Exploring paediatric oral suspension development: Challenges, requirements, and formulation advancements.

Oral suspension is the most preferred dosage form for the paediatric population because of the difficulties related to solid medications, such as the swallowing limitations, bitter taste, and poor oral bioavailability, which can cause serious impairment to attain a successful treatment. Given the importance of successful therapies, there is a need for safe and effective commercially-available paediatric oral suspension and their characterization. For the latter, it is important to identify safe excipients and preservatives. The paediatric group is a diverse category which includes infants and teenagers, with major pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics differences, mainly because of physiological and behavioral variations. Therefore, finding a single formulation for paediatric population remains a challenge, as well asthe formulation of stable-in-time suspension. In addition, drug's dissolving characteristic and permeation, are the main determinants for oral absorption, which are closely related to drug release kinetics from the pharmaceutical form. In this context, drug release profile is an important and limiting step in oral bioavailability, particularly for BCS class II drugs; thus, it is possible to increase bioavailability and minimize adverse effects by changing the release rate of such drugs. This review covers all the aspects for paediatric oral suspension development, and analyses the considerations for excipients selection as a crucial task for effectively choosing a safe and effective pharmaceutical form and correctly dosing paediatric patients.

Analysis of News Media-Reported Snakebite Envenoming in Nepal during 2010-2022.

BACKGROUND: Snakebite envenoming is a well-known medical emergency in the Terai of Nepal in particular. However, there is an epidemiological knowledge gap. The news media data available online provide substantial information on envenomings. Assessing this information can be a pristine approach for understanding snakebite epidemiology and conducting knowledge-based interventions. We firstly analyzed news media-reported quantitative information on conditions under which bites occur, treatment-seeking behavior of victims, and outcomes of snakebite envenomings in Nepal. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed 308 Nepalese snakebite envenomed cases reported in 199 news media articles published between 2010 and 2022 using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon, and Chi-square tests to know why and how victims were bitten, their treatment-seeking behavior, and the outcomes. These envenomated cases known with substantial information represented 48 districts (mostly located in the Terai region) of Nepal. These envenomings mostly occurred in residential areas affecting children. Generally, envenomings among males and females were not significantly different. But, in residential areas, females were more envenomed than males. Further, victims' extremities were often exposed to venomous snakebites while their active status and these episodes often occurred at night while victims were passive during snakebites indoors and immediate surroundings of houses. Snakebite deaths were less among referred than non-referred cases, males than females, and while active than passive conditions of victims. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The most of reported envenomed patients were children, and most envenomings were due to cobra bites. Consultation with traditional healers complicated snakebite management. In most cases, deaths that occur without medical interventions are a severe snakebite consequence in Nepal. Further, several deaths in urban areas and mountains and higher hills of Nepal suggest immediate need of snakebite management interventions in the most affected districts. Therefore, there is an urgent need to immediately admit Nepalese snakebite victims to nearby snakebite treatment centers without adopting non-recommended prehospital interventions. The strategies for preventing snakebite and controlling venom effects should also include hilly and mountain districts where snakebite-associated deaths are reported.

Electro-physiological Changes in the Central Nervous System by Visual Evoked Potential in Diabetic Patients.

BACKGROUND: Increasing sedentary lifestyle in today's world has increased the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus. Loss of vision due to diabetic retinopathy is a major public health burden. Visual evoked potential identifies the neuronal degenerative changes in chronic metabolic disorders specially Diabetes Mellitus. The study aimed at evaluating changes in visual evoked potential waves in diabetic patients. METHODS: This is a cross sectional comparative study consisting of 90 participants, out of which 60 were diabetic patients and 30 were non-diabetic control group. Among diabetic patients, 30 were without retinopathy, 10 with mild non-proliferative retinopathy, 10 with moderate non-proliferative retinopathy and 10 with severe non-proliferative retinopathy. Visually evoked potential latencies and amplitudes were compared among diabetic patients and the control group and also among individuals with different grades of retinopathy. RESULTS: Delay in P100 latency and decrease in its amplitude were statistically significant in diabetic patients. The changes in P100 latency, P100 amplitude and N75 latency were also significant in different grades of retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: There are statistically significant changes in visually evoked potential in diabetes patients. Visual evoked potential is a useful, non-invasive investigation which can establish the central nervous system neuropathy in diabetes at an early stage of the disease. So Diabetic retinopathy can be prevented due to early detection of neuropathy by visual evoked potential test Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; diabetic retinopathy; visual evoked potential.

Interpersonal contrast avoidance as a mechanism for the maintenance of worry.

