Nanoemulsions for the Delivery of Anti-Hypertensive Drugs

Hypertension refers to an increase in the arterial blood pressure. Most commonly used antihypertensive drugs are available in conventional dosage forms as it offers superior patient compliance. A majority of anti-hypertensive drugs pose bioavailability issues as they belong to BCS class II and BCS class IV categories with poor solubility profile and rate limiting dissolution. Emerging drug delivery technologies like nanoemulsion are found to be promising and safer alternatives for the delivery of anti-hypertensive drugs. Nanoemulsion gained more attention due to favourable properties such as small size, good physical stability, rapid action, drug targeting, prevents photo-degradation, and improved bioavailability. This chapter highlights various aspects of hypertension including its pathophysiology and potential approaches to combat high blood pressure. In addition, the authors thoroughly discussed nanoemulsions and their utility in the oral delivery of anti-hypertensive drugs.

Optimizing operation of electrical fuse circuit with controllable overload current

The article discusses the application of a rapid action electrical fuse with controllable overload current in the schemes of industrial and household electrical equipment. There has been found a deficiency in the basic version of the scheme. A variant of the circuit was proposed, which helps to get rid of the drawback in the basic version: if a condenser with relatively large capacity (C ≥ 100 μF) is present in the protected circuit (in the load circuit), the circuit may not reach the operating mode, because, when the condenser is on, its large charging current triggers the electronic fuse and the load remains unconnected. This situation can be avoided only if the charging current of the condenser is greatly reduced, for which a current source on a field-effect transistor VT3 and a timing circuit R10R11C1 were introduced into the circuit. As C1 is being charged, through the current source VT3 there is a smooth increase in the bias voltage at the emitter junctions of the composite transistor switch VT1VT2 with a gradual increase in its conductivity. As a result, the starting current through the capacitive load at the first moment of time turns out to be much less, and the electronic fuse enters the operating mode. The optimal relationships were found between individual elements of the circuit, their values and modes of operation, depending on the size and nature of the load, while, thanks to the use of the domestic element base, the cost of the device turned out to be minimal compared to other circuits of a similar type. The research data can be used for operation of the devices of a similar type in the household and for industrial applications.

Endolysin, a Promising Solution against Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global crisis for human public health which threatens the effective prevention and control of ever-increasing infectious diseases. The advent of pandrug-resistant bacteria makes most, if not all, available antibiotics invalid. Meanwhile, the pipeline of novel antibiotics development stagnates, which prompts scientists and pharmacists to develop unconventional antimicrobials. Bacteriophage-derived endolysins are cell wall hydrolases which could hydrolyze the peptidoglycan layer from within and outside of bacterial pathogens. With high specificity, rapid action, high efficiency, and low risk of resistance development, endolysins are believed to be among the best alternative therapeutic agents to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria. As of now, endolysins have been applied to diverse aspects. In this review, we comprehensively introduce the structures and activities of endolysins and summarize the latest application progress of recombinant endolysins in the fields of medical treatment, pathogen diagnosis, food safety, and agriculture.

Alleviation of Cadmium Phytotoxicity Using Silicon Fertilization in Wheat by Altering Antioxidant Metabolism and Osmotic Adjustment

Humans are facing very serious health threats from food contamination with cadmium (Cd), and Cd uptake by wheat is amongst the main causes of Cd entrance into the food chain. The current study examined the effect of foliar application (0, 1.50, 3.00 and 4.00 mM) of various silicate chemicals (calcium silicate and potassium silicate) on wheat growth and Cd addition by wheat under Cd stress 20 mg kg−1 of soil using CdCl2. The results revealed that under control conditions, the application of Si improved all the growth, physiological, biochemical and quality attributes by reducing malondialdehyde contents and electrolyte leakage. Under Cd stress, the supplementation of Si conferred a better growth rate, gaseous exchange for metabolic activity and maintained the tissues’ turgor and membranes’ stabilities compared to those obtained under control (without Si). The enzymatic activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase) also show rapid action by the application of Si supplement, which were associated with elevated osmoprotectant contents and antioxidants, having role in antioxidant defense against Cd stress. These results suggested that a 4.50 mM concentration of Si supplement (potassium silicate) works effectively against Cd stress. The given results showed that Si supplement is beneficial for the enhancement of many metabolic activities that takes places in plants during the growth period that proved a feasible approach in controlling the Cd concentration within wheat plants and, ultimately, in humans.

