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To assess the knowledge of patient regarding the use of medications and to evaluate patient compliance, and the study was conducted in Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Multan, Pakistan. According to analysis, 81% of patients were from urban areas, and 19% of patients were from rural areas. 30% of them were literate, and 70% were illiterate. Most of the patients belonged to the age group of 40-50yars (71%). The majority of the affected persons were male, i.e.70%. The most commonly observed disease were IHD and hypertension, i.e.26% and 24.5%, respectively. 36% of the patients had a history of CVS disorders in their families. The influence of lifestyle was analyzed with regard to smoking, drinking and lack of physical activities. There is a need for educational strategies for the patient to recognize the significance of compliance for this disease. Also, educational intervention is required for prescriber and hospital pharmacist to improve prescribing and dispensing.

Burn injury is considered as one of the complex traumatic events affecting multiple organs with local and systemic side effects. Burn trauma may be represented as a type of injury by heat, electricity, chemical, radiation, freezing, and friction. However, profound nerve injury may damage the muscle, bone, vascular, dermal, and epidermal tissues. Burns victims may experience many potentially fatal complications depending upon the location affected and the depth of burns, such as burn shock, electrolyte imbalance, and respiratory failure. This article reviews the pathophysiology, types, and recent advancements with a focus on the therapeutic approaches

Oxcarbazepine-loaded alginate/okra pods mucilage microspheres were prepared through inotropic gelation technique for the sustained release of oxcarbazepine. The drug encapsulating efficiency of these microspheres was found 76.22 ± 0.01% to 90.57 ± 0.02% and their average particle sizes were 496 μm ± 0.41 to 692 μm ± 0.22. These microspheres were characterized in terms of swelling capacity, FTIR, DSC and SEM analysis. The in vitro drug release from these microspheres was followed sustained release (Korsemeyer - Peppas model) pattern (R2 = 0.9552–0.9906) and value of n > 1 showed that drug released by anomalous (non-Fickian) diffusion. The in vivo studies showed that there were highly significant difference with p

Seeds of a renowned medicinal plant, giant dodder (Cuscuta reflexa), were assessed to appraise the effect of solvent and extraction technique variation on antioxidants potential. Dodder seed, also called cuscuta seed, has been considered superb tonic in traditional herbal medication for eyes, liver, spleen and kidney. Results show that selected solvent and procedure plays a key role in the composition and activity of extractable material. Three extraction procedures Orbital shaker, Decoction and Ultrasonic assisted extraction and five different solvents n-hexane, ethyl acetate, 100% methanol, 80% methanol and 60% methanol were used to get optimized conditions. Total phenolic and flavonoids content were found maximum in the extracts of aqueous organic system containing 80% methanol in Ultrasonic assisted extraction method but in case of tannins ethyl acetate and Orbital shaker extraction was found more suitable partner. Antioxidant estimation assays showed a little bit variation as DPPH and ABTS exhibited maximum inhibition in 80% methanol and Ultrasonic assisted extraction but 100% methanol was found better for FRAP assay. Decoction results were mostly in between the both Orbital shaker and Ultrasonic assisted extraction. Overall results indicate that coexistence of polar solvents and Ultrasonic assisted extraction gives a better choice for extractability of potent antioxidants from seeds. HPLC analysis confirmed presence of valuable phenolic acids. Pearson’s correlation coefficient reveals a significant relationship between extracted components and antioxidant capacity P< 0.05 or 0.01.

Superficial fungal infections require a therapeutic concentration of terbinafine HCl (TB) in the targeted skin tissue, hard to achieve after oral administration due to high protein binding. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a polymeric nanoparticle-loaded gel system for topical terbinafine delivery with maximum drug retention in skin layers. Terbinafine loaded CH/XG nanoparticles produced by polyelectrolyte complexation method followed by incorporation in carbopol gel. All prepared formulations fell in a size range of 194.28–406.67 nm showing a significantly increasing trend by increasing the concentration of the polymer. Entrapment efficiency was amplified (up to 98.44%) by increasing the polymer concentration due to the increase in solution viscosity. Morphological characteristics of formulation revealed particles of round edges. FTIR analysis confirmed the compatibility of ingredients by showing no interaction between the drug and other components. Ex-vivo permeation studies revealed the drug's biphasic release (initial burst release for 2 h and then slow release) with maximum permeation of 13.95%. Percentage retention of the drug was up to 80.5%, which was significantly higher than marketed formulation. In vivo studies revealed that developed formulation provided a rapid and complete removal of the fungal burden compared to control and marketed formulation.

