excessive physiological blood loss during adolescence and pregnancy are some of the causes responsible for the high prevalence of anemia in India. In addition, there are other multiple programmatic and organizational issues. This review, therefore, is an attempt to examine the current burden of anemia in India, its epidemiology, and the various issues regarding its prevention and control, as well as to offer some innovative approaches to deal with this major health problem.
Many health diagnostic systems demand noninvasive sensing of respiratory rate, respiratory volume, and heart rate with high user comfort. Previous methods often require multiple sensors, including ...skin-touch electrodes, tension belts, or nearby off-the-body readers, and hence are uncomfortable or inconvenient. This paper presents an over-clothing wearable radio-frequency sensor study, conducted on 20 healthy participants (14 females) performing voluntary breathing exercises in various postures. Two prototype sensors were placed on the participants, one close to the heart and the other below the xiphoid process to couple to the motion from heart, lungs and diaphragm, by the near-field coherent sensing principle. We can achieve a satisfactory correlation of our sensor with the reference devices for the three vital signs: heart rate (
= 0.95), respiratory rate (
= 0.93) and respiratory volume (
= 0.84). We also detected voluntary breath-hold periods with an accuracy of 96%. Further, the participants performed a breathing exercise by contracting abdomen inwards while holding breath, leading to paradoxical outward thorax motion under the isovolumetric condition, which was detected with an accuracy of 83%.
Minimizing vaccine wastage and associated costs is considered a key target for appropriate vaccine management. In India, the Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV) (2019) and the fractionated injectable polio ...vaccine (f-IPV) (2016) are more prone to wastage with high procurement costs.In this operational research study, we determined the effectiveness of a (self-designed) dose based reporting tool (DBRT) in reducing vaccine (f-IPV and RVV) wastage at primary care facilities in India during December 2019 to March' 2020.Data reports of all the immunization sessions conducted at three primary care facilities were analyzed to calculate the wastage rates of the RVV and the f-IPV for the following periods: (1). Period of initiation (August-November' 2019) (2). Pre-intervention with sensitization of healthcare providers (December' 2019-January' 2020) (3). Post-intervention after application of the DBRT.Intervention: The DBRT is a paper-based reporting format that assigns a unique code to each RVV and IPV vial. The health facility is required to report the total doses administered from each coded vial during every immunization session by updating it on the assigned reporting format.Pre-intervention, the average monthly wastage of f-IPV was 23.5% and of the RVV ranged from 18%-31%. Post-intervention, on using the DBRT, the monthly wastage of both RVV and f-IPV dropped significantly to 8.6% and 11.4%, respectively. During the subsequent month, the IPV wastage further decreased to only 4.7%.In conclusion, the DBRT reduces vaccine wastage in government primary care facilities by enabling a paper audit trail that promotes responsiveness and accountability among healthcare workers directly involved in vaccine administration.
Muga (Antheraea assamensis) is an economically important silkmoth endemic to the states of Assam and Meghalaya in India and is the producer of the strongest known commercial silk. However, there is a ...scarcity of genomic and proteomic data for understanding the organism at a molecular level. Our present study is on decoding the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of A. assamensis using next generation sequencing technology and comparing it with other available lepidopteran mitogenomes. Mitogenome of A. assamensis is an AT rich circular molecule of 15,272 bp (A+T content ~80.2%). It contains 37 genes comprising of 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA and 2 rRNA genes along with a 328 bp long control region. Its typical tRNAMet-tRNAIle-tRNAGln arrangement differed from ancestral insects (tRNAIle-tRNAGln-tRNAMet). Two PCGs cox1 and cox2 were found to have CGA and GTG as start codons, respectively as reported in some lepidopterans. Interestingly, nad4l gene showed higher transversion mutations at intra-species than inter-species level. All PCGs evolved under strong purifying selection with highest evolutionary rates observed for atp8 gene while lowest for cox1 gene. We observed the typical clover-leaf shaped secondary structures of tRNAs with a few exceptions in case of tRNASer1 and tRNATyr where stable DHU and TΨC loop were absent. A significant number of mismatches (35) were found to spread over 19 tRNA structures. The control region of mitogenome contained a six bp (CTTAGA/G) deletion atypical of other Antheraea species and lacked tandem repeats. Phylogenetic position of A. assamensis was consistent with the traditional taxonomic classification of Saturniidae. The complete annotated mitogenome is available in GenBank (Accession No. KU379695). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on complete mitogenome of A. assamensis.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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