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The socioeconomic prosperity of a region is intricately tied to its infrastructure development, particularly the connectivity provided by highways. Preserving the economic well‐being of an area demands meticulous planning and the execution of construction projects with minimal risk. Landslide hazard zonation (LHZ) is a crucial tool for assessing the likelihood of landslide occurrences in specific regions. This study delves into the LHZ of a 171.2 km2 area, focusing on critical causative factors such as slope inclination and aspect, slope mass material, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), distance from fault lines, roads, and drainage systems. The classification resulted in four distinct zones along the National Highway (NH‐109) stretch from Bhowali to Almora. Notably, the moderate‐hazard zone encompasses 60.4% of the area, followed by the high‐hazard zone at 24.4%, the low‐hazard zone at 11.9%, and the very high‐hazard zone at 3.3%. To enhance the reliability of the study, 63 previously identified landslide locations were marked based on diverse sources, including field studies and landslide inventory data from the Geological Survey of India (GSI). In the validation process, 12 past landslide occurrences were situated within the very high‐hazard zone, 32 in the high‐hazard zone, 18 in the moderate‐hazard zone, and only one in the low‐hazard zone. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve yielded a commendable quality with a % area under the curve (AUC) of 71.2%. In summary, this research underscores the importance of LHZ in assessing and mitigating landslide risks along a stretch of the NH‐109 corridor. The findings provide valuable insights for informed decision‐making in infrastructure development and risk management, contributing to the sustainable growth and protection of the region's livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The emergence of nano spray drying has revolutionized conventional spray drying by offering a simple and streamlined approach to obtaining ultrafine powders in the submicron and nanoscale range. Unlike traditional approaches, this innovative technology enables the direct conversion of solutions into dried nanoparticles, with high yields of up to 90%. The resulting particles exhibit a narrow size distribution, ranging from 300 nm to 5 μm, rendering them highly suitable for diverse drug delivery applications. Using characteristic features such as its piezoelectric atomizing technology and electrostatic particle collector, it encompasses the size spectrum of discrete particles down to the nano-scale with minimal product loss. The resultant nano spray dried powders can be administered via various routes, including oral, topical, ocular, nasal, and inhalation, offering improved drug delivery and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. This review explores the potential and applications of nano spray drying in pharmaceutical formulations, Highlighting its transformative impact on healthcare and its role in improving patient outcomes. However, several challenges need to be overcome before nano spray drying technology can be applied widely in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Global health is still seriously threatened by tuberculosis (TB), especially considering the increasing incidence of strains of the disease that are extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR). These TB superbugs necessitate innovative therapeutic strategies to improve treatment efficacy and patient compliance. Spray-drying technology has emerged as a promising method for the formulation of anti-TB therapies, offering advantages, such as enhanced drug stability, targeted delivery, and controlled release profiles. Key aspects include the principles of spray drying, the physicochemical characteristics of the resulting powders, and their impact on drug delivery to the lungs. Research focuses on optimizing these formulations to improve drug delivery directly to the lungs, enhance bioavailability, and abate side effects. This review underscores the transformative potential of these innovative spray-drying techniques, offering an effective and patient-friendly treatment regimen for TB. Additionally, the review highlights the potential of spray-dried formulations in developing host-directed therapies, antimicrobial peptides, vaccines, phages, and monoclonal antibodies. By integrating multidisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technologies, spray-dried formulations promise to revolutionize TB treatment, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes and the global effort to eradicate this persistent disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Lung cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies, with the highest death rate (∼19%), and the NSCLC type accounts for ∼85% of lung cancers. In the search for new treatments, antimicrobial peptides have received much attention due to their propensity for selective destruction of cancer cells. In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of the metastasis-specific tumour-homing-TMTP1 peptide against lung cancer using inhalable hybrid nano-assemblies of the PEG–PLGA copolymer as a carrier for pulmonary delivery which was assessed for aerodynamic and physicochemical properties, along with the peptide-release profile, physical stability, cellular uptake and biocompatibility, generation of reactive oxygen species, cell migration, autophagic flux, and apoptotic cell death in A549 lung cancer cells. Optimization of inhaled dose, lung retention, and efficacy studies was conducted to evaluate the formulation in an NNK (nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone) induced tumour-bearing lung cancer murine model. After inhalation, the formulation with nano-scale physiognomies showed good lung deposition, retention, and metabolic stability. The inhalable nano-assemblies have shown enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species with increased autophagy flux and apoptotic cell death. Pre-clinical animal trials show substantial tumour regression by inhalable TMTP1-based nano-formulation with limited side effects. Our results on metastasis targeting and tumour-homing peptide TMTP1 demonstrate its effective tumour targeting and tumour-killing efficacy and provide a reference for the development of new therapeutics for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...