Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2011 in |
Microemulsions are clear, stable, isotropic mixtures of oil, water and surfactant, frequently in combination with a cosurfactant. Microemulsions act as potential drug carrier systems for oral, topical, and parenteral administration. They offer the advantage of spontaneous formation, ease of manufacturing and scale-up, thermodynamic stability, and improved drug solubilization and bioavailability. Preparing a pharmaceutically acceptable dosage form demands a clear understanding of the micro-emulsion structure, phase behavior, factors leading to its thermodynamic stability and the potential uses and limitations of the microemulsion system. Knowledge of the various methods available to thoroughly characterize a microemulsion system is essential. While microemulsion is used in several fields, in this review the pharmaceutical applications are emphasized. Several references are cited, but the list is by no means exhaustive. The review is written so that a newcomer to the field can easily grasp the important facts pertaining to this novel delivery...
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Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2011 in |
After more than a century, tuberculosis (TB) is still a formidable public health challenge as it contributes considerably to illness and death worldwide, irrespective of continuous advancement in technology and in depth understanding of molecular biology concepts. Mycobacterium tuberculosis persist for longer period in human and animal host in latent state without causing active disease and may reactivate soon after immunity declines. Today’s chemotherapy is lengthy as well as ineffective to control tuberculosis. Moreover, in the absence of fundamental biological understanding of mycobacterial persistence, significant pathogen driven factors and validated animal models, shortening the duration of anti-tuberculosis therapy remains a distant goal. Subsequently, molecular signaling proteins which serve as potential targets should be explored and explicated to limit mycobacterial growth. This review focuses on mechanisms of mycobacterial persistence, various models of latent tuberculosis, identification of crucial gene targets, vaccination and therapeutic approaches to target latent tuberculosis...
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Posted by admin on Jul 1, 2011 in |
Herbal medicines are widely used since time immemorial indicating that herbs are a growing part of modern, high-tech medicine.India has an ancient heritage of traditional herbal medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that about 80% of the populations living in the developing countries rely almost exclusively on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. The use of herbal drugs for treating various diseases predates human history forms the origin of much of the modern medicine.The medicinal plants are used for various diseases because of their safety and effectiveness. The problem of microbial resistance is growing and the outlook for the use of antimicrobial drugs in the future is still uncertain. Therefore, actions must be taken to control the use of antibiotic, to develop research to better understand the genetic mechanisms of resistance, and to continue studies to develop either synthetic or natural new drugs. Numerous studies have been done on herbals confirming their potential antimicrobial property against microorganisms. One of the strategies towards attaining this objective is the...
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Posted by admin on Jul 1, 2011 in |
Counterfeit drug is a pharmaceutical product which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity or effectiveness. It may contain inappropriate quantities of active ingredients, may be improperly processed within the body or may contain ingredients that are not on the label, and is often sold with inaccurate, incorrect, or fake packaging and labeling. It is estimated that more than 10% of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, and in some countries more than 50% of the drug supply is counterfeit. In 2003, the WHO estimates that the annual earnings of counterfeit drugs were over US$32 billion. These are inadequate measures to determine the correct prevalence of the problem. There are several technologies that may prove helpful in combating the counterfeit drug problem include radio frequency identification which uses electronic devices to track and identify pharmaceutical items and electronic pedigree (e-Pedigree) system to track drugs throughout its distribution...
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Posted by admin on Jul 1, 2011 in |
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss or baldness. It is a health condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp. Hair loss can be caused due to different reasons, such as genetic tendencies, environmental triggers, exposure to chemicals, medicines, nutritional deficiency, extreme stress or long illness etc. On the basis of hair loss pattern and causes, alopecia is classified into several categories. The two major forms i.e. Alopecia areata and Androgenetic alopecia are of main concern. At present a number of synthetic remedies like Corticosteroids, dithranol, tretinoin, minoxidil, zinc, systematic Cortisone, irritants, immuno-suppressive drugs, finasteride, azelaic acid are available for the treatment of Alopecia (both Androgenetic and Areata), but not a single or multiple drug therapy is giving satisfactory and permanent results to the Alopecia patients. Besides, a number of side effects are associated with the use of these synthetic compounds, including erythema, scaling, pruritis, dermatitis, itching, etc. So to cope with the problem of Hair loss, here we...
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