A simple HPLC method for the determination of halcinonide in lipid nanoparticles: development, validation, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug permeation

Halcinonide is a high-potency topical glucocorticoid used for skin inflammation treatments that presents toxic systemic effects. A simple and quick analytical method to quantify the amount of halcinonide encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles, such as polymeric lipid-core nanoparticles and solid lipid nanoparticles, was developed and validated regarding the drug's encapsulation efficiency and in vitro permeation. The development and validation of the analytical method were carried out using the high performance liquid chromatography with the UV detection at 239 nm. The validation parameters were specificity, linearity, precision and accuracy, limits of detection and quantitation, and robustness. The method presented an isocratic flow rate of 1.0 mL.min-1, a mobile phase methanol:water (85:15 v/v), and a retention time of 4.21 min. The method was validated according to international and national regulations. The halcinonide encapsulation efficiency in nanoparticles was greater than 99% and the in vitro drug permeation study showed that less than 9% of the drug permeated through the membrane, indicating a nanoparticle reservoir effect, which can reduce the halcinonide's toxic systemic effects. These studies demonstrated the applicability of the developed and validated analytical method to quantify halcinonide in lipid nanoparticles

Correlation between the care dependence scale of ICU patients and their epidemiological profile

Introducción: La Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) es un ambiente donde los pacientes críticos deben ser tratados por un equip multidisciplinario. Es de suma importancia reconocer el perfil clínico epidemiológico para evaluar individualmente los pacientes. Objetivo: Analizar el perfil epidemiológico de los pacientes ingresados en una UCI de un Hospital Universitario y su relación con la escala de Fugulin. Método: Estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo, con enfoque cuantitativo, que realizó un análisis del perfil epidemiológico, desenlaces y variables asociadas a la morbimortalidad, a través de relatos de pacientes hospitalizados de marzo a agosto de 2020. Resultados: Se observó que la mayoría de estos pacientes hospitalizados era del sexo masculino, remitidos por el Servicio de Atención Médica de Urgencias, se les diagnosticó con mayor frecuencia: insuficiencia respiratoria aguda, sepsis e insuficiencia renal aguda, con un desenlace prevalente en muertes, habiéndose observado correlación de la escala de Fugulin con la mortalidad y puntuaciones de gravedad de estos pacientes. Conclusión: Ante la complejidad en el cuidado del paciente crítico, el estudio demuestra que la escala de Fugulin puede ser una alternativa en la práctica clínica, relacionando la necesidad de cuidado con la gravedad y mortalidad de los pacientes en uma UCI.Introduction: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an environment where critical patients must be treated by a multidisciplinary team. What becomes extremely important to recognize the clinical epidemiological profile to evaluate individually. Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile of patients admitted to an ICU of a University Hospital and its relationship with the Fugulin scale. Method: This is a retrospective, descriptive study with a quantitative approach, which carried out an analysis of the epidemiological profile, outcomes and variables associated with morbidity and mortality, through reports of patients hospitalized from March to August 2020. Results: It was observed that most of these hospitalized patients were male, referred by the Emergency Medical Care Service, were diagnosed more frequently: acute respiratory failure, sepsis and acute renal failure, with a prevalent outcome in deaths, having been observed correlation of the Fugulin scale with the mortality and severity scores of these patients. Conclusion: In view of the complexity in the care of critically ill patients, the study demonstrates that the Fugulin scale can be an alternative in clinical practice, relating the need for care with severity and mortality to patients in an ICU

PHYSICOCHEMICAL QUALITY CONTROL OF BEE HONEYS FROM CAMPOS GERAIS REGION OF PARANÁ – BRAZIL

Bee (Apis mellifera L.) honeys have been widely used for therapeutic and nutritional proposes. For evaluating the honey production, physicochemical approaches have been extensively performed to ensure that this hive product is authentic in respect to the legal requirements. The aim of this paper was to discuss the quality control of 93 samples of honey from Campos Gerais region of Paraná State – South Brazil by physicochemical parameters. Moisture, reducing sugars, sucrose, water-insoluble solids, ash, free acidity, pH, activity of diastase, hydroxymethylfurfural content and colour were performed by the standard usual methods. Samples were also classified in floral honeys or honeydew honeys according to the Kirkwood equation. A total of 71 samples (76.34%) showed values in accordance with the Brazilian legal requirements for all the achieved physicochemical parameters. Otherwise, all the studied honeys were likewise within the legislation limits only for water-insoluble solids and colour. For pH, an additional parameter that has not been provided in honey legislation, samples showed values ranging from 3.60 to 5.35. By the Kirkwood equation, 61 honeys were considered as floral products

