Rosuvastatin calcium-loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) using design of experiment approach for oral delivery

This investigation utilizes quality-by-design approach to develop the Rosuvastatin Calcium (Rst)-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). Effect of formulation variables such as amount of lipid (200-500 mg stearic acid) and surfactant concentration (0.5-2.0% PVA) were studied. Design of Experiment (DoE) was used to quantify the extent of impact of lipid amount and surfactant concentration on the physicochemical properties of the SLN and to identify optimized SLN formulation. It was observed that interplay of formulation variables had significant effect on particle size (198.25 to 622.36 nm), %EE (28.82 to 35.87%) and In vitro release (44.87 to 64.29%). Based on the results, point optimization was carried out to obtain the SLN with minimum particle size (202.5 ± 9.29 nm), maximum %EE (34.78 ± 0.37 %) and sustained In vitro release (57.3 ± 2.6 % at 36 hours) within the design space. In vitro drug release data fitted well in Korsmeyer-peppas model indicating the fickian diffusion mechanism. Ex vivo studies indicated sustained permeation of the Ropt compared to the control. Furthermore, stability studies indicated Ropt formulation exhibited no significant physical or chemical change under accelerated conditions.

Study of chloride concentration of Nira River, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

The present work deals with the study of Chloride concentration of Nira River in the year 2016. Fresh water is essential to existence of life. Acceptable quality water is essential not only for drinking and domestic purposes but also for agriculture, industrial and commercial uses. Chloride occurs naturally in all types of water. In natural fresh water, the concentration is quite low. The important source of chloride in the water is the discharge of domestic sewage. Chlorides are highly soluble in water so they do not get precipitate and cannot be removed by biological treatment of water. If the amount of chloride is beyond the permissible limit then it can corrode by extracting calcium in the form of calcide. Here in the present work the amount of chloride observed is within the permissible limit for Nira river.

Bioadhesive drug delivery systems: Overview and recent advances

Bio adhesive systems have gained growing interest due to its ability to localize the drug delivery along with sustained release. This leads to reduction of side-effects due to non-specific targeting. This review provides an overview of the understanding of bioadhesive drug delivery system along with the recent advances in their formulation development.

Near Infrared Spectroscopy: Basic principles and use in tablet evaluation

The continuous preference of the oral route for the delivery of the drugs has led the ongoing research in the field of oral delivery. With emergence of Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a fast and non-destructive analytical method, researchers have used NIRS for non-destructive evaluation of tablets. This review looks at the basics, theoretical aspects of NIRS, qualitative and quantitative treatment of sample spectra for better understanding of NIRS in tablet evaluation. Use of NIRS in tablet evaluation is discussed in detail with focus on evaluation of tablet hardness, content uniformity and dissolution with use of NIRS. In addition to advantages and limitation of use of NIRS, the current regulatory status and exploration of NIRS as a PAT tool is discussed in the later part of the review.

Analysis of some aspects of water quality of Lake Naivasha

In-depth analyses of physicochemical parameters and dissolved nutrients in Lake Naivasha was done during the dry (June 2014) and wet seasons (May and April 2016). A comparison of the results was made between the two seasons. Dissolved oxygen in Lake Naivasha was higher in comparison to other fresh water lakes within Kenya while relative stability was noted in the other physico-chemical parameters (pH, temperature and conductivity). Results also show that Lake Naivasha is phosphorus limited aquatic system with measurements ranging between 0.07 – 0.23 mg/l in March and 0.09 – 0.83 mg/l in April 2016. Nitrates ranged between 0.10 mg/l – 0.30 mg/l in March 2016 while in April no Nitrates were detected in the water samples. Sources of nutrient loading into the lake should be investigated and proper measure to be taken for sustainability of Lake Naivasha.