Community needs and strengths assessments as an active learning project

The Community Needs and Strengths Assessment Project (CNSAP) incorporated development of needs and strengths assessment research into an undergraduate Community Health course as an active learning project--one of seven principles for effective practice in undergraduate education. Community needs and strengths assessments prove useful to health educators primarily in planning programs and promoting effective public relations. Assessments also help to identify and diagnose health problems and to evaluate programs. Through the CNSAP students completed a process health educators use to identify gaps between current and required programs and to prioritize assets and resources based on community needs and strengths. The CNSAP focused on mastery of four skills required for completing a needs and strengths assessment: identifying data sources, conducting primary data collection from a target audience, analyzing data and prioritizing identified needs and strengths, and abstracting information concisely. The project, which included substantial community involvement, helped students identify needs and strengths necessary for addressing community health problems and concerns.     

Production and characterization of antioxidant apigenin nanocrystals as a novel UV skin protective formulation

Flavonoids have many positive effects on various cell layers of the skin (e.g. anti-oxidant, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects). However, the limiting factor of the use of flavonoids is their low water solubility. To overcome the poor solubility, apigenin nanosuspensions were prepared using the combination technology (CT), i.e. bead milling and subsequently high pressure homogenization. Distinct reduction in particle size was observed after each bead milling passage resulting in z-average (PCS) of 413 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.202. The LD data showed a similar pattern of particle size reduction reaching a diameter 99% (d(v)99%) of 0.515 μm. The antioxidant capacity of apigenin nanocrystals were almost doubled compared to the original coarse suspension. The developed smartCrystals can be easily incorporated into gels, which makes apigenin nanocrystals available for dermal application as efficient antioxidant.     

Usefulness of right ventricular tissue Doppler imaging to predict outcome in left ventricular heart failure independent of left ventricular diastolic function

It is unknown whether right ventricular (RV) tissue Doppler (TD) predicts outcome in patients with left ventricular (LV) heart failure (HF) independently of contemporary echocardiographic Doppler variables of LV diastolic function. Comprehensive echocardiographic Doppler examination was performed before discharge in 107 patients hospitalized with LV HF. The primary end point was cardiac death or rehospitalization for HF. Follow-up was complete for 100 of 107 patients a mean of 527 days after hospital discharge. There were no significant differences in baseline clinical variables (mean age 58+/-12 years, 46% women, 77% hypertensive, 48% diabetic, 41% current smokers, and 23% known coronary artery disease) in prediction of the primary end point. Compared with patients without an event, patients with an event had a larger left atrial volume index (42+/-16 vs 33+/-13 ml/m2, p=0.001), lower LV ejection fraction (35+/-19% vs 46+/-22%, p=0.01), higher mitral peak early diastolic flow velocity/TD early diastolic velocity (19+/-7 vs 14+/-7, p=0.001), lower RV fractional area change (39+/-11% vs 43+/-10%, p=0.04), and lower RV TD systolic velocity (8+/-2 vs 10+/-3 cm/s, p=0.005). On Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis, left atrial volume index (p=0.01), mitral peak early diastolic flow velocity/TD early diastolic velocity (p=0.03), and RV TD systolic velocity (p=0.04) were independent predictors of outcome. Even when contemporary echocardiographic Doppler measures of LV diastolic function are considered, RV TD systolic velocity is an independent predictor of cardiac death or rehospitalization for HF in patients hospitalized with HF and appears to be superior to conventional 2-dimensional parameters of RV function.     

Nanosuspensions: a new approach for organ and cellular targeting in infectious diseases

Most of the infectious diseases depending upon the stage of infection need treatment at least for a month to several years e.g. tuberculosis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Medication by oral administration is of choice in all treatments, but unfortunately use of large doses resulting from drug poor solubility and bioavailability leads to toxicity. The problem of solubility should be solved in easiest way to reduce dose and to increase bioavailability thereby decreasing the unnecessary exposure of other organs than the targeted one without increasing the cost of treatment. Nanosuspensions offer a simple, easy and cost effective solution to solve all above issues, without exposing body to extra drug dose. They can also serve as industrially relevant formulation approach by overcoming problems associated with other drug delivery systems like low entrapment, polymer toxicity, biocompatibility and stability issues. In this paper, applications of nanosuspensions are discussed in detail focusing particularly treatment of infectious diseases. Furthermore, potential of them in targeting at organ, cellular and subcellular levels is debated.     

Subgrouping of A and AB blood groups in Indian blood centres: is it required?

Anti A1 antibody in the serum of A2 and A2B individuals is rare but when present can have laboratory and clinical significance. Routine subgrouping of all A and AB blood groups in blood centres in India is difficult due to economic constraints and has always been a point of debate. This study thus brings out the prevalence of anti A1 antibody and the clinical significance related to its presence. The results of the study showed a low prevalence of anti A1 antibody and when present, it had a low thermal amplitude and titre. Further, no blood group discrepancy or problems during compatibility testing were encountered with these (A1 antibody positive) blood units. Thus, it may be concluded that in India and other developing countries where resources are scarce, routine subgrouping of A and AB may not be really worthwhile unless there is a group discrepancy, problem during compatibility testing or history of a transfusion reaction.     

Intracellular trafficking of nuclear localization signal conjugated nanoparticles for cancer therapy

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anticancer drug with an intracellular site of action in the nucleus. For high antitumour activity, it should be effectively internalized into the cancer cells and accumulate in the nucleus. In this study, we have prepared a nuclear localization signal conjugated doxorubicin loaded Poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (NPs), to deliver doxorubicin to the nucleus efficiently. Physico-chemical characterization of these NPs showed that the drug is molecularly dispersed in spherical and smooth surfaced nanoparticles. NPs (～226 nm in diameter, 46% encapsulation efficiency) under in vitro conditions exhibited sustained release of the encapsulated drug (63% release in 60 days). Cell cytotoxicity results showed that NLS conjugated NPs exhibited comparatively lower IC₅₀ value (2.3 μM/ml) than drug in solution (17.6 μM/ml) and unconjugated NPs (7.9 μM/ml) in breast cancer cell line MCF-7 as studied by MTT assay. Cellular uptake studies by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and fluorescence spectrophotometer showed that greater amount of drug is targeted to the nucleus with NLS conjugated NPs as compared to drug in solution or unconjugated NPs. Flow cytometry experiments results showed that NLS conjugated NPs are showing greater cell cycle (G2/M phase) blocking and apoptosis than native DOX and unconjugated NPs. In conclusion, these results suggested that NLS conjugated doxorubicin loaded NPs could be potentially useful as novel drug delivery system for breast cancer therapy.