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Int J Pharm 2020 Aug 25;586:119580. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the mainstays of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and it is mainly administered either orally or by subcutaneous (SC) injection, which are not so satisfactory. While orally administered MTX is associated with variable bioavailability and causes gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea and vomiting, SC injection is painful and produces high peak blood levels of MTX. Transdermal delivery presents an attractive alternative administration route. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2020 Apr 15;148:833-842. Epub 2020 Jan 15.

Advance Energy & Materials Systems Laboratory (AEMSL), Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam 781039, India. Electronic address:

The impact of grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) as an antibacterial agent on citric acid (CA) crosslinked sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC)/hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) hydrogel films has been studied by incorporating different quantities of GFSE. The prepared films were examined for their physical, thermal, mechanical and antibacterial properties. It was observed that crystallinity and initial decomposition temperature of hydrogel films decreased with GFSE concentration. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2019 Aug 9;134:815-829. Epub 2019 May 9.

Advance Energy & Materials Systems Laboratory (AEMSL), Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam 781039, India. Electronic address:

In this study, hydrogel films were prepared from sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) using citric acid (CA) as crosslinker. The chemical crosslinking (ester bond) between NaCMC and HPMC was confirmed by FTIR analysis. It was found that swelling degree, crystallinity and water contact angle of hydrogel films based on NaCMC-HPMC (2wt%) decrease with increase in CA from 5% to 20% (by weight). Read More

Pharmaceutics 2018 Nov 15;10(4). Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, South Africa.

This study aimed to develop a prolonged-release device for the potential site-specific delivery of a neuroprotective agent (nicotine). The device was formulated as a novel reinforced crosslinked composite polymeric system with the potential for intrastriatal implantation in Parkinson's disease interventions. Polymers with biocompatible and bioerodible characteristics were selected to incorporate nicotine within electrolyte-crosslinked alginate-hydroxyethylcellulose gelispheres compressed within a release rate-modulating external polymeric matrix, comprising either hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), polyethylene oxide (PEO), or poly(lactic--glycolic) acid (PLGA) to prolong nicotine release. Read More

Eye Vis (Lond) 2018 10;5:23. Epub 2018 Sep 10.

Department of Ophthalmology, Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, 635 West 165th Street, New York, NY 10032 USA.

Background: Corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) is a widely used treatment for halting the progression of keratoconus. Although initial studies of CXL were performed with a riboflavin solution containing dextran, recent protocols for CXL have indicated the use of a riboflavin solution containing isotonic hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). This study was performed to investigate differences in visual outcomes and Scheimpflug (Pentacam) analysis in patients who have undergone epithelium-off CXL with riboflavin solution containing either 20% dextran versus 1. Read More