Biopolymer based film loaded with Cholecalciferol: A novel technique to enhance nutritional supplement absorbance.

In terms of delivery systems for active compounds, orally disintegrating films are a great option. The initial stage in creating an oral disintegrating film is selecting a film-forming polymer. The basic polymers combination Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC), which is co-processed with Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium (CMC) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose were used to create an oral disintegrating film that contains cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), a fat-soluble vitamin that aids in the body's absorption of calcium and phosphorus. The goal of the current inquiry was to develop orally disintegrating films of vitamin D3 to improve patient comfort and compliance for pediatric or elderly patients due to its simplicity of administration. Films containing drugs and made of the appropriate plasticizer and chosen polymers demonstrated outstanding film forming and folding endurance. The dissolution test showed that Vitamin D3 has a rapid disintegration property, with the majority of it dissolving in the medium (pH 6.8) in less than two minutes after being inserted. To verify that the films were successfully formed, a variety of procedures including HPLC, FT-IR and microscopic studies were employed. When kept at 40oC with humidity of 75%, the film showed good stability for at least three months.

Distinguishing Voluntarily Upregulation of Localized Central Alpha from Widespread Posterior Alpha.

Neurofeedback (NF) training based on alpha upregulation has been widely used on patient and healthy populations. However, active voluntary modulation of central or widespread posterior alpha in response to central alpha feedback is still ambiguous. The objective of this study is to confirm whether patients learn to truly increase alpha power and to determine if patients modulate central or widespread alpha power when alpha feedback is provided from central brain region. This EEG-based NF study was conducted on seven paraplegic patients with same injury type, pain location, and sensitization to ensure homogeneity. In addition to routine NF training sessions, various experiments were performed to compare alpha NF modulation received from C4 with alpha shift during cognitive tasks, occipital or parieto-occipital cortex, and Laplacian montage which is expected to separate localized alpha from widespread alpha, to attain objectives. Moreover, imaginary coherence analysis in alpha band was also performed to check whether C4 training site is coupled with other brain regions and to confirm whether activity at training site leads/lags the activity of other brain regions. The results indicate widespread alpha modulation in patients during regular NF sessions (p < 0.05) with large effect size (> 0.8), sufficiently high statistical power (> 80%), and a narrower confidence interval (CI) in response to NF provided from the central brain region reflecting less uncertainty and higher precision. However, small effect size obtained with Laplacian montage require patients to be trained with Laplacian feedback to achieve a reliable conclusion regarding localized alpha modulation. The outcomes of this study are not only limited to validate true alpha modulation in response to central alpha feedback but also to explore the mechanism of central alpha NF training.

Pharmacological, Phytochemical and histopathological basis of Conyza bonariensis in the potential management of diabetes mellitus.

To evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of aqueous methanolic extract of Conyza bonariensis amongst the Wistar rats. Phytochemical and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analyses of phenols and flavonoids were examined. The plant extract (250 and 500mg/kg/day) was explored for its anti-hyperglycemic effect for 14 days in normoglycemic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). HPLC analyses demonstrated the composition of the plant extract as gallic acid, cinnamic acid, quercetin, p-coumaric acid and syringic acid. The blood glucose concentrations in experimental diabetic as well as non-diabetic rats significantly decreased with doses 250 and 500 mg/kg in OGTT. Moreover, the significant drop in fasting glucose level was observed following 14 days of therapy. It also ameliorated the serum cholesterol, total protein, low and high density lipoproteins, glycosylated hemoglobin A1C and serum amylase with respect to untreated rats suffering from diabetes. There appeared to be no significant alteration with regard to body weight amongst the treated rats. The plant extract revamped the pancreatic islets of Langerhans and abridged alloxan-induced degenerative changes in the liver. It can be concluded that Conyza bonariensis extract has a pronounced hypoglycemic effect on diabetes due to the presence of phytochemicals.

Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Curcumin for the Treatment of Allergic Asthma: Effects on Expression Levels of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines and Aquaporins.

Curcumin is well known for possessing anti-inflammatory properties and for its beneficial effects in the treatment of asthma. Current study investigates the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin using mouse model of ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma. BALB/c mice were immunized with ovalbumin on day 0 and 14 to induce allergic asthma. Animals were treated with two different doses of curcumin (20 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) and methylprednisolone from day 21 to 28. Mice were also daily challenged intranasally with ovalbumin during treatment period, and all groups were sacrificed at day 28. Histopathological examination showed amelioration of allergic asthma in treated groups as evident by the attenuation of infiltration of inflammatory cells, goblet cell hyperplasia, alveolar thickening, and edema and vascular congestion. Curcumin significantly reduced total and differential leukocyte counts in both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and blood. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed significantly suppressed mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-5 (pro-inflammatory cytokines), TNF-α, TGF-ß (pro-fibrotic cytokines), eotaxin (chemokine), and heat shock protein 70 (marker of airway obstruction) in treated groups. Attenuation of these pro-inflammatory markers might have led to the suppression of airway inflammation. The expression levels of aquaporin-1 (AQP) and AQP-5 were found significantly elevated in experimental groups which might be responsible for reduction of pulmonary edema. In conclusion, curcumin significantly ameliorated allergic asthma. The anti-asthmatic effect might be attributed to the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and elevation of aquaporin expression levels, suggesting further studies and clinical trials to establish its candidature in the treatment of allergic asthma.

Carica papaya ameliorates allergic asthma via down regulation of IL-4, IL-5, eotaxin, TNF-α, NF-ĸB, and iNOS levels.

BACKGROUND: Natural products have a prime importance as an essential source for new drug discovery. Carica papaya leaves (CPL) have been used to treat inflammation in traditional system of medicine. AIM/HYPOTHESIS: Current study evaluates the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of CPL extract using mouse model of ovalbumin- (OVA) induced allergic asthma. METHODS: All the mice were intraperitoneally sensitized and subsequently given intranasal challenge with OVA except the control group. Group-III and -IV were treated for seven consecutive days with CPL extract and methylprednisolone (MP), respectively. At the end of study, histopathological examination of the lungs was performed and inflammatory cell counts were done in blood as well as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The mRNA expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, eotaxin, TNF-α, NF-ĸB, and iNOS were measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Results showed significant attenuation of lung infiltration of inflammatory cells, alveolar thickening, and goblet cell hyperplasia after treatment with CPL extract. We also found significant suppression of total and differential leukocyte counts in both blood and BALF samples of CPL extract treated group. CPL extract also alleviated the expression levels of IL-4, IL-5, eotaxin, TNF-α, NF-ĸB, and iNOS. Similarly, treatment with MP, used as a reference drug, also significantly ameliorated all the pro-inflammatory markers. CONCLUSION: Current study shows that CPL extract possesses anti-inflammatory effect in mouse model of allergic airway inflammation by down-regulating IL-4, IL-5, eotaxin, TNF-α, NF-ĸB, and iNOS expression levels.