Smoking Behaviour before, during, and after Pregnancy: The Effect of Breastfeeding

Data for this study were obtained from a population-based follow-up study in 25 Italian Local Health Units (LHUs) to evaluate pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care in Italy. A sample of 3534 women was recruited and interviewed within a few days of their giving birth and at 3, 6, and 12 months after delivery, by trained interviewers using questionnaires. The objective of the study was to evaluate changes in smoking behaviour from one interview to the next. Of 2546 women who completed the follow-up, smoking prevalences before and during pregnancy were 21.6% and 6.7%; smoking prevalences and smoking relapse at 3, 6, and 12 months were 8.1% and 18.5%, 10.3% and 30.3%, and 10.9% and 32.3%, respectively. Smoking during and after pregnancy was more likely among women who were less educated, single, not attending antenatal classes, employed, and not breastfeeding. The results show that women who are breastfeeding smoke less than not breastfeeding women, even after controlling for other predictors (i.e.,  smoking relapse at 12 months: OR = 0.43, 95%  CI:  0.19, 0.94). A low maternal mood increases the risk of smoking relapse within 6 months of about 73%. This study also suggests that prolonged breastfeeding reduces the risk of smoking relapse and that this reduction may be persistent in time. Interventions targeting breastfeeding promotion may also indirectly support smoking cessation, even in absence of specific interventions

Phenomenological and Formulation Aspects in Tailored Nanoliposome Production

Liposomes as cell‐mimetic system have attracted wide attention of researchers in various branches of the drug delivery topic as they can be highly functionalized and personalized, thus solving the major drawbacks of bioactive molecules linked to their low stability, limited membrane permeability, short half‐life and low bioavailability. The development of sustainable processes able to produce ad hoc liposomes in a rapid manner through the use of not‐laboured techniques, avoiding drastic conditions, is of great relevance for the industrial sector. In this chapter, two novel liposome production processes, the ultrasound‐assisted thin‐film hydration and the simil‐microfluidic techniques sharing the same size reduction/homogenization preparative step, are presented. The phenomenological aspects involved in vectors constitution through the duty cycle sonication process (bilayer rupture/vesicles formation mechanisms) and through the simil‐microfluidic approach (intubated flows interdiffusion mechanisms) are described. Finally, two applications as case histories involving the use of the developed techniques for relevant classes of active molecule delivery are described. In particular, a pharmaceutical application concerns the encapsulation of short‐interfering RNA (siRNA) molecule, used for gene therapy, inside cationic nanoliposomes, and a nutraceutical application consists in the production of ferrous sulphate anionic liposomal formulations with improved features compared to those already present on the market

Green Methods for the Fabrication of Graphene Oxide Membranes: From Graphite to Membranes

Graphene oxide (GO) has shown great potential as a membrane material due to its unique properties, including high mechanical strength, excellent thermal stability, versatility, tunability, and outperforming molecular sieving capabilities. GO membranes can be used in a wide range of applications, such as water treatment, gas separation, and biological applications. However, the large-scale production of GO membranes currently relies on energy-intensive chemical methods that use hazardous chemicals, leading to safety and environmental concerns. Therefore, more sustainable and greener approaches to GO membrane production are needed. In this review, several strategies proposed so far are analyzed, including a discussion on the use of eco-friendly solvents, green reducing agents, and alternative fabrication techniques, both for the preparation of the GO powders and their assembly in membrane form. The characteristics of these approaches aiming to reduce the environmental impact of GO membrane production while maintaining the performance, functionality, and scalability of the membrane are evaluated. In this context, the purpose of this work is to shed light on green and sustainable routes for GO membranes’ production. Indeed, the development of green approaches for GO membrane production is crucial to ensure its sustainability and promote its widespread use in various industrial application fields

Intensifying the microencapsulation process: Ultrasonic atomization as an innovative approach

In this review, new approaches to the microencapsulation processes, widely used in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, are discussed focusing the attention on the emerging ultrasonic atomization technique. Fundamentals and novel aspects are presented, and advantages of ultrasonic atomization in terms of intensification and low energy requests are emphasized

In vitro dissolution of pH sensitive microparticles for colon-specific drug delivery