Comparative efficacy of BioMin-F, Colgate Sensitive Pro-relief and Sensodyne Rapid Action in relieving dentin hypersensitivity: a randomized controlled trial

Background Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) is a sharp toothache that influences a patients' oral health-related quality of life. Oral dentifrices have been marketed for pain relief within a minute for DH. The permanent management of DH is being investigated with the remineralisation potential of bioactive agents in dentinal tubules. This study investigated the relief from pain in DH in one minute after applying over the counter (OTC) dentifrices with Pro-Argin™ and strontium acetate and directly compared them with fluoro-calcium phospho-silicate (FCPS)-based dentifrices for immediate and sustained inhibition of painful stimulus provoking DH. Methods A randomised, controlled, triple-blinded clinical trial was conducted with 140 participants clinically diagnosed with DH and equally randomized into four groups with parallel treatment assignment of FCPS, Pro-Argin™, 8% strontium acetate, and sodium fluoride-based OTC dentifrices, and tested for DH with air blast, mechanical, and water jet stimuli on SCHIFF cold air sensitivity scale (SCASS) and visual analogue scale (VAS) at interim efficacy intervals of one minute, three days, two, four, and six weeks, subsequently. Results A total of 128 participants completed the trial. All the treatment groups showed statistically significant improvement in DH with p < 0.001 relative to baseline at all time points. Pro-Argin™ showed a greater reduction in DH with mean scores of (1.34 ± 0.68) (4.20 ± 1.70) (3.05 ± 2.17) followed by strontium acetate (1.57 ± 0.81) (4.65 ± 1.87) (3.75 ± 1.97) on SCASS and VAS for mechanical and water jet stimuli, one minute after application. There was no statistically significant treatment difference between the two (p = 0.499). FCPS showed the highest reduction in DH on SCASS and VAS for waterjet stimuli with mean scores of (0.97 ± 0.68) (1.80 ± 1.73) and Pro-Argin™ on VAS for mechanical stimuli with mean scores of (2.15 ± 1.92) in six weeks. Conclusion OTC dentifrices with Pro-argin™ and strontium acetate are effective for immediate pain relief from DH, and FCPS could be the best possible treatment option for long term management of DH. Trial registration ID: NCT04249336 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04249336), Date of Registration: January 30, 2020 (Retrospectively registered).

World scientists’ warnings into action, local to global

‘We have kicked the can down the road once again – but we are running out of road.’ – Rachel Kyte, Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University. We, in our capacities as scientists, economists, governance and policy specialists, are shifting from warnings to guidance for action before there is no more ‘road.’ The science is clear and irrefutable; humanity is in advanced ecological overshoot. Our overexploitation of resources exceeds ecosystems’ capacity to provide them or to absorb our waste. Society has failed to meet clearly stated goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Civilization faces an epochal crossroads, but with potentially much better, wiser outcomes if we act now. What are the concrete and transformative actions by which we can turn away from the abyss? In this paper we forcefully recommend priority actions and resource allocation to avert the worst of the climate and nature emergencies, two of the most pressing symptoms of overshoot, and lead society into a future of greater wellbeing and wisdom. Humanity has begun the social, economic, political and technological initiatives needed for this transformation. Now, massive upscaling and acceleration of these actions and collaborations are essential before irreversible tipping points are crossed in the coming decade. We still can overcome significant societal, political and economic barriers of our own making. Previously, we identified six core areas for urgent global action – energy, pollutants, nature, food systems, population stabilization and economic goals. Here we identify an indicative, systemic and time-limited framework for priority actions for policy, planning and management at multiple scales from household to global. We broadly follow the ‘Reduce-Remove-Repair’ approach to rapid action. To guide decision makers, planners, managers, and budgeters, we cite some of the many experiments, mechanisms and resources in order to facilitate rapid global adoption of effective solutions. Our biggest challenges are not technical, but social, economic, political and behavioral. To have hope of success, we must accelerate collaborative actions across scales, in different cultures and governance systems, while maintaining adequate social, economic and political stability. Effective and timely actions are still achievable on many, though not all fronts. Such change will mean the difference for billions of children and adults, hundreds of thousands of species, health of many ecosystems, and will determine our common future.

