Effect of a mobile-based educational app on blood pressure of patients with hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is known as one of the most important non-communicable pervasive diseases. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a mobile-based educational app on the blood pressure (BP) of patients with hypertension. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 66 military personnel who were definitively diagnosed with hypertension by a physician, and then assigned randomly into two groups as intervention (receiving mobile-based educational app) and control (receiving standard medical management but no app). Before the intervention, BP levels of both groups were measured with a calibrated sphygmomanometer. After 6 weeks, the BPs of both groups were remeasured using the same sphygmomanometer. Thereafter, descriptive and inferential statistics, including paired t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and Wilcoxon tests, were used. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS-21 software at a significance level of p<0.05. RESULTS: Comparison of the intervention and control groups showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in systolic BP (p=0.479) and diastolic BP (p=0.851) in the pre-intervention phase, but after the intervention, systolic and diastolic BP levels were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the mobile-based educational app had a significant effect on reducing BP in patients with hypertension. Therefore, using this app is recommended for those military personnel with hypertension.

Preparation and characterization of poly lactide-co-glycolide nanoparticles of SN-38.

SN-38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin) is the active metabolite of irinotecan (CPT-11), which is 100-1000-fold more cytotoxic than irinotecan. Nonetheless, the extreme hydrophobicity of SN-38 has prevented its clinical use. SN-38 is poorly soluble in aqueous solutions, and it is practically insoluble in most physiologically compatible and pharmaceutically acceptable solvents. One way of improving the solubility and stability of SN-38 is to formulate the drug into nanoparticles. Incorporation of cytotoxic agents into nanoparticles has also shown increased toxicity. In this study, poly lactide-co-glycolide was used for the preparation of nanoparticles of SN-38. The nanoparticles were fabricated by an emulsification/solvent evaporation method. The effect of several variables on nanoparticle characteristics was evaluated, including the ratio of drug-polymer, the amount of the poly vinyl alcohol as surfactant, and the internal phase volume/composition. The SN-38 encapsulation efficiency and the particle size distribution were optimized by varying these parameters. Nanoparticles were spherical with a relatively mono-dispersed size distribution. As the ratio of acetone to dichloromethane increased, a considerable decrease in the particle size of nanoparticles was achieved. The encapsulation efficiency of all samples was more than 80%. Changing the poly vinyl alcohol concentration in the external phase had some effects on size and morphology and encapsulation efficiency. It was shown that SN-38 nanoparticles are considerably stable in a long-term stability study.

Metal ion-binding properties of the diphosphate ester analogue, methylphosphonylphosphate, in aqueous solution.

The stability constants of the 1:1 complexes formed between methylphosphonylphosphate (MePP(3-)), CH(3)P(O)(-) (2)-O-PO3(2-), and Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), or Cd(2+) (M(2+)) were determined by potentiometric pH titration in aqueous solution (25 degrees C; l = 0.1 M, NaNO(3)). Monoprotonated M(H;MePP) complexes play only a minor role. Based on previously established correlations for M(2+)-diphosphate monoester complex-stabilities and diphosphate monoester beta-group. basicities, it is shown that the M(Mepp)(-) complexes for Mg(2+) and the ions of the second half of the 3d series, including Zn(2+) and Cd(2+), are on average by about 0.15 log unit more stable than is expected based on the basicity of the terminal phosphate group in MePP(3-). In contrast, Ba(Mepp)(-) and Sr(Mepp)(-) are slightly less stable, whereas the stability for Ca(Mepp)(-) is as expected, based on the mentioned correlation. The indicated increased stabilities are explained by an increased basicity of the phosphonyl group compared to that of a phosphoryl one. For the complexes of the alkaline earth ions, especially for Ba(2+), it is suggested that outersphere complexation occurs to some extent. However, overall the M(Mepp)(-) complexes behave rather as expected for a diphosphate monoester ligand.