Toxicity, Biocompatibility, pH-Responsiveness and Methotrexate Release from PVA/Hyaluronic Acid Cryogels for Psoriasis Therapy

WOS: 000401719700009PubMed ID: 30970803Poly(vinyl alcohol)/hyaluronic acid cryogels loaded with methotrexate were studied. The physical-chemical characterization of cryogels was performed by FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Acute toxicity and haematological parameters were determined by "in vivo" tests. The biocompatibility tests proved that the obtained cryogels showed significantly decreased toxicity and are biocompatible. The pH-responsiveness of the swelling behaviour and of the methotrexate release from the poly(vinyl alcohol)/hyaluronic acid (PVA/HA) cryogels were studied in a pH interval of 2-7.4. A significant change in properties was found at pH 5.5 specific for treatment of affected skin in psoriasis disease.Marie Curie ActionsEuropean Union (EU) [115C078]Catalina Natalia Cheaburu Yilmaz acknowledges the support from "The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), cofunded by Marie Curie Actions under FP7", project number 115C078

The Implications of Cytochrome P450 2D6/CYP2D6 Polymorphism in the Therapeutic Response of Atypical Antipsychotics in Adolescents with Psychosis—A Prospective Study

Background: The plasma level of antipsychotics and their metabolites depends on the activity of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system in the liver. This research aims to test the individual response variability to atypical antipsychotic drugs, depending on the activity of the CYP2D6 enzyme. Methods: In a prospective, noninterventional study, we included 56 adolescents, 51.79% male, diagnosed with schizophrenia. The patients underwent DNA sampling for genotyping SNP by RT-PCR and CYP* allelic variants using Applied Bio-systems™ TaqMan® Assays Foster City, CA, USA). and clinical and paraclinical assessments. The effectiveness of the therapy was evaluated with the PANSS scores at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months after the initiation of an atypical antipsychotic treatment. Results: Based on the genotyping results, the patients were divided into slow metabolizers (Group 1), extensive metabolizers (Group 2), and intermediate metabolizers (Group 3). The PANSS score showed a significant decrease in Group 2, compared to Group 3 after 3 (p = 0.02), 6 (p = 0.0009), and 12 months (p < 0.0001). The patients in Group 1 showed high PANSS scores, and those in Group 2 had fewer adverse reactions than the other groups. Conclusions: Assessing the CYP2D6 polymorphism may be useful in clinical pediatric psychiatric practice towards improving clinical results and patients’ quality of life

Efficacy of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in COVID-19 Patients from the Western Part of Romania

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has surprised the medical world with its devastating effects such as severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cytokine storm, but also with the scant therapeutic solutions which have proven to be effective against the disease. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been proposed from the very beginning as a possible adjuvant treatment in severe cases. Our objective was to analyze the evolution of specific biological markers of the COVID-19 disease before and one day after a therapeutic plasma exchange session, how a change in these parameters influences the patient’s respiratory status, as well as the impact of TPE on the survival rate. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, we include 65 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit department of our hospital between March 2020 and December 2021, and who received a total of 120 sessions of TPE. Results: TPE significantly reduced the following inflammation markers (p p = 0.0024). TPE significantly improved the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p 2/FiO2 Conclusions: TPE involved the reduction in inflammatory markers in critical patients with COVID-19 disease and the improvement of the PaO2/FiO2 ratio in patients with severe ARDS and had a potential benefit on the survival of patients with extremely severe COVID-19 disease