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After the successful commercial exploitation of 3D printing technology, the advanced version of additive manufacturing, i.e., 4D printing, has been a new buzz in the technology-driven industries since 2013. It is a judicious combination of 3D printing technologies and smart materials (stimuli responsive), where time is the fourth dimension. Materials such as liquid crystal elastomer (LCE), shape memory polymers, alloys and composites exhibiting properties such as self–assembling and self-healing are used in the development/manufacturing of these products, which respond to external stimuli such as solvent, temperature, light, etc. The technologies being used are direct ink writing (DIW), fused filament fabrication (FFF), etc. It offers several advantages over 3D printing and has been exploited in different sectors such as healthcare, textiles, etc. Some remarkable applications of 4D printing technology in healthcare are self-adjusting stents, artificial muscle and drug delivery applications. Potential of applications call for further research into more responsive materials and technologies in this field. The given review is an attempt to collate all the information pertaining to techniques employed, raw materials, applications, clinical trials, recent patents and publications specific to healthcare products. The technology has also been evaluated in terms of regulatory perspectives. The data garnered is expected to make a strong contribution to the field of technology for human welfare and healthcare.

Over the past few years, pharmaceutical and biomedical areas have made the most astounding accomplishments in the field of medicine, diagnostics and drug delivery. Nanotechnology-based tools have played a major role in this. The implementation of this multifaceted nanotechnology concept encourages the advancement of innovative strategies and materials for improving patient compliance. The plausible usage of nanotechnology in drug delivery prompts an extension of lipid-based nanocarriers with a special reference to barriers such as the skin and blood–brain barrier (BBB) that have been discussed in the given manuscript. The limited permeability of these two intriguing biological barriers restricts the penetration of active moieties through the skin and brain, resulting in futile outcomes in several related ailments. Lipid-based nanocarriers provide a possible solution to this problem by facilitating the penetration of drugs across these obstacles, which leads to improvements in their effectiveness. A special emphasis in this review is placed on the composition, mechanism of penetration and recent applications of these carriers. It also includes recent research and the latest findings in the form of patents and clinical trials in this field. The presented data demonstrate the capability of these carriers as potential drug delivery systems across the skin (referred to as topical, dermal and transdermal delivery) as well as to the brain, which can be exploited further for the development of safe and efficacious products.

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe disorder that typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and characterized by profound disruption in thinking and perception, affecting language, thought, perception and sense of self. The consequences of the illness for the individual affected, his or her family, and society in general are devastating. Caring of individual with schizophrenia is a big challenge for caregivers. During care giving of individual with schizophrenia caregiver has started to avoid his health care, family responsibility, job as well as social interaction with friends, neighbours and relatives. Individual’s illness creates many problems for caregivers in community. Social support largely depends on the family’s reaction to illness, if they are rejecting, intolerant of dependence, or unsympathetic to the needs of the patients, then they may offer too little support. Aim: The aim of the study is to assess and compare the social support of male and female care givers of patients suffering from schizophrenia. Methods: The present study was a hospital based cross sectional comparative study among the male and female caregivers of Schizophrenia. Purposive sampling technique was used and sample size consists of a total of 60 caregivers of patients with Schizophrenia 30 male caregivers of patients with Schizophrenia and 30 female caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. Results & Conclusion: There was no significant found between the two groups. Hence we can conclude that social support is almost equal in male and female caregiver. Care givers of patients suffering from schizophrenia face the similar circumstances.