Despite consistent links between interpersonal problems and worry, mechanisms explaining this relationship remain unknown. The Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM; Newman & Llera, 2011) posits that individuals at risk for chronic worry and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) fear sudden negative mood shifts, using worry to perpetuate negative moods and avoid these negative emotional contrasts. We propose interpersonal (IP) contrast avoidance (e.g., acting friendly to prevent others from causing mood shifts) as a novel explanation for interpersonal dysfunction in worriers. This study investigated IP contrast avoidance and worry in two samples. A nonclinical sample ranging in GAD symptoms (Study 1; N = 92) reported IP problems at baseline then IP contrast avoidance and worry over eight weeks (637 diaries). As expected, baseline IP problems prospectively predicted worry indirectly through chronic IP contrast avoidance. Affiliative, submissive, cold, and total IP contrast avoidance strategies predicted same-week and lagged next-week worry increases; affiliative, submissive, and total strategies also predicted maintenance of worry over eight weeks in growth models. Lastly, Study 2 showed the relevance of IP contrast avoidance strategies in a treatment-seeking clinical sample (N = 40), correlating with interpersonal problems and worry. Overall, results provide proof-of-concept for extending the CAM to the interpersonal domain.

Comparison of Spirometric Parameters in different Postures among Young Healthy Volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Spirometry is the most common pulmonary function tests that specifically measures volume and flow of air during respiration. It helps to identify obstructive and restrictive diseases of the lungs. The alterations of the results in spirometry can happen even in normal health due to change in body postures that alter lung volumes and muscle biomechanics. So, the objective of this study is to determine the effects of change of postures mainly supine, sitting and standing on pulmonary parameters of young healthy volunteers. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among young medical students of Maharajgunj Medical Campus in the department of Clinical Physiology. A total of 31 students were selected by convenient sampling technique. Pulmonary parameters: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1st second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, Peak Expiratory Flow(PEF), EF2575 were collected from spirometry. The spirometry was done in supine, sitting and standing postures and the best value of each posture was selected for the comparison and obtained data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with confidence interval of 95%. RESULTS: The pulmonary parameters recorded in different postures showed that the mean of these variables comparatively increased in standing posture than others with mean FVC 3.98±0.66 L, mean FEV1 3.53±0.55L, mean FEV1/FVC 89.23±5.60%, mean PEF 8.60±1.62L/s and mean PEF2575 4.46±1.08 L/s. The mean comparisons of these pulmonary parameters in supine, sitting and standing postures showed statistically significant differences with P value < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: The pulmonary parameters are affected by body postures. Those parameters are recorded highest during standing posture and lowest during supine posture.

Comparison of Bracket Failure Rate between Two Different Materials Used to Fabricate Transfer Trays for Indirect Orthodontic Bonding.

BACKGROUND: Various techniques have been advocated for over half a century for the fabrication of transfer trays for indirect orthodontic bonding. Authors have aimed to provide better light curing and accuracy of bracket positioning to avoid bracket failure and get the best possible results. AIM: This study is aimed to compare bracket failure rate when transfer trays were fabricated with a glue gun material and polylactic acid (PLA) filament for an indirect bonding procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Customized transfer trays were fabricated using a glue gun material and PLA filament, and an indirect bonding procedure was performed. Bracket failure was assessed at regular intervals with adhesive remnant index (ARI) scoring, and reasons for bracket failure were assessed. RESULTS: Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was employed to test the normality of data. A Chi-square test was performed for the quantitative variables. Results showed higher bracket failure in the PLA transfer tray groups and in the mandibular arch, especially in the posterior region. Adhesive remnant index scores of 2 followed by 3 were prevalent, and the most common reason for bracket failure was an excessive force during PLA transfer tray retrieval followed by masticatory forces. CONCLUSIONS: Both the transfer tray methods are effective for an indirect bonding procedure. Polylactic acid transfer trays showed more bracket failure as compared to glue gun transfer trays, especially in the mandibular posterior region due to excessive force applied during tray retrieval. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study aims to provide valuable information regarding the efficiency of various in-house methods of fabricating customized transfer trays and their effect on bracket failure rates.

Validity of Elite-HRV Smartphone Application for Measuring Heart Rate Variability Compared to Polar V800 Heart Rate Monitor.

BACKGROUND: With technological advancement, it has become very easy to obtain heart rate variability data with handy heart rate monitors as well as smartphone applications. This study was conducted to assess the validity of Elite HRV smartphone application to measure time domain heart rate variability indices at rest, in comparison to Polar V-800 heart rate monitor. METHODS: Heart rate variability data were acquired from twenty apparently healthy male medical students in supine position after simultaneously connecting Polar V800 and Elite HRV to chest-worn Polar H7 sensor. Time domain indices viz. Mean RR intervals, mean heart rate, standard deviation of normal to normal intervals and root mean square of successive differences of interval were taken for comparison. Difference, validity and agreement were assessed using students t-test, intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland Altman plot and limits of agreement. RESULTS: Students t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the data obtained from Elite HRV and Polar V-800 in all the parameters viz. mean RR intervals, mean heart rate, standard deviation of normal to normal intervals and root mean square of successive differences of interval (p>0.05). Correlation was excellent as shown by Intra-class correlation coefficient of >0.999 in all the parameters. Bland Altman analysis revealed small bias and narrow limits of agreement with all the parameters: mean heart rate [-0.003 (0.05 - 0.04)], mean RR [0.01 (-0.58 - 0.60)], standard deviation of normal to normal intervals [-0.01 (-0.32 - 0.30)] and root mean square of successive differences of interval [-0.05 (-0.89 - 0.79)]. CONCLUSIONS: Elite HRV smartphone application provided reliable time-domain heart rate variability data consistent with the data obtained from validity tested Polar V800 heart rate monitor.

