Microscopic Droplet Size Analysis (MDSA) of "Five Thieves' Oil" (Olejek Pieciu Zlodziei) Essential Oil after the Nebulization Process.

Nowadays, due to a higher resistance to drugs, antibiotics, and antiviral medicaments, new ways of fighting pathogens are intensively studied. The alternatives for synthesized compositions are natural products, most of which have been known in natural medicine for a long time. One of the best-known and intensively investigated groups are essential oils (EOs) and their compositions. However, it is worth noting that the method of application can play a second crucial part in the effectiveness of the antimicrobial activity. EOs possess various natural compounds which exhibit antimicrobial activity. One of the compositions which is based on the five main ingredients of eucalyptus, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, and lemon is named "five thieves' oil" (Polish name: olejek pieciu zlodziei) (5TO) and is used in natural medicine. In this study, we focused on the droplet size distribution of 5TO during the nebulization process, evaluated by the microscopic droplet size analysis (MDSA) method. Furthermore, viscosity studies, as well as UV-Vis of the 5TO suspensions in medical solvents such as physiological salt and hyaluronic acid, were presented, along with measurements of refractive index, turbidity, pH, contact angle, and surface tension. Additional studies on the biological activity of 5TO solutions were made on the P. aeruginosa strain NFT3. This study opens a way for the possible use of 5TO solutions or emulsion systems for active antimicrobial applications, i.e., for surface spraying.

Internet of Things and Robotics in Transforming Current-Day Healthcare Services.

Technology has become an integral part of everyday lives. Recent years have witnessed advancement in technology with a wide range of applications in healthcare. However, the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics are yet to see substantial growth in terms of its acceptability in healthcare applications. The current study has discussed the role of the aforesaid technology in transforming healthcare services. The study also presented various functionalities of the ideal IoT-aided robotic systems and their importance in healthcare applications. Furthermore, the study focused on the application of the IoT and robotics in providing healthcare services such as rehabilitation, assistive surgery, elderly care, and prosthetics. Recent developments, current status, limitations, and challenges in the aforesaid area have been presented in detail. The study also discusses the role and applications of the aforementioned technology in managing the current pandemic of COVID-19. A comprehensive knowledge has been provided on the prospect of the functionality, application, challenges, and future scope of the IoT-aided robotic system in healthcare services. This will help the future researcher to make an inclusive idea on the use of the said technology in improving the healthcare services in the future.

Dataset for EEG signals used to detect the effect of coffee consumption on the activation of SSVEP signal.

A set of electroencephalogram (EEG) data was obtained in the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India, from six individuals in the presence of seven photic stimuli of different frequencies (range: 3 Hz-30 Hz). The EEG data were recorded prior to, and post-consumption of caffeinated coffee for detecting the influence of coffee consumption on the initiation of steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) signals in different regions of the brain. The data supports the article: "Data mining-based approach to study the effect of consumption of caffeinated coffee on the generation of steady-state visual evoked potential signals" [1]. The obtained dataset can also be used to have more insight into the brain response during the post-consumption of coffee using different feature extraction, classification, and SSVEP signal detection techniques.

Data mining based approach to study the effect of consumption of caffeinated coffee on the generation of the steady-state visual evoked potential signals.

The steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP), are elicited at the parieto-occipital region of the cortex when a light source (3.5-75 Hz), flickering at a constant frequency, stimulates the retinal cells. In the last few decades, researchers have reported that caffeine enhances the vigilance and the executive control of visual attention. However, no study has investigated the effect of caffeinated coffee on the SSVEP response, which is used for controlling the brain-computer interface (BCI) devices for rehabilitative applications. The current work proposes a data mining-based approach to gain insight into the alterations in the SSVEP signals after the consumption of caffeinated coffee. Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals was employed for this purpose. The EEG signals were acquired at seven frequencies of photic stimuli. The stimuli frequencies were chosen such that they were distributed throughout the EEG frequency bands. The prominent SSVEP signals were identified using the Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) method. Several statistical features were extracted from the recurrence plot of the SSVEP signals. Statistical analyses using the t-test and decision tree-based methods helped to select the most relevant features, which were then classified using Automated Neural Network (ANN). The relevant features could be classified with a maximum accuracy of 97%. This supports our hypothesis that the consumption of caffeinated coffee can alter the SSVEP response. In conclusion, utmost care should be taken in selecting the features for designing BCI devices.

Reinforcing effect of graphene oxide reinforcement on the properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) and carboxymethyl tamarind gum based phase-separated film.

The current study deals with the preparation and the characterization of the PVA-CMT-GO films. The PVA-CMT film was translucent in nature and smooth to touch. The addition of GO resulted in the formation of agglomerated structures. XRD studies suggested that the incorporation of GO increased the average crystallite size. The mechanical properties of the films as determined by stress relaxation studies suggested that all the films were viscoelastic in nature. The drug release study showed a decrease in the amount of the drug release with the increase in the GO content. The PVA-CMT-GO films (without drug) showed certain degree of antimicrobial activity owing to the inherent antimicrobial property of GO. The drug loaded films also showed good antimicrobial property. It was found that the prepared films altered the cell proliferation of the human skin keratinocytes in a composition-dependent manner.

