Multi-dimensional visualization for the morphology of lubricant stearic acid particles and their distribution in tablets

The shapes of particles and their distribution in tablets, controlled by pretreatment and tableting process, determine the pharmaceutical performance of excipient like lubricant. This study aims to provide deeper insights to the relationship of the morphology and spatial distribution of stearic acid(SA) with the lubrication efficiency, as well as the resulting tablet property. Unmodified SA particles as flat sheet-like particles were firstly reprocessed by emulsification in hot water to obtain the reprocessed SA particles with spherical morphology. The three-dimensional(3 D) information of SA particles in tablets was detected by a quantitative and non-invasive 3 D structure elucidation technique, namely, synchrotron radiation X-ray micro-computed tomography(SR-μCT). SA particles in glipizide tablets prepared by using unmodified SA(GUT), reprocessed SA(GRT), as well as reference listed drug(RLD) of glipizide tablets were analyzed by SR-μCT. The results showed that the reprocessed SA with better flowability contributed to similarity of breaking forces between that of GRT and RLD. SA particles in GRT were very similar to those in RLD with uniform morphology and particle size, while SA particles in GUT were not evenly distributed. These findings not only demonstrated the feasibility of SR-μCT as a new method in revealing the morphology and spatial distribution of excipient in drug delivery system, but also deepened insights of solid dosage form design into a new scale by powder engineering.

Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of Artemisinin in Rat Plasma

Artemisinin is a potent anti-malarial drug isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Artemisia annua. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS method for the determination of artemisinin in rat plasma using amlodipine as Internal Standard. The method consist of a simple liquid-liquid extraction with methyl tertiary butyl ether （MTBE） with subsequent evaporation of the supernatant to dryness followed by the analysis of the reconstituted sample by LC-MS/？vIS with a Z-spray atmospheric pressure ionization （API） interface in the positive ion-multiple reaction monitoring mode to monitor precursor--〉product ions of m/z 282.70--〉m/z 209.0 for artemisinin and m/z 408.9--〉m/z 237.0 for amlodipine respectively. The method was linear （0.999） over the concentration range of 7.8-2000 ng/mL in rat plasma. The intra and inter-day accuracy were measured to be within 94-104.2% and precision （CV） were all less than 5%. The extraction recovery means for internal standard and all the artemisinin concentrations used were between 82-85%.

Influenza prevention can help meet wider public health objectives

Influenza burden: Influenza imposes a major burden on people and public health systems, causing millions of severe cases and up to one million deaths annually. Much of this burden is borne by those aged 65 or over, children under 2 years of age and people with non-communicable chronic diseases, such as heart and lung conditions and diabetes. In the elderly, influenza can have longer-term effects beyond acute infection, with some facing increased disability and care requirements. Prevention: Taking into account the growing elderly population worldwide and their susceptibility to non-communicable conditions as well as rising healthcare costs, public health policies are increasingly focusing on disease prevention strategies and promotion of healthy ageing initiatives. Influenza vaccination has an important role to play in these approaches. Immunization of high-risk groups is recommended by public health organizations, both internationally and locally within many countries. However, although vaccines are considered the most effective method for preventing influenza, many high-risk people remain unvaccinated. Improving vaccination rates: In recent years, research has focused on increasing vaccine coverage. The results demonstrate the key role healthcare professionals play in encouraging immunization, alongside factors such as communication, education and financial support for vaccination. Paradoxically, although vaccination recommendations often include healthcare professionals and studies demonstrate the potential protection offered to workers and patients, many remain unvaccinated. As a result, a growing number of organizations, particularly in North America, are implementing policies requiring vaccination of healthcare pro fessionals as a patient safety measure. In summary: Influenza vaccination has a key role to play in helping to protect the health of the growing elderly population, reduce the burden associated with non-communicable diseases and decrease the annual toll on public health. Improving vaccination levels relies on the support of healthcare professionals, and increasingly healthcare professional immunization is considered an integral part of patient care.

The Link between Seasonal Influenza and NCDs: Strategies for Improving Vaccination Coverage

Seasonal influenza is a major public health problem globally, causing significant morbidity and mortality, especially in high-risk groups. Children and adults with underlying chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are especially vulnerable to complications, hospitalizations and even death from the infection. However, the link between NCDs and influenza is frequently underestimated. Vaccination against influenza is the single most effective way to reduce this vulnerability in people living with NCDs. Irrespective vaccination rates in this group fall short of the WHO recommended target of 75%. This paper explores the relationship between seasonal influenza and NCDs and proposes strategies for increasing vaccination coverage among the target groups.

Solution of Combined Heat and Power Economic Dispatch Problem Using Genetic Algorithm

This research proposes a synergistic meta-heuristic algorithm for solving the extreme operational complications of combined heat and power economic dispatch problem towards the advantageous economic outcomes on the cost of generation. The combined heat and power (CHP) is a system that provides electricity and thermal energy concurrently. For its extraordinary efficiency and significant emission reduction, it is considered a promising energy prospect. The broad application of combined heat and power units requires the joint dispatch of power and heating systems, in which the modelling of combined heat and power units plays a vital role. The present research employs the genetic optimization algorithm to evaluate the cost function, heat and power dispatch values encountered in a system with simple cycle cogeneration unit and quadratic cost function. The system was first modeled to determine the various parameters of combined heat and power units towards solving its economic dispatch problem directly. In order for modelling to be done, a general structure of combined heat and power must be defined. The test system considered consists of four units: two conventional power units, one combined heat and power unit and one heat-only unit. The algorithm was applied to test system while taking into account the power and heat units, bounds of the units and feasible operation region of cogeneration unit. Output decision variables of 4-unit test systems plus cost function from Genetic Algorithm (GA), was determined using appropriate codes. The proposed algorithm produced a well spread and diverse optimal solution and also converged reasonably to the actual optimal solution in 51 iterations. The result obtained compared favourably with that obtained with the direct solution algorithm discussed in a previous paper. We conclude that the genetic algorithm is quite efficient in dealing with non-convex and constrained combined heat and power economic dispatch problem.