Self-prescription with psychotropic medications by healthcare professionals working at mental health institutions in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Healthcare professionals who work in mental health institutions are more exposed to psychotropic medications than those in other healthcare institutions and are, therefore, more likely to self-prescribe. Self-prescription is a concerning phenomenon because of the potential for medication misuse, drug interaction, addiction, and other social, physical, and psychological consequences. This study investigated the prevalence of self-prescription of psychotropic medications and the most common self-prescribed psychotropic medications by healthcare professionals in mental health institutions in Saudi Arabia.

Preparation, characterization and optimization of probucol self-emulsified drug delivery system to enhance solubility and dissolution.

The main purposes of this work were to prepare, characterize and optimize a self-emulsified drug delivery system of probucol (PBSEDDS) with enhanced dissolution and better chance for oral absorption. The methods included determination of the solubility of probucol in different oils, surfactants and co-surfactants using saturation solubility method and HPLC for drug analysis. The ingredients showing high drug solubility were used to prepare PBSEDDS after being tested for physical and chemical compatibility with the drug using DSC and FTIR.

Using factorial design to improve the solubility and in-vitro dissolution of nimesulide hydrophilic polymer binary systems.

The aim of the present study was to use factorial design to enhance the dissolution rate of nimesulide using solid binary systems with the hydrophilic carriers D-mannitol and polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000). Two-factor full factorial design was employed to investigate the effects of the drug/carrier ratio (X(1), 10 and 20%) and the method of　preparation (X(2), physical or co-melted mixture) on　the percent drug release after 60 min (Y(1)). Drugcarrier co-melted mixtures were prepared by melting the carriers D-mannitol or PEG with the drug.

Limonene enhances the in vitro and in vivo permeation of trimetazidine across a membrane-controlled transdermal therapeutic system.

The objective of the study was to design membrane-controlled transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) for trimetazidine. The optimization of (i) concentration of ethanol-water solvent system, (ii) HPMC concentration of drug reservoir and (iii) limonene concentration in 2% w/v HPMC gel was done based on the in vitro permeation of trimetazidine across excised rat epidermis. A limonene-based membrane-controlled TTS of trimetazidine was fabricated and evaluated for its in vivo drug release in rabbit model.

Transdermal permeation of trimetazidine from nerodilol-based HPMC gel drug reservoir system across rat epidermis.

Objective: To study the in vitro transdermal permeation of trimetazidine from hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) gel drug reservoir system using nerodilol as a penetration enhancer.

Materials And Methods: An HPMC gel containing selected concentrations of nerodilol (0, 2, 4 or 5% w/v) and 2.5% w/v of trimetazidine was prepared, and subjected to in vitro permeation studies across rat epidermis.