Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2013 in |
Mental illness constitutes the second-largest disease burden in the United States. Psychosis is one of the most common and severe mental illnesses. It is an extremely devastating condition characterised by delusions, hallucinations, distortion of thoughts and deteriorating social functioning experiences. Psychosis in all human societies has approximately same incidence of occurrence as in accordance to “anthropo-parity principle.” It has large economic impact on various aspects of cognition, health, and quality of life which has devastated effects on its sufferers and facing them large economic burden. Psychosis (Schizophrenia) is associated with an imbalance of the dopaminergic system, entailing hyper-stimulation of dopamine function in the brain, particularly in the mesolimbic pathway. Consequences of antipsychotic treatment are far reaching and expensive. Detrimental extrapyramidal side effects associated with conventional antipsychotics and non-compliance among patients limits long term treatment with conventional antipsychotics. It gives rise to a new class, atypical antipsychotics owning low propensity to cause EPS, efficacy against refractory cases and better control over negative symptoms, better tolerance and compliance along with lower...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2013 in |
The treatment of cancer is limited by a number of factors including the low therapeutic index of most chemotherapeutic agents, the emergence of drug- and radiation-resistant tumor cells, tumor heterogeneity and the presence of metastatic disease. One of the means to improve the therapeutic index of drugs is by selective or ‘targeted’ delivery to tumor sites. Tumor-directed therapy has the potential to improve efficacy, by increasing the intratumoral concentration of the targeted agent, and to minimize toxicity by reducing systemic exposure. So far some degree of site-selective delivery has been achieved only with “targeting homing drugs” that specifically recognize their pharmacological target. The specificity of delivery using nanoparticles was initially a coincidental property, active targeting has now become a central concept in cancer therapeutic research. This concept has been developed into practical application using a variety of tumor targeting ligands. This review briefly summarizes the ever increasing evidence to the use of proteins such as monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), Affibody molecules, albumin, transferrin and peptides such as...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2013 in |
After a laborious and extravagant procedure the drug finally enters the market for use. But who determines the new drug status as a prescription only or an OTC? There is a clear cut contrast between the US and India with respect to their assignment guidelines and the future prospect of a new drug. In the US the regulatory status of the approved drug is determined as per the FDA guidelines (FDCA of 1938) in accordance with the Durham-Humphrey act of 1951 which depicts the criteria required for a pharmaceutical product to be marketed as a prescription drug or an OTC product. CDSCO headed by the DCGI is the authority responsible for determining the regulatory status which acts as per the regulations listed in Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 in India. The US regulatory system stipulates the malleability for the inter conversion of the drugs regulatory status known as “Rx to OTC switch” which is deficient in India. Perfect implementation of regulations in India will promote effective use of...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2013 in |
Ethosomes are noninvasive delivery carriers that enable drugs to reach the deep skin layers and/or the systemic circulation. These are soft, malleable vesicles tailored for enhanced delivery of active agents. They are composed mainly of phospholipids, high concentration of ethanol and water. The high concentration of ethanol makes the ethosomes unique, as ethanol is known for its disturbance of skin lipid bilayer organization; therefore, when integrated into a vesicle membrane, it gives that vesicle the ability to penetrate the stratum corneum. Also, because of their high ethanol concentration, the lipid membrane is packed less tightly than conventional vesicles but has equivalent stability, allowing a more malleable structure and improves drug distribution ability in stratum corneum lipids. The Ethosomes were found to be suitable for various applications within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary, cosmetic, and nutraceutical markets. These “soft vesicles” represents novel vesicular carrier for enhanced delivery to/through...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2013 in |
Solid lipid nanoparticles are at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology with several potential applications in drug delivery, research and clinical medicine, as well as in other varied sciences. Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) dispersions have been proposed as a new type of colloidal drug carrier system suitable for intravenous administration. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) technology represents a promising new approach to lipophilic drug delivery. Solid lipid nanoparticles are spherical lipid particles ranging in size from 1 to 1000 nm and are dispersed in water or in aqueous surfactant solution. It is identical to an oil-in-water emulsion, but the liquid lipid (oil) of the emulsion has been replaced by a solid lipid, i.e., yielding Solid Lipid Nanoparticles. SLN are particles made from solid lipid or lipid blends produced by high pressure homogenization. The biodegradable and bioacceptable nature of SLNs makes them less toxic as compared to polymeric nanoparticles. SLNs can also be used to improve the bioavailability of drugs. In this present review this new approach is...
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