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In this study, SeDeM–ODT parametric tests were performed to determine the use of ludipress as a directly compressible tableting excipient for the development of a flurbiprofen orally disintegrating tablet. The preformulation features of different formulations (F1 –F9) were analyzed by the SeDeM–ODT tool which showed that all the powder blends were appropriate for direct compression since all the blends had index of good compressibility and bucodispersibility (IGCB) values above 5, signifying direct compression is the most appropriate method. The powder blend of the optimized formulation was assessed by the DSC–TGA technique. The optimization of nine different formulations blends of orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) was prepared in various ratios by the implementation of design of experiments (DoE), using the central composite design by selecting ludipress (X1) (49–55%) and croscarmellose sodium (X2) (1–5%) while hardness, friability, and disintegration tests were selected as responses. The optimized formulations were evaluated by various tests and the results indicated that all the formulations were found to be in adequate range. Formulations were subjected to stability studies at accelerated states following ICH guidelines. Shelf life was found to be 51.144–56.186 months. Results of multiple-point dissolution studies revealed that formulations followed the Higuchi kinetic model. This study revealed that the SeDeM—ODT tool has been successfully used to determine the compression behavior of active compounds and their powder blends for the direct compression (DC) method in formulating flurbiprofen–ODT tablets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium cotton wilt (FW) is one of the most economically devastating cotton diseases worldwide and the threatening agent of this disease is Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum (FOV). This study aimed to add more information towards the isolation and identification of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (FOV), which could probably be responsible for the wilting of their corresponding host, Gossypium hirsutum. Roots samples were collected from plants showing typical symptoms of wilting from three different regions (Kasur, Faisalabad, Multan) of province Punjab, Pakistan. For further analysis, samples were immediately transported to the microbiology laboratory of Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan (GCUF). After surface sterilization of root, each cut piece (5 mm) of the root was inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media and incubated at 25°C±2 °C for 7 days. The different obtained co1lonies were identified using the standard microbiological techniques such as macro-morphological, microscopic, and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The pathogenicity test was also performed in the greenhouse for confirmation of Koch's postulate. This test showed that plants infected with FOV start wilting and yellowing of leaves which confirmed that FOV was linked with cotton wilt and responsible for significant economic loss. Good agricultural practices and proper management of FOV will permit the production of healthy seedlings and subsequently aid in the improvement in cotton yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was the development and optimization of mouth dissolving tablets (MDT) of Tizanidine hydrochloride using superdisintegrant. MDTs of Tizanidine (4mg) were manufactured by direct compression method. Formulations comprised of Tizanidine and excipients including croscarmellose sodium, Avicel PH 102, aspartame, orange flavor and magnesium stearate. Blends of powder were assessed for flow characterization and then compressed by direct compression. During post compression stage, a detail evaluation of tablets with respect to weight variation, hardness, thickness, disintegration time, wetting time, friability, drug content analysis, content uniformity, palatability and dissolution studies was carried out. All the formulations complied with the pharmacopeial requirements of weight, disintegration time and assay. Amongst the trial formulations F4 with concentration of croscarmellose sodium i.e. 5% was proved as best optimized due to satisfactory quality attributes such as least disintegration time and sufficient hardness. Hence, it was concluded that manufacturing of mouth dissolving tablets by addition of superdisintegrant is beneficial for treating patients with dysphagia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop Aceclofenac fast dispersible compacted pellets with improved taste and fast drug release. Pellets were prepared by extrusion-spheronization technique followed by direct compression to make compacted pellets. Formulations were comprised of sucrose, mannitol, ac-di-sol, aspartame, pine apple flavor and magnesium stearate. A mixture of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol (1:1) was used for wet massing. The effect of acdi-sol on the drug release pattern was examined and dissolution profile comparison was established. All formulations followed First order and Weibull models and f2 values indicated dissimilarity with the marketed immediate release product. Taste of compacted pellets was evaluated by a panel of 12 human volunteers. Formulation P5 was found to be an optimized formulation due to satisfactory quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work a specific, accurate, precise, and reproducible UV-HPLC method was developed and validated for the analysis of Aceclofenac. This method involved elution of Aceclofenac in a mobile phase which is composed of buffer pH 6.8 (i.e. using 0.01N KH2PO4) and HPLC grade Acetonitrile (60:40). Separation of the analyte was achieved using HPLC isocratic pump attached to the UV-VIS detectorC18, guard column and C18 column. The injection volume was 20μL, detected at 274 nm; flow rate: 1mL/min. Standard calibration curve was measured and found linear from 0.1 to 40μg/ml. The validation parameters were measured according to FDA guidelines and successful results were obtained. The presented analytical method could be employed for pharmacokinetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent days response surface methodology (RSM) has widely been applied for development and optimization of cost effective formulations with required quality. Study comprised of three steps including micromeritic comparison of different powder blends of placebo and diclofenac potassium (DP), formulation designing with CCRD (Design Expert, version 7.0.0), and stability testing of selected formulations by using R Gui. Ten formulations (F11-F20) were developed using microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH-102) (XI) (13-72%), methocel K15M (X2) (6.59-23.4%) and magnesium stearate (X3) (1.32-4.68%), while responses were % friability and % drug release. Blending rate constant was determined at 3, 6, 9 and 12 minutes. The results of physicochemical parameters were found within acceptable limits. After in vitro testing at pH 1.2, pH 4.5 and pH 6.8, mechanism of drug release, kinetic analysis and statistical evaluation were carried out by model - independent, model-dependent and one-way ANOVA methods. Most formulations followed zero order kinetics at higher pH. Fickian release (0.326≤ n ≤0.449) was observed with (5 greater than 0.5 and less than 1. ANOVA indicated no significant variation within and between formulations as p-values were found to be & 0.05. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess pharmacy students' knowledge of communicating medication errors in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and conducted from February to May 2014. A previously validated questionnaire was adopted, modified and distributed tofinal year pharmacy students in four universities of Karachi. Descriptive statistics were used to present students' demographic information and their response to the questionnaire items. Pearson chi square test and Logistic regression model were executed to evaluate the association of gender and institution of students with their response. Results: Out of 600 survey questionnaires distributed, only 464 were returned in useable form, giving a response rate of 77.33 %. A majority of the students showed moderately positive attitude towards general communication and training in communicating medication errors. More than 40 % of the respondents were not satisfied with the training they received in communicating and reporting incidence of medication errors. Incorrect drug (14.65 %), incorrect dose (8.40 %) and improper storage of medicines (7.97 %) were the most common errors observed by the students during clerkship. Conclusion: The findings indicate the need for a more standardized approach to improving knowledge of medication errors as well as training in the communication of occurrence of medication errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a major health problem in Pakistan. Serum creatinine is the most common test used to assess renal function. This study was aimed to evaluate the levels of β2 Microglobulin and creatinine in individuals with different levels of renal function and to see the correlation between these biomarkers. Material & Methods: Total subjects included in the study were 88; 50 males and 38 females, of 30-60 years age, selected randomly from Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore. Creatinine clearance was calculated from serum creatinine and 24 hours urinary volume and urinary creatinine for all study subjects and they were divided into 4 groups on the basis of creatinine clearance. Results: Serum and urinary β2 Microglobulin levels were found to be raised in both male and female patients of all groups, while serum creatinine levels were in normal range in patients with creatinine clearance above 60 ml/min. Both β2 Microglobulin and serum creatinine levels were increased in parallel with the severity of renal disease. It was found that serum and urinary β2 Microglobulin had a positive correlation with serum creatinine in all groups. β2 Microglobulin showed negative correlation with creatinine clearance in all groups. Conclusion: β2 Microglobulin correlates more closely with different levels of renal functions. It shows positive correlation with serum creatinine and negative correlation with creatinine clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different plants are rich source of medicines. Since old days, Ayurveda and other disciplines reported the various pharmacological properties of naturally occurring plants against certain specific diseases. Currently, increasing health concern urged the researchers to revitalize the natural products and to alleviate the diseases without harming the body. In spite of medicinal uses of natural products, health supplements from natural products and their use in diet are gaining importance. Several bioactive constituents in natural products have the ability to protect from degenerative diseases and free radical production. The objective of this review is to unveil the phytochemistry, nutritional profile and pharmacologically active constituents of Morus alba L. The bioactive constituents isolated from M. alba such as leachianone and kuwanon G showed antibacterial activities and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) showed α- glycosidase inhibitors activity. Likewise, M. alba extract and its other compounds usually flavonoids have antioxidant properties by scavenging free radicals and protect many organs from oxidative stress. Anti HIV and chemo-protective activities have also been reported but further research may reveal their exact mode of actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Any patient above the age of 40 years, coming with the symptoms of diabetes is labelled as type 2 diabetic. If insulin levels are included in the protocol for initial investigations of diabetic patients, they can be differentiated as having insulin deficiency or insulin resistance. They can thus be treated accordingly. This study was conducted to see the prevalence of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics., Methods: This study was conducted on 75 newly diagnosed diabetic subjects, and 75 control subjects for comparison. Fasting serum insulin was assayed by ELISA and HOMA-IR index was calculated. The diabetic subjects with fasting hyperglycaemia and serum insulin level below 20 microIU/ml and HOMA-IR index below 3.5 were grouped as insulin deficient (Group-A), and the diabetic subjects with fasting insulin level above 20 microIU/ml and HOMA-IR index above 3.5 were grouped as insulin resistant (Group-B)., Results: Twenty-eight percent subjects were found to have insulin level below 20 microIU/ml while 72% subjects had insulin resistance. When gender was taken into consideration, it was seen that 18.7% males had fasting insulin level of 6.98 +/- 0.737 microIU/ml and 9.3% females had fasting insulin level of 5.21 +/- 0.885 microIU/ml while 32% males and 40% females had insulin resistance. The mean age of male subjects with insulin resistance was significantly higher compared to the male subjects with insulin deficiency. Mean weight and body mass index of the male and female subjects having insulin resistance was significantly higher than their respective control groups and also higher than the subjects with insulin deficiency. Pearson coefficient of correlation was calculated for fasting serum insulin level with age and BMI. A significant positive correlation was observed between fasting serum insulin and age of females with insulin resistance., Conclusion: A considerable number of persons who develop diabetes after 40 years of age but are not insulin resistant. Twenty-eight percent subjects have relative insulin deficiency, and 72% subjects have insulin resistance.

Bacillus strain CTP-09 yielded maximum productivity (1120 IU/L.h) of extracellular endoglucanase (CMCase) on 0.5% cellobiose after 10 h fermentation at 55 degrees C. The purified enzyme is mono-meric in nature and exhibits stability up to 80 degrees C and over a pH range (6.0-9.0). Activation energy, enthalpy and entropy of catalysis, and inactivation indicated that this CMCase is highly thermos-table. Purified enzyme possessed high power of defibrillation of textile and was minutely inhibited by anionic detergent and oxidizing agent comparable with inhibition by commercial enzyme. This polypeptide could be exploited for mass production and application in local industries.