Speciation and repeated origins of hypertrophied lips in parallel adaptive radiations of cyprinid fish from East Africa.

The evolution of convergent phenotypes is one of the most interesting phenomena of repeated adaptive radiations. Here, we examined the repeated patterns of thick-lipped or "rubberlip" phenotype of cyprinid fish of the genus discovered in riverine environments of the Ethiopian Highlands, East Africa. To test the adaptive value of thickened lips, identify the ecological niche of the thick-lipped ecomorphs, and test whether these ecomorphs are the products of adaptive divergence, we studied six sympatric pairs of ecomorphs with hypertrophied lips and the normal lip structure from different riverine basins.

Evaluation of Interventions Targeting Follow-up Appointment Scheduling After Emergency Department Referral to Ophthalmology Clinics Using A3 Problem Solving.

Importance: Many patients seen for eye-related issues in the emergency department do not receive recommended follow-up care. Prior evidence supports that scheduling appointments is a barrier to accomplishing the transition to outpatient ophthalmology care.

Objective: To evaluate time until appointment scheduling following emergency department discharge with urgent outpatient ophthalmology referral.

Fish occurrence in the Kuban River Basin (Russia).

Background: This publication describes a dataset containing information on 1328 occurrences of fishes in the Kuban River Basin, the longest river of Northern Caucasus and representing its own freshwater ecoregion (428 Kuban Ecoregion). All observations have precise geo-referencing with the names of water bodies (rivers, lakes etc.).

In the rivers: Multiple adaptive radiations of cyprinid fishes (Labeobarbus) in Ethiopian Highlands.

Multiple repeated patterns of adaptive radiation were revealed in cyprinid fish inhabiting the compact geographic region of the Ethiopian Highlands. We found four independently evolved radiations in the evolutionary hexaploid (2n = 150) Labeobarbus lineage based on matrilineal relationships of >800 individuals. Each radiation displayed similar patterns of mouth phenotype diversification, and included ecomorphs/species of the generalized, lipped, scraping (one or two), and large-mouthed (one to three) types.

Morphological and mtDNA data reveal broader distribution of Alburnoides holciki (Teleostei: Leuciscidae) in inland waters of Central Asia.

Alburnoides holciki was described from the Hari River basin, which was the only basin it was known from. Populations from the Amu Darya basin were previously recognized as A. eichwaldii or Alburnoides sp.

Phylogeny, phylogeography and hybridization of Caucasian barbels of the genus Barbus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae).

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of six species of Caucasian barbels, the genus Barbus s. str., were studied based on extended geographic coverage and using mtDNA and nDNA markers.

Heterochronic development of lateral plates in the three-spined stickleback induced by thyroid hormone level alterations.

The three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus is an important model for studying microevolution and parallel adaptation to freshwater environments. Marine and freshwater forms differ markedly in their phenotype, especially in the number of lateral plates, which are serially repeated elements of the exoskeleton. In fishes, thyroid hormones are involved in adaptation to salinity, as well as the developmental regulation of serially repeated elements.

Pleiotropic effect of thyroid hormones on gene expression in fish as exemplified from the blue bream Ballerus ballerus (Cyprinidae): Results of transcriptomic analysis.

A pronounced pleiotropic effect of thyroid hormones on the regulation of gene expression in fish in postembryogenesis was demonstrated for the first time using larvae and juveniles of the blue bream Ballerus ballerus as an example. Genome-wide transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) identified 1212 differentially expressed genes in the brain and liver of fish kept in triiodothyronine solution (0.25 ng/mL).

[The etiopathogenetic aspects of sensorineural impairment of hearing].

The author presents a review of the Russian- and foreign-language literature concerning etiology and pathogenesis of sensorineural hearing impairment with the opinions of domestic and foreign researches on this issue.

Application of the Dynamic Gastric Model to evaluate the effect of food on the drug release characteristics of a hydrophilic matrix formulation.