Objective: The objective of this work is to prepare oral dosage systems based on enteric materials in order to verify their possible use as Colon-Specific Drug Delivery Systems (CSDDSs). Methodology: In particular, three different copolymers of methyl-methacrylate (MMA) - acrylic acid (AA) are synthesized with increasing percentage of MMA (from 70% to 73%) and they are used to produce microparticles by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method. The microparticles, loaded using theophylline as model drug, are then tested for drug release under varying pH to reproduce what happens in the human GI tract. Results: All the investigated systems have shown an effective pH sensitiveness: they show a good gastro-resistance, releasing the model drug only at higher pH, small intestine or colon, depending on the kind of used copolymer. Conclusion: The results confirm the usefulness of both the materials and the methods proposed in this study for colon-specific delivery applications

Controlled drug release from hydrogel-based matrices: Experiments and modeling

Controlled release by oral administration is mainly achieved by pharmaceuticals based on hydrogels. Once swallowed, a matrix made of hydrogels experiences water up-take, swelling, drug dissolution and diffusion, polymer erosion. The detailed understanding and quantification of such a complex behavior is a mandatory prerequisite to the design of novel pharmaceuticals for controlled oral delivery. In this work, the behavior of hydrogel-based matrices has been investigated by means of several experimental techniques previously pointed out (gravimetric, and based on texture analysis); and then all the observed features were mathematically described using a physical model, defined and recently improved by our research group (based on balance equations, rate equations and swelling predictions). The agreement between the huge set of experimental data and the detailed calculations by the model is good, confirming the validity of both the experimental and the theoretical approaches

Single-Pot Semicontinuous Bench Scale Apparatus To Produce Microparticles

This work presents both the design of a novel process to produce microparticles with a shell−core structure and a bench scale apparatus purposely realized. The developed process was designed to respond to mandatory needs of process intensification. It involved the coupling of two emergent technologies: atomization assisted by ultrasonic energy and microwave heating. The former was used to atomize polymeric solutions; the latter was applied to stabilize the produced droplets by drying. Both operations were performed in the same vessel with the aim to have a single-pot process chamber and were carried out by a semicontinuous procedure. Basic design criteria and advantages of the ultrasonic−microwave coupled operations in the realized apparatus are presented and discussed. Results of testing and of operating runs to produce shell−core microparticles are also reported, emphasizing the main features of the produced particles

Synthesis and characterization of P(MMA-AA) copolymers for targeted oral drug delivery

This paper describes the development of pH-sensitive poly(methyl methacrylate-acrylic acid) copolymers for the enteric coating of pharmaceutical products for oral administration. To obtain the dissolution at the desired pH level, different pH-sensitive polymers are available on the market. Usually, for each desired dissolution pH, an ad hoc polymer is designed. Thus, different dissolution pH values could ask for completely different polymers. Instead, the materials proposed in this work are copolymers of the same two monomers, and the different dissolution pH was obtained by changing the volume fraction of the hydrophobic methyl methacrylate monomer to the hydrophilic acrylic acid monomer. Increasing the volumetric percentage of methyl methacrylate causes the polymer to dissolve at increasing pH, until the dissolution does not take place at all, and it is replaced by a slow swelling phenomenon. The copolymers obtained were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, in order to evaluate their glass transition temperature, and these latter were related to %MMA. The molecular weights of the pure polymers (PAA, PMMA) were measured by intrinsic viscosity, to further validate the glass transition temperatures observed. The dissolution of the copolymers was carefully tested in buffer solutions for a dense set of pH values. A linear relationship between dissolution pH and volumetric percentage of methyl methacrylate was obtained from these measurements. As a result, for any physiological compartment, the copolymer which dissolves at the pH of interest can be easily synthesized. doi:10.1007/s00289-009-0040-

Pharmaceutical Applications of Biocompatible Polymer Blends ontaining Sodium Alginate

Biocompatible polymer blends, such as alginate blends, have a widespread use in pharmaceutical and medical applications due to their specific features, such as biodegradation, adhesiveness, and thermo- and pH sensitivity and that can be obtained from the mixture composition. In this work, the use of alginate blends was tested in a novel production methodology of therapeutic dosage forms based on polymeric chain reticulation phenomena induced by exposure to bivalent ions. Two kinds of sodium alginate were used to obtain gel films (structured films) in blends with Pluronic F127®. The blends were considered for applications in gel paving of drug-eluting stents. Sodium alginate was also used in shell–core particle production (structured particles) to obtain shell-barrier reducing drug release in the preparative steps (see wash operations). Both structures, films and particles, were obtained using Cu2+ and Ca2+ ions, respectively. Film/shell barrier properties were tested in dissolution experiments using vitamin B12 as an active molecule model. Experimental work demonstrated that the alginate composition is a crucial point in defining reticulated structures