Graphene, the mother of all carbon materials, has unlocked a new era of biomedical nanomaterials due to its exceptional biocompatibility, physicochemical and mechanical properties. It is a single atom thick, nanosized, two-dimensional structure and provides high surface area with adjustable surface chemistry to form hybrids. The present article provides a comprehensive review of ever-expanding application of graphene nanomaterials with different inorganic and organic materials in drug delivery and theranostics. Methods of preparation of nanomaterials are elaborated and biological and physicochemical characteristics of biomedical relevance are also discussed. Graphene form nanomaterials with metallic nanoparticles offer multiscale application. First, graphene act as a platform to attach nanoparticles and provide excellent mechanical strength. Second, graphene improves efficacy of metallic nanoparticles in diagnostic, biosensing, therapeutic and drug delivery application. Graphene-based polymeric nanocomposites find wider application in drug delivery with flexibility to incorporate hydrophilic, hydrophobic, sensitive and macromolecules. In addition, grapheme quantum dots and graphene hybrids with inorganic nanocrystal and carbon nanotubes hybrids have shown interesting properties for diagnosis and therapy. Finally, we have pointed out research trends that may be more common in future for graphene-based nanomaterials.

Study and evaluation of the prevalence of measles and its complication in vaccinated and non- vaccinated patients. To evaluate the prevalence of complications of measles among different age groups of children in the pedriatric ward. Clinical description of a case series. Children of different age groups suffering from measles. We have observed 315 measles patients in the pediatric ward of Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur. They were evaluated on the basis of complications. Different complications were observed in children of different age group and gender, and the main complications were encephalitis, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and ear infections. Children of age less than 1 year to 7 years were observed, and it was observed that conjunctivitis, pneumonia and diarrhoea were among the most common complications, while encephalitis and ear infections were rare. Patients admitted to the pedriatric ward having long term complications have a high risk of death when treated. These patients were due to malnutrition and improper vaccination coverage, and improper vaccine storage. Respiratory distress, i.e., pneumonia, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, ear infection and encephalitis, were the most common complications. To reduce the severity of these complications, mechanical ventilation, antibiotics treatment, electrolyte balance should be instituted early in patients with measles.

Poor availability is the major barrier to accept the new smart gel system as a preferred ophthalmic solution for various eye problems. Smart gel system especially derived from natural source allows the rapid transition of ocular solution into gel form upon contact to tear solution. The present experimental scheme was intended to prepare and characterize a pH triggered in situ gelling system using moxifloxacin HCl (MOX-HCl). Gum was extracted from Terminalia arjuna bark resin and used as gelling agent in blend with sodium alginate. Sterilized formulations were developed and characterized for their physicochemical attributes. These were further investigated for microbiological testing and eye irritation studies. Drug loaded in situ gel was appeared as clear sol that converted into gel phase in presence of tear solution. Optimized formulation was stable, therapeutically efficacious, non-irritant and has a sustained release of the drug for twelve hours period. Instillation of MOX-HCl loaded in situ gel did not cause any type of irritation symptoms like redness, inflammation and excessive tear production in rabbits as compared to control. MOX-HCl loaded in situ gel can be appraised as a substitute for conventional eye drops for extended precorneal retention, improved corneal permeability along with better ocular bioavailability.

This study aimed to prepare novel colon targeted celecoxib-β-cyclodextrin (CXB-β-CD) inclusion complex loaded eudragit S 100 (ES100) microparticles for chronotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which is an innovative approach, never reported before, for the fabrication of CXB-β-CD complex in the form of microparticles and its colon targeting. CXB was complexed with β-cyclodextrin by kneading technique and we evaluated the effect of β-CD on saturation solubility of CXB. Microparticles were developed by oil-in-oil emulsion solvent evaporation technique and formulation variables (polymer conc, surfactant conc and stirring speed) were optimized by using three-factor three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD). SEM imaging revealed smooth, uniform and spherical shape microparticles. There was 7.3 fold increases in saturation solubility of CXB-β-CD inclusion complex in distilled water as compared to pure CXB. Particle size was in the range of 50.42 µm to 238.38 µm with entrapment efficiency of 68.47% to 91.65%. Biphasic drug release pattern was found i.e initially delayed release in stomach and small intestine followed by fast release at colonic pH. Response variable results achieved from optimized formulation were very close to the response values suggested by BBD signifying the actual reliability and robustness of BBD in the fabrication of colon targeted CXB-β-CD microparticles. The comparison of CXB-β-CD optimized formulation with optimized formulation containing pure CXB showed increase in drug release due to enhancement of water solubility of CXB-β-CD inclusion complex. So, it can be concluded that CXB-β-CD loaded ES100 microparticles can be successfully fabricated with enhanced solubility for the chronotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

