Compounding medications in pharmacies is a common practice for patients with prescriptions that are not available commercially, but it is a laborious and error-prone task. The incorporation of emerging technologies to prepare personalised medication, such as 3D printing, has been delayed in smaller pharmacies due to concerns about potential workflow disruptions and learning curves associated with novel technologies. This study examines the use in a community pharmacy of a pharmaceutical 3D printer to auto-fill capsules and blisters using semisolid extrusion, incorporating an integrated quality control system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe convoluted relationships between plants, viruses, and arthropod vectors housing bacterial endosymbionts are pivotal in the spread of harmful plant viral diseases. Endosymbionts play key roles in: manipulating host responses, influencing insect resistance to pesticides, shaping insect evolution, and bolstering virus acquisition, retention, and transmission. This interplay presents an innovative approach for developing sustainable strategies to manage plant diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Fagonia bruguieri var. laxa Boiss., also known as Dhamansa or Dhamaran, is a well-known xerophyte traditionally used for managing pain, inflammation, fever, and related disease conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Surg Case Rep
January 2025
Introduction And Importance: The branchial or pharyngeal apparatus, crucial in embryological development, consists of clefts, arches, pouches, and membranes. Anomalies arising from this apparatus particularly involving the second branchial arch, are rare. Among these anomalies, complete second branchial cleft fistulas, with both external and internal openings, are exceptionally uncommon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand)
January 2025
A medicinal plant is any plant that in one or more of its organs contains substances that can be used by it or their constituent for therapeutic purposes. The present work was done to evaluate pharmacognostic, fluorescence, proximate and phytochemical analysis of ethanolic extracts of Cistanche tubulosa (Orobanchaceae) along with antimicrobial activity. Antimicrobial activity against four bacterial strains S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Herein, we present an overview of innovative oral technologies utilized in colonic drug delivery systems that have made significant translational and clinical advancements to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in recent years.
Recent Findings: The colon is home to distinct physiological conditions, such as pH and microbiota, that have been exploited in the development of colonic drug delivery systems for the treatment of local and systemic diseases. However, given the intra and interindividual variability in the gastrointestinal tract of both healthy and diseased states, various systems have shown inconsistencies in targeted drug release to the colon.
Introduction: Almost a quarter of patients with tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan may also have diabetes, with an additional quarter in a pre-diabetic state. Diabetes is a risk factor for TB. When it co-occurs with TB, it leads to poorer outcomes for both conditions, considerably increasing the burden on individuals, families and the healthcare system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand)
November 2024
Flammulina was found frequently distributed in the District Mansehra during the present research work. The genus was ignored and not studied for prevalence previously, as F. velutipes was the exclusively reported species from the research vicinity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in hospitals, yet a significant portion of their use is inappropriate, contributing to the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Pakistan, AMR has reached alarming levels with the rise of multi- and extensively drug-resistant bacteria. This study evaluates antibiotic prescribing practices and the use of culture sensitivity (CS) testing to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Bio Mater
December 2024
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular imaging tool that is valuable for the early detection and monitoring of malignancies because it does not involve radiation and is noninvasive. Metal-based contrast agents (CAs) are commonly used in clinical settings despite concerns about the toxicity of free metals. Therefore, finding alternative nontoxic imaging probes is vital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects over 7 million people worldwide and significant side effects are associated with current therapies such as tofacitinib citrate (TFC), which is linked to increased risks of malignancy and congestive heart issues. To mitigate these systemic adverse effects, localised drug delivery via nano-sized carriers to inflamed gut tissues represents a promising approach. Herein, we aimed to optimise the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) using a low molecular weight grade of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) 50:50 loaded with TFC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground The currently recommended treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are complex, costly, prolonged (lasting at least 20 months), and often poorly tolerated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the shorter treatment regimen (STR) for treating patients with MDR-TB in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methodology The present study was a case series conducted at the Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB Unit, Lady Reading Hospital (PMDT-LRH), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPoly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a widely used biodegradable polymer in drug delivery and nanoparticle (NP) formulation due to its controlled drug release properties and safety profiles. Among the methods available for NP production, nanoprecipitation is distinguished by its simplicity and scalability. However, it requires careful optimisation to achieve the desired NP characteristics, making the process potentially lengthy and costly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe applications of quarternized chitosans have achieved notable success in the development of drug-delivery systems. This study reported the preparation of quercetin-quarternized chitosan (Qu-QCS) conjugate and its application for the fabrication of stable and safe curcumin (cur) loaded nano-micelles with high targeting ability and selectivity towards the breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, doxorubicin (dox) was co-treated with the nanomicelles to enhance the efficacy and reduce the cardiotoxic effects of dox.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsect cuticle acts as a first line of defense and a physical protective barrier against entomopathogens. Chitin biosynthesis pathway plays a crucial role in chitin formation in the cuticle of insects. Glucosamine-6-phosphate N-acetyltransferase (GNA) is a key enzyme in insect chitin biosynthesis that regulate the chitin formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnzymatic hydrolysis of arabinoxylan is of cost-effective strategy to yield valuable macromolecules, e.g., xylooligosaccharides (XOS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLocalized calcium deficiency at the tomato flower end causes a physiological disorder called blossom end rot, resulting in yield losses of up to 50 percent. Fruit cracking is another physiological disorder of tomatoes that most often occurs when the movement of water and solutes to the tomato is protracted or rapid, but the underlying cause of fruit cracking is, again, calcium deficiency. Therefore, the present field experiment was conducted with the aim of increasing yield and reducing physiological disorders in tomatoes with a foliar application of calcium and micronutrients (zinc and boron).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are rapidly gaining traction in healthcare, offering transformative opportunities for patient care, medical education, and therapeutic interventions. Despite their potential, challenges remain regarding the implementation and integration of these technologies into existing healthcare practices.
Objective: This review aims to explore the current applications of VR and AR in healthcare, particularly focusing on their roles in enhancing patient care and medical training, as well as identifying research gaps that hinder their widespread adoption.
Vat photopolymerisation 3D printing is being actively explored for manufacturing personalised medicines due to its high dimensional accuracy and lack of heat application. However, several challenges have hindered its clinical translation, including the inadequate printing speeds, the lack of resins that give soluble matrices, and the need for non-destructive quality control measures. In this study, for the first time, a rapid approach to producing water-soluble vat photopolymerised matrices and a means of non-destructively verifying their drug content were investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeat stress reduces strawberry growth and fruit quality by impairing photosynthesis, disrupting hormone regulation, and altering mineral nutrition. Multi-omics studies show extensive transcriptional, post-transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic under high temperatures. Garden strawberry is a globally cultivated, economically important fruit crop highly susceptible to episodic heat waves and chronically rising temperatures associated with climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe gut microbiome can metabolise hundreds of drugs, potentially affecting their bioavailability and pharmacological effect. As most gut bacteria reside in the colon, drugs that reach the colon in significant proportions may be most impacted by microbiome metabolism. In this study the anti-colorectal cancer drug trifluridine was used as a model drug for characterising metabolism by the colonic microbiota, identifying correlations between bacterial species and individuals' rates of microbiome drug inactivation, and developing strategies to prevent drug inactivation following targeted colonic delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: ()is a Gram-negative, microaerophilic, and spiral shape bacterium that resides inside the human stomach. The human stomach serves as its primary reservoir. Complaints about stomach complication due to infections are reported in the majority of populations around the globe.
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