Hasil untuk "Pharmacy and materia medica"

Andrew C. Scott, Rebecca Lazarou, R. Allkin et al.

We have undertaken an innovative multidisciplinary approach towards the identification of pharmaceutical ingredients used in Byzantine Greece, with a particular focus on popular medicine in late 13th century Cyprus. Our case study is based on one source, John the Physician's Therapeutics (JC), along with a comparative study of other scholarly and non-scholarly texts. Our main goal was to develop a new, documented and transferable methodology to address a key, unresolved challenge when working with such texts, namely our ability to identify with confidence the individual ingredients, primarily plants, minerals and burnt materials, cited. This is an essential step in analysis of ancient pharmacy. Practical research focused on the understudied burnt substances and minerals that were added to medication. Ingredients identified have been mapped onto their current pharmaceutical uses thus exploring potential interest to pharmacological research. The main approaches in relation to minerals and burnt substances include a comparison between JC and the ancient Greek handbook, De Materia Medica, written by Pedanius Dioscorides to see if there are likely candidates for materials; a consideration of the potential minerals available from Cyprus; the significance of mineral elements in modern medicine and a reconstruction of some of the recipes suggested by JC. In this paper we describe a series of experiments reconstructing the use of burnt material in the recipes and consider their potential pharmaceutical use and potential efficacy. We conclude that at least some of the recipes had some potential practical medicinal value.

Dr. Bimla S. Dholiwal and Dr. Mona Pathak

Saraca asoca (Ashoka) is an important medicinal plant traditionally used in the management of gynecological disorders in the Indian subcontinent. The bark of the plant demonstrates marked affinity for the female reproductive system and has historically been used in conditions such as menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, leucorrhoea and uterine fibroids. In homoeopathic therapeutics the drug is prepared from fresh bark by pharmacopeial maceration techniques to obtain the mother tincture which is subsequently potentised to produce dynamic medicinal preparations. The present review provides a pharmaceutico‑analytical overview of Saraca asoca including botanical identification, pharmacognostic features, phytochemical constituents, homoeopathic pharmaceutical preparation, materia medica indications, repertorial representation and clinical relevance. Particular attention is given to disorders associated with chronic uterine bleeding and iron deficiency states among women of reproductive age. The article highlights the need for further systematic research including clinical trials and pharmacodynamic exploration of potentised preparations in order to strengthen evidence‑based homoeopathic practice .1,2,3.

Vukosi Marivate, Kayode Olaleye, Sitwala Mundia et al.

This paper introduces Swivuriso, a 3000-hour multilingual speech dataset developed as part of the African Next Voices project, to support the development and benchmarking of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies in seven South African languages. Covering agriculture, healthcare, and general domain topics, Swivuriso addresses significant gaps in existing ASR datasets. We describe the design principles, ethical considerations, and data collection procedures that guided the dataset creation. We present baseline results of training/finetuning ASR models with this data and compare to other ASR datasets for the langauges concerned.

Prerna Sharma, Kavita Verma, Saurabh Goel et al.

Background: Benign vascular lesions called hemangiomas are frequently found in the head and neck area. Objective: To calculate the oral cavity hemangioma prevalence in the people of Udaipur. Materials and Methods: Every individual who reported to the Outpatient Department (OPD) underwent screening for a year in the cross-sectional study. The diagnostic criteria for identifying Arterioveous (AV) or Oral hemangiomas (OH) anomalies were used to assess clinical findings. The history, clinical examination, diascopy test, and panoramic radiographs were used to make the diagnosis of OH. Results: Among the population screened, the prevalence of oral cavity hemangiomas has been reported to be 2.6%. At an average age of 54.62 years, the number of males and females was recorded to be 12 (66.6%) and 6 (33.3%), respectively. Conclusion: More research ought to be done in the future to ascertain its clinical correlation with age, gender, and the location of incidence due to least number of studies available.

Silvana Filieri, Morena Miciaccia, Domenico Armenise et al.