Malaria-VisAnalytics: A Tool for Visual Exploratory Analysis of Brazilian Public Malaria Data

Background: Data integration and visualization techniques have been widely used in scientific research to allow the exploitation of large volumes of data and support highly complex or long-lasting research questions. Integration allows data from different sources to be aggregated into a single database comprising variables of interest for different types of studies. Visualization allows large and complex data sets to be manipulated and interpreted in a more intuitive way.Methods: In this paper, we present how integration and visualization techniques were applied in a malaria surveillance ecosystem to build an integrated database comprising notifications, deaths, vector control andclimate data. This database is accessed through Malaria-VisAnalytics, a visual mining platform for descriptive and predictive analytics supporting decision and policy making by governmental and health agents.Results: Our experimental and validation results so far have proved that the visual exploration and interaction mechanisms allow effective surveillance for rapid action in suspected outbreaks, as well support a set of different research questions over integrated malaria electronic health records.Conclusion: At last, it can be easily extended with new functionalities and data sources to accommodate more complex scenarios.

Quantifying the ongoing epidemic of disability after covid-19 in the UK population aged under 35 years; secondary analysis of the ONS Infection Survey

Web-based survey and anecdotal evidence suggest that many people infected with covid-19 go on to develop long covid (symptoms persisting for more than 12 weeks) despite mild initial disease. There is particular concern that this epidemic is unfolding in the younger population where vaccination rates are low. The Covid Infection Survey (CIS) has recently published estimates of the proportion of people with long covid whose daily activities are affected a little or a lot. This paper focuses on the population aged under 35 years and uses the term disabling long covid to describe those with symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks and daily activities limited a lot. By applying the CIS estimates to confirmed infections, with age breakdown from mid-2020 population estimates, this paper reports a first estimate of the cases of disabling long covid seeded from confirmed covid-19 infections to July 31st 2021. Results suggest there will be approximately 39,000 cases of disabling long covid in those aged under 35 seeded by Covid-19 infections confirmed to July 31st. There is a need for rapid action to prevent Covid-19 infection in the younger population and support those struggling with Long Covid-related disability.

DISTANCE LEARNING, TEACHING AND EVALUATION STRATEGIES IN THE SUBJECT OF “CREATIVE WORKSHOP” FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

The Corona pandemic (covid19) imposed itself on the world in 2020, which called for rapid action to find distance educational solutions, with an experimental approach aimed at the quality and development of learning. It has obligated lecturers in universities of all subjects to learn to use distance learning techniques and to adapt to them, by identifying strategies of distance education, learning and evaluation and linking them to learning outcomes. These strategies are influencing factors in the success of the e-learning programs (from Zoom Microsoft and others), as alternative programs through which we seek to achieve quality in the distance learning process with the creative workshop subject. The requirements of these modern applications in higher education necessitate focusing on choosing distance learning strategies that lead to active learning and highlight the role and effectiveness of the learner. Teaching, learning and evaluation strategies vary differ from one program or course to another as a result of their different nature, so this modern method must be implemented on the teacher and the learner professionally in order to compensate for the lack of direct communication. The research tries to present the most prominent and appropriate strategies of teaching, learning and evaluation in the subject of the creative workshop for early childhood online, up to the mutual evaluation, in addition to detailing the difficulties and obstacles and how to overcome them.