Polymeric Micelles: A Promising Pathway for Dermal Drug Delivery

Nanotechnology is an area in great development and with application in the most varied fields of science, including cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Because conventional formulations for topical application are not always able to effectively penetrate the physical barrier that human skin exerts against factors and compounds of the external environment, polymeric micelles appear as alternative carriers for drugs and active ingredients delivery, also allowing ingredients with lower solubility and higher lipophilicity to be delivered. In fact, the augmented bioavailability of drugs, greater efficacy even at a lower dose, and selective drug delivery in specific organelles are very interesting advantages of the polymeric micelles usage in cutaneous application. As a consequence, they show a reduction in many of the local and systemic adverse effects, which might lead to an increase in patient compliance to the therapeutics, constituting a promising alternative to conventional topical formulations.

Solidification and Refining

Solidification involves a phase change from liquid to solid. Most impurities have a lower solubility in solid than in the liquid phase. Consequently, solidification presents an opportunity to refine or purify metals. The redistribution of impurities during freezing (called segregation) also has a considerable influence on the properties of the solidified casting. This chapter deals primarily with three subjects: removal of impurities during solidification; transferral of unwanted elements to parts of the casting where they do not harm the finished product; and grain refinement, where a nucleant is added to achieve a small (refined) grain structure. The segregation coefficient is defined. The mass transfer coefficient of impurities from solid to liquid is considered and used to model macrosegregation. Two important industrial processes are described in detail: the refining of silicon for solar cells, and the grain refinement of aluminium.

Morphology, Anatomy and Secondary Metabolites Investigations of Premna odorata Blanco and Evaluation of Its Anti-Tuberculosis Activity Using In Vitro and In Silico Studies

In-depth botanical characterization was performed on Premna odorata Blanco (Lamiaceae) different organs for the first time. The leaves are opposite, hairy and green in color. Flowers possess fragrant aromatic odors and exist in inflorescences of 4–15 cm long corymbose cyme-type. In-depth morphological and anatomical characterization revealed the great resemblance to plants of the genus Premna and of the family Lamiaceae, such as the presence of glandular peltate trichomes and diacytic stomata. Additionally, most examined organs are characterized by non-glandular multicellular covering trichomes, acicular, and rhombic calcium oxalate crystals. P. odorata leaves n-hexane fraction revealed substantial anti-tuberculous potential versus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, showing a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 100 μg/mL. Metabolic profiling of the n-hexane fraction using gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed 10 major compounds accounting for 93.01%, with trans-phytol constituting the major compound (24.06%). The virtual screening revealed that trans-phytol highly inhibited MTB C171Q receptor as M. tuberculosis KasA (β-ketoacyl synthases) with a high fitting score (∆G = −15.57 kcal/mol) approaching that of isoniazid and exceeding that of thiolactomycin, the co-crystallized ligand. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity predictions (ADME/TOPKAT) revealed that trans-phytol shows lower solubility and absorption levels when compared to thiolactomycin and isoniazid. Still, it is safer, causing no mutagenic or carcinogenic effects with higher lethal dose, which causes the death of 50% (LD50). Thus, it can be concluded that P. odorata can act as a source of lead entities to treat tuberculosis.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Properties of M12+–M24+ Substituted M-Type Sr-Hexaferrites

Mn–Ti, Zn–Ti, Zn–Zr substituted M-type Sr-hexaferrites (SrM), SrFe12−2xM1xM2xO19 (0 ≤ x ≤ 2.0, M1 = Mn or Zn; M2 = Ti or Zr) were synthesized, and their solubility, crystalline structure, and high-frequency properties were studied. Zn–Zr substitution caused a relatively large lattice parameter change and resulted in lower solubility (x ≤ 1.0) in the M-type phase compared with Mn–Ti and Zn–Ti substitutions. However, the ferromagnetic resonance frequency (fFMR) effectively decreased with increasing x in SrFe12−2xZnxZrxO19 (Zn–Zr:SrM) (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) and the electromagnetic wave (EM) absorption frequency also varied according to the shift in fFMR in the 7–18 GHz range. This is attributed to a gradual decrease in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of Zn–Zr:SrM (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) with an increase in x. Zn–Zr:SrM (x = 0.9)–epoxy(10 wt%) composites exhibited a high EM absorption in the X-band (8–12 GHz) with the lowest reflection loss of <−45 dB. The sample with x = 0.8 showed a broad Ku band (12–18 GHz) absorption performance satisfying RL <−19 dB at 11 ≤ f ≤ 18 GHz.

