PEGylated solid lipid nanoparticles for the intranasal delivery of combination antiretroviral therapy composed of Atazanavir and Elvitegravir to treat NeuroAIDS.

Intranasal drug administration offers a promising strategy for delivering combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) directly to the central nervous system to treat NeuroAIDS, leveraging the nose-to-brain route to bypass the blood-brain barrier. However, challenges such as enzymatic degradation in the nasal mucosa, low permeability, and mucociliary clearance within the nasal cavity must first be addressed to make this route feasible. To overcome these barriers, this study developed solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) with varying PEGylation levels (0 %, 5 %, 10 %, and 15 % w/w of PEGylated lipid), co-encapsulated with Elvitegravir (EVG) and Atazanavir (ATZ) as an integrase and protease inhibitor, respectively.

Quality-by-design principles applied to the development and optimisation of lidocaine-loaded dissolving microneedle arrays - a proof-of-concept.

The use of dissolving microneedle arrays (dMNA) for intradermal and transdermal drug delivery has been a growing trend in the field for the past decades. However, a lack of specific regulatory standards still hinders their clinical development and translation to market. It is also well-known that dMNA composition significantly impacts their performance, with each new formulation potentially presenting a challenge for developers, manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

Myosteatosis is associated with adiposity, metabolic derangements and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background/objectives: Myosteatosis has been associated with sarcopenia, and increased mortality risk in patients on hemodialysis. We aimed to explore the associations between myosteatosis, as assessed by computed tomography (CT), with demographic parameters, body composition metrics, muscle strength, metabolic parameters and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Subjects/methods: We enrolled 216 patients (age 60.

Recruitment maneuvers in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review and metanalysis.

Objective: To systematically review the effects of recruitment maneuvers on patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis using the PICO methodology with keywords (respiratory distress syndrome, recruitment maneuvers, lung recruitment, acute respiratory distress syndrome, alveolar recruitment, and adult acute respiratory distress syndrome). Studies involving patients >18 years, regardless of sex, with acute respiratory distress syndrome, mechanically ventilated for at least 24 h, published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with no year restrictions, were included.