<b>Background</b>: The blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in regulating homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS), and it is an obstacle for molecules with a molecular weight higher than 500 Da seeking to reach it, making many drugs ineffective simply because they cannot be delivered to where they are needed. As a result, crossing the BBB remains the rate-limiting factor in brain drug delivery during the treatment of brain diseases, specifically tumors such as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a highly aggressive pediatric tumor with onset in the pons Varolii, the middle portion of the three contiguous parts of the brainstem, located above the medulla and below the midbrain. <b>Methods</b>: Currently, radiotherapy (RT) relieves DIPG symptoms but chemotherapy drugs do not lead to significant results as they do not easily cross the BBB. Focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubbles (MBs) can temporarily open the BBB, facilitating radiotherapy and the entry of drugs into the CNS. A patient-derived xenograft DIPG model exposed to high-intensity focalized ultrasound (HIFU) or low-intensity focalized ultrasound (LIFU) combined with MBs was treated with doxorubicin, panobinostat, olaparib, ONC201 (Dordaviprone^®) and anti-PD1. Panobinostat has also been used in children with diffuse midline glioma, a broad class of brain tumors to which DIPG belongs. <b>Results</b>: Preliminary studies were performed using FUS to temporarily open the BBB and allow a milder use of radiotherapy and facilitate the passage of drugs through the BBB. The data collected show that after opening the BBB with FUS and MBs, drug delivery to the CNS significantly improved. <b>Conclusions</b>: FUS associated with MBs appears safe and feasible and represents a new strategy to increase the uptake of drugs in the CNS and therefore enhance their effectiveness. This review reports pre-clinical and clinical studies performed to demonstrate the usefulness of FUS in patients with DIPG treated with some chemotherapy. The papers reviewed were published in PubMed until the end of 2024 and were found using a combination of the following keywords: diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), DIPG H3K27-altered, blood–brain barrier and BBB, focused ultrasound (FUS) and radiotherapy (RT).

Ayaka Matsuo-Tani, Makoto Matsumoto, Takeshi Hiu et al.

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive primary brain tumor with limited therapeutic options despite multimodal treatment. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based therapeutics can silence tumor-promoting genes, but achieving efficient and tumor-specific delivery remains challenging. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are promising siRNA carriers; however, conventional antibody conjugation can impair antigen recognition and complicate manufacturing. This study aimed to establish a modular Fc-binding peptide (FcBP)-mediated post-insertion strategy to enable PD-L1-targeted delivery of VEGF-siRNA via LNPs for GBM therapy. <b>Methods</b>: Preformed VEGF-siRNA-loaded LNPs were functionalized with FcBP–lipid conjugates, enabling non-covalent anchoring of anti-PD-L1 antibodies through Fc interactions. Particle characteristics were analyzed using dynamic light scattering and encapsulation efficiency assays. Targeted cellular uptake and VEGF gene silencing were evaluated in PD-L1-positive GL261 glioma cells. Anti-tumor efficacy was assessed in a subcutaneous GL261 tumor model following repeated intratumoral administration using tumor volume and bioluminescence imaging as endpoints. <b>Results</b>: FcBP post-insertion preserved LNP particle size (125.2 ± 1.3 nm), polydispersity, zeta potential, and siRNA encapsulation efficiency. Anti-PD-L1–FcBP-LNPs significantly enhanced cellular uptake (by ~50-fold) and VEGF silencing in PD-L1-expressing GL261 cells compared to controls. In vivo, targeted LNPs reduced tumor volume by 65% and markedly suppressed bioluminescence signals without inducing weight loss. Final tumor weight was reduced by 63% in the anti-PD-L1–FcBP–LNP group (656.9 ± 125.4 mg) compared to the VEGF-siRNA LNP group (1794.1 ± 103.7 mg). The FcBP-modified LNPs maintained antibody orientation and binding activity, enabling rapid functionalization with targeting antibodies. <b>Conclusions</b>: The FcBP-mediated post-insertion strategy enables site-specific, modular antibody functionalization of LNPs without compromising physicochemical integrity or antibody recognition. PD-L1-targeted VEGF-siRNA delivery demonstrated potent, selective anti-tumor effects in GBM murine models. This platform offers a versatile approach for targeted nucleic acid therapeutics and holds translational potential for treating GBM.

