Design and Analysis of Bio-Inspired Micro-Needle for Drug Delivery Applications.

Years of research show that the Trans-dermal drug delivery (TDD) route showed promising results due to good immunogenic responses. In this paper, we have proposed a bio-inspired micro-needle suggested by a snake belonging to the family of Elapids, since they inject venom with high pressures during the bite. The proposed micro-needle is strong enough to puncture the skin and withstand different kinds of loads during the insertion. The proposed micro-needle is of [Formula: see text] length, and the maximum compressive, buckling, bending, load it can handle are 0.27N, 0.16N, 0.024N respectively. The proposed micro-needle (MN) has an inner channel diameter of 44 [Formula: see text] and it gives a flow rate of [Formula: see text]/s. In our work, we have modeled a substrate of epidermis and dermis as a porous medium with porosity and permeability as 0.74, [Formula: see text] respectively. The porosity and permeability are calculated using an SEM image of the human dermis consisting of only collagen fibers and empty pores. We have applied Darcy's law to the modeled substrate and obtained the velocity field of the drug administrated. The diffusion study of Doxorubicin ( 87 µ mol/l) is carried out using Darcy velocity field and concentration gradient.

Tin Oxide (SnO2)-Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO)-Based Hydroelectric Cells to Generate Large Current.

Nonphotocatalytic water splitting through oxygen-deficient, mesoporous metal oxide design-based hydroelectric cells (HECs) is a well-known phenomenon. To exploit more power from HECs, a metal oxide with more oxygen deficiency is desirable. In this study, oxygen-deficient mesoporous SnO2 via a sol-gel method and its composites with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been presented. Raman spectra of SnO2-rGO nanocomposites revealed an increase in the oxygen vacancies, while the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed the strain formation in the nanocomposite lattice owing to defect formation. The X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) results also indicated the presence of oxygen vacancies on the surface of SnO2, whereas Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements revealed that adding rGO into SnO2 increased the surface area from 44.54 to 84.00 m2 g-1. The water molecules are chemidissociated on the oxygen-deficient mesoporous surface of the pellet followed by physiodissociation at the mesopores. The redox reaction of the dissociated ions at the Zn anode and the Ag inert cathode produces current in the outer circuit. Interestingly, adding few drops of water into a SnO2-rGO-based HEC resulted in a short-circuit current of 148 mA with an open-cell voltage of 1.0 V. The maximum power delivered by the SnO2-rGO-based HEC is 148 mW. The addition of rGO into SnO2 boosts the peak current remarkably from 68 to 148 mA, which is the highest reported current generated by a hydroelectric cell.

Saroglitazar for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Single Centre Experience in 91 Patients.

Background: Saroglitazar is a novel, dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-α/γ agonist and is being investigated for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Patients and methods: Consecutive overweight (body mass index [BMI] >23 kg/m2) patients of NAFLD, diagnosed based on controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) >248 dB/m, and attending the outpatient department of a tertiary care centre in New Delhi, were enrolled. Patients with cirrhosis (liver stiffness measurement [LSM] >13.5 kPa) and those with concomitant liver disease due to other aetiologies (alcohol, viral, etc.) were excluded. All patients received saroglitazar 4 mg/day; in addition, they were advised to reduce weight and were counselled regarding diet and exercise. At 3-month follow-up, patients were categorized into those who were able to reduce ≥5% body weight and those who could n'ot, and both these groups were compared. Results: A total of 91 patients (median age 45 years [range 18-66 years]; 81% men) were included in the study. The median BMI was 29.3 kg/m2 (range 23.6-42.2 kg/m2). The baseline median (range) aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, gamma glutamyl transferase, LSM and CAP values were 40 IU/dL (range 22-144 IU/dL), 48 IU/dL (range 13-164 IU/dL), 42 IU/dL (range 4-171 IU/dL), 6.7 kPa (range 3.6-13.1 kPa), and 308 dB/m (range 249-400 dB/m). All patients tolerated saroglitazar well. At 3-month, 57 patients (63%) were able to reduce ≥5% weight, whereas in the remaining 34 patients (37%), the weight reduction was <5% from baseline. Transaminases values improved in both the groups; however, LSM and CAP values improved only in patients who reduced weight. Conclusion: In overweight patients with NAFLD, a 3-month therapy with saroglitazar is able to improve transaminases but not LSM and CAP values unless accompanied by weight reduction of at least 5%. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to document the independent effect of saroglitazar in these patients.

A rare case of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colon presenting as ileoileal intussusception in an adult.

Intussusception is the cause of around 1% of all bowel obstructions in adults. Unlike in children, where intussusception is most often idiopathic in nature, cases in adults usually have an identifiable etiology, most commonly malignancy. Symptoms are usually non-specific, but timely identification and management is crucial due to high rates of carcinoma as the lead point of intussusception. Here we present a rare case of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colon that presented as ileoileal intussusception. Diagnostic and treatment issues are also discussed.