Reinforcing the inner phase of the filled hydrogels with CNTs alters drug release properties and human keratinocyte morphology: A study on the gelatin- tamarind gum filled hydrogels.

The study reports the synthesis and characterization of gelatin-tamarind gum (TG) based filled hydrogels for drug delivery applications. In this study, three different types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated within the dispersed TG phase of the filled hydrogels. The prepared hydrogels were thoroughly characterised using bright field microscope, FESEM, FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter, and mechanical tester. The swelling and the drug (salicylic acid) release properties of the filled hydrogels were also evaluated. The micrographs revealed the formation of biphasic systems. The internal phase appeared as agglomerates, and the CNTs were confined within the dispersed TG phase. FTIR and XRD studies revealed that CNTs promoted associative interactions among the components of the hydrogel, which promoted the formation of large crystallite size. The mechanical study indicated better resistance to the breakdown of the architecture of the CNT-containing filled hydrogels. Drug release studies, both passive and iontophoretic, suggested that the non-Fickian diffusion of the drug was prevalent during its release from hydrogel matrices. The prepared hydrogels were cytocompatible with human keratinocytes. The results suggested the probable use of such hydrogels in wound healing, tissue engineering and drug delivery applications.

Cobalt doped proangiogenic hydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering application.

The present study delineates the synthesis and characterization of cobalt doped proangiogenic-osteogenic hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite samples, doped with varying concentrations of bivalent cobalt (Co(2+)) were prepared by the ammoniacal precipitation method and the extent of doping was measured by ICP-OES. The crystalline structure of the doped hydroxyapatite samples was confirmed by XRD and FTIR studies. Analysis pertaining to the effect of doped hydroxyapatite on cell cycle progression and proliferation of MG-63 cells revealed that the doping of cobalt supported the cell viability and proliferation up to a threshold limit. Furthermore, such level of doping also induced differentiation of the bone cells, which was evident from the higher expression of differentiation markers (Runx2 and Osterix) and better nodule formation (SEM study). Western blot analysis in conjugation with ELISA study confirmed that the doped HAp samples significantly increased the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in MG-63 cells. The analysis described here confirms the proangiogenic-osteogenic properties of the cobalt doped hydroxyapatite and indicates its potential application in bone tissue engineering.

Development and characterization of sorbitan monostearate and sesame oil-based organogels for topical delivery of antimicrobials.

The current study explains the development of sorbitan monostearate and sesame oil-based organogels for topical drug delivery. The organogels were prepared by dissolving sorbitan monostearate in sesame oil (70°C). Metronidazole was used as a model antimicrobial. The formulations were characterized using phase contrast microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, viscosity, mechanical test, and differential scanning calorimetry. Phase contrast microscopy showed the presence of needle-shaped crystals in the organogel matrix. The length of the crystals increased with the increase in the sorbitan monostearate concentration. XRD studies confirmed the amorphous nature of the organogels. Viscosity study demonstrated shear thinning behavior of the organogels. The viscosity and the mechanical properties of the organogels increased linearly with the increase in the sorbitan monostearate concentration. Stress relaxation study confirmed the viscoelastic nature of the organogels. The organogels were biocompatible. Metronidazole-loaded organogels were examined for their controlled release applications. The release of the drug followed zero-order release kinetics. The drug-loaded organogels showed almost similar antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli when compared to the commercially available Metrogyl® gel. In gist, it can be proposed that the developed organogels had sufficient properties to be used for controlled delivery of drugs.

Development of span 80-tween 80 based fluid-filled organogels as a matrix for drug delivery.

BACKGROUND: Organogels are defined as 3-dimensional networked structures which immobilize apolar solvents within them. These gelled formulations are gaining importance because of their ease of preparation and inherent stability with improved shelf life as compared to the ointments. AIM: Development of span 80-tween 80 mixture based organogels for the first time by fluid-filled fiber mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Span 80 and tween 80 were used as surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively. The surfactant mixtures were dissolved in oil followed by the addition of water which led to the formation of organogels at specific compositions. The formulations were analyzed by microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), time-dependent stability test and accelerated thermal stability test by thermocycling method. Ciprofloxacin, a fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, was incorporated within the organogels. The antimicrobial activity of the drug loaded organogels and in vitro drug release from the gels was also determined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Microscopic results indicated that the gels contained clusters of water-filled spherical structures. XRD study indicated the amorphous nature of the organogels. The release of the drug was found to be diffusion controlled and showed marked antimicrobial property. In short, the prepared organogels were found to be stable enough to be used as pharmaceutical formulation.

Bacterial vaginosis: Etiology and modalities of treatment-A brief note.

A large women population of the world is suffering from a vaginal infection commonly known as bacterial vaginosis. The disease is associated with the decrease in the lactobacilli count in the vagina. Till date, there is a lack of full proof treatment modalities for the cure of the disease. The treatment includes the use of antimicrobials and/or acidifying agents and probiotics, either separately or in combination. This note discusses about the etiology and the various present-day modalities of treatment of bacterial vaginosis.