Ao-Yu Ren, Ting Yao, Feng-Yuan Li et al.

M. Ghavam, M. D. Filipović, R. Z. E. Alsaberi et al.

We present new Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio observations toward N49, one of the brightest extragalactic Supernova remnants (SNRs) located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our new and archival ATCA radio observations were analysed along with $Chandra$ X-ray data. These observations show a prominent `bullet' shaped feature beyond the southwestern boundary of the SNR. Both X-ray morphology and radio polarisation analysis support a physical connection of this feature to the SNR. The 'bullet' feature's apparent velocity is estimated at $\sim$1300 km s$^{-1}$, based on its distance ($\sim$10 pc) from the remnant's geometric centre and estimated age ($\sim$7600 yrs). we estimated the radio spectral index, $α= -0.55 \pm 0.03$ which is typical of middle-age SNRs. Polarisation maps created for N49 show low to moderate levels of mean fractional polarisation estimated at 7$\pm$1% and 10$\pm$1% for 5.5 and 9 GHz, respectively. These values are noticeably larger than found in previous studies. Moreover, the mean value for the Faraday rotation of SNR N49 from combining CABB data is 212$\pm$65 rad m$^{-2}$ and the maximum value of RM is 591$\pm$103 rad m$^{-2}$.

V. I. Galkin, C. G. Azra, E. A. Bonvech et al.

A new Cherenkov telescope of the SPHERE type is under development. Its main goal is to promote the solution of the problem of the primary cosmic ray mass composition at ultra high energies (1--100 PeV) using a newly developed technique of the primary mass assignment to EAS event on event-by-event basis. The telescope will carry out measurements of both the Cherenkov light reflected from the snow surface as well as the direct one. Sensitivity of the direct Cherenkov images' shapes to the primary mass is demonstrated.

Daniela Seymenska, Desislava Teneva, Irina Nikolova et al.

<i>Sambucus nigra</i> L. (<i>S. nigra</i>, SN) or black elder is a traditional medicinal plant widely used worldwide for therapeutic and dietary purposes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of black elder fruit and flower extracts (SNFrE and SNFlE, respectively). The primary polyphenol constituents in the flower extract were flavonoids and phenolic acids, while anthocyanins were the main components in the fruit extract. SNFrE revealed pronounced and dose-dependent in vivo anti-inflammatory activity assessed by the cotton pellet-induced granuloma test. Doses of 10, 20, and 50 mg/kg BW of SNFrE reduced the weight of induced granuloma in rats by 20.3%, 20.5%, and 28.4%, respectively. At the highest dose (50 mg/kg BW), SNFrE had significant (<i>p</i> < 0.01) anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of diclofenac, the reference compound used (10 mg/kg BW). In addition, the in vivo antinociceptive activity of the extracts in mice was estimated using the acetic-acid-induced writhing test. Both extracts at doses of 50 mg/kg BW inhibited the abdominal contractions induced by the acetic acid significantly comparing to the control group (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Our findings indicate that black elder extracts and particularly SNFrE possess anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, providing experimental evidence for the use of <i>S. nigra</i> in traditional medicine.

