Unused medicine take-back programmes: a systematic review.

Background: Improper disposal of unused medicine can impact the environment causing significant healthcare and financial burdens. While the medicine take-back programme is an effective management strategy, its effectiveness differs across countries. This study aimed to systematically review the take-back programmes in various countries and to identify areas needing improvement for programme enhancement.

Flow cytometry-based quantitative analysis of cellular protein expression in apoptosis subpopulations: A protocol.

Flow cytometry techniques utilizing dual staining with annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) provide a robust method for quantitatively analyzing apoptosis induction. Annexin V binds phosphatidylserine exposed on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane during early apoptosis, while PI permeates late apoptotic/necrotic cells. Simultaneous staining allows differentiation of viable, early apoptotic, and late apoptotic/necrotic populations.

The pharmacokinetics of 38% silver diamine fluoride in healthy children with dental caries: a quasi-experimental study.

Purpose: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a medication used for the arrestment of dental caries. This study aims to determine the pharmacokinetics (PK) of silver and fluoride following SDF application in healthy children with dental caries.

Methods: A total of 15 subjects, aged 4 to 10 years, with at least one cavity on a primary tooth, were recruited for this study.

Formulation and In Vivo Pain Assessment of a Novel Niosomal Lidocaine and Prilocaine in an Emulsion Gel (Emulgel) of Semisolid Palm Oil Base for Topical Drug Delivery.

This study aimed to formulate semisolid niosomal encapsulated lidocaine and prilocaine using the patented palm oil base Hamin-C for further characterization and in vivo pain assessment. Seven formulations were initially studied with various chemical compositions. A thin-layer film hydration method was used to produce niosome using a mixture of surfactant (Span 40 or Span 60) and cholesterol (CHOL) at a 1:1 ratio, with/without a charge-inducing agent (diacetyl phosphate) (DCP) and with/without labrasol.

Quantitation of ethanol in UTI assay for volatile organic compound detection by electronic nose using the validated headspace GC-MS method.

Disease detection through gas analysis has long been the topic of many studies because of its potential as a rapid diagnostic technique. In particular, the pathogens that cause urinary tract infection (UTI) have been shown to generate different profiles of volatile organic compounds, thus enabling the discrimination of causative agents using an electronic nose. While past studies have performed data collection on either agar culture or jellified urine culture, this study measures the headspace volume of liquid urine culture samples.

Diosmetin Exerts Synergistic Effects in Combination with 5-Fluorouracil in Colorectal Cancer Cells.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic medication commonly used to treat colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the drug-associated adverse effects and toxicity have greatly affected its clinical use. Exploring another therapeutic strategy that lowers the toxicity of 5-FU while having a synergistic effect against CRC is thus a viable option. Diosmetin, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of many cancer cells, including CRC cells.

Renal Nano-drug delivery for acute kidney Injury: Current status and future perspectives.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) causes considerable morbidity and mortality, particularly in the case of post-cardiac infarction or kidney transplantation; however, the site-specific accumulation of small molecule reno-protective agents for AKI has often proved ineffective due to dynamic fluid and solute excretion and non-selectivity, which impedes therapeutic efficacy. This article reviews the current status and future trajectories of renal nanomedicine research for AKI management from pharmacological and clinical perspectives, with a particular focus on appraising nanosized drug carrier (NDC) use for the delivery of reno-protective agents of different pharmacological classes and the effectiveness of NDCs in improving renal tissue targeting selectivity and efficacy of said agents. This review reveals the critical shift in the role of the small molecule reno-protective agents in AKI pharmacotherapy - from prophylaxis to treatment - when using NDCs for delivery to the kidney.

Multifunctional applications of natural polysaccharide starch and cellulose: An update on recent advances.

The emergence of clinical complications and therapeutic challenges for treating various diseases necessitate the discovery of novel restorative functional materials. Polymer-based drug delivery systems have been extensively reported in the last two decades. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the progression of natural biopolymers based controlled therapeutic strategies, especially in drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.

Disposal practice and factors associated with unused medicines in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The improper disposal of unused medicines is a worldwide concern because of its impact on the environment, economy, and health. This study aims to describe the disposal practice of unused medicine and identify factors associated with unused medicines in Malaysia.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, face to face interview-based survey using a structured questionnaire.

Cathinone: An alkaloid of (Khat) exacerbated hyperglycemia in diabetes-induced rats.

Cathinone, the main bioactive alkaloid of (khat), slightly increased the blood sugar levels of healthy animals, while its effect on blood sugar levels of diabetic animals has not yet been reported. This study investigated the inhibition of cathinone on α-amylase and α-glucosidase as well as its glycemic effects in diabetes-induced rats. Rats were fed on a high fat diet for five weeks, which then intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (30 mg/kg).

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Determination of Vardenafil and Its Application of Bioequivalence.

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of vardenafil in rabbit plasma. A simple protein precipitation method with ice-cold acetonitrile was used for plasma extraction. The mass transitions m/z 489⟶151 and m/z 390⟶169 were used to measure vardenafil and tadalafil (internal standard), respectively, with a total assay run time of 6 min.

Targeted polymeric nanoparticle for anthracycline delivery in hypoxia-induced drug resistance in metastatic breast cancer cells.

Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles are intensively studied nanocarriers in drug delivery because of their biodegradability and biochemical characteristics. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating for nanocarriers gives them long circulation time in blood and makes them invisible to the reticuloendothelial system. Breast cancer cells have greater uptake of hyaluronic acid compared to normal cells as it binds to their overexpressed CD44 receptors.

Lipopolysaccharide Pre-conditioning Attenuates Pro-inflammatory Responses and Promotes Cytoprotective Effect in Differentiated PC12 Cell Lines Pre-activation of Toll-Like Receptor-4 Signaling Pathway Leading to the Inhibition of Caspase-3/Nuclear Factor-κappa B Pathway.

Lipopolysacharide (LPS) pre-conditioning (PC), has been shown to exert protective effects against cytotoxic effects. Therefore, we hypothesized, the tolerance produced by LPS PC will be resulted by the alterations and modifications in gene and protein expression. With reference to the results of MTT assays, AO/PI staining, and Annexin V-FITC analyses of LPS concentration (0.

LPS Preconditioning Attenuates Apoptosis Mechanism by Inhibiting NF-κB and Caspase-3 Activity: TLR4 Pre-activation in the Signaling Pathway of LPS-Induced Neuroprotection.

Neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response within the nervous system, has been shown to be implicated in the progression of various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent in vivo studies showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) preconditioning provides neuroprotection by activating Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), one of the members for pattern recognition receptor (PRR) family that play critical role in host response to tissue injury, infection, and inflammation. Pre-exposure to low dose of LPS could confer a protective state against cellular apoptosis following subsequent stimulation with LPS at higher concentration, suggesting a role for TLR4 pre-activation in the signaling pathway of LPS-induced neuroprotection.

Annexin A1: A Bane or a Boon in Cancer? A Systematic Review.

Annexin A1 has been extensively investigated as an anti-inflammatory protein, but its role in different types of cancer has not been consolidated in a single systematic review to date. Thus, the aim of this paper is to systematically review and critically analyse 18 studies (in-vivo and in-vitro) to consolidate, in a concerted manner, all the information on differential expression of Annexin A1 in different types of cancer and the role this protein plays in tumorigenesis. Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were used for the literature search and the keywords used are "annexin A1," "lipocortin 1," "cancer," "malignancy," "neoplasm," "neoplasia," and "tumor.

Punicalagin Regulates Apoptosis-Autophagy Switch via Modulation of Annexin A1 in Colorectal Cancer.

Punicalagin (PU), a polyphenol extracted from pomegranate () husk is proven to have anti-cancer effects on different types of cancer including colorectal cancer (CRC). Its role in modulating endogenous protein as a means of eliciting its anti-cancer effects, however, has not been explored to date. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of PU in modulating the interplay between apoptosis and autophagy by regulating Annexin A1 (Anx-A1) expression in HCT 116 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells.

Biochemical and toxicological effects of methanolic extract of Lam in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Lam. is a plant used traditionally to treat different ailments. Currently, scanty information is available on its safety.

Evaluating the oestrogenic activities of aqueous root extract of Lam in female Sprague-Dawley rats and its phytochemical screening using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS).

Lam. is a plant used traditionally for natal care. This study evaluates the oestrogenic activities of aqueous root extract and screens for possible bioactive phytochemicals.

Urine NMR Metabolomic Study on Biochemical Activities to Investigate the Effect of P. betle Extract on Obese Rats.

The present studies are to evaluate the ability of PB to induce weight loss and urine metabolite profile of Piper betle L. (PB) leaf extracts using metabolomics approach. Dried PB leaves were extracted with ethanol 70% and the studies were performed in different groups of rats fed with high fat (HFD) and normal diet (ND).

Prenatal developmental toxicity evaluation of Verbena officinalis during gestation period in female Sprague-Dawley rats.

Verbena officinalis is widely used by women for maintaining general health and treating various gynaecological disorders during pregnancy. A case report has indicated that the consumption of V. officinalis induced an abortifacient effect.

Mutagenicity and genotoxicity effects of Verbena officinalis leaves extract in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditionally, Verbena officinalis L. has been used for reproductive and gynaecological purposes. However, the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of V.

Cranial neural tube defect after trimethoprim exposure.

Objectives: The Neural Tube Defects Research Group of University of Malaya was approached to analyze a tablet named TELSE, which may have resulted in a baby born with central nervous system malformation at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. In this animal experimental study, we investigated the content of TELSE and exposure of its contents that resulted in failure of primary neurulation.

Results: Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass spectrophotometry analysis of the TELSE tablet confirmed the presence of trimethoprim as the active compound.

Effect of Catha edulis (khat) on pancreatic functions in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

People consume Catha edulis (khat) for its euphoric effect, and type 1 diabetics have claimed that khat could reduce elevated levels of blood sugar. However, khat has been suggested to provoke diabetes mellitus through destruction of pancreatic β-cells. This study investigated the effect of an ethanolic khat extract on pancreatic functions in type 1 diabetes (T1DM)-induced male Sprague-Dawley rats and to assess its in vitro cytotoxicity in rat pancreatic β-cells (RIN-14B).