Characterisation of the effect of food on the bio-performance of modified and extended release dosage forms can be very challenging due to the need to replicate the dynamic biochemical conditions of the human gut as well as the complex physical processing modalities under fed state. Classical compendial methods are useful for testing the quality of pharmaceutical dosage forms but typically have limitations in the accurate prediction of food-effect in-vivo. Preliminary evaluation of the Dynamic Gastric Model (DGM) shows that it can provide substantially more detailed mechanistic information on dosage form properties compared to conventional compendial testing.

Film-coated matrix mini-tablets for the extended release of a water-soluble drug.

Extended release (ER) of water-soluble drugs from hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) matrix mini-tablets (mini-matrices) is difficult to achieve due to the large surface area to volume ratio of the mini matrices. Therefore, the aims of this study were to control the release of a water-soluble drug (theophylline) from mini-matrices by applying ER ethylcellulose film coating (Surelease®), and to assess the effects of Surelease®:pore former (Opadry®) ratio and coating load on release rates. Mini-matrices containing 40%w/w HPMC K100M CR were coated with 100:0, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25 or 70:30 Surelease®:Opadry® to different coating weight gains (6-20%).

The effect of HPMC particle size on the drug release rate and the percolation threshold in extended-release mini-tablets.

The particle size of HPMC is a critical factor that can influence drug release rate from hydrophilic matrix systems. Percolation theory is a statistical tool which is used to study the disorder of particles in a lattice of a sample. The percolation threshold is the point at which a component is dominant in a cluster resulting in significant changes in drug release rates.

The effect of pH and ionic strength of dissolution media on in-vitro release of two model drugs of different solubilities from HPMC matrices.

The evaluation of the effects of different media ionic strengths and pH on the release of hydrochlorothiazide, a poorly soluble drug, and diltiazem hydrochloride, a cationic and soluble drug, from a gel forming hydrophilic polymeric matrix was the objective of this study. The drug to polymer ratio of formulated tablets was 4:1. Hydrochlorothiazide or diltiazem HCl extended release (ER) matrices containing hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)) were evaluated in media with a pH range of 1.

Mechanism of synergistic interactions and its influence on drug release from extended release matrices manufactured using binary mixtures of polyethylene oxide and sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

The ability of anionic polymer sodium carboxymethylcellulose to influence the release of four model cationic drugs (chlorpheniramine maleate, venlafaxine hydrochloride, propranolol hydrochloride and verapamil hydrochloride) from extended release (ER) hydrophilic matrices based on non-ionic polymer polyethylene oxide was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For all studied APIs, a combination of polyethylene oxide with sodium carboxymethylcellulose produced slower drug release compared to the matrices of single polymers. This behaviour was mainly attributed to the interaction of ester/carboxylic acid functionalities to yield H-bonding between the anionic polymer groups and the additionally protonated N-atoms of the active substances.

The influence of agitation sequence and ionic strength on in vitro drug release from hypromellose (E4M and K4M) ER matrices--the use of the USP III apparatus.

Theophylline extended release (ER) matrices containing hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E4M and K4M were evaluated in media with a pH range of 1.2-7.5, using an automated USP type III, Bio-Dis dissolution apparatus.

Production of extended release mini-tablets using directly compressible grades of HPMC.

Context: Hypromellose (HPMC) has been previously used to control drug release from mini-tablets. However, owing to poor flow, production of mini-tablets containing high HPMC levels is challenging. Directly compressible (DC) HPMC grades have been developed by Dow Chemical Company.

The influence of HPMC concentration on release of theophylline or hydrocortisone from extended release mini-tablets.

Context: Mini-tablets are compact dosage forms, typically 2-3 mm in diameter, which have potential advantages for paediatric drug delivery. Extended release (ER) oral dosage forms are intended to release drugs continuously at rates that are sufficiently controlled to provide periods of prolonged therapeutic action following each administration, and polymers such as hypromelllose (HPMC) are commonly used to produce ER hydrophilic matrices.

