Effect of irradiated nonionic surfactant on drug-protein binding.

In this work, the effect of γ-irradiated surfactants on drug-protein binding has been assessed. Irradiated aqueous solutions of Pluronic F-127, Pluronic L-35, Tween 20, and Tween 80 surfactants were used. Gamma irradiation was carried out for three different doses, to these four surfactants viz., 6, 30, and 36 kGy. Two drugs, Ornidazole (ONZ) and Telmisartan (TMS) were used for the binding study. The effect of four irradiated surfactants in the presence of drug - Bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein was analyzed. The drug solutions in methanol-aqueous media were combined with BSA in the initial step. In the next two succeeding steps, drug-BSA interaction in the presence of unirradiated and irradiated surfactants were carried out. The results of drug-BSA due to addition of irradiated and unirradiated surfactants were compared. The interaction processes were assessed through UV Spectroscopy, DLS, zeta potential, turbidity, and docking studies. Improved binding was observed for both the drugs and four surfactants for irradiated surfactants as determined from the binding constant values using UV spectroscopic studies. The DLS measurements demonstrated no general trend of increase or decrease in micellar size with absorbed dose. The binding and change in the size of micelles were observed to be highly drug and surfactant-specific. Among the four surfactants, irradiated Pluronic F-127 showed higher binding affinity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the effect of γ-irradiated surfactant on drug-BSA interaction. This can be applied to other drug-protein systems to tune their interaction to the required level.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Selection of metallic liquid in sub-6 GHz antenna design for 6G networks.

The rapid evolution of wireless communication systems toward 6G demands efficient antennas with the features of adaptability and versatility. Liquid antennas have gained significant research interest due to their unique features in realizing small, flexible, transparent, and reconfigurable antennas for promising applications in future wireless systems. In this paper, in order to find a suitable metallic liquid for effective antennas, we design and compare the performance of metallic liquid antennas using Mercury, gallium indium alloy (EGaIn), and Graphene metallic liquid in the sub-6 GHz frequency. The antenna is realized by the metallic liquid in a poly methyl methacrylate microfluidic channel over a liquid crystal polymer substrate at 5.6 GHz frequency. The performance of these metallic liquid antennas is analyzed by their electromagnetic and radiation performance. The Graphene-based metallic liquid antenna shows better electromagnetic performance in comparison to Mercury and EGaIn metallic liquid antennas.

Effect of antidiabetic drug metformin hydrochloride on micellization behavior of cetylpyridinium bromide in aqueous solution.

Herein, the interaction of an antidiabetic drug, metformin hydrochloride (MHCl), and a cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) is investigated in an aqueous medium. The critical micellar concentration (CMC) of CPB is estimated through conductivity experiments and found to be reduced on adding MHCl and further decreased in the presence of NaCl. The reduced CMC is attributed to the solubilization of MHCl by CPB through micellization and the micellization is found to be thermodynamically spontaneous that experiences an augmentation in the presence of NaCl. This is identified from the negative value of standard free energy (ΔG0m). The higher negative value of ΔG0m (-55.41 kJ mol-1) for CPB + MHCl + NaCl than CPB (-37.89 kJ mol-1) and CPB + MHCl (-34.08 kJ mol-1) is suggestive of the above phenomenon. The positive values of ΔS0m in all three cases confirm that the micellization is entropy driven. The binding of MHCl on CPB is quantified by estimating binding constant using the Benesi-Hildebrand (B-H) plot through UV-visible spectral methods. The binding constant values were calculated to be 2.70 M-1 for CPB + MHCl + NaCl compared to 1.258 M-1 for CPB + MHCl predicting a favoring of micellization in the presence of NaCl which is higher than that in the presence of co-solvents. The molecular interaction of MHCl and CPB is justified using FT-IR and NMR techniques. The surface properties of drug surfactant interactions are assessed using SEM techniques. The point of interaction between the drug and surfactant is visualized through the molecular docking approach. The results suggest that CPB would be an effective solubilizer for developing MHCl drug formulations.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Interaction between oxidised state of quercetin and bovine serum albumin in presence of surfactant aggregates with different charges.