Determinants of hospitality students' perceived learning during COVID 19 pandemic: Role of interactions and self-efficacy.

Our study adopts the Theory of Transactional Distance (TTD) as the theoretical framework to investigate the impact of the four interaction levels: content, instructors, peers, and technology on perceived learning among hospitality students with self-efficacy as the moderating factor. The data sample for the study includes responses from 461 hospitality students from various institutes in India. Our findings reveal that all the four-point of interactions, content, instructors, peers, and technology, have a significant positive impact on perceived learning. Further, learners' interaction with the content was emerged as the most significant predictor of perceived learning. The data was put to moderation analysis, with results suggesting that self-efficacy has a conditional effect only on the interaction between content and perceived learning.

Disgust uniquely predicts coping and interpersonal processes beyond anxiety and dysphoria in the context of naturalistic stressors.

BACKGROUND: Disgust is theorized to serve a unique function of motivating avoidance of noxious stimuli and setting interpersonal boundaries to prevent contamination. Research has established the relevance of disgust to OCD, posttraumatic stress, and phobias, suggesting transdiagnostic features. However, research has not always accounted for overlap of disgust with other negative emotions, obscuring unique contributions. Moreover, studies have not disentangled between-person (mean levels) and within-person (state) effects. The present study examined within- and between-person relationships of disgust, anxiety, and dysphoria with responses to daily social stressors. We expected disgust would uniquely predict cognitive avoidance and boundary-setting interpersonal behavior. METHOD: Individuals (N = 159) meeting ADIS-V anxiety/depressive disorder criteria (n = 55) and healthy controls (n = 104) completed online journals about naturalistic social stressors over five weeks (1,923 records), reporting disgust, anxiety, dysphoria, and responses to social stressors. RESULTS: As expected, disgust uniquely predicted lower acceptance, greater thought suppression, greater self-assertion, and less prosocial behavior, above and beyond anxiety and dysphoria. Several disgust effects were present at both between- and within-person levels, suggesting the relevance of both mean disgust and state fluctuations. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate unique relevance of disgust for how individuals respond to social stressors.

Morphometric Assessment of Third and Fourth Cervical Vertebra Based on Hassel and Farman Method: A Radiographic Study.

AIM: To assess third and fourth cervical vertebra morphologic dimensions as per the cervical vertebral maturation stage proposed by Hassel and Farman from 7 to 18 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional radiographic study was conducted on 264 participants within an age-group of 7-18 years who were further categorized into six subgroups having an interval of 1 year and 11 months chronologic age. The maturation stage and morphometric evaluation of the cervical vertebra were assessed for the same patient. The maturation stage was assessed as per the morphologic classification given by Hassel and Farman. The morphometric evaluation was assessed by measuring the anterior (AH3 and AH4), vertebral body (H3 and H4), posterior heights, and anteroposterior width (APW3 and APW4) of third and fourth cervical vertebra in millimeters which was carried out with the help of "IC measure software." One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey's multiple comparison, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were utilized to determine the significance and correlation between the vertebral maturation and millimetric measurement between age-groups. The multiple comparison levels were set at 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: A high significant correlation was observed between PH3 and APW3 (r, 0.737**). Moderate significant correlation was observed with H3 and PH3 (r, 0.605**, 0.640*), and APW3, APW4 (r, 0.534**, 0.614*) in the initiation stage in both the vertebrae; AH3, H3 (r, 0.498**) and H3, APW3 (r, 0.576**) in deceleration stage. A negative moderate significant correlation between AH4, PH4 (r, -0.691**) was observed in the deceleration stage. The transition, maturation, and completion stages did not reveal any significant correlation. CONCLUSION: Significant morphologic difference was observed among all the stages of vertebral maturation. Higher dimensions were observed among males. Anteroposterior width had the highest dimension. Significant morphometric changes were observed in stages of maturation and transition stages. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The dimensions of anterior, vertebral, and posterior height of the third and fourth cervical vertebra can supplement in identifying the precise morphologic classification whenever there is an overlap in the opinion of staging cervical vertebral maturation based on Hassel and Farman.