Amorphous Form of Carvedilol Phosphate—The Case of Divergent Properties

The amorphous form of carvedilol phosphate (CVD) was obtained as a result of grinding. The identity of the obtained amorphous form was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), different scanning calorimetry (DSC), and FT-IR spectroscopy. The process was optimized in order to obtain the appropriate efficiency and time. The crystalline form of CVD was used as the reference standard. Solid dispersions of crystalline and amorphous CVD forms with hydrophilic polymers (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, Pluronic® F-127, and Soluplus®) were obtained. Their solubility at pH 1.2 and 6.8 was carried out, as well as their permeation through a model system of biological membranes suitable for the gastrointestinal tract (PAMPA-GIT) was established. The influence of selected polymers on CVD properties was defined for the amorphous form regarding the crystalline form of CVD. As a result of grinding (four milling cycles lasting 15 min with 5 min breaks), amorphous CVD was obtained. Its presence was confirmed by the “halo effect” on the diffraction patterns, the disappearance of the peak at 160.5 °C in the thermograms, and the changes in position/disappearance of many characteristic bands on the FT-IR spectra. As a result of changes in the CVD structure, its lower solubility at pH 1.2 and pH 6.8 was noted. While the amorphous dispersions of CVD, especially with Pluronic® F-127, achieved better solubility than combinations of crystalline forms with excipients. Using the PAMPA-GIT model, amorphous CVD was assessed as high permeable (Papp > 1 × 10−6 cm/s), similarly with its amorphous dispersions with excipients (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, Pluronic® F-127, and Soluplus®), although in their cases, the values of apparent constants permeability were decreased.

Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Kiam Wood/Cashew Bark and Commercial Phenolic Compounds Oxidized Under Alkaline Condition on Gel Property of Gelatin from Cuttlefish Skin

The effect of ethanolic extracts of kiam wood (EKW) or cashew bark (ECB) and commercial phenolic compounds oxidized under alkaline condition (pH 9) on gel properties of gelatin extracted from cuttlefish skin was investigated. All the oxidized compounds increased gel strength (GS) of gelatin, in which the highest value was noticed for gels containing oxidized catechin (CH-G) and gallic acid (GA-G) (P<0.05). Among the ethanolic extracts, the gel added with EKW (EKW-G) had higher GS than that containing ECB gel (ECB-G) (P<0.05). Both extracts yielded gels with similar GS to those added with oxidized ferulic and tannic acids (P>0.05). Lightness and free amino group content of gels were decreased with the addition of oxidized compounds, regardless of their types. Gels added with oxidized compounds showed lower solubility and amino group content as compared to the control, indicating the formation of nondisulphide covalent bonds in the gel matrix. The treated samples showed a gel network with thicker strands and larger voids, compared with the control gel. Overall, oxidized EKW extract had a similar impact on the gel properties of gelatin to the oxidized phenolic compounds, especially catechin and gallic acids.

Therapeutic Potential of Phytoconstituents in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease

Since primitive times, herbs have been extensively used in conventional remedies for boosting cognitive impairment and age-associated memory loss. It is mentioned that medicinal plants have a variety of dynamic components, and they have become a prominent choice for synthetic medications for the care of cognitive and associated disorders. Herbal remedies have played a major role in the progression of medicine, and many advanced drugs have already been developed. Many studies have endorsed practicing herbal remedies with phytoconstituents, for healing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). All the information in this article was collated from selected research papers from online scientific databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The aim of this article is to convey the potential of herbal remedies for the prospect management of Alzheimer’s and related diseases. Herbal remedies may be useful in the discovery and advancement of drugs, thus extending new leads for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. Nanocarriers play a significant role in delivering herbal medicaments to a specific target. Therefore, many drugs have been described for the management of age-linked complaints such as dementia, AD, and the like. Several phytochemicals are capable of managing AD, but their therapeutic claims are restricted due to their lower solubility and metabolism. These limitations of natural therapeutics can be overcome by using a targeted nanocarrier system. This article will provide the primitive remedies as well as the development of herbal remedies for AD management.

