Tobramycin Inhalation Powder™:a novel drug delivery system for treating chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis

Lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) is typified by the development of chronic airways infection culminating in bronchiectasis and progression to end-stage respiratory disease. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a ubiquitous gram-negative bacteria, is the archetypical CF pathogen and is associated with an accelerated clinical decline. The development and widespread use of chronic suppressive aerosolized antibacterial therapies, in particular Tobramycin Inhalation Solution (TIS), in CF has contributed to reduced lung function decline and improved survival. However, the requirement for the aerosolization of these agents through nebulizers has been associated with increased treatment burden, reduced quality of life and remain a barrier to broader uptake. Tobramycin Inhalation Powder (TIP™) has been developed by Novartis with the express purpose of delivering the same benefits as TIS in a time-effective manner. Administered via the T-326™ (Novartis) Inhaler in four individual 28-mg capsules, TIP can be administered in a quarter of the time of traditional nebulizers and is inherently portable. In clinical studies, TIP has been shown to be safe, result in equivalent or superior reductions in P. aeruginosa sputum density and produce similar improvements in pulmonary function. TIP offers significant advantages in time saving, portability and convenience over traditional nebulized TIS with comparable clinical outcomes for individuals with CF.

Alternative method for producing organic fertiliser from anaerobic digestion liquor and limestone powder:High Shear wet granulation

Generally, the solid and liquid fractions (digestate) from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) energy production are considered as waste. This has a negative impact on the sustainability of AD processes because of the financial outlay required to treat digestate before being discharged into municipal water treatment plants or natural water bodies. The main aim of this research was to investigate feasibility of producing an organic fertiliser using anaerobic digestate and limestone powders as the raw materials employing a high shear granulation process. Two-level factorial experimental design was used to determine the influence of granulation process variables on, the strength, resistance to attrition and yield of the granules. It was concluded from the study that it is technically feasible to produce organic fertiliser granules of acceptable strength and product yield. Increasing the liquid-to-solid ratio during granulation leads to increased granule strength and better product yield. Although the strength of the granules produced was lower than typical strength of commercial synthetic fertiliser granules (about 5 to 7. MPa), this could be improved by mixing the digestate with a polymeric binder or coating the particles post granulation. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Redispersion of Gold Supported on Oxides

Although many gold heterogeneous catalysts have been shown to exhibit significant activity and high selectivity for a wide range of reactions in both the liquid and gas phases, they are prone to irreversible deactivation. This is often associated with sintering or loss of the interaction of the gold with the support. Herein, we report on the use of methyl iodide as a method of dispersing gold nanoparticles supported on silica, titania, and alumina supports. In the case of titania- and alumina-based catalysts, the gold was transformed from nanometer particles into small clusters and some atomically dispersed gold. In contrast, although there was a drop in the gold particle size on the silica support following CH3I treatment, the size remained in the submicrometer range. The structural changes were correlated with changes in the selectivity and activity for ethanol dehydration and benzyl alcohol oxidation. From these observations, it is clear that this treatment provides a method by which deactivated gold catalysts can be reactivated via redispersion of the gold.

EFFECT OF POWDER COMPOSITION ON THE GRANULATION OF BINARY MIXTURES

In most granulation processes involving processing of a mixture of powders, the powders have comparable densities and similar particle size distributions. Granulation of powders with large variation differences in powder densities is usually avoided due problems such as particle segregation. The granular product being designed in this work required the use of two different powders namely limestone and teawaste; these materials have different bulk and particle densities.The overall aim of the project was to obtain a granular product in
the size range 2 to 4mm. The two powders were granulated in different proportions using carboxymethyl cellose (CMC) as the binder. The effect of amount of binder added, relative composition of the powder, and type of tea wasted on the product yield was studied. The results show that the optimum product yield was a function of both relative powder composition and the amount of binder used; increasing the composition of teawaste in the powder increased the amount of binder required for successful granulation.Increasing the mass fraction of teawaste in the powder mix must be accompanied by an increase in the amount of binder to achieve the desired product yield. It was found that attrition losses decreased with increasing binder content.