The present investigation focuses on the role of surfactant and its charge on the interaction of flavonoid Quercetin (QCT) and Bovine serum albumin (BSA). QCT is known to undergo autoxidation in many chemical environments which has different characteristics compared to its non-oxidised structure. In this experiment, two ionic surfactants used. They are anionic surfactant, Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Cationic surfactants Cetyl pyridinium bromide (CPB). The characterizations employed are conductivity, FT-IR, UV-visible spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Zeta potential measurements. The critical micellar concentration (CMC) as well as the counter-ion binding constant (ß) have been calculated by making use of specific conductance values, in aqueous medium at 300 K. Various thermodynamic parameters, ΔG0m, standard free energy of micellization, ΔH0m, standard enthalpy of micellization and ΔS0m, standard entropy of micellization are calculated. The negative value of ΔG0m in all systems is indicative of spontaneous binding occurring in both QCT + BSA + SDS (-23.35 kJ mol-1) and QCT + BSA + CPB (-27.18 kJ mol-1). The higher negative value infers the latter is a more stable system with greater spontaneity. The UV-visible spectroscopy study points at stronger binding of QCT and BSA in presence of surfactants and also there is stronger binding of CPB in ternary mixture with higher binding constant compared to SDS ternary mixture. Which is evident from the binding constant calculated from Benesi-Hildebrand plot (QCT + BSA + SDS, 244.46 M-1; QCT + BSA + CPB, 336.53 M-1). Further, the structural alterations occurring in the above systems has been observed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The DLS and Zeta potential measurements also support the above finding.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

An ultra-wideband orthogonal-beam directional graphene-based antenna for THz wireless systems.

In terahertz (THz) wireless systems, graphene shows a tremendous promise for the implementation of miniaturized and reconfigurable antennas due to its unique tunable property. This paper presents a wideband beam reconfigurable directional antenna for THz wireless communication systems. The antenna design concept is based on the Yagi-Uda antenna working principle. The proposed antenna consists of a centre-fed graphene-based driven dipole and three graphene-based parasitic elements on either side of the driven element. These graphene-based parasitic elements either act as directors or reflectors by controlling the surface conductivity of these elements. The surface conductivity of the elements is adjusted individually by applying a bias voltage via the chemical potential of the graphene. The main beam direction of the antenna can be reconfigured by controlling the chemical potentials of the graphene-based parasitic elements. Specifically, the proposed graphene THz antenna reconfigures the main beam into four orthogonal directions (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°) at an operational frequency 1.25 THz. The antenna achieves a directional symmetrical radiation pattern with 14 dBi gain and a front-to-back ratio of 15.5 dB. Furthermore, the proposed graphene THz antenna provides a stable reflection coefficient in four reconfigurable cases and an ultra-wideband of 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 120%. Therefore, this novel design technique of graphene-based ultra-wideband high gain beam reconfigurable THz antenna is promising for THz wireless systems.

Aceclofenac-loaded pluronic F108/L81 mixed polymeric micelles: effect of HLB on solubilization.

Pluronic block copolymers have phase behavioural characteristics which are extensively studied for drug delivery applications. In this study, we explored hydrophilic pluronic F108 (HLB = 27), hydrophobic pluronic L81 (HLB = 2) and their mixed micelles acting as solubilising mediums for model drug aceclofenac. The drug solubilisation and interactions have been analysed using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, Rheology studies, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope, Dynamic light scattering, Cloud point and partition coefficient measurements. The investigation from UV-spectrophotometry demonstrated that mixed pluronic entrapped greater number of aceclofenac molecules than both the neat pluronics at same concentration. Excimer formation was evidenced from fluorescence spectra with pyrene as a probe. The rheological studies showed difference in viscosity over low shear range. Studies on FTIR demonstrated probable bonding between the aceclofenac and mixed pluronic molecules. The DLS studies on mixed pluronic showed swelling of micellar diameter from 317.6 nm to 413.5 nm. Thermodynamic parameters of the above system revealed higher partition coefficient value for mixed pluronic and spontaneity in drug solubilisation. This study can be exploited to use a hydrophobic copolymeric micelle in mixed pluronic formulation for better drug solubilisation.

Interaction of methylparaben and propylparaben with P123/F127 mixed polymeric micelles.

This paper reports the interaction between Pluronic F127, P123 and their mixed micelles with methylparaben and propylparaben. The UV studies revealed that, the spectral behavior of mixed micelle of F127 and P123 with parabens lay between their individual micellar behaviors. The cloud point studies have shown similar results. It was observed that the intensity of fluorescence spectra, compared with the single micelle-drug combinations was much higher with the mixed micelle-methylparaben combinations and lower with the mixed micelle-propylparaben combinations. The number of binding sites was calculated. Static nature of quenching was observed. The dissociation constant KD for methylparaben - mixed pluronic and propylparaben - mixed pluronic combinations were 21.18 × 10-3 L mol-1 and 32.57 × 10-3 L mol-1 respectively. This suggests that there was stronger binding between methylparaben and mixed micelle compared to propylparaben and mixed micelle. Dynamic light scattering studies indicated that the addition of NaCl to the mixed micelle and parabens facilitated the micellar aggregation and better encapsulation efficiency for the drug. Scanning electron microscope images showed the incorporation of methylparaben and propylparaben molecules into the surface cavities of mixed micelle, pointing towards the change in morphology. This is probably the first report on interaction study of parabens with mixed micelles.