Lily Annisa, Suci Hanifah, Putri Setiani

Background: Phlebitis is an inflammatory process that is characterized by inflamed venous endothelial cells. Vesicant medications are found to be one of the causes of phlebitis, especially in pediatric patients. Objective: To investigate the correlation between the use of vesicant medications and phlebitis incidence. Material and Methods: The study was descriptive observational conducted over the period of June–July 2022 in a pediatric ward. The inclusion criteria were male or female pediatric inpatients, aged 1 month–18 years, and receiving medication via intravenous infusion for >24 hours. The data obtained were then analyzed for correlations by using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Results and Conclusion: A total of 174 patients met the inclusion criteria; 27.6% experienced phlebitis, and 37.9% received vesicant medications. The most frequently used vesicant medications in the pediatric ward was gentamicin (74.24%). The use of vesicants and administration of >3 intravenous drugs showed statistically significant results associated with the incidence of phlebitis, with RR: 4.17 (P < 0.001; CI = 2.1–8.3) and RR = 2.6 (P = 0.012; CI = 1.2–5.5), respectively. The multivariate test results showed that the use of vesicants was a risk factor for phlebitis, with OR = 4.41 (P < 0.001; CI = 2.0–9.7). The use of vesicants is associated with the incidence of phlebitis in a pediatric inpatient ward.

Satvik Sharma, Huang Huang, Kaushik Shivakumar et al.

Moving objects to find a fully-occluded target object, known as mechanical search, is a challenging problem in robotics. As objects are often organized semantically, we conjecture that semantic information about object relationships can facilitate mechanical search and reduce search time. Large pretrained vision and language models (VLMs and LLMs) have shown promise in generalizing to uncommon objects and previously unseen real-world environments. In this work, we propose a novel framework called Semantic Mechanical Search (SMS). SMS conducts scene understanding and generates a semantic occupancy distribution explicitly using LLMs. Compared to methods that rely on visual similarities offered by CLIP embeddings, SMS leverages the deep reasoning capabilities of LLMs. Unlike prior work that uses VLMs and LLMs as end-to-end planners, which may not integrate well with specialized geometric planners, SMS can serve as a plug-in semantic module for downstream manipulation or navigation policies. For mechanical search in closed-world settings such as shelves, we compare with a geometric-based planner and show that SMS improves mechanical search performance by 24% across the pharmacy, kitchen, and office domains in simulation and 47.1% in physical experiments. For open-world real environments, SMS can produce better semantic distributions compared to CLIP-based methods, with the potential to be integrated with downstream navigation policies to improve object navigation tasks. Code, data, videos, and the appendix are available: https://sites.google.com/view/semantic-mechanical-search

David Noever, Matt Ciolino

Using a novel professional certification survey, the study focuses on assessing the vocational skills of two highly cited AI models, GPT-3 and Turbo-GPT3.5. The approach emphasizes the importance of practical readiness over academic performance by examining the models' performances on a benchmark dataset consisting of 1149 professional certifications. This study also includes a comparison with human test scores, providing perspective on the potential of AI models to match or even surpass human performance in professional certifications. GPT-3, even without any fine-tuning or exam preparation, managed to achieve a passing score (over 70% correct) on 39% of the professional certifications. It showcased proficiency in computer-related fields, including cloud and virtualization, business analytics, cybersecurity, network setup and repair, and data analytics. Turbo-GPT3.5, on the other hand, scored a perfect 100% on the highly regarded Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam. This model also demonstrated competency in diverse professional fields, such as nursing, licensed counseling, pharmacy, and aviation. Turbo-GPT3.5 exhibited strong performance on customer service tasks, indicating potential use cases in enhancing chatbots for call centers and routine advice services. Both models also scored well on sensory and experience-based tests outside a machine's traditional roles, including wine sommelier, beer tasting, emotional quotient, and body language reading. The study found that OpenAI's model improvement from Babbage to Turbo led to a 60% better performance on the grading scale within a few years. This progress indicates that addressing the current model's limitations could yield an AI capable of passing even the most rigorous professional certifications.

