Bioadhesive properties of Gantrez nanoparticles

Bioadhesive nanoparticles have been proposed as carriers for the oral delivery of poorly available drugs and facilitate the use of this route. This work summarises some experiments describing the bioadhesive potential of Gantrez nanoparticles fluorescently labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate. The adhesive potential of Gantrez was found to be stronger when folded as nanoparticles than in the solubilised form. Conventional nanoparticles displayed a tropism for the upper areas of the gastrointestinal tract, with a maximum of adhesion 30 min post-administration and a decrease in the adhered fraction along the time depending on the given dose. The cross-linkage of nanoparticles with increasing amounts of 1,3-diaminopropane stabilised the resulting carriers and prolonged their half-life in an aqueous environment; although, the adhesive capacity of nanoparticles, the intensity and the relative duration of the adhesive interactions within the gut as a function of the cross-linking degree. Finally, nanoparticles were coated with either gelatin or albumin. In the first case, the presence of gelatin dramatically decreased the initial capacity of these carriers to interact with the gut mucosa and the intensity of these phenomenons. In the latter, bovine serum albumin coated nanoparticles (BSA-NP) showed an important tropism for the stomach mucosa without further significant distribution to other parts of the gut mucosa

Bioadhesive properties of Gantrez nanoparticles

Bioadhesive nanoparticles have been proposed as carriers for the oral delivery of poorly available drugs and facilitate the use of this route. This work summarises some experiments describing the bioadhesive potential of Gantrez nanoparticles fluorescently labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate. The adhesive potential of Gantrez was found to be stronger when folded as nanoparticles than in the solubilised form. Conventional nanoparticles displayed a tropism for the upper areas of the gastrointestinal tract, with a maximum of adhesion 30 min post-administration and a decrease in the adhered fraction along the time depending on the given dose. The cross-linkage of nanoparticles with increasing amounts of 1,3-diaminopropane stabilised the resulting carriers and prolonged their half-life in an aqueous environment; although, the adhesive capacity of nanoparticles, the intensity and the relative duration of the adhesive interactions within the gut as a function of the cross-linking degree. Finally, nanoparticles were coated with either gelatin or albumin. In the first case, the presence of gelatin dramatically decreased the initial capacity of these carriers to interact with the gut mucosa and the intensity of these phenomenons. In the latter, bovine serum albumin coated nanoparticles (BSA-NP) showed an important tropism for the stomach mucosa without further significant distribution to other parts of the gut mucosa

Multimorbidity Patterns in Hospitalized Older Patients: Associations among Chronic Diseases and Geriatric Syndromes

The clinical status of older individuals with multimorbidity can be further complicated by concomitant geriatric syndromes. This study explores multimorbidity patterns, encompassing both chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes, in geriatric patients attended in an acute hospital setting.Retrospective observational study.Unit of Social and Clinical Assessment (UVSS), Miguel Servet University Hospital (HUMS), Zaragoza (Spain). Year, 2011.A total of 924 hospitalized patients aged 65 years or older.Data on patients' clinical, functional, cognitive and social statuses were gathered through comprehensive geriatric assessments. To identify diseases and/or geriatric syndromes that cluster into patterns, an exploratory factor analysis was applied, stratifying by sex. The factors can be interpreted as multimorbidity patterns, i.e., diseases non-randomly associated with each other within the study population. The resulting patterns were clinically assessed by several physicians.The mean age of the study population was 82.1 years (SD 7.2). Multimorbidity burden was lower in men under 80 years, but increased in those over 80. Immobility, urinary incontinence, hypertension, falls, dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes and arrhythmia were among the 10 most frequent health problems in both sexes, with prevalence rates above 20%. Four multimorbidity patterns were identified that were present in both sexes: Cardiovascular, Induced Dependency, Falls and Osteoarticular. The number of conditions comprising these patterns was similar in men and women.The existence of specific multimorbidity patterns in geriatric patients, such as the Induced Dependency and Falls patterns, may facilitate the early detection of vulnerability to stressors, thus helping to avoid negative health outcomes such as functional disability