Study on binding and fluorescence energy transfer efficiency of Rhodamine B with Pluronic F127-gold nanohybrid using optical spectroscopy methods.

This work focuses on the binding efficiency and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) of fluorescent dye Rhodamine B (Rh B) to Pluronic F127-gold nanohybrid. The formation of gold nanoparticles inside Rh B doped Pluronic F127 copolymer have been characterized using dynamic light scattering study, HR-TEM images, UV-visible spectra and fluorescence studies. Fluorescence quenching and the constant fluorescence lifetime of the Rhodamine B present in the cavity of Pluronic F127-gold nanohybrid suggested a strong binding ability (3.5×103Lmol-1), static nature of quenching and better energy transfer efficiency of fluorescent dye towards Pluronic F127-gold (Au) nanohybrids.

Isolation of useful scented rice mutants and comparative assessment of genetic diversity.

A set of 36 scented rice mutants were developed through recurrent mutagenesis Pusa basmati-1, Pusa Sugandha-2 and Ketakijoha local with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), N-methyl N-nitro N-nitrosoguanidine (NG) and a combination of 0.4% EMS and 0.015% NG over two successive generations. ORM 256-8-10 and ORM 256-8-6 (mutants of PB-1) and ORM 228-1 (mutant of Pusa Sugandha 2) had shown significantly higher grain yield than Geetanjali (standard check), as well as, their respective parent varieties. The above test genotypes were analysed by 12 RAPD and 11 ISSR primers. RAPD and ISSR primers amplified 92 and 77 bands ranging from 4-15 and 4-12 bands per respective primer exhibiting higher level of polymorphism (86.95% and 94.80%). RAPD primer OU 1 and ISSR primer OUAT 7 produced maximum number of 15 (280-1830bp) and 12 polymorphic bands (420-1260bp), respectively. ISSR revealed higher polymorphic information content (PIC) values than RAPD primers indicating better allelic diversity. Resolving power revealed higher efficiency of RAPD primers. OU-1 with high GC content (80%) and two ISSR primers OUAT-7 (GC = 66.7%) and OUAT-15 (GC = 88.2%) produced higher number of polymorphic amplicons. ORM 228-1, Pusa Sugandha-2, ORM 256-8-10 and Ketakijoha were identified to be highly divergent genotypes based on RAPD and ISSR analyses. RAPD analysis revealed divergence of ORM 256-2 and ORM 256-8-12 while ORM 256-8-6 isolated from rest of the genotypes in case of ISSR. This could be attributed to genotype-specific RAPD and ISSR alleles. The above diverse genotypes with high yield identified in the present pursuit would enrich the basmati gene pool for further genetic improvement for grain quality and yield per se.

Yoga therapy for promoting emotional sensitivity in University students.

BACKGROUND: Students need emotional intelligence (EI) for their better academic excellence. There are three important psychological dimensions of EI: Emotional sensitivity (ES), emotional maturity (EM) and emotional competency (EC), which motivate students to recognize truthfully, interpret honestly and handle tactfully the dynamics of their behavioral pattern. OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to assess ES in the students undergoing yoga therapy program in the form of yoga instructor's course (YIC) module. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty four YIC students with 25.77 ± 4.85 years of mean age participated in this study of 21 days duration (a single group pre-post design). The ES data was collected before (pre) and after (post) YIC module using Emotional Quotient test developed by Dr Dalip Singh and Dr N K Chadha. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Means, standard deviations, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for analyzing the data with the help of SPSS 16. RESULTS: The data analysis showed 3.63% significant increase (P < 0.01) in ES. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that YIC module can result in improvement of ES among university students, thus paving the way for their academic success. Additional well-designed studies are needed before a strong recommendation can be made.

Antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Melothria maderaspatana and Coccinia indica in Streptozotocin induced diabetes in rats.

Antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of ethanol extract of aerial parts of Melothria maderaspatana and Coccinia indica were evaluated in STZ induced diabetes in Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were concurrently treated with 100 or 200 mg/kg b.w. p.o. for 14 days. The changes in fasting blood glucose level and body weight were measured in 5 days interval. After 14 days experimental period, rats were sacrificed by cervical decapitation, blood and liver samples were collected. Biochemical estimation of plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, SGOT, SGPT and ALP were done from blood sample. The liver glycogen content was estimated using standard procedure from homogenized liver sample. Administration of EEMm or EECi to STZ-diabetic rats caused significant antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects (p < 0.001). The extracts were also found to be significantly effective (p < 0.001; p < 0.05) on recovery of altered biochemical parameters and decreased body weight in treated animals. Glibenclamide (0.5 mg/kg b.w.) was used as standard in present study.