1,721,086 research outputs found
Spray therapeutic paint for topical treatment of orf virus skin infections in breeding sheep
No full textA new product in the form of a therapeutic paint was developed for topical treatment of orf virus skin infection in sheep. The formulation combines the potent antiviral cidofovir and the wound-healing properties of sucralfate gel
Dry powder formulations of hyperimmune serum
No full textEffective strategies against the spread of respiratory viruses are needed, as tragically demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from vaccines, other preventive or protective measures are necessary: one promising strategy involves the nasal delivery of preventive or protective agents, targeting the site of initial infection. Harnessing the immune system’s ability to produce specific antibodies, a hyperimmune serum, collected from an individual vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, was formulated as a dry powder for nasal administration. The selection of adequate excipients and process are key to maintaining protein stability and modulating the aerodynamic properties of the powders for reaching the desired respiratory regions. To this end, a hyperimmune serum was formulated with trehalose and mannitol as bulking agents during spray drying, then the ability of the redissolved immunoglobulins to bind Spike protein was verified by ELISA; foetal bovine serum was formulated in the same conditions as a reference. Moreover, a seroneutralization assay against SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses generated from different variants of concern was performed. The neutralizing ability of the serum was slightly reduced with respect to the starting serum when trehalose was used as a bulking agent. The powders were loaded in hypromellose capsules and aerosolized employing a nasal insufflator in an in vitro model of the nasal cavity connected to a Next Generation Impactor. The analysis of the powder distribution confirmed that all powders were inhalable and could target, at the same time, the upper and the lower airways. This is a preliminary proof-of-concept that this approach can constitute an effective strategy to provide broad coverage and protection against SARS-CoV-2, and in general against viruses affecting the airway. According to blood availability from donors, pools of hyperimmune sera could be rapidly formulated and administered, providing a simultaneous and timely neutralization of emerging viral variants. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.
Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Decorated Nanovectors for Nose-to-Brain Delivery: A New Treatment Option for CNS Diseases
No full textIn recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have emerged as promising strategies for improving drug delivery to the brain. Specifically, nanoparticles (NPs) decorated with cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have attracted considerable attention for their potential to overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and facilitate efficient nose-to-brain delivery. This chapter highlights studies described in the literature involving the development of CPP-decorated nanoparticles for nose-to-brain delivery that focus on the treatment of CNS diseases. Furthermore, the strategies/methods for developing and testing these nanoparticles will be reviewed, and the challenges associated with brain drug delivery and the potential of CPP-based strategies to overcome the obstacles will be discussed
SOFT CHIMERA AGGLOMERATES FOR DESMOPRESSION NASAL ADMINISTRATION : AN IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDY.
No full textPolysaccharides: New Frontiers for Nasal Administration of Medicines
No full textThe nasal cavity has become a focal point for drug delivery research. Beyond its use in treating local diseases, the nasal route is appealing due its ability to deliver systemically potent drugs with low oral bioavailability. Recent interest in nasal vaccination has driven significant pre-clinical and clinical advancements. Further R&D holds promise for expanding nasal medications, offering innovative healthcare solutions. This review explores strategies using polysaccharides to enhance nasal delivery of hydrophilic drugs, peptides, proteins, genes, and other active compounds that typically struggle to permeate the nasal epithelium. Polysaccharides are attractive excipients due to their potential to enhance nasal absorption, regulate drug release, and extend residence time in the nasal cavity through bioadhesive properties. Studies on their mechanisms affecting drug absorption, potential toxicities, and applications will also be reviewed considering the particularities of nasal epithelium anatomy and physiology. Most products with these excipients are in pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, but PecFent, a pectin-based formulation, is approved for nasal administration of opioids for breakthrough cancer pain, offering faster pain relief and a better benefit–risk ratio due to pectin. Other polysaccharides like chitosan, cyclodextrins, hyaluronic acid, and alginate have shown potential in enhancing nasal drug absorption. This approach also holds promise for enhancing drug transport from the nasal cavity to the CNS (nose-to-brain), potentially advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
Soft agglomerates containing microencapsulated levothyroxine for buccal or oral delivery
No full textThe aim of this work was to prepare a new levothyroxine solid dosage form potentially suitable for buccal administration, obtained by agglomeration of spray-dried microparticles containing the thyroid hormone T4
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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