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In the present research article, an indirect type solar cooking system has been developed for indoor cooking. In the proposed cooking system, a cooking pot has been placed at a distance of 5 m from the parabolic dish collector, and the heat has been transmitted from the collector to the cooking pot by means of heat transfer fluid. A gear pump of 40 W and insulated pipes have been used to circulate the fluid. A number of experiments have been performed to analyze the performance of the cooking system. During the investigation, the system achieved the temperature of the heat transfer fluid up to 175°C. The time taken for cooking the rice and the black grams has been observed 21 and 68min, respectively. The average thermal efficiency of the proposed system for the entire day has been achieved at 13.11%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to ascertain the effect of nasal polyposis on cardiac functions.Material and Methods: A prospective randomized interventional open-label endpoint-controlled study was conducted in an academic tertiary care hospital. Thirty-one patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis were enrolled and administered fluticasone furoate nasal spray for 3 weeks before randomly segregation into surgical or medical group. The treatment continued for 3 months in both groups. The SNOT-22 (Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22) score, polyp grade, and right ventricular and pulmonary arterial functions were recorded in both groups before and after 3 months of the intervention.Results: Both groups had significant improvement in SNOT-22 scores after 3 months of intervention. Both groups showed improvement in cardiac functions, but statistical significance was found only in subjects who underwent surgery.Conclusion: Nasal polyp affects cardiac functions, and this needs further evaluation and research through studies on large samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping in view the importance of polysaccharide gums for wound care, in the present article, an attempt has been made to explore antioxidant nature of gum acacia in designing hydrogel wound dressing to improve its wound healing potential. These polymers were prepared by using acacia gum-polyvinylpyrollidone/carbopol and were characterized by 13 C NMR, FTIR, SEM, AFM, cryo-SEM, XRD, TGA, DSC and elemental analysis techniques. Some important biomaterial properties of wound dressings such as wound fluid absorption, haemo-compatibility, bioactive assessment, gaseous/water/microbial permeability, mechanical properties, bio-adhesion, drug release, and histology of wound healing were also determined. Hydrogel wound dressings were found non-haemolytic, antioxidant and mucoadhesive in nature. Release of drug occurred through non-Fickian diffusion mechanism and release profile best fitted in Higuchi model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supramolecular cyclodextrin (CD) hydrogels have occupied an important position in developing the materials for biomedical application. In the present work an attempt has been made to improve the release profile of ciprofloxacin by designing the β- cyclodextrin containing drug delivery system through network formation and supramolecular interactions. The polymer network has been formed by sterculia gum comprising of glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid and carbopol. The polymers have been characterization by cryo-SEMs, FTIR and 13 C solid state (NMR) and swelling studies. This article also discusses drug release, blood compatibility, mucoadhesion, gel strength and antioxidant properties of the polymers. The release of drug from β-CD containing hydrogels was slower and less as compared to the hydrogels without β-CD. Release of drugs from drug loaded hydrogels occurred through non-Fickian diffusion mechanism and release profile best fitted in Korsmeyer-Peppas model. These hydrogels have been found as haemocompatible, mucoadhesive, and antioxidant in nature. Mucoadhesive nature can further provide the site specific nature to drug delivery system in GIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping in view the antimicrobial nature of polyvinylimidazole, the antioxidant property of gum acacia, the mucoadhesive and gel-forming nature of Carbopol, the anesthetic action of lidocaine, and the antimicrobial action of gentamicin, in the present work, an attempt was made to prepare lidocaine and gentamicin loaded gum acacia-Carbopol-polyvinylimidazole based hydrogel wound dressings for better wound healing. These hydrogel dressings were characterized by 13C NMR, FTIR, SEM, cryo-SEM, AFM, XRD, DSC, swelling, and network parameter studies. Some properties of wound dressings were also determined which include the following: hemolysis, hemostatic potential, oxygen permeability, water vapor transmission rate, antioxidant activity, mucoadhesion, protein adsorption, degradation studies, antimicrobial properties (against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria), microbial penetration, mechanical properties (tensile strength, burst strength, resilience, relaxation, folding endurance and gel strength) drug release, and histological studies. The synergic effects of the mucoadhesive, antimicrobial, and antioxidant nature of hydrogel dressings make them suitable candidate as wound dressing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agar and alginate have been used for preparation of beads for slow delivery of the fungicide thiram. The beads were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and swelling studies. The beads were prepared with varying amounts of agar, alginate, and crosslinker, and the effect of composition on swelling and release dynamics of the fungicide was studied. Entrapment efficiency, bead size, percentage equilibrium swelling of the beads, and diffusion mechanism for thiram release were evaluated. In all cases, entrapment efficacy was more than 90%. Maximum swelling (250 ± 5%) and thiram release (16.3 ± 0.6 mg g−1) occurred with beads prepared with a solution containing 2.5% agar, 1.5% alginate, and 0.1 mol L−1Ca2+as crosslinker. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Both, aloe vera gel and alginate, have been reported to have anti-ulcer activity. Keeping in view the therapeutic importance of these polysaccharides, in the present study, an attempt has been made to synthesize gastro-retentive drug delivery system by simultaneously ionotropic gelation of alginate and aloe vera for the controlled release of anti-ulcer agent ranitidine. These beads have been characterized by SEM, FTIR and swelling studies. The release of drug has been observed more in pH 2.2 buffer and occurred through Fickian diffusion mechanism. Further, the drug carrier itself has anti-ulcer activity. So, therapeutic potential of the anti-ulcer drug released from these carriers may be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with the use of polysaccharide-based beads for controlled release of the herbicide atrazine. This article discusses the release of the herbicide atrazine from neem-alginate-clay-based beads. Formulation characteristics such as entrapment efficiency, bead size, and diffusion mechanism for release of atrazine have been evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]