Development and characterization of ethylcellulose based microsphere for sustained release of nifedipine.

This article introduced the work of ethylcellulose based polymeric microsphere loaded with nifedipine for reduction in frequency of administration with low solubility in aqueous medium and high rate of absorption in the stomach. The non-aqueous polymeric suspension was put dropwise into an aqueous medium containing polyvinyl alcohol as a surfactant for the synthesis of microsphere by solvent evaporation. The microspheres were characterized by different techniques, namely, XRD, SEM, and NMR.

Functional network changes associated with sleep deprivation and fatigue during simulated driving: validation using blood biomarkers.

Objective: Network analysis of electroencephalograph (EEG) signals to study the effect of fatigue and sleep deprivation in human drivers and its validation using blood biochemical parameters.

Methods: We present a new method of detection of human fatigue and sleepiness by studying the variation of functional interdependencies among EEG signals from various channels. An experiment has been designed to induce fatigue in 12 subjects through several stages over 36 h of sleep deprivation.

In vitro study of stem cell communication via gap junctions for fibrocartilage regeneration at entheses.

Background: Entheses are fibrocartilaginous organs that bridge ligament with bone at their interface and add significant insertional strength. To replace a severely damaged ligament, a tissue-engineered graft preinstalled with interfacial fibrocartilage, which is being regenerated from stem cells, appears to be more promising than ligament-alone graft. Such a concept can be realized by a biomimetic approach of establishing a dynamic communication of stem cells with bone cells and/or ligament fibroblasts in vitro.