Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a natural polyphenolic compound with potent anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant activities. However, its bioavailability is low as it is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Microemulsions offer the potential to improve the solubility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds; the present work investigated the topical delivery potential of microemulsion gel loaded with curcumas. Curcumin microemulsion was prepared by spontaneous emulsification method using oil (Oleic acid), surfactant:cosurfactant (Smix) (Ethanol and Tween 80, Span 80 and n Butanol) and water. The optimized formulations of microemulsions were subjected to thermodynamic stability tests. After stability study, stable formulation was characterized for droplet size, pH determination, centrifugation, % drug content in microemulsion, zeta potential and vesicle size measurement and then microemulsion gel were prepared and characterized for spreadability, measurement of viscosity, drug content, In-vitro diffusion, in-vitro release data. Tween 80, Span 80 was selected as surfactant, ethanol, n Butanol as co surfactant and Oleic acid as oil component based on solubility study. The optimized formulation contained Curcumin (10 mg). The in vitro drug release from curcumin microemulsion gel was found to be considerably higher in comparison to that of the pure drug. The in-vitro diffusion of microemulsion gel was significantly good. Based on this study, it can be concluded the solubility and permeability of curcumin can be increased by formulating into microemulsion gel.
Keyword: Curcumin, Microemulsion, In-vitro diffusion, Spreadability, Zeta potential, Stability, span 40
Background Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the current global pandemic and understandably, Obstetrics is not spared. Private maternity hospitals have a unique challenge of reassuring unaffected patients of uneventful delivery with the lowest possible rate of coronavirus infection while consequently offering compassionate and state of art services to women who turn out to be positive for SARS-CoV-2. This has led to a routine SARS-CoV-2 testing of all patients before admission in many of the private hospitals in India. The current study was undertaken to determine the incidence of SARS-COV-2 among asymptomatic pregnant women and to ascertain the utility of universal screening in these women. Methodology A retrospective observational multi-center study was conducted over a period of approximately 5 months (1-May-2020 to 10-September-2020) in a chain of privately run maternity hospitals with presence in multiple cities across India. All asymptomatic pregnant women were tested for SARS-CoV-2 prior to elective/emergency hospital admission. Results Among 4158 women tested, 54 (1.3%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and intra partum and postnatal period was uneventful for all of them. Conclusion Universal screening should be continued as preferred approach to ensure low anxiety levels of delivering women and safety of frontline workers. Further, universal screening helps avoid emergence of maternity centers as virus clusters by effective isolation of identified positive cases and minimizing points of contact.
Iniencephaly (Greek: ''inoin'' meaning nape of neck) is an extremely rare and uniformly lethal form of neural tube defect. We report a case diagnosed in the first trimester using two-dimensional and three-dimensional ultrasound. The diagnosis was confirmed on postnatal autopsy. This case highlights the importance of diagnosing structural abnormalities in the first trimester itself.
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