Current study investigates the heat characteristics of electroosmotic phenomenon in bio fluid through a peristaltic wavy microchannel. To analyze the heat transfer, viscous dissipation is well-thought-out. The transport model includes of continuity, momentum, heat and electric potential equations with suitable boundary conditions. Debye Huckel linearization approximation is considered. Analytical solution of subsequent non-linear problem is presented to evaluate the variation in velocity, pressure gradient, pressure rise and temperature through the perturbation technique. We validate the approximate analytical solutions by comparing those with results from numerical analysis. Shear stresses and Nusselt number are calculated indeed. Presented graphical results explore the impact of the factors affecting the physical problem. Eyring fluid parameter expressively affects all the transport characteristics. Pressure gradient is more for Eyring fluid parameter and Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity and declines for averaged time flow rate and electroosmotic parameter. Shear stress strongly depends on Eyring-Powell fluid parameter A, electroosmotic parameter and Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity. The results reported provides a good insight into biological systems in biomedical engineering.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Conventional therapy for lung cancer is associated with lack of specificity and access to the normal cells resulting in cytotoxicity, reduced cellular uptake, drug resistance and rapid drug clearance from the body. The emergence of nanotechnology has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer. The focus of nanotechnology is to target tumor cells with improved bioavailability and reduced toxicity. In the recent years, nanoparticulate systems have extensively been exploited in order to overcome the obstacles in treatment of lung cancer. Nanoparticulate systems have shown much potential for lung cancer therapy by gaining selective access to the tumor cells due to surface modifiability and smaller size. In this review, various novel nanoparticles (NPs) based formulations have been discussed in the treatment of lung cancer. Nanotechnology is expected to grow fast in future, and it will provide new avenues for the improved treatment of lung cancer. This review article also highlights the characteristics, recent advances in the designing of NPs and therapeutic outcomes.

Smoking is a psychosomatic addiction that is injurious to health and cause serious addiction. According to WHO, globally one of the prominent causes of death & disability is cigarette smoking, affecting all parts of body. Five million deaths occur each year. Aim of the study is to evaluate warning labels of cigarette effectiveness in advising smokers of smoking health risks, thus motivating them to quit smoking. An evaluative survey was conducted in the Bahawalpur community by using a self-administered questionnaire as a tool to elicit data. When percentage was compared among four groups, the highest scoring was of 16-25 year age group. Next to them was the age group 25-45 & least percentage was of 45-60 age groups. Today, the labels are trivial & simply overwhelmed by the packing schemes on cigarette boxes. Additionally, smokers turn habitual zed to the elegance of brands, to the point that labels go unnoticed. Due to the lack of effectiveness of warning labels, there is a need to adopt Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) guidelines in Pakistan. There is a need to conduct anti-smoking efforts; otherwise, the annual death toll will double if the current consumption trend continues.

Hydrogels are presently under consideration as matrices for the controlled bioactive molecules delivery particularly proteins and for living cells encapsulation. For these applications, gels must undergo degradation under physiological conditions. This overview summarized and discussed the various physical and chemical crosslinking methods to design hydrogels that are biodegradable. Highly versatile method to prepare hydrogels with good mechanical stability is chemical crosslinking. However, the crosslinker employed can give undesirable reactions with the bioactive substances present in the hydrogel matrix and are often toxic. So, it required to be removed from the gels before application. Physically crosslinked gels can be developed to overcome these adverse effects. Distortion due to variations in environmental conditions like presence of solute particles, ionic strength, pH, temperature and stress are the major disadvantages of reversible gels

For a formulation scientist, the dilemma of solubility is a crucial test during the product development phase that can be resolved by opting various technological strategies. Some of the strategies that are usually applied for enhancing solubility of drugs with low aqueous solubility include micronization, solvent deposition and solid dispersion. With these approaches, some advantages as well as drawbacks, are affiliated. The strategy of complexation amid all techniques, has been applied more accurately for the improvement of dissolution profile, aqueous solubility, and bioavailability of poorly soluble drug candidates. Cyclodextrin are unique cyclic carbohydrates that have been exploited as successful complexing agents having capability of forming inclusion complexes with insoluble drugs. Numerous strategies have been considered to analyze the methods for preparation of inclusion complexes. In this review, we have pursued the discussion on different complexation techniques and in a nutshell, emphasized the applications and economical/technical limitations related to these techniques.