David Noever, Matt Ciolino

The research creates a professional certification survey to test large language models and evaluate their employable skills. It compares the performance of two AI models, GPT-3 and Turbo-GPT3.5, on a benchmark dataset of 1149 professional certifications, emphasizing vocational readiness rather than academic performance. GPT-3 achieved a passing score (>70% correct) in 39% of the professional certifications without fine-tuning or exam preparation. The models demonstrated qualifications in various computer-related fields, such as cloud and virtualization, business analytics, cybersecurity, network setup and repair, and data analytics. Turbo-GPT3.5 scored 100% on the valuable Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam. The models also displayed competence in other professional domains, including nursing, licensed counseling, pharmacy, and teaching. Turbo-GPT3.5 passed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 6 exam with a 70% grade without preparation. Interestingly, Turbo-GPT3.5 performed well on customer service tasks, suggesting potential applications in human augmentation for chatbots in call centers and routine advice services. The models also score well on sensory and experience-based tests such as wine sommelier, beer taster, emotional quotient, and body language reader. The OpenAI model improvement from Babbage to Turbo resulted in a median 60% better-graded performance in less than a few years. This progress suggests that focusing on the latest model's shortcomings could lead to a highly performant AI capable of mastering the most demanding professional certifications. We open-source the benchmark to expand the range of testable professional skills as the models improve or gain emergent capabilities.

Riski dwi utami, olvaria misfa, Bimby Irenesia et al.

Fibroblasts play a role in the wound healing process. The active compound content of Spirulina sp. has fibroblastic activity. The use of extracts from S. platensis can play a role in the wound healing process. To analyze the effectiveness of Spirulina platensis extract on the number of fibroblasts in rats that were incised in their skin. This study used a randomized post test only control group design. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were skin incised and infected with S.aureus divided into 4 groups, namely the group given S.platensis extract at a dose of 500 mg/kgBW/day, a dose of 750 mg/kgBW/day, the negative control group was given saline solution and positive control group with diclofenac 20 mg/kgBW orally. The number of fibroblasts was counted on histopathological examination of the wound tissue on the 7th and 14th days covering 5 visual fields. Data analysis was carried out with a one way ANOVA test and continued with the LSD Post Hoc Test. The mean number of fibroblasts on the 7th day in the 500 mg/kgBW/day group, 750 mg/kgBW/day, positive control and negative control was 13.33 ± 3.615; 117.42±3.980; 9.58±2.417; and 4.00 ± 1.761 with p 0.001. The number of fibroblasts on the 14th day in the 500 mg/kgBW/day, 750 mg/kgBW/day group, positive control and negative control was 16.17 ± 3.251; 19.67±1.633; 12.17±2.137; and 8.33 ± 2.317 with p 0.001. The post hoc test found that the number of fibroblasts on day 7 significantly increased in the 500 mg/kgBB/day S. platensis group compared to the positive and negative control groups. While at a dose of 750 mg/kg/day, the number of fibroblasts was higher than the positive and negative control groups after 14 days of treatment.Administration of Spirulina platensis extract at doses of 500 and 750 mg/kg/day significantly increased the number of fibroblasts in the incision wounds of Wistar rats.

Amira M. Badr, Layla A. Al-Kharashi, Hala Attia et al.

Background: Cisplatin (Cp) is an antineoplastic agent with a dose-limiting nephrotoxicity. Cp-induced nephrotoxicity is characterized by the interplay of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Toll-4 receptors (TLR4) and NLPR3 inflammasome are pattern-recognition receptors responsible for activating inflammatory responses and are assigned to play a significant role with gasdermin (GSDMD) in acute kidney injuries. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) have documented nephroprotective effects by suppressing oxidative and inflammatory pathways. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the contribution of the upregulation of TLR4/inflammasomes/gasdermin signaling to Cp-induced nephrotoxicity and their modulation by NAC or CGA. Methods: A single injection of Cp (7 mg/kg, i.p.) was given to Wistar rats. Rats received either NAC (250 mg/kg, p.o.) and/or CGA (20 mg/kg, p.o.) one week before and after the Cp injection. Results: Cp-induced acute nephrotoxicity was evident by the increased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine and histopathological insults. Additionally, nephrotoxicity was associated with increased lipid peroxidation, reduced antioxidants, and elevated levels of inflammatory markers (NF-κB and TNF-α) in the kidney tissues. Moreover, Cp upregulated both TLR4/NLPR3/interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and caspase-1/GSDMD-signaling pathways, accompanied by an increased Bax/BCL-2 ratio, indicating an inflammatory-mediated apoptosis. Both NAC and/or CGA significantly corrected these changes. Conclusions: This study emphasizes that inhibition of TLR4/NLPR3/IL-1β/GSDMD might be a novel mechanism of the nephroprotective effects of NAC or CGA against Cp-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Ghina’a Ismail Abu Deiab, Loai Mohammed Saadah, Iman Amin Basheti

