Non-invasive glucose prediction and classification using NIR technology with machine learning.

In this paper, a dual wavelength short near-infrared system is described for the detection of glucose levels. The system aims to improve the accuracy of blood glucose detection in a cost-effective and non-invasive way. The accuracy of the method is evaluated using real-time samples collected with the reference finger prick glucose device. A feed forward neural network (FFNN) regression method is employed to predict glucose levels based on the input data obtained from NIR technology. The system calculates glucose evaluation metrics and performs Surveillance error grid (SEG) analysis. The coefficient of determination R2 and mean absolute error are observed 0.99 and 2.49 mg/dl, respectively. Additionally, the system determines the root mean square error (RMSE) as 3.02 mg/dl. It also shows that the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is 1.94% and mean squared error (MSE) is 9.16 (mg/dl)2 for FFNN. The SEG analysis shows that the glucose values measured by the system fall within the clinically acceptable range when compared to the reference method. Finally, the system uses the multi-class classification method of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) classifier to classify glucose levels with an accuracy of 99%.

Effect of Deposition and Protease Digestion on the Ex Vivo Activity of Antimicrobial Peptide-Coated Contact Lenses.

A clinical study of antimicrobial contact lenses containing the cationic peptide Mel4 was conducted. The few adverse events that occurred with this lens occurred on or after 13 nights of wear. The current study examined whether the Mel4 contact lenses lost activity during wear and the mechanism of this loss. Participants wore contact lenses for up to 13 nights. Lenses were tested for their ability to reduce the adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The amount of protein and lipid extracted from lenses was measured. The ability of trypsin to affect the antimicrobial activity of Mel4-coated contact lenses was measured. Mel4-coated contact lenses lost their antimicrobial activity at six nights of wear for both bacteria. The amount of lipids (13 ± 11 vs. 21 ± 14 µg/lens at 13 nights wear) and proteins (8 ± 4 vs. 10 ± 3 mg/lens at 13 nights of wear) extracted from lenses was not different between Mel4-coated and uncoated lenses, and was not different after three nights when antimicrobial activity was maintained and thirteen nights when they had lost activity (lipid: 25 ± 17 vs. 13 ± 11, p = 0.2; protein: 8 ± 1 vs. 8 ± 4 mg/lens, p = 0.4). Trypsin digestion eliminated the antimicrobial activity of Mel4-coated lenses. In summary, Mel4-coated contact lenses lost antibacterial activity at six nights of wear, and the most likely reason was proteolytic digestion of the peptide. Future studies will design and test proteolytically stable peptide mimics as coatings for contact lenses.

Accrual and Dismemberment of Brain Tumours Using Fuzzy Interface and Grey Textures for Image Disproportion.

A neurological disorder is a problem with the neural system of the body, as a brain tumor is one of the deadliest neurological conditions and it requires an early and effective detection procedure. The existing detection and diagnosis methods for image evaluation are based on the judgment of the radiologist and neurospecialist, where a risk of human mistakes can be found. Therefore, a new flanged method and methodology for detecting brain tumors using magnetic resonance imaging and the artificial neural network (ANN) technique are applied. The research is based on an artificial neural network-based behavioral examination of neurological disorders. In this study, an artificial neural network is used to detect a brain tumor as early as possible. The current work develops an effective approach for detecting cancer from a given brain MRI and recognizing the retrieved data for further use. To obtain the desired result, the following three procedures are used: preprocessing, feature extraction, training, and detection or classification. A Gaussian filter is also incorporated to eliminate noise from the image, and for texture feature extraction, GLCM is considered in this study. Further entropy, contrast, energy, homogeneity, and other GLCM texture properties of tumor categorization are measured using the ANFIS approach, which determines if the tumor is normal, benign, or malignant. Future research will focus on applying advanced texture analysis to classify brain tumors into distinct classes in order to improve the accuracy of brain tumor diagnosis. In the future, MRI brain imaging will be used to classify metastatic brain tumors.

Persistence and diffusion behaviour of chlorpyrifos in five different species of vegetables: A comparative analysis.

Understanding of pesticide persistence and diffusion on the fresh vegetables are extremely important in food safety and decontamination process. In this study, we examine the persistence and diffusion behaviour of chlorpyrifos pesticide in five different species of vegetables. The chlorpyrifos pesticide was spiked on the vegetable surfaces and the extracted samples from peel and tissues were subjected to Gas Chromatography equipped with a Flame Photometric Detector (GC-FPD). Further, the chlorpyrifos diffusion behaviour was compared with the osmotic potential, shear strength, cuticular chemical profile and microstructure of peel surface of vegetables. The persistence analysis results revealed that chlorpyrifos level was decreased in peel surface and diffusion rate was increased in inner tissue with respect to durations. Within 72 h exposure, chlorpyrifos reached 0.7 cm depth into the inner tissue of vegetables. Significant level of chlorpyrifos diffusion with P ≤ 0.05 was observed in beetroot (2.47%), khon khol (1.46%) and brinjal (0.92%) compared to cucumber and potato. Remarkably, there was no direct linkage between the chlorpyrifos diffusion rate, osmotic potential and toughness of vegetables. In addition, the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed that epicuticular surface microstructure and chemical profiles were not correlated with the chlorpyrifos diffusion in all the tested vegetables. The study results concludes that chlorpyrifos diffusion is vegetable species specific and it is highly variable between the species.