Correlación entre la Escala de dependencia de cuidados de pacientes ingresados en UCI y su perfil epidemiológico

Introduction: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an environment where critical patients must be treated by a multidisciplinary team. What becomes extremely important to recognize the clinical epidemiological profile to evaluate individually. Objective: To analyze the epidemiological profile of patients admitted to an ICU of a University Hospital and its relationship with the Fugulin scale. Method: This is a retrospective, descriptive study with a quantitative approach, which carried out an analysis of the epidemiological profile, outcomes and variables associated with morbidity and mortality, through reports of patients hospitalized from March to August 2020. Results: It was observed that most of these hospitalized patients were male, referred by the Emergency Medical Care Service, were diagnosed more frequently: acute respiratory failure, sepsis and acute renal failure, with a prevalent outcome in deaths, having been observed correlation of the Fugulin scale with the mortality and severity scores of these patients. Conclusion: In view of the complexity in the care of critically ill patients, the study demonstrates that the Fugulin scale can be an alternative in clinical practice, relating the need for care with severity and mortality to patients in an ICU.Introducción: La Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) es un ambiente donde los pacientes críticos deben ser tratados por un equip multidisciplinario. Es de suma importancia reconocer el perfil clínico epidemiológico para evaluar individualmente los pacientes. Objetivo: Analizar el perfil epidemiológico de los pacientes ingresados en una UCI de un Hospital Universitario y su relación con la escala de Fugulin. Método: Estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo, con enfoque cuantitativo, que realizó un análisis del perfil epidemiológico, desenlaces y variables asociadas a la morbimortalidad, a través de relatos de pacientes hospitalizados de marzo a agosto de 2020. Resultados: Se observó que la mayoría de estos pacientes hospitalizados era del sexo masculino, remitidos por el Servicio de Atención Médica de Urgencias, se les diagnosticó con mayor frecuencia: insuficiencia respiratoria aguda, sepsis e insuficiencia renal aguda, con un desenlace prevalente en muertes, habiéndose observado correlación de la escala de Fugulin con la mortalidad y puntuaciones de gravedad de estos pacientes. Conclusión: Ante la complejidad en el cuidado del paciente crítico, el estudio demuestra que la escala de Fugulin puede ser una alternativa en la práctica clínica, relacionando la necesidad de cuidado con la gravedad y mortalidad de los pacientes en uma UCI

Surface morphology and in vitro leachability of soft liners modified by the incorporation of antifungals for denture stomatitis treatment

Objective: To evaluate the surface morphology and in vitro leachability of temporary soft linings modified by the incorporation of antifungals in minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for Candida albicans biofilm. Methodology: Specimens of soft lining materials Softone and Trusoft were made without (control) or with the addition of nystatin (Ny), miconazole (Mc), ketoconazole (Ke), chlorhexidine diacetate (Chx), or itraconazole (It) at their MIC for C. albicans biofilm. The surface analyses were performed using Confocal laser scanning microscopy after 24 h, 7 days, or 14 days of immersion in distilled water at 37ºC. In vitro leachability of Chx or Ny from the modified materials was also measured using Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy for up to 14 days of immersion in distilled water at 37ºC. Data (μg/mL) were submitted to ANOVA 1-factor/Bonferroni (α=0.05). Results: Softone had a more irregular surface than Trusoft. Morphological changes were noted in both materials with increasing immersion time, particularly, in those containing drugs. Groups containing Chx and It presented extremely porous and irregular surfaces. Both materials had biexponential release kinetics. Softone leached a higher concentration of the antifungals than Trusoft (p=0.004), and chlorhexidine was released at a higher concentration than nystatin (p<0.001). Conclusions: The surface of the soft lining materials changed more significantly with the addition of Chx or It. Softone released a higher concentration of drugs than Trusoft did, guiding the future treatment of denture stomatitis