Freeze-dried strawberry powder improves lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in women with metabolic syndrome:baseline and post intervention effects

Strawberry flavonoids are potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors in prospective cohort studies. Effects of strawberry supplementation on metabolic risk factors have not been studied in obese populations. We tested the hypothesis that freeze-dried strawberry powder (FSP) will lower fasting lipids and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation at four weeks compared to baseline. We also tested the tolerability and safety of FSP in subjects with metabolic syndrome. FSP is a concentrated source of polyphenolic flavonoids, fiber and phytosterols.

Development of a value-added soil conditioner from high shear co-granulation of organic waste and limestone powder

This paper reports on a technical feasibility study of the production of organo-mineral fertiliser from the co-granulation of limestone powders with tea waste. The results from this preliminary study show that the co-granulation of tea waste provided an alternative method of waste recovery, as it converts the waste into a value-added product. Fertiliser granules were successfully produced from various compositions of limestone and tea waste. The effect of tea waste concentration on granule strength was analysed; the granule strength
was in the range 0.2 to 1.8 MPa depending on powder composition; increasing the tea waste mass fraction resulted in a reduction in granule strength.Varying the teawaste to limestone ratio also influenced the compressibility of the granules; the granules compressibility increased with increasing tea waste mass fraction. It was further found that increasing the mass fraction of tea waste in the binary mixture of powder reduced the granule median size of the batch.

High shear granulation of binary mixtures: Effect of powder composition on granule properties: Effect of powder composition on granule properties

The granular product being designed in this work required the use of two different powders namely limestone and teawaste; these materials have different bulk and particle densities. The overall aim of the project was to obtain a granular product in the size range of 2 to 4. mm. The two powders were granulated in different proportions using carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the binder. The effect of amount of binder added, relative composition of the powder, and type of teawaste on the product yield was studied. The results show that the optimum product yield was a function of both relative powder composition and the amount of binder used; increasing the composition of teawaste in the powder increased the amount of binder required for successful granulation. An increase in the mass fraction of teawaste in the powder mix must be accompanied by an increase in the amount of binder to maintain the desired product yield.

The effect of variability in the powder/liquid ratio on the strength of zinc phosphate cement

Aim. To investigate (a) variability in powder/liquid proportioning and (b) effect of variability on diametral tensile strength (DTS), in a zinc phosphate cement. Statistical analyses (α = 0.05) were by Student's t-test in the case of powder/liquid ratio and one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD for pair-wise comparisons of mean DTS. The Null hypotheses were that (a) the powder-liquid mixing ratios would not differ from the manufacturer's recommended ratio (b) DTS of the set cement samples using the extreme powder/liquid ratios would not differ from those made using the recommended ratio. 

Methodology. 34 dental students dispensed the components according to the manufacturer's instructions. The maximum and minimum powder/liquid ratios, together with the manufacturer's recommended ratio, were used to prepare samples for DTS testing. 

Results. Powder/liquid ratios ranged from 2.386 to 1.018. The mean ratio (1.644) was not significantly different from the recommended value of 1.718 (P = 0.189). DTS values for the maximum and minimum ratios were both significantly different from each other (P < 0.001) and from the mean value obtained from the recommended ratio (P < 0.001). 

Conclusions. Variability exists in powder/liquid ratio for hand dispensed zinc phosphate cement. This variability can affect the DTS of the set material.

Metal Redispersion Strategies for Recycling of Supported Metal Catalysts: A Perspective

Catalyst deactivation is ultimately inevitable, and one of the processes known to cause deactivation is sintering of metal particles. Consequently, numerous methods to reverse the sintering process by redispersing metal nanoparticles have been developed. These methods are discussed in this perspective, and the reported mechanisms of redispersion are summarized. Additionally, the longer-term practical use of such treatments and the benefits this can bring are briefly disclosed.

Powder semiconductor photocatalysis in aqueous solution: An overview of kinetics-based reaction mechanisms

A brief, historical overview of 10 apparently different, although in some cases, upon inspection, closely related, popular proposed reaction mechanisms and their associated rate equations, is given and in which the rate expression for each mechanism is derived from basic principles, Appendix A. In Appendix B, each of the 5 main mechanisms are tested using datasets, comprising initial reaction rate vs. organic pollutant concentration, [P] and incident irradiance, ρ, data, reported previously for TiO2, where P is phenol, 4-chlorophenol and formic acid. The best of those tested, in terms of overall fit, simplicity, usefulness and versatility is the disrupted adsorption kinetic model proposed by Ollis. The usual basic assumptions made in constructing these mechanisms are reported and the main underlying concerns explored.