Background/Aim:The aim of the present investigation is to prepare and evaluate in situ gel-forming ophthalmic drug delivery system of moxifloxacin hydrochloride.Materials and Methods:Sodium alginate, a novel ophthalmic gel-forming mucoadhesive polymer, which gets converted to gel in the presence of divalent-cations (calcium ion) present in the lachrymal fluid, was used as the gelling agent. Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) is a mucoadhesive polymer used as viscosity enhancer. Suitable concentrations of buffering agents were used to adjust the pH to 6.5. All the formulations were sterilized in an autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes. The formulations were evaluated for clarity, pH measurement, gelling capacity, drug content estimation, rheological study, in vitro diffusion study, antibacterial activity, isotonicity, and eye irritation study.Results:The developed formulations exhibited sustained release of drug from formulation over a period of 10 hours thus increasing residence time of the drug. The optimized formulations were tested for eye irritation on albino rabbit (male). The formulations were found to be non-irritating with no ocular damage or abnormal clinical signs to the cornea, iris or conjunctiva observed.Conclusion:These in situ gelling systems containing gums may be a valuable alternative to the conventional systems.

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Single and co-doped ZnO thin films are currently under intense investigation and development for optoelectronic applications. Here in this study, pristine, indium-doped (IZO), gallium-doped (GZO) and co-doped (IGZO) ZnO thin films were deposited on a glass substrate using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. A comparative study of all the films was carried out on the basis of their various properties. The effect of single and co-doping on the structural (X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and Raman studies), morphological (field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies) and optical properties (ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL)) of the deposited films was investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization was employed to analyse the surface chemical composition and bonding of the deposited film. From the XRD patterns, it was found that the films were highly crystalline in nature and preferentially oriented along the (002) direction with a hexagonal wurtzite structure, consistent with Raman analysis. IGZO films displayed a dramatic improvement in the surface morphology as compared with the single dopant films due to the compensation effect of gallium and indium doping which reduced the lattice strain. The XPS analysis confirmed the presence of the oxidized dopants in each film. All thin films have shown excellent optical properties with more than 90% transmission in the visible range of light. The blue-shift of the absorption edge accompanied by the increase of the optical band gap confirmed the Burstein-Moss effect. The UV PL peak originated from the near band edge emission of crystalline ZnO, while the visible PL was associated with the radiative transition related to oxygen interstitial (Oi) defects in the ZnO structure.

Aims To evaluate the feto-maternal outcome, identify the adverse outcome predictors and test the applicability of modified WHO (mWHO) classification in pregnant women with heart disease (PWWHD) from Tamil Nadu, India. Methods and results One thousand and five pregnant women (mean age: 26.04 ± 4.2) with 1029 consecutive pregnancies were prospectively enrolled from July 2016 to December 2019 in the Madras medical college pregnancy and cardiac (M-PAC) registry. Majority (60.5%; 623/1029) had heart disease (HD) diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. Rheumatic HD (42%; 433/1029) was most common. One third (34.2%; 352/1029) had pulmonary hypertension (PH). Maternal mortality and composite maternal cardiac events (MCEs) were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were foetal loss and composite adverse foetal events (AFEs). MCEs occurred in 15.2% (156/1029; 95% CI: 13.0–17.5) pregnancies. Heart failure was the most common MCE (66.0%; 103/156; 95% CI: 58.0–73.4). Maternal mortality was 1.9% (20/1029; 95% CI: 1.1–2.8), with highest rates in patients with prosthetic heart valves (PHVs) (8.6%; 6/70). Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), PHVs, severe mitral stenosis, PH and current pregnancy diagnosis of HD were independent predictors of MCE. The c-statistic of mWHO classification for predicting MCE and maternal death were 0.794 (95% CI: 0.763–0.826) and 0.796 (95% CI: 0.732–0.860). 91.2% (938/1029; 95% CI: 89.392.8) of pregnancies resulted in live births. 33.7% (347/1029; 95% CI: 30.8–36.7) of pregnancies reported AFEs. Conclusion Maternal mortality is high in PWWHD from India. Highest death rates occurred in women with PHVs, PH and LVSD. The mWHO classification for risk stratification may require further adaptation and validation in India.