ABSTRACT
Paracetamol was used as a model drug in this study to investigate the synergetic effects of lipid coating and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) inclusion for masking the bitter taste of poorly soluble drugs. To control the concentration as low as possible of the free drug which produced a bitter taste, a kinetic model was established to calculate the drug distribution theoretically among the free drug in medium, lipid coated particles and molecular inclusion on the basis of the preparation and characterization of the lipid microspheres, so as to select the proper amount of beta-CD. Finally, the synergetic drug delivery systems were prepared and characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), molecular simulation and the electronic tongue. As a result, the drug release rate constant (k) of the lipid microspheres coated with octadecanol was determined as 0.001 270 s(-1). Then, the synergetic drug delivery systems were prepared with the ratio of 6.74 : 1 (w/w) for beta-CD and paracetamol. The chemical shift values for the fingerprint peaks of paracetamol all increased and hydrogen bonds were formed between the oxygen on the phenolic hydroxyl group, the nitrogen on the imino in paracetamol and the hydrogens on the hydroxyl groups in beta-CD. The results tested by the electronic tongue indicated that the paracetamol, lipid microspheres, beta-CD inclusion and their mixture showed different taste characteristics, with the bitterness order of the synergetic drug delivery systems approximately lipid microspheres < beta-CD inclusion < paracetamol, which confirmed the synergetic taste masking effects of lipid coating and beta-CD molecular inclusion. In summary, the synergetic taste masking was jointly achieved through the retard of the drug release by the lipid coating and the inclusion of the free paracetamol by beta-CD through hydrogen bonds.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the secondary correction demand rule for unilateral cleft lip patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The population in parts of Henan province were investigated by census method. The unilateral cleft lip patients underwent the primary correction were selected and be photographed, and 100 patients were selected randomly into study. The subjective satisfaction for the patients' facial appearance was evaluated by three groups: Professional group(cleft lip and palate specialist), non-professional group (the hospital administrative staff), and family members of patients group. The facial symmetry rate was measured for the patients with consistent subjective evaluation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of facial symmetry and subjective evaluation was not convergence. The subjective evaluation disaffect rates of profes-sional and non-professional groups were higher than that in family members of patients group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The rate of facial symmetry is not the most suitable method to evaluate the demand of the secondary correction for unilateral cleft lip patients.</p>