Effect of edible coating on the aromatic attributes of roasted coffee beans.

Coffee is known throughout the world for its distinct aroma and flavour which results from a number of volatile compounds present in it. It is very difficult to arrest the aromatic compounds once the roasting process is complete and it becomes even more challenging to store the beans for a longer time with the retained volatiles as these compounds are easily lost during industrialized processing such as the grinding of roasted coffee beans and storage of ground coffee. Thus, an attempt was made to minimise the loss of volatile from roasted coffee beans by coating with Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and Whey protein concentrate. Coffee volatiles were analysed by Gas chromatography and 14 major compounds were identified and compared in this study. Results showed an increase in the relative area of major volatile compounds in coated roasted coffee beans when compared with unroasted coffee beans for consecutive two months. Moreover, effect of coating on textural properties and non-volatiles were also analysed. The results have indicated that edible coatings preserve the sensory properties of roasted coffee beans for a longer shelf life and cellulose derivatives, as an edible coating, exhibited the best protecting effect on roasted coffee beans.

A comprehensive review on utilization of wastewater from coffee processing.

The coffee processing industry is one of the major agro-based industries contributing significantly in international and national growth. Coffee fruits are processed by two methods, wet and dry process. In wet processing, coffee fruits generate enormous quantities of high strength wastewater requiring systematic treatment prior to disposal. Different method approach is used to treat the wastewater. Many researchers have attempted to assess the efficiency of batch aeration as posttreatment of coffee processing wastewater from an upflow anaerobic hybrid reactor (UAHR)-continuous and intermittent aeration system. However, wet coffee processing requires a high degree of processing know-how and produces large amounts of effluents which have the potential to damage the environment. Characteristics of wastewater from coffee processing has a biological oxygen demand (BOD) of up to 20,000 mg/l and a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of up to 50,000 mg/l as well as the acidity of pH below 4. In this review paper, various methods are discussed to treat coffee processing wastewaters; the constitution of wastewater is presented and the technical solutions for wastewater treatment are discussed.

Roasting green coffee beans using spouted bed roaster: changes in physical characteristics.

Pea-berry grade of green coffee (Coffea arabica) beans were roasted in a laboratory model spouted bed roaster at different temperatures (150-250°C) and times (30-300 s). The roasted samples were analysed for instrumental colour (hue, chroma and brightness) and texture. Brightness of the roasted samples varied between 5.2 and 20.4%, and time of roasting markedly decreased the brightness values. The chroma showed a curvilinear decrease with both time and temperature of roasting; the lowest values were with highest roasting times and temperatures. The hue or dominant wavelength increased from 576 to 603 nm due to roasting. The maximum force offered by the roasted beans decreased with temperature and/or time of roasting. An appropriate condition for spouted bed roasting of green coffee beans was obtained considering colour of samples and desirable low failure/fracture force.

Determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid and iminodisuccinic acid in cosmetic products by capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography.

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method are described for the simultaneous determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), S,S'-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) and R,S-iminodisuccinic acid (IDS) complexing agents as their Fe(III) complexes in cosmetics like shower cream and foam bath. The non-biodegradable EDTA is used in combination with biodegradable analogues like EDDS and IDS in many commercial products. The HPLC method involves separation by reversed-phase ion pair chromatography on a C(18) column using methanol-formate buffer (20 mM tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, 15 mM sodium formate adjusted to pH 4.0 with formic acid) (10:90, v/v) as mobile solvent at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min(-1) at 24 degrees C using UV detection at 240 nm. The CE separation was performed in a fused silica capillary of 50 microm i.d. with the total length of 50 cm with a 10 mM MES and MOPSO (pH 5.5) at an applied voltage of -25 kV. The samples were introduced by applying a 50 mbar pressure for 2s. Absorbances at 215 and 225 nm were monitored for the detection of the complexes. The methodology performance of the two methods was evaluated in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and reproducibility. The LOD values obtained from HPLC are low when compared with CE. The applicability of both the methods was demonstrated for the analysis of cosmetic products such as shower cream and foam bath. The results obtained by both CE and HPLC were found to be comparable and in good agreement.

