Simultaneous Determination of Caffeine and Paracetamol in Commercial Formulations Using Greener Normal-Phase and Reversed-Phase HPTLC Methods: A Contrast of Validation Parameters

There has been no assessment of the greenness of the described analytical techniques for the simultaneous determination (SMD) of caffeine and paracetamol. As a result, in comparison to the greener normal-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) technique, this research was conducted to develop a rapid, sensitive, and greener reversed-phase HPTLC approach for the SMD of caffeine and paracetamol in commercial formulations. The greenness of both techniques was calculated using the AGREE method. For the SMD of caffeine and paracetamol, the greener normal-phase and reversed-phase HPTLC methods were linear in the 50–500 ng/band and 25–800 ng/band ranges, respectively. For the SMD of caffeine and paracetamol, the greener reversed-phase HPTLC approach was more sensitive, accurate, precise, and robust than the greener normal-phase HPTLC technique. For the SMD of caffeine paracetamol in commercial PANEXT and SAFEXT tablets, the greener reversed-phase HPTLC technique was superior to the greener normal-phase HPTLC approach. The AGREE scores for the greener normal-phase and reversed-phase HPTLC approaches were estimated as 0.81 and 0.83, respectively, indicated excellent greenness profiles for both analytical approaches. The greener reversed-phase HPTLC approach is judged superior to the greener normal-phase HPTLC approach based on numerous validation parameters and pharmaceutical assays.     

Smart Nanocarriers as an Emerging Platform for Cancer Therapy: A Review

Cancer is a group of disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth that affects around 11 million people each year globally. Nanocarrier-based systems are extensively used in cancer imaging, diagnostics as well as therapeutics; owing to their promising features and potential to augment therapeutic efficacy. The focal point of research remains to develop new-fangled smart nanocarriers that can selectively respond to cancer-specific conditions and deliver medications to target cells efficiently. Nanocarriers deliver loaded therapeutic cargos to the tumour site either in a passive or active mode, with the least drug elimination from the drug delivery systems. This review chiefly focuses on current advances allied to smart nanocarriers such as dendrimers, liposomes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, quantum dots, micelles, superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes, to list a few. Exhaustive discussion on crucial topics like drug targeting, surface decorated smart-nanocarriers and stimuli-responsive cancer nanotherapeutics responding to temperature, enzyme, pH and redox stimuli have been covered.     

Optimization of Graphene Layers Grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2 by Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition

Large area single and bilayer graphene are grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂ substrates by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) with and without the assistance of Cu foil. The quality and number of graphene layers deposited on the substrate are assessed by Raman Spectroscopy. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used for assessing the surface topography of the graphene films grown on the Pt/Ti/SiO₂ substrates. The microstructure and elemental analyses are performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that bilayer graphene growth is facilitated by a copper foil placed nearby Pt/Ti/SiO2 substrate and by a high filament temperature in the HFCVD reactor. Monolayer graphene grows only when no copper foil is placed near the Pt/Ti/SiO₂ substrate at a low filament temperature. The approach paves a novel pathway towards the layer-controlled growth of graphene on Pt/Ti/SiO₂ substrates by HFCVD for frontier applications.     

Sobolev gradient approach for the time evolution related to energy minimization of Ginzburg–Landau functionals

The Sobolev gradient technique has been discussed previously in this journal as an efficient method for finding energy minima of certain Ginzburg–Landau type functionals [S. Sial, J. Neuberger, T. Lookman, A. Saxena, Energy minimization using Sobolev gradients: application to phase separation and ordering, J. Comput. Phys. 189 (2003) 88–97]. In this article a Sobolev gradient method for the related time evolution is discussed.     

新疆大学大学生营养知识态度行为的调查

目的了解新疆大学大学生营养知识、膳食态度、膳食结构和行为现况及存在的问题,为今后开展营养教育的设计及干预提供科学依据.方法采用自行设计的营养知识等方面的问卷,对新疆大学在校的2859名不同生源地,一～三年级不同专业男、女大学生中进行营养知识,膳食态度与膳食结构和行为的抽样调查.结果学生营养知识方面42.4%学生合格,其中男生39%、女生45.8%,膳食态度方面合格率达到72.2%,其中男生62.1%、女生82.3%,膳食结构和行为合格率57.9%,其中男生51.6%、女生64.6%.结论多数学生缺乏必要的营养知识,学生正确营养态度形成率均不高,如：不吃早餐、吃零食等行为较普遍,早餐及各类食物营养价值的有关知识欠缺,膳食结构及行为存在严重的不合理性,尤以农村生源学生及二,三年级学生为重,但有较好的健康饮食意识,他们接受营养知识的态度较好,愿意接受更多的营养知识并改正不良的饮食习惯,应采取多种措施加强对大学生营养知识的宣传教育和营养健康教育,纠正不良饮食行为,引导养成合理膳食行为,尤其是对来自农村学生及女生中针对性的进行膳食营养健康教育及干预十分必要.     

Hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes using AB2‐type azide monomers: Synthesis,characterization, fluorescence,and charge‐transfer complexation studies

Novel AB₂‐type azide monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)carbonyl azide (monomer 1) , 3,5‐bis(methylol)phenyl carbonyl azide (monomer 2) , 4‐(methylol phenoxy) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 3) , and 5‐(methylol) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 4) were synthesized. Melt and solution polymerization of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes with and without flexible ether groups. The structures of theses polymers were established using FT‐IR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 3.2 × 10³ to 5.5 × 10⁴ g/mol depending on the experimental conditions used. The thermal properties of the polymers were evaluated using TGA and DSC: the polymer obtained from monomer ( 1 ) exhibited lowest T_g and highest thermal stability and the polymer obtained from monomer ( 2 ) registered the highest T_g and lowest thermal stability. All the polymers displayed fluorescence maxima in the 425–525 nm range with relatively narrow peak widths indicating that they had pure and intense fluorescence. Also, the polymers formed charge transfer (CT) complexes with electron acceptor molecules such as 7,7,8,8‐tetracyano‐quino‐dimethane (TCNQ) and 1,1,2,2‐tetracyanoethane (TCNE) as evidenced by UV‐visible spectra. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3337–3351, 2009     

Synthesis of double C-glycoside analogue of sTn

A sTn double C-glycoside, sTn analogue 2, was synthesized using samarium chemistry developed in our laboratory. Complications in the oxidation reaction affording aldehyde acceptor were overcome by double protection of amide and the use of a room-temperature ionic liquid as solvent. Studies are underway to conjugate the sTn double C-glycoside hapten 2 to KLH carrier protein for biological evaluation as a vaccine.