Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has transformed the global view of education, including graduate and postgraduate education making the development of an alternative approach in times of social isolation an academic imperative. The present review aims to investigate the challenges experienced among undergraduate and postgraduate education and the strategies adopted to address these challenges during the pandemic. Method: The preferred reporting items for the systematic review and meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) were followed. The aim was to include journal articles published in the English language that discussed the influence of the pandemic on educational processes and applied innovative approaches as a solution to educational challenges. From January to August 2020, PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for articles, yielding 10,019 articles. Two groups of authors examined the retrieved articles separately to avoid any risk of bias. The title and abstract of the articles were used for scrutiny, followed by full-text screening based on the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The facts and findings of the studies were also discussed based on per capita income, literacy rate, and Internet accessibility. Results: Thirty of the obtained articles were included in the study. The selected articles were from North and South/Latin America, Asia & Pacific, South Africa, and Europe regions. Nineteen of the selected articles dealt with undergraduate education, ten with postgraduate, and one with both groups. The affordability of digital devices and the availability of Internet services were the major challenges for low- and middle-income economies. The ZOOM platform has been adopted by more than 90% of the education systems. Conclusion: Means of communication, including visual media, digitized content, and other web-based platforms, have been recognized as efficient learning and training tools, but have not been fully accessible for mass application and use due to the lack of availability of resources, their cost, and insufficient training among the users. In light of this review, it is suggested that harmonized and collaborative efforts should be made to develop cost-effective and user-friendly tools to overcome the current challenges and prevent future educational crises. Systemic review registration: The review was not registered.

Purpose: Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are a versatile and highly investigated clay mineral due to their natural availability, low cost, strong mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and binding properties. The present work explores its role for retarding and controlling the drug release from the composite polymer matrix material. Methods: For this purpose, nanocomposite films comprising propranolol HCl and different concentrations of HNTs were formulated using the “solution casting method”. The menthol in a concentration of 1% w/v was used as a permeation enhancer, and its effect on release and permeation was also determined. Quality characteristics of the nanocomposite were determined, and in vitro release and permeation studies were performed using the Franz diffusion system. The data was analyzed using various mathematical models and permeation parameters. Optimized formulation was also subjected to skin irritation test, FTIR, DSC, and SEM study. Systemic absorption and disposition of propranolol HCl from the nanocomposites were predicted using the GastroPlus TCAT® model. Results: The control in drug release rate was associated with the higher concentration of HNTs. F8 released 50% of propranolol within 8 hours (drug, HNTs ratio, 1:2). The optimized formulation (F6) with drug: HNTs (2:1), exhibited drug release 80% in 4 hours, with maximum flux of 145.812 μg/cm²hr. The optimized formulation was found to be a non-irritant for skin with a shelf life of 35.46 months (28– 30 ℃). The in silico model predicted C_max, T_max, AUC_t, and AUC_inf as 32.113 ng/mL, 16.58 h, 942.34 ng/mL×h, and 1102.9 ng/mL×h, respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that HNTs could be effectively used as rate controlling agent in matrix type transdermal formulations.

The biocompatible macromolecules play a pivotal role in enhancing the performance of various drug delivery systems. In the current work, cellulose acetate (Opadry® CA), microcrystalline cellulose and an intrinsically uncharged polymer, polyethylene oxide (Polyox WSR N 80 and Polyox WSR 303), were evaluated for developing a bilayer push-pull osmotic tablet for dexibuprofen. The drug layer was comprised of Polyox WSR N 80, osmogen, microcrystalline cellulose and magnesium stearate. The push layer consisted of Polyox WSR 303 and pigments (Fe ₂O₃) in addition to osmogen and lubricant. The optimum levels of the input variables, osmogen (sodium chloride), orifice size, and percent coating weight gain were determined using the simultaneous multivariate techniques of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Central Composite Design (CCD) to achieve the targeted drug release profile. The ANN model's prediction profiler was cross-validated using the CCD-optimized formulation. The tabletability of the poorly compressible drug, dexibuprofen, was improved by incorporating microcrystalline cellulose as a diluent. The ANN- and CCD-driven trial and optimized formulations were tested for both critical and pharmaceutical quality attributes. Additionally, the optimized formulations F_ANN was also tested for thermal and chemical stability, physicochemical interactions, and surface morphology. Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for optimized formulations were developed using GastroPlus^TM to simulate in vivo plasma profiles and compare with the real-time human pharmacokinetic data. The study demonstrates the promising role of biocompatible macromolecules in compressing the poorly compressible molecule, dexibuprofen, and modulating its release and in vivo pharmacokinetic performance from an osmotically controlled push-pull system for 12 h.