Separation and determination of synthetic impurities of difloxacin by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for separation and determination of process-related impurities of difloxacin (DFL) was developed. The separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C(18) column using methanol-water-acetic acid (78:21.9:0.1, v/v/v) as a mobile solvent at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min at 28 degrees C using UV detection at 230 nm. It was linear over a range of 0.03 x 10(-6) to 1.60 x 10(-6)g for process related impurities and 0.05 x 10(-6) to 2.40 x 10(-6)g for difloxacin. The detection limits were 0.009 x 10(-6) to 0.024 x 10(-6)g for all the compounds examined. The recoveries were found to be in the range of 97.6-102.0% for impurities as well as difloxacin. The precision and robustness of the method were evaluated. It was used for not only quality assurance, but also monitoring the synthetic reactions involved in the process development work of difloxacin. The method was found to be specific, precise and reliable for the determination of unreacted levels of raw materials, intermediates in the reaction mixtures and the finished products of difloxacin.

Separation and determination of synthetic impurities of norfloxacin by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and rapid high performance liquid chromatographic method for the separation and determination of synthetic impurities of norfloxacin was developed. The separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C(18) column using 0.01 M potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate and acetonitrile (60:40, v/v, pH 3.0) as mobile solvent at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min at 40 degrees C and a UV detection at 260 nm. The method was used not only for quality assurance but also for monitoring the chemical reactions during the process development work in the laboratory. It was found to be specific, precise and reliable for determination of unreacted levels of raw materials, intermediates and the finished products of norfloxacin.

An overview of the recent trends in development of HPLC methods for determination of impurities in drugs.

An extensive survey of the literature published in various analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry related journals has been conducted and the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods which were developed and used for determination of process-related impurities in drugs have been reviewed. This review covers the time period from 1995 to 2001 during which around 450 analytical methods including all types of chromatographic and hyphenated techniques were reported. HPLC with UV detection was found to be the technique of choice for many workers and more than 200 methods were developed using LC-UV alone. A critical analysis of the reported data has been carried out and the present state-of-art of HPLC for determination of impurities of analgesic, antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-hypertensive, anti-depressant, gastro-intestinal and anti-neoplastic agents has been discussed.

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation and determination of the process related impurities of mebendazole, fenbendazole and albendazole in bulk drugs.

Simple, specific and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic methods to separate and determine potential impurities of anthelmintic drugs viz., mebendazole, fenbendazole and albendazole are reported. These methods afforded efficient separation, good resolution and identification of all the impurities examined. The methods were successfully applied not only for quality assurance, but also process development of the select anthelmintic drugs.

Efficacy of ayurvedic health care system: a study in a community.

This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of the Ayurvedic system, especially for chronic diseases. Assessment of the subjective relief feed back was done on the lines as suggested in Caraka Samhita, one of the oldest classical Ayurvedic texts. An inter-disciplinary research work involving ancient medical learning and hi-tech modern electronic data processing unit evaluate the efficacy of the Ayurvedic treatment in a closed community. 80 percent of the respondents were in the relief range of 75% to 100%, while overall relief in terms of regaining positive health in addition to attending complaint relief is over 70% in all diseases groups, as reported by the respondents in this Programme.

Study on the concept on sodhana with special reference to visopavisas.

The authors attempts to present in this paper different treatments employed for Sodhana with different and its toxicity reduction level.

Study on the vrsya property (testicular regenerative potential) of vanga bhasma.

Vanga bhasma, a popular Ayurvedic Medicine is prepared from Tin metal. This drug is claimed to have 'Sukrala' (Semenaugmentator), 'vrsya' (good for testis) properties in the literature and is widely in vogue for genito - urinary disorders in Ayurvedic practice. An experimental evaluation of the claim has been undertaken and the results have been presented in this paper. The drug in reference is found to have testicular regenerative potential on cadmium induced testicular degeneration in albino tats, when administered orally. This effect on 'Sukravaha Srotomula' (testis) appears to corroborate "Sukrala" and "Vrsya" properties attributed to the drug in Ayuredic literature.

TOXICITY STUDIES ON VANGA BHASMA (Part I - with special reference to G. I. T. Liver and Pancreas).

Vangabhasma is a popular and effective dosage form prepared from tin metal in Ayurvedic practice. Since modern literature attributes certain toxicity to tin salts, an attempt is made to screen the acute and sub-acute toxicity of Vangabhasma in the form, dose and route as is in the practice or Ayurveda. In this paper, dose-effect relation of Vangabhasma on Digestive system (G.I. T., Liver and Pancreas) has been presented. But for local irritation, no significant toxicity attributable to Vangabhasma has been observed even in eight times higher dose than therapeutic dose, on exposure to the drug for ten days.