My Science School

With COVID-19 cases rising once again in the country, the question foremost in the minds of parents is "Will the anti-COVID jabs for adolescents be ready before the next academic year?" One year into the pandemic, it's only natural that parents do not feel confident about sending their wards to schools without getting them vaccinated. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the novel coronavirus. But vaccinating children of all ages is critical to putting an end to the pandemic.

In these uncertain times, the news that BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine showed 100 % efficacy against the coronavirus in 12-to 15-year- olds offers hope. According to a statement issued by the companies on March 31, Phase 3 trials carried out on 2.260 adolescents in the United States "demonstrated 100 percent efficacy and robust antibody responses". They plan to ask the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration and European regulators to allow emergency use of the shots for this age group in the coming weeks.

First to be approved

The BioNTech-Pfizer shot is based on novel mRNA technology and was the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in the West late last year.

Both the U.S. and the European Union have approved its use for people aged 16 and above. Ever since, it has been used in millions of adults in more than 65 countries.

Side effects in kids

Kids had side effects similar to young adults, according to Pfizer. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills, and fatigue, particularly after the second dose. The study will continue to track participants for two years for more information about long term protection and safety.

What about the dosage?

Pfizer gave the 12-and-older participants the same dose given to adults, while it is testing different doses in younger children.

Others in the pipeline

Pfizer isn't the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results are expected soon from a U.S. study of Moderna's vaccine in 12- to 17 year-olds. The FDA has already allowed both companies to begin U.S. studies in children aged 11 and younger.

AstraZeneca also began a study of its vaccine among six- to 17 year-old children in Britain. However, going to press, the University of Oxford has paused the trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine in children and teenagers, amid blood clot concerns reported in adults administered the vaccine. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own studies in children. In China, Sinovac recently announced it has submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators, showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as three.

 

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Inhalers deliver medicine you need straight to your lungs. It goes without saying then, that they're used for conditions which affect your lungs, of which by far the most common are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Because the medicine goes straight to where it's needed, you only need tiny amounts compared to the dose you'd need to take of the same medicine in tablet form. That means fewer side effects and more effective treatment - as long as you take them properly.

Preventer inhalers don't work as fast as relievers, but they're just as important. If your symptoms aren't controlled by using occasional puffs of your reliever medicine, you'll be advised to take a preventer inhaler to stop symptoms happening in the first place. Different ones work in different ways, but their roles include reducing inflammation in the airways and opening the airways up.

They need to be taken every day for full effect, and can both prevent wheeze and improve your ability to get around and exercise. They can also reduce your risk of a severe attack needing hospital admission. In asthma, the most common preventer inhalers contain small doses of steroid. You may also get a long-acting version of a reliever medicine to take to relieve your symptoms over 12 or even 24 hours.

 

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The main cause of antibiotic resistance is antibiotic use. When we use antibiotics, some bacteria die but resistant bacteria can survive and even multiply. The overuse of antibiotics makes resistant bacteria more common. 

The more we use antibiotics, the more chances bacteria have to become resistant to them. This means that antibiotics won’t work when we need them in the future. If we decrease antibiotic use, the antibiotics may again become effective at killing bacteria.

Most microbes reproduce by dividing every few hours, allowing them to evolve rapidly and adapt quickly to new environmental conditions. During replication, mutations arise and some of these mutations may help an individual microbe survive exposure to an antimicrobial.

The use of antimicrobials, even when used appropriately, creates a selective pressure for resistant organisms. However, there are additional societal pressures that act to accelerate the increase of antimicrobial resistance.

Selection of resistant microorganisms is exacerbated by inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Sometimes healthcare providers will prescribe antimicrobials inappropriately, wishing to placate an insistent patient who has a viral infection or an as-yet undiagnosed condition.

 

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Gelatin capsules, informally called gel caps or gelcaps, are composed of gelatin manufactured from the collagen of animal skin or bone.

Vegetable capsules, introduced in 1989, are made up of cellulose, an important structural component in plants. To be more specific, the main ingredient of vegetarian capsule is hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC). In the current market, gelatin capsule is more broadly used than vegetarian capsule because its cost of production is lower

The process of encapsulation of hard gelatin capsules can be done on manual, semi-automatic, and automatic capsule filling machines. hard gelatin capsules are manufactured by the dipping method which is dipping, rotation, drying, stripping, trimming, and joining. Softgels are filled at the same time as they are produced and sealed on the rotary die of a fully automatic machine. Capsule fill weight is a critical attribute in encapsulation and various real-time fill weight monitoring techniques such as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and vibrational spectroscopy are used, as well as in-line weight checks, to ensure product quality.

A new class of capsule has been developed whereby drugs can be embedded in the capsule shell matrix. This allows different drugs to be delivered using the same capsule. The drug might be in a solubilized form, suspended form or chemically bound form in the capsule shell matrix. The drug can be in the cap of the capsule, body of the capsule or in both body and cap of the capsule. One can embed more than one drug in the capsule shell matrix. The drug can be in the dissolved and suspended form in the capsule shell matrix. Thus, one can create various types of variations in these "drug-embedded capsules". The rate of release of drug can vary based on the way drug is embedded in the capsule shell matrix and drug properties.

 

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Pain is painful, but it isn't all bad. It's your body's early warning system that something is wrong, so you can take steps to correct the problem. For example, if you couldn't feel pain, and you had your hand on a hot stove, you wouldn't know your hand was burning. Because of pain, your brain gets the message to get your hand off the stove right away!

When you take a pain reliever like ibuprofen, it keeps injured or damaged cells from making and releasing prostaglandin. When the cells don't release this chemical, it means that the brain won't get the pain message as quickly or clearly. So your pain goes away or becomes less severe for as long as the cells aren't releasing the chemical. Acetaminophen works in the brain so you don't feel the pain.

If you ever have an operation or another health problem that causes a lot of pain, doctors may prescribe pain relievers that are stronger than acetaminophen and ibuprofen. These types of pain relievers work by getting in between the nerve cells so they can't transmit the pain message to one another. The message isn't able to make it to the brain, and this keeps the person from feeling pain.

 

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