In this paper we have analyzed the heat transfer characteristics of Carreau fluids. Fluid is transported in an inclined asymmetric channel via peristalsis in the presence of an inclined magnetic field. Analysis is done in wave frame of reference. Complex governing equations for Carreau fluids are simplified by using the approximations of long wavelength and low Reynold number. Perturbation Technique is used to find out the approximate series solutions for stream function, pressure gradient, temperature and pressure rise. This magnetohydrodynamic pumping of non-Newtonian physiological liquid revealed interesting observations for design of peristaltic pump. It is found that the temperature characteristics are strongly enhanced and controlled by the angle of inclination of magnetic field. Furthermore, the velocity contour of fluids shows less drag as compared to viscous fluid and is effectively controlled by regular parameters, viz., Hartmann and Carreau fluid parameters. The study is pertinent to MHD blood pumps.

Cancer is characterized by Darwinian evolution and is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity around the globe. Over the preceding decade, the treatment of cancer has been markedly improved by many targeted therapies, but these treatments have given birth to new challenges and issues. Clonal evolution and tumor heterogeneity present a significant challenge in designing cancer therapies. Fortunately, these restrictions have been overcome by technological advancements allowing us to track both genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, or "liquid biopsy" from a blood sample, provides the opportunity to track the genetic landscape of cancerous lesions. This review focuses on ctDNA analysis as a noninvasive method and versatile biomarker for cancer treatment and technological advancements for ctDNA analysis. This method may able to cope with all the challenges associated with previous cancer therapies and has the potential to monitor minimal residual disease, tumor burden, and therapy response and provide rapid detection of relapse. However, there are many challenges that still need to be addressed. Future prognosis, diagnosis, and analysis of ctDNA require reproducibility and accuracy of results, which are not possible without the validation and optimization of procedures. Integrated digital error suppression has thus far shown promise in the detection of ctDNA in cancer.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide health problem affecting about 300 million individuals. HCV causes chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. Many side effects are associated with the current treatment options. Natural products that can be used as anti-HCV drugs are thus of considerable potential significance. NS3 serine protease (NS3-SP) is a target for the screening of antiviral activity against HCV. The present work explores plants with anti-HCV potential, isolating possible lead compounds. Ten plants, used for medicinal purposes against different infections in rural areas of Pakistan, were collected. The cellular toxicity effects of methanolic extracts of the plants on the viability of Huh-7 cells were studied through the Trypan blue dye exclusion method. Following this, the anti-HCV potential of phytoextracts was assessed by infecting liver cells with HCV-3a-infected serum inoculum. Only the methanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea L. (PO) exhibited more than 70% inhibition. Four fractions were obtained through bioassay-guided extraction of PO. Subsequent inhibition of all organic extract fractions against NS3 serine protease was checked to track the specific target in the virus. The results showed that the PO methanolic crude and ethyl acetate extract specifically abridged the HCV NS3 protease expression in a dose-dependent fashion. Hence, PO extract and its constituents either alone or with interferon could offer a future option to treat chronic HCV.

Caralluma tuberculata belongs to milky weed family Apocynaceae which upholds 424 genera. This natural medicinal plant is widely distributed in South Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Spain etc. Overall phytochemistry of Caralluma tuberculata is endowed with flurry of pharmacologically active constituents like pregnane glycosides and aglycones, flavanoid, saponins and titerpenes etc. Caralluma tuberculata and its various other species of this genus have been explored for their anti-inflammatory action, strong hypoglycemic and weight reduction effect, quite effective for rheumatoid arthritis, paralysis stomach disorders, abdominal pain, migraine, fever wound healing and cardiac problems. Present review focuses on the comprehensive profile of Caralluma tuberculata with respect to its highly valuable phytoconstituent along with their available pharmacological characteristics and therapeutic prospective. Keywords: Caralluma tuberculata; Desert Succulents; Antidiabetic; Cancer; Obesity; Pharmacological http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2017.60080

This article presents a comprehensive overview of systematic procedure for establishing and validating an in vitro - in vivo correlation (IVIVC) level A, B, and C. It encompasses all experimental, statistical and mathematical concepts of IVIVC development and its validation. A Level A IVIVC is an important mathematical tool that can help to save time and cost during and after the development of a formulation. Key words: Bioavailability, correlation, dissolution, predictability, Wagner-Nelson equation.