163 Relative Bioavailability of Bis-glycinate Bound Copper in Beef Steers Fed a High Antagonist Growing Diet

To assess relative bioavailability of an organic Cu source, 90 Angus-cross steers (265 ± 21 kg) were blocked by body weight to pens with GrowSafe bunks and randomly assigned to dietary Cu treatments (14–18 steers/treatment): 0 mg Cu/kg dry matter (DM; CON), 5 or 10 mg Cu/kg DM as Cu sulfate (CS5; CS10) or chelated bis-glycinate Cu (GLY5; GLY10). Steers were fed a common high antagonist growing diet (0.48% S; 5.3 mg Mo/kg DM; 4.9 mg Cu/kg DM). Blood was collected from all steers on d 0, 28, 56, 84 and 124. Liver samples were collected at trial beginning (d -3/-2) and end (d 125/126). Data were analyzed using ProcMixed of SAS (experimental unit = steer; fixed effect = treatment; random effect = block). Plasma Cu was analyzed as repeated measures (repeated effect = day). Plasma and liver Cu concentrations were regressed against Cu intake using ProcGLM to calculate relative bioavailability of GLY. Initial liver Cu did not differ between treatments (P ≥ 0.63), but final liver Cu was lesser in CON versus steers supplemented 5 or 10 mg Cu/kg DM from either source (P ≤ 0.09). Final liver Cu was greater for CS versus GLY (P &lt; 0.01). Plasma Cu for all treatments decreased through d 28; final plasma Cu was greatest for steers supplemented either source at 10 mg Cu/kg DM (treatment × day P &lt; 0.01). Relative bioavailability of GLY was 82% compared to CS (P &lt; 0.01) based on liver Cu but did not differ based on plasma Cu (P = 0.60). High concentrations of dietary antagonists and lower solubility of GLY (68.9% relative to CS) in rumen-like conditions (pH 5.2) may have resulted in free thiomolybdate absorption across the rumen wall and subsequent depletion of liver Cu stores in GLY supplemented steers.

Relative bioavailability of organic bis-glycinate bound copper relative to inorganic copper sulfate in beef steers fed a high antagonist growing diet

To assess the relative bioavailability of bis-glycinate bound Cu, 90 Angus-cross steers (265 ± 21 kg) were blocked by body weight (BW) to pens with GrowSafe bunks and randomly assigned to dietary treatments (14-18 steers/treatment): 0 mg supplemental Cu/kg dry matter (DM; CON), 5 or 10 mg supplemental Cu/kg DM as Cu sulfate (CS5; CS10) or bis-glycinate bound Cu (GLY5; GLY10). Steers received a high antagonist growing diet (analyzed 4.9 mg Cu/kg DM, 0.48% S, and 5.3 mg Mo/kg DM). Steers were weighed at the beginning (d -1 and 0) and end (d 125 and 126) of the trial to determine average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed (G:F). Blood was collected from all steers on d 0, 28, 56, 84, and 126. Liver samples were collected on d -3 or -2 and d 123 or 124. Data were analyzed using ProcMixed of SAS (experimental unit = steer; fixed effect = treatment and block). Plasma Cu was analyzed as repeated measures (repeated effect = day). Plasma and liver Cu concentrations were regressed against total Cu intake using ProcGLM to calculate relative bioavailability of GLY. Final BW and overall ADG were greatest for CS5 and CS10 and least for CON and GLY5 (P = 0.01). Overall DMI was not affected by treatment (P = 0.14), but overall G:F tended to be greatest for CS5, CS10, and GLY5 and least for CON (P = 0.08). Total and supplemental Cu intake was greatest for steers supplemented either source at 10 mg Cu/kg DM and least for CON (P &lt; 0.01). However, total and supplemental Cu intake was greater for CS5 than GLY5 (P &lt; 0.01). Final liver Cu concentrations were greatest for CS10, least for CON, CS5, and CS10, and intermediate for GLY10 (P &lt; 0.01). Final plasma Cu was greatest for steers supplemented either source at 10 mg Cu/kg DM (P &lt; 0.01). Relative bioavailability of GLY was 82% compared to CS based on liver Cu (P &lt; 0.01) but did not differ based on plasma Cu (P = 0.60). The lesser bioavailability of GLY relative to CS could be due to a high concentration of dietary antagonists and lower solubility of GLY (68.9% relative to CS) in pH conditions (5.2) similar to the ruminal pH of a beef animal consuming a high concentrate diet. Future studies should examine the effects of bis-glycinate bound Cu fed in blended combination with inorganic Cu sulfate to determine the most effective blend of sources for feedlot cattle experiencing varying amounts of dietary Cu antagonists.

Implications of doping on microstructure, processing, and thermoelectric performance: The case of PbSe

In this work, we highlight the often-overlooked effects of doping on the microstructure and performance of bulk thermoelectric materials to offer a broader perspective on how dopants interact with their parent material. Using PbSe doped with Na, Ag, and K as a model material system, we combine original computational, experimental, and microscopy data with established trends in material behavior, to provide an in-depth discussion of the relationship between dopants, processing, and microstructure, and their effects on thermoelectric efficiency and thermal stability. Notable observations include differences in the microstructure and mass loss of thermally treated samples of Na- and Ag-doped PbSe, as well as findings that Na and K cations exist predominantly as substitutional point defects while Ag also occupies interstitial sites and exhibits lower solubility. We discuss how these differences in point defect populations are known to affect a dopants’ ability to alter carrier concentration and how they may affect the mechanical properties of PbSe during processing. Graphic Abstract