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. We studied the vegetation distribution in eight landscape types distinguished along an altitudinal gradient in the Trans‐Himalayan region of Ladakh, India. The point‐intercept method was used for vegetation sampling. Six plant communities were distinguished by cluster analysis. Of these 6 communities, three communities were dominated by shrub species. Table lands are the landscape type with the highest species diversity followed by undulating areas and river beds. Most plant species were restricted to one landscape type.

The topically administered drugs through conventional delivery systems have low bioavailability. Henceforth, the present study was designed to prepare and optimize clarithromycin (CTM)-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) to demonstrate the efficacy against microorganisms. Methods: Clarithromycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CTM-CHNPs) were prepared by ionotropic gelation method. The formulation was optimized by box-Behnken design using the formulation variables like CH (A), STPP concentration (B), and stirring speed (C). Their effects were evaluated on the independent variables like particle size (Y 1) and entrapment efficiency (Y 2). Further, CTM-CHNPs were evaluated for physicochemical parameters, invitro drug release, ex-vivo permeation, bioadhesive study, corneal hydration, histopathology, HET-CAM, and antibacterial study. Results: The optimized formulation (CTM-CHNPopt) showed the low particle size (152±5 nm), which is desirable for ocular delivery. It also showed high encapsulation (70.05%), zeta potential (+35.2 mV), and was found in a spherical shape. The drug release study revealed a sustained drug release profile (82.98±3.5% in 12 hours) with Korsmeyer peppas kinetic (R 2 =0.996) release model. It showed a 2.7-fold higher corneal permeation than CTMsolution. CHNPs did not exhibit any sign of damage to excised goat cornea, which is confirmed by hydration, histopathology, and HET-CAM test. It exhibited significant (P<0.05) higher antibacterial susceptibility than CTM-solution. Conclusion: The finding of the study concluded that CTM-CHNPs can be used for effective management of bacterial conjunctivitis by increasing the precorneal residence time.

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The major limitation with the oral administration of most of the phytochemicals is their low aqueous solubility and bioavailability. Thymoquinone (THQ) is one of the most widely used phytochemicals used to treat a variety of diseases. However, strong lipophilic characteristics limit its clinical application. Therefore, this study was aimed to design novel chitosan (C) modified polycaprolactone (PL) nanoparticles (NPs) for improved oral bioavailability of THQ. THQ-CPLNPs was optimized 33-Box–Behnken design. After that, the optimized THQ-CPLNPs was characterized by different parameters. THQ-CPLNPs showed the size, PDI, and ZP of 182.32 ± 6.46 nm, 0.179 ± 0.012, and +21.36 ± 1.22 mV, respectively. The entrapment and loading capacity were found to be 79.86 ± 4.36%, and 13.45 ± 1.38%, respectively. THQ-CPLNPs exhibited burst release in initial 2 h followed by prolonged release up to 24 h in simulated intestinal fluids. THQ-CPLNPs showed excellent mucoadhesion properties which were further confirmed with the intestinal permeation study as well as confocal microscopy. The study revealed higher permeation of THQ-CPLNPs compared to neat THQ suspension (THQ-S). Moreover, in vivo gastric irritation study revealed good compatibility of THQ-CPLNPs with the gastric mucosa. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic results depicted ∼3.53-fold improved oral bioavailability of THQ from THQ-CPLNPs than THQ-S. Therefore, from the findings, it was concluded that the prepared polymeric NPs could be an effective delivery system for improved oral bioavailability of THQ.

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Introduction:The deficiency of vitamin D is major public health problem worldwide. It is deficiency of vitamin D level when blood serum which is below 30ng/ml. The deficiency is associated with various musculoskeletal diseases and autoimmune diseases. The early detection of deficiency plays important role to prevent those diseases. The aim of the study is to find the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among adult population in a tertiary care hospital. Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in tertiary care hospital, from 1 st August 2017 to 31 st December 2018 after ethical clearance from institutional review committee with registration number 02082017. Simple random sampling was done. Data was collected and entered in statistical package for social sciences. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results:Out of total patients, vitamin D deficiency was found among 283 (73.6%) patients at 95% of CI (68.6-78.6). Out of total female patients, 202 (52.61%) were deficient and out of total male patients, 81 (21.08%) were deficient. The mean age±SD of patients was 41.45±16.016 years. Conclusions:The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was high compared to previous studies. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be higher in females than males.