Liposomal anesthetic gel for pain control during periodontal therapy in adults: a placebo-controlled RCT

Abstract: Periodontal therapy usually requires local anesthesia. If effective, a non-invasive, liposomal anesthetic gel could increase the levels of acceptance of patients in relation to periodontal therapy. Objective: This study investigated the efficacy of liposomal anesthetic gel for pain control during periodontal therapy. Methodology: Forty volunteers with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were recruited, of which at least three sextants required periodontal therapy. At least one of the selected teeth had one site with a probing depth of ≥4 mm. The volunteers received the following three gels: a placebo, lidocaine/prilocaine (Oraqix®), or a liposomal lidocaine/prilocaine, which were applied to different sextants. Pain frequency was registered during treatment and the volunteers received a digital counter to register any painful or uncomfortable experiences. At the end of each session, the volunteers indicated their pain intensity using rating scales (NRS-101 and VRS-4). The volunteers had their hemodynamic parameters measured by a non-invasive digital monitor. Results: Pain frequency/intensity did not show statistical difference between intervention groups. The tested gels did not interfere with the hemodynamic indices. Dental anxiety, suppuration and probing depth could influence pain during periodontal therapy. Conclusion:Our results suggest limited indications for the use of non-invasive anesthesia when used for scaling and root planing. Intra-pocket anesthetic gel could be a good option for anxious patients, or those who have a fear of needles

In Vitro Cytotoxic Potential of Essential Oils of Eucalyptus benthamii and Its Related Terpenes on Tumor Cell Lines

Eucalyptus L. is traditionally used for many medicinal purposes. In particular, some Eucalyptus species have currently shown cytotoxic properties. Local Brazilian communities have used leaves of E. benthamii as a herbal remedy for various diseases, including cancer. Considering the lack of available data for supporting this cytotoxic effect, the goal of this paper was to study the in vitro cytotoxic potential of the essential oils from young and adult leaves of E. benthamii and some related terpenes (α-pinene, terpinen-4-ol, and γ-terpinene) on Jurkat, J774A.1 and HeLa cells lines. Regarding the cytotoxic activity based on MTT assay, the essential oils showed improved results than α-pinene and γ-terpinene, particularly for Jurkat and HeLa cell lines. Terpinen-4-ol revealed a cytotoxic effect against Jurkat cells similar to that observed for volatile oils. The results of LDH activity indicated that cytotoxic activity of samples against Jurkat cells probably involved cell death by apoptosis. The decrease of cell DNA content was demonstrated due to inhibition of Jurkat cells proliferation by samples as a result of cytotoxicity. In general, the essential oils from young and adult leaves of E. benthamii presented cytotoxicity against the investigated tumor cell lines which confirms their antitumor potential

SIMVASTATIN-LOADED NANOCAPSULES REDUCE TNF-Α EXPRESSION IN RAT PERITONEUM AFTER INFUSION OF PERITONEAL DIALYSIS SOLUTION

Objective: Obteinment and characterizing polymeric nanocapsules of simvastatin (SV), and investigating their action in an experimental model of peritoneal fibrosis induced in a rat by the infusion of peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution. Methods: Poly (ε-caprolactone) nanocapsules containing SV (NC-SV) were prepared by interfacial deposition of a preformed polymer. A suspension of nanoparticles with no drug was prepared as negative control. The average particle size and polydispersity index were measured by photon correlation spectroscopy. The morphological and surface evaluation of prepared nanocapsules was performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection method was used to evaluate the drug encapsulation efficiency. The release profiles of SV from polymeric nanocapsules were obtained by dialysis diffusion technique. The Animal Study was performed in a total of 48 male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) divided in four groups: Sham, PD group, SV group, and Simvastatin-loaded nanocapsules group (NC-SV). After 28 days, tissue samples were surgically removed from the abdominal to perform histological and immunohistochemistry analysis. The statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni test, or by Kruskal–Wallis. Results: NC-SV presented suitable particle parameters with a mean particle size of 332 nm, and an encapsulation efficiency of 99.87±0.46%. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was significantly different in NC-SV group. Conclusion: SV-loaded nanocapsules for controlled drug delivery were suitably prepared. This nanoformulation remarkable decreased the TNF-α tissue expression even at low SV dose in a chronic PD model