The objective of study was to evaluate the knowledge of students on herbal medicines in Pakistan. To evaluate knowledge among the students, a questionnaire based study about herbal medicines was designed. Mean age of responding students was 22 years, some of them had used herbal medicines in past and some were still using. Majority of the students were interested in the information related to herbal medicines. The response of students about herbal medicines was good. But they had a little knowledge about their adverse effects. But some of them had no idea about the interaction between herbal medicines and allopathic medicines. Herbal medicine information should take a part of pharmacy curriculum for undergraduate students. Education program should be started amongst the pharmacists about the safety of herbal medicines in Pakistan. Keywords: Herbs, students, perception, survey, Pakistan.

The purpose of this study is to separate and identify the crystallin protein present in the nucleus of a human cataractous eye lens. Cataractous lenses were collected from different eye hospitals from patients of different etiologies with ages between 40 and 80 years. Lens nucleus proteins were extracted into four fractions on the basis of their solubility in different media by applying a reported method. These fractions were buffer-soluble proteins (PS), urea-soluble proteins (PU), yellow fraction proteins (PY) and insoluble proteins (PI). All three soluble fractions were subjected to HPLC and GPC analysis. Both HPLC and GPC analysis showed that each fraction contains α-, β- and γ-crystallins, a major class of protein present in the lenses of vertebrates. Various chromatographic parameters including precision, accuracy and linearity have been evaluated. Studies of water-insoluble crystallins using sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) have demonstrated extreme homogeneity with evidence of major components with molecular masses of 18-70 kDa, similar to the crystallin of the water-soluble portion. The method was found to be suitable for the analysis of various isomers of crystallin protein present in human cataractous eye lens nuclei. The detailed results of the GPC are discussed. This study provides the first HPLC and GPC analysis of a human cataractous eye lens nucleus.

This new economical HPLC method has been developed for the estimation of artemether in injections to reduce the cost of estimation. Previously, one HPLC method is available in European Pharmacopoeia for the estimation of artemether but it is costly due to high price of acetonitrile. Present study replaced acetonitrile with methanol and showed that new method remained as specific, linear, accurate and precise as previous. Key words: Artemether, injections, HPLC, acetonitrile, methanol.

Staphylococcus aureus poses a serious global threat due to difficulty in treatment of its multi-drug resistant strains. One hundred and fifty isolates were collected from pathology laboratory of Nashtar Medical Hospital, Multan; out of which, 50% isolates were found resistant to erythromycin, 100% to carbenicillin and 97% to ampicillin. Vancomycin was comparatively most effective as compared to other antibiotics. Regarding the cephalosporin groups, cefotaxime (73%), ceftazidime (81%), ceftriaxone 82%, cefaclor and cefoperazone (90%) and cephradine was 50% effective against these isolates. Bacterial resistance of twenty five isolated and identified strains of S. aureus were tested against local and multinational brands from 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations’ injectables. It was noted that 1st generation brands were more resistant than 2nd and 3rd generation. On the basis of mean value, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of local brands were better than multinational brands but on the basis of statistical analysis by ANOVA, the MIC obtained for local and multinational brands were equally effective against theS. aureus isolates. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotics, local and multinational brands, cephalosporins, minimum inhibitory concentration.

Nicotinic acid derived Schiff bases and their transition metal [cobalt(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II)] complexes have been prepared and characterized by physical, spectral and analytical data. The Schiff bases act as deprotonated tridentate ligands for the complexation of the above mentioned metal ions. These complexes, possessing the general formula [M(L) 2] [where M=Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) and L=HL 1 -HL 4] showed an octahedral geometry of the metal ions. For determining the effect of metal ions upon chelation, the Schiff bases and their complexes have been screened for antibacterial activity against several pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The new metal derivatives reported here were more bactericidal against one or more bacterial species as compared to the uncomplexed Schiff bases.

Phenotypic variations are commonly observed in transgenic plants. Basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), locally transformed with Bt genes, also exhibited such variations in their morphology. One possible cause of these variations might be the position of transgene on chromosome (s). An experiment was conducted to determine the position of the alien genes. It was determined by Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) by hybridizing fluorescien labeled DNA probe on mitotic chromosomes of transgenic rice and cotton. An easy and simple protocol was developed as compared to available lengthy and difficult methods. The method is quick and efficient.