Design of Nanohydroxyapatite/Pectin Composite from Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cladodes for the Management of Microbial Infections.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) attracts interest as a biomaterial for use in bone substitution or allografts. In the current work, biomaterial nanocomposites based on HAp and pectin were synthesized by using the double decomposition method, which involved using pectin extracted from fresh cladodes of the prickly pear, Opuntia ficus-indica. The crystallinity, purity, and several analytical techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to understand the surface's shape. The results revealed that the produced HAp/pectin nanoparticles are pure, spherical, and amorphous. The spectroscopic data indicated a substantial interaction between HAp and pectin, specifically between Ca (II) and pectin hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. The presence of pectin showed a noticeable influence on the prepared nanocomposite texture and porosity. We further assess the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the developed nanocomposite against a number of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, evaluated by the well diffusion method. In the absence of pectin, the XRD analysis revealed that the HAp nanoparticles had 10.93% crystallinity. When the pectin concentration reached 10 wt.%, it was reduced to approximately 7.29%. All synthesized nanocomposites demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria in addition to various fungi (e.g., Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium funiculosum, and Trichoderma viride). This study endorses the HAp/Pectin nanocomposite as an efficient antimicrobial material for biomedical advanced applications.

Interchangeability between paracetamol tablets marketed in Palestine. Is there a quality reason for a higher price?

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of 10 commercial paracetamol products available on the Palestinian market. We carried out a survey on the price of all paracetamol tablet products and assessed their quality. To assess quality, all products were examined visually for their organoleptic properties, tested for weight uniformity, friability, disintegration, and dissolution profile, and assayed for paracetamol content. All imported products were 2 to 3 times more expensive than the locally produced generic products. Based on our testing procedure, all paracetamol products were equivalent to the innovator product except for 1 imported product which fell below the approved specifications developed for the innovator product. Although the majority of generic products met the dissolution specification requirement that 80% of the drug must dissolve in 30 minutes, 1 generic product failed. These results demonstrate that generic paracetamol tablets produced by local manufacturers are often comparable in vitro to the innovator product and have lower costs.

4-Hydroxy-1-methyl-2-oxo-N-(4-oxo-2-propyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-3-yl)-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide.

The two bicyclic fragments of the title compound, C(22)H(20)N(4)O(4), are individually planar and are turned with respect to each other by 77.8 (2) degrees. The formation of intramolecular O-H.O and N-H.O hydrogen bonds causes considerable changes in the bond lengths within the amidopyridine fragment.