Objective: To develop ER mini-tablets of different sizes for paediatric delivery and to study the effects of HPMC concentration, tablet diameter and drug solubility on release rate.

The development of thermal nanoprobe methods as a means of characterizing and mapping plasticizer incorporation into ethylcellulose films.

Purpose: The phase composition and distribution of ethylcellulose (EC) films containing varying amounts of the plasticizer fractionated coconut oil (FCO) were studied using a novel combination of thermal and mapping approaches.

Methods: The thermal and thermomechanical properties of films containing up to 30% FCO were characterized using modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Film surfaces were mapped using atomic force microscopy (AFM; topographic and pulsed force modes) and the composition of specific regions identified using nanothermal probes.

The influence of sodium carboxymethylcellulose on drug release from polyethylene oxide extended release matrices.

Anionic polymer sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CELLOGEN® HP-HS and/or HP-12HS) was investigated for its ability to influence the release of three model drugs propranolol hydrochloride, theophylline and ibuprofen from polyethylene oxide (POLYOX™ WSR 1105 and/or Coagulant) hydrophilic matrices. For anionic ibuprofen and non-ionic theophylline, no unusual/unexpected release profiles were obtained from tablets containing a mixture of two polymers. However, for cationic propranolol HCl, a combination of polyethylene oxide (PEO) with sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) produced a significantly slower drug release compared to the matrices with single polymers.

The influence of formulation and manufacturing process parameters on the characteristics of lyophilized orally disintegrating tablets.

Gelatin is a principal excipient used as a binder in the formulation of lyophilized orally disintegrating tablets. The current study focuses on exploiting the physicochemical properties of gelatin by varying formulation parameters to determine their influence on orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) characteristics. Process parameters, namely pH and ionic strength of the formulations, and ball milling were investigated to observe their effects on excipient characteristics and tablet formation.

Study of dissolution hydrodynamic conditions versus drug release from hypromellose matrices: the influence of agitation sequence.

In this article, the influence of agitation in descending and ascending sequences as a systematic method development process for potentially discriminating fed and fasted states and evaluation of its effects on the drug release from swelling gel-forming hydrophilic matrix tablets were investigated. Theophylline extended release (ER) matrices containing hypromellose (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)) were evaluated in media with a pH range of 1.2-7.

[A novel enzyme immunoassay system for the detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen with a sensitivity of 0.5 pg/ml].

A "DS-EIA-HIV-AG-Screen" enzyme immunoassay system has been devised to detect HIV-1 p24 antigen with a sensitivity of 0.5 pg/ml the use of which permits reduction of a seronegative window phase as compared with the tests showing a lower sensitivity threshold. The "DS-EIA-HIV-AG-Screen" system developed may be used to screen donor blood and to examine risk-group individuals for the early diagnosis of HIV infection.

The influence of hydro-alcoholic media on hypromellose matrix systems.

Hydrophilic matrices are widely used for extended release drug delivery, with hypromellose (HPMC) being a popular rate-controlling carrier. The FDA has recently issued an alert regarding the potential negative influence of alcohol on extended release dosage forms. The aim of this study was to investigate the hydroalcoholic solution effect on hydration, gel formation and drug release from HPMC matrices.

[Comparative study of the effect of Ladasten, Sydnocarb and their combination on physical work ability of laboratory animals].

The action of Ladasten, Sydnocarb and their combination used at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg, produce on working ability of mice was evaluated in the swimming test. It was shown that single doses of tested drugs as compared to their combination produce more pronounced and prolonged positive action on physical work ability of animals used in the experiments.

[Thermoprotector properties of a combination of sydnocarb with ladasten].

Thermoprotector properties of a 1 : 1 combination of sydnocarb and ladasten (both in a dose of 10 or 20 mg/kg) along with its effect on the hemodynamics and respiration in experimental animals were studied. The combination of sydnocarb (20 mg/kg) and ladasten (20 mg/kg) produced a significant thermoprotector effect, enhanced the regional and local cerebral flow, and increased the respiration rate.