Introduction: Methadone hydrochloride (MDN) is an effective pharmacological substitution treatment for opioids dependence, adopted in different countries as methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programmes. However, MDN can exacerbate the addiction problem if it is abused and injected intravenously, and the frequent visits to the MMT centres can reduce patient compliance. The overall aim of this study is to develop a novel extended-release capsule of MDN using the sol-gel silica (SGS) technique that has the potential to counteract medication-tampering techniques and associated health risks and reduce the frequent visits to MMT centres. Methods: For MDN recrystallisation, a closed container method (CCM) and hot-stage method (HSM) were conducted, and MDN crystals were characterised using the polarised light microscope (PLM). MDN crystal thickness was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM) to establish a relationship between MDN crystals thickness and their birefringence colours using the Michel-Levy Birefringence Colour Chart. The experimental series was continued to produce novel silica-based MDN formulations A and B capsules by adding MDN powder at the end and beginning of the SGS process, respectively. The silica-based MDN formulations were characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), SEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), PLM and mean grey value (MGV) analyses. The in vitro release studies (n=3) for the silica-based MDN formulations and pure MDN capsules were conducted in a phosphate buffer solution (pH= 7.2) for 7 days. Stability studies were conducted for 1 month by keeping the silica-based MDN capsules under 25°C and 57% RH. Results: The optimal method to produce large numbers of MDN crystals was the CCM, and MDN crystals were characterised as diamond shaped with an intrinsic angle of 62o. The SEM surpassed the CM in measuring MDN crystal thickness, and Mann-Whitney U Test showed statistically significant differences between SEM and confocal thickness measurements (U= 1283, p < 0.05) as the SEM exhibited thinner diamond crystals (6.62 ± 2.9 µm) than the CM measurements (9.6 ± 4.6µm). According to the Michel-Levey birefringence colour chart (using the SEM mean thickness of MDN crystals and their retardation value of 428 nm), most of MDN crystals demonstrated a yellow colour. The FT-IR, SEM, DSC, MGV and PLM analyses of both silica-based MDN formulations revealed that MDN was successfully incorporated inside the silica network producing amorphous material (with no appearance of the melting peak of pure MDN at 233.4°C) with evidence of no physical or chemical interaction between sol-gel silica and MDN. However, the TGA analysis revealed a significantly greater amount of MDN was loaded inside the silica-based MDN formulation B compared to A (t = 2.80, p = 0.009, n=6), as 28.3 ± 0.6 mg of MDN was loaded in the former while 25.6 ± 0.7 mg in the latter. In addition, the silica-based MDN formulation B released 10% more MDN after 7 days than formulation A, and both formulations were stable when stored for 1 month under 57% RH and 25°C. Conclusion: The novel combined use of SEM and PLM techniques shows a potential for the identification of MDN in forensic science as it established a range of birefringence colours of MDN crystals. Moreover, the new silica-based MDN formulation B can help to deter MDN abuse and increase patient adherence to MMT due to its potential to sustain MDN release and reduce the frequent visits to MDN treatment centres.
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Abstract
Background: anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) are becoming increasingly popular between bodybuilders and people who want to enhance their physiques. However, according to the rise of the Internet and laws prohibiting sales of these substances without prescription, the route of obtaining and administration practices have become more and more dangerous.
Objective: Anabolic-androgenic steroids represents a group of synthetic testosterone derivatives its play an important role in clinical treatment. These group of drugs are widely abused among the general public to increase lean body weight and improve athletic performance. It has been reported that AAS use can cause many adverse e
... Show MoreSecure storage of confidential medical information is critical to healthcare organizations seeking to protect patient's privacy and comply with regulatory requirements. This paper presents a new scheme for secure storage of medical data using Chaskey cryptography and blockchain technology. The system uses Chaskey encryption to ensure integrity and confidentiality of medical data, blockchain technology to provide a scalable and decentralized storage solution. The system also uses Bflow segmentation and vertical segmentation technologies to enhance scalability and manage the stored data. In addition, the system uses smart contracts to enforce access control policies and other security measures. The description of the system detailing and p
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A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometirc method for the determination of trace amounts of promethazine hydrochloride in the aqueous solution is described. The method is based on the complexation of promethazine hydrochloride with In (III) in the presence of sodium hydroxide to form an soluble product with maximum absorption at 304nm. Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range of (2- 20μg/ml) with molar absorptivity of (1.92× 103 L.mol-1 .cm -1 ). The optimum conditions for all development are described and the proposed method has been successfully applied for the determination of promethazine hydrochloride in bulk drug.
a simple accurate and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of promethazine HCI has been developed the method is based on the oxidative coupling reaction of promethazine
A simple, rapid, accurate and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of thiaminehydrochloride has been developed. The method is based on the formation of the Schiff’s base between the primary amino group present in thiamine hydrochloride and aldehyde group present in the vanillin reagent to produce a yellow colored complex having maximum absorption at 390 nm. Beer’s law has obeaid over the concentration range of 2-28µg/mL, with molar absorptivity of 0.96x104L/mol.cm. The average recovery which is a measure of accuracy is 100±1.3% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) is less than1.5 .The present method is considered to be
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In-situ gelation is a process of gel formation at the site of application, in which a drug product formulation that exists as a liquid has been transformed into a gel upon contact with body fluids. As a drug delivery agent, the in-situ gel has an advantage of providing sustained release of the drug agent. In-situ gelling liquid suppositories using poloxamer 188 (26-30% W/W) as a suppository base with 10% W/W naproxen were prepared, the gelation temperature of these preparations were measured and they were all above the physiological temperature. Additives such as polyvinylpyrrolidin "PVP" ,hydroxylpropylmethylcellulose "HPMC", sodium alginate and sodium chloride were used in concentration ranging from (0.25-1
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KE Sharqie, AA Al-Nuaimy, WJ Kadhum, SMJ, 2006 - Cited by 2
the study including isolation and identification of candida spp causing UTIs from patintes coming to al-yarmouk hospital
Afamin, which is a human plasma glycoprotein, a putative multifunctional transporter of hydrophobic molecules and a marker for metabolic syndrome. Afamin concentration have been proposed to have a significant role as a predictor of metabolic disorders. Since NAFLD is associated with metabolic risk factors, e.g., dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and visceral obesity, it is considered as the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study is to determine Afamin levels in hypothyroid patients with and without fatty liver disease and compare the results with controls. Also to study the relationship of Afamin level with the Anthropometric and Clinical Features (Age, Gender, BMI and Duration of Hypothyroidism) , Serum
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