Fingerprints, Facial Recognition and Cancer

Most Big Data sources are unstructured. “Virtually no analytics directly analyze unstructured data. Unstructured data may be an input to an analytic process.” Franks gives the example of television shows like CSI where direct matching of fingerprints and facial images is shown to happen often. Fingerprint images cannot be compared directly since fingerprint imagesare unstructured data. Also, a high quality fingerprint image can be quite large in size. So unlike on CSI, fingerprints are first analyzed and a set of important points are identified on each print. 

The points help create a graph. It is the graphs from different fingerprints that are matched. The graph isfully structured and smaller in size. While unstructured prints are an input tothe process, the actual analysis to match them up does not use the unstructured images but rather structured information extracted from them. The images themselves could be stored on slower disk drives and could be used for verification once a match is obtained, but the graphs are stored in databases and are used for matching.

Comparison of Multidrug Formulations for Anti-Hypertensive Treatment

Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs) are also known as orodispersible tablets, quick tablets, Fast Disintegrating Tablets (FDTs), fast dissolving tablets, rapid dissolving tablets, porous tablets, or rapidmelts. European Pharmacopoeia has recently utilized the term orodispersible tablet for tablets that disperse readily within 3 min before swallowing in the oral cavity. ODTs are disintegrated in less than one min but the time ranges from 5-30 s. ODTs help to increase the acceptability of bitter drugs by altering it to good taste and flavor to offer a pleasant mouth feeling. Some novel ODTtechnologies allow high drug loading and leaving minimal residue in the mouth. It also improves the bioavailability of a poorly soluble drug. They are characterized by high porosity, low density and low hardness. Some patented ODTs technologies include OraSolv®, Zydis®, FlashTab®, DuraSolv®, Wowtab®, etc..

ODT is prepared to enhance safety and efficacy of drug molecules by formulating a convenient dosage form for faster release; and providing ease of administration and better patient compliance. While formulating ODTs, most common challenges usually faced are palatability, mechanical strength, and hygroscopicity, the amount of drug, aqueous solubility and size

Spices and Cancer: Looking for Evidence

Spices are defined as seeds, fruits, roots, barks, berries, buds or other vegetable substances essentially used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices have been used since ancient times, but only in the nineteenth century their use has started to be scientifically investigated as a potential therapeutic tool. Consequently they were also usedin the fight against cancer. It is worth to pointing out that cancer is the second cause of death in the world and the number of new cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 2 decades. Among spices with proven anticancer effects in preclinical models, the most important seem to be basil, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, curcumin, dill, garlic, ginger, ginseng, oregano, pepper, rosemary, saffron, thyme, wasabi. It is important to consider that compounds derived from spices show usually low bioavailability; nonetheless many procedures have been applied to overcome this problem. This is particularly true for curcumin, to which many different approaches revealed beneficial, such as molecular complexation with pH sensitive cationic copolymer, nanocarrier loading, microparticles.

It is well known that plant secondary metabolites are an infinite source of new potential drugs, even in spices. In this regard, manyextracts or compounds have been evaluated for their antiinflammatory,antioxidant or anti-proliferative effects. They have been extracted from vegetables, fruit, trees, herbs and spices, relying on traditional and ethnopharmacological use made by indigenous people, where these natural products were found.

Comparing the Use of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in Shock Treatment

Cardiovascular shock refers to a critical condition that occurs when a patient’s heart suddenly fails to pump blood as required by the body. This rare but fatal condition is mostly caused by heart attack and is linked to high death rate. The fluid administration that forms the firstline of therapeutic strategy does not offer enough stability for the condition of the patient, and the adrenergic agents are regularly needed to correct hypertension. Among the most frequently used agents are dopamine and norepinephrine. Both dopamine and norepinephrine affect the alpha-adrenergic and beta-adrenergic receptors, though to varying degrees. The effects of alpha-adrenergic receptors lead to increased vascular tone. However, it could decrease the cardiac output as well as the regional flow of blood, particularly in cutaneous, renal, and splanchnic beds.

On the other hand, beta-adrenergic effects assist in the maintenance of blood flow through inotropic and chronotropic effects as well asincreasing splanchnic perfusion. This stimulation from the betaadrenergiceffects can bring out the unwanted consequences, including an increase in the cellular metabolism and immunosuppressive effects

Adjuvant Phytotherapy against Antitubercular Drug Induced Hepatotoxicity

Tuberculosis was declared as a global pandemic and panic because the causative Mycobacterium tuberculosis can kill an incredible number of individuals which formulate a major obstacle to social and economic development of the country. Most of the developing countries are affected bytuberculosis. Antitubercular therapy involves the use of Directly ObservedTherapy Short (DOTS) course for 6-9 months. Antitubercular drug induced hepatic damage may occur with DOTS combination regimen which consists of an initial 2-month phase of 1st line combination therapy with pyrazinamide (PZA), isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF) and ethambutol (E) followed by a continuation phase of treatment lasting 4 months with INH and RIF. 

Metabolic idiosyncratic reactions appear to be responsible for most drugs induced liver injury from the first-line antitubercular medications and fluoroquinolones. Knowledge of the mechanisms of antitubercular drug-induced liver injury or hepatotoxicity is incomplete. Herbal drugs have gained importance and popularity in recent yearsbecause of their safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness. The association of medical plants with other plants in their habitat also influences their medicinal values in some cases. One of the important and well-documented uses of ethno medicinal plant products is their use as hepatoprotective agents which become ever increasing need for the treatment of antitubercular compounds induced hepatic cell damage.