Abstract Medicinal chemistry made it possible for pharmacists to propose pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics explanations of many existing drugs. Moreover, medicinal chemistry education provides pharmacy students with a reasonable understanding of drug physicochemical properties, mechanism of action (MOA), side effects, metabolism and structure-activity relationship (SAR). This paper highlights the importance of these medicinal chemistry key elements in understanding other pharmacy core courses, mainly pharmacology and clinical therapeutics. Such elements can be utilized as a tool for pharmacists while training or counseling their patients on the use of their treatments. Different new examples from the literature have been incorporated in this paper to show how chemical structures of existing drugs can provide essential information about main concepts in the education of pharmacology and clinical therapeutics, and the key structural elements for the discovery and development of other same class drugs.

Nikolay Zahariev, Milena Draganova, Plamen Zagorchev et al.

The aim of this study was to develop casein-based nanoscale carriers as a potential delivery system for daunorubicin, as a pH-responsive targeting tool for acute lymphocytic leukemia. A coacervation technique followed by nano spray-drying was used for the preparation of drug-loaded casein nanoparticles. Four batches of drug-loaded formulations were developed at varied drug–polymer ratios using a simple coacervation technique followed by spray-drying. They were further characterized using scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD diffractometry, and differential scanning calorimetry. Drug release was investigated in different media (pH 5 and 7.4). The cytotoxicity of the daunorubicin-loaded nanoparticles was compared to that of the pure drug. The influence of the polymer-to-drug ratio on the nanoparticles’ properties such as their particle size, surface morphology, production yield, drug loading, entrapment efficiency, and drug release behavior was studied. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the drug-loaded nanoparticles was investigated confirming their potential as carriers for daunorubicin delivery.

Shaheen Akhtar, Sanjeev Verma, Navinder Pal Singh et al.

Background: With improvement in living conditions in the population and the availability of treatments for various communicable and non-communicable diseases, the life expectancy and consequently the elderly population have increased. Stress leads to mental and physical problems. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on muscle functions in the elderly. Materials and Methods: One hundred apparently healthy persons (50 males and 50 females) took part in the study. Perceived stress scale was used to measure their level of stress. Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and endurance time were measured with the help of a handgrip dynamometer. Results: The elderly population sample in our study showed a moderate level of stress, but there was no significant difference between the three age groups under study. Conclusion: A significant positive correlation between MVC and stress level was observed in our study subjects. [Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2023; 13(2.000): 359-362]

Álvaro Martín-Montes, Sandra Jimenez-Falcao, Santiago Gómez-Ruiz et al.

Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are still considered neglected illnesses due to the lack of investment in research, despite the fact that almost one million new cases are reported every year. Four 7-oxo-5-phenyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (HftpO) first-row transition complexes (Cu, Co, Ni, Zn) have been studied for the first time in vitro against five different species of <i>Leishmania</i> spp. (<i>L. infantum</i>, <i>L. braziliensis</i>, <i>L. donovani</i>, <i>L. peruviana</i> and <i>L. mexicana</i>) as well as <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, showing higher efficacy than the reference commercial drugs. UV and luminescence properties were also evaluated. As a proof of concept, anchoring of a model high-effective-metal complex as an antiparasitic agent on silica nanoparticles was carried out for the first time, and drug-release behaviour was evaluated, assessing this new approach for drug vehiculation.