Preparation of orodispersible tablets of bosentan using xylitol and menthol as dissolution enhancers.

Bosentan is a drug used to treat pulmonary hypertension via dual endothelial receptor antagonism. Bosentan has a restricted oral bioavailability, a problem that's mostly due to poor solubility and hepatic metabolism. It is extensively used for the elderly and children who require a friendly dosage form like orodispersible tablets. So, the goal of this research work was to hasten the dissolution rate of bosentan to produce an orodispersible tablet with immediate drug release. Bosentan was exposed to ethanol-assisted kneading with a rise of xylitol or menthol concentrations (1:1 and 1:2 molar ratio of bosentan with excipient). In addition to observing the dissolution behavior, the resulting dry products were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The FTIR reflected possible hydrogen bonding with xylitol and menthol. DSC studies reflected a reduction in the enthalpy and Tm. These results with XRD data reflected partial co-amorphization in the case of xylitol and eutaxia in the case of menthol. These modifications were related to an accelerated dissolving rate. The developed systems were fabricated as orodispersible tablets which exhibited immediate release of bosentan. Thus, the current study offered simple co-processing for the preparation of orodispersible bosentan tablets.

Prevalence of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from chicken farms in Egypt.

Background and Aim: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli strains exhibit antibiotic resistance and are known to infect humans worldwide. This study assessed the phenotypic and genotypic prevalence of ESBL-resistant E. coli isolates recovered from the respiratory tracts of chickens in El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Materials and Methods: We obtained 250 lung samples (one lung/bird) from 50 chicken farms (5 chickens/farm) to isolate, identify, and serotype E. coli. Antimicrobial resistance susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method, while the ESBL phenotype was identified using double disk synergy. We detected the ß-lactamase genes, blaTEM, and blaSHV, using a polymerase chain reaction. Results: The results showed that 140/250 (56%) were infected with E. coli. All the serogroups of isolated E. coli exhibited high multi-antimicrobial resistance index values (>0.2), and 65.7% were confirmed to have ESBL. Among the isolates with the ESBL phenotypes, 55 (60%) and 32 (35%) contained the blaTEM and blaSHV genes, respectively. Conclusion: The widespread distribution of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli among poultry farms is a significant human health hazard. These results will help the Egyptian authorities to implement a national one-health approach to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem.

The promising role of CCL2 as a noninvasive marker for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis diagnosis in Egyptian populations.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver problem, including both nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In this study, we investigated the role of CCL2 and IL6 as a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of NASH in clinical practice and to establish criteria for discrimination NASH from NAFL in Egyptian populations with NAFLD. METHOD: In addition to 30 healthy controls, serum samples from 66 NAFLD patients histologically diagnosed by biopsy (32 NAFL and 34 NASH) were analyzed for serum IL6, CCL2, liver biomarkers, complete blood count and lipid profile. Serum IL6 or CCL2 levels were tested for correlation with the NASH activity score (NAS score). RESULT: Both IL6 and CCL2 were significantly upregulated in NASH patients compared with NAFL patients or control. Serum CCL2 was significantly correlated with the degree of hepatocytes ballooning (the diagnostic endpoint for NASH) without any significant correlation with steatosis or lobular inflammation. Serum IL6 was not correlated with the NAS score. The ROC curve analysis of CCL2 for NASH diagnosis revealed an area under curve (AUROC) of 0.959 at cutoff ≥227 pg/ml. While IL6 revealed an (AUROC) of 0.790. CONCLUSION: Serum CCL2 but not IL6 is a promising noninvasive tool for NASH diagnosis and CCL2 can provide a reliable, validated scoring system to discriminate NAFL from NASH in the Egyptian population confirming the role of CCL2 in NASH pathogenesis. These findings will aid in the development of innovative NASH treatment strategies in Egypt and improve the quality of clinical care.