Mucoadhesive solid lipid microparticles for controlled release of a corticosteroid in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment.

AIM: Therapeutic efficacy of pulmonary diseases is often limited and drug delivery systems offer new solutions to clinical problems. Solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) are suggested as systems for the delivery of therapeutics to the lung as, because of their size, they are able to deposit into secondary bronchi. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here, we describe two novel different SLMs using chitosan and alginate such as mucoadhesive polymers and we also studied their biocompatibility and their effectiveness compared with the free drug in controlling senescence and inflammatory processes in cigarette smoke extracts. RESULTS: Data reported show that fluticasone propionate (FP)-loaded SLMs are more effective than FP alone in controlling oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic approach using FP-loaded microparticles could be a promising strategy for the treatment of the chronic inflammatory pulmonary diseases

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

CATIONIC SLN AS TARGETING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Nanoscience and nanotechnology have received much attention in the last decade and they actually form one of the most important fields of technology and innovation. Due to rapid progresses in nanotechnology and biotechnology, nanoparticles have come to be seen as a viable vehicle for the delivery and release of drugs and nucleic acids. Within this field, the use of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) is of particular importance. In particular, cationic SLN are promising non-viral gene delivery carriers suitable for systemic and topic administration. The surface of these nanoparticles is positively charged and the negatively charged nucleic acids are complexed to the their surface. The obtained complexes SLN-DNA will protect DNA from degradation by nucleases in cellular environment and will improve its entering capacity into the cells [1]. Cationic SLN have been recently investigated for targeting the posterior segment of the eye (e.g. retina). This is a smart strategy that combines the positive surface charge of the particles and the negative surface charge of ocular mucosa by means of an electrostatic attraction. This approach could increase the drugs retention time in the eye as well as improve nanoparticles bioadhesion [2]. In the present work, the development and characterization of six different systems of cationic SLN was carried out increasing the amount of non ionic surfactant (Brij 76), or changing the cationic ones. Complexation studies of the best systems with DNA are in progress. [1] Carrillo C. et al., 2013, DNA delivery via cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. 49: 157-165. [2] Fangueiro J.F. et al., 2014, Design of cationic lipid nanoparticles for ocular delivery: Development, characterization and cytotoxicity, Int. J. Pharm. 461: 64-73

Farmaci senza ricetta e ruolo del farmacista

L'articolo riporta i risultati di un'indagine svolta, tramite l'utilizzo di un questionario sottoposto a un campione di clienti di farmacie, per approfondire il ruolo del farmacista nella dispensazione dei farmaci senza ricetta (OTC, SOP

Cationic SLN for siRNA and DNA plasmid delivery in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. For the treatment of HCC several drugs are under development, but the only one with proven survival benefit is sorafenib. This agent is a multikinase inhibitor that blocks Raf signaling and VEGF, PDGF and c-Kit. It has antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activity and delays tumor progression [1,2]. Moreover, systemic tumor-targeted gene delivery is attracting increasing attention as a promising alternative to conventional therapeutic strategies. At this purpose a large number of viral and non-viral vectors have been studied and applied as systems of stable transfection with low toxicity. Although cationic polymers and liposome are promising systems, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) have been recently proved to be a really useful vehicle for gene therapy [3,4]. The aim of this work was to design and to obtain cationic SLNs containing sorafenib capable of forming complexes with siRNA and DNA plasmid for the treatment of HCC, in order to combine the effects of drug and nucleic acids. The physical binding between cSLN and nucleic acids was confirmed by the study of complexes\u2019 zeta potential values that became more positive as higher was the amount of cSLN and via the electrophoretic mobility of the samples in agarose gel 0.8%. Transfection studies on different tumor cell line are in progress