Publications by authors named "Aun Raza"

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer innovative solutions to the limitations of traditional oral drug delivery systems through their unique combination of metal ions and organic ligands. This review systematically examines the structural properties and principles of MOFs, setting the stage for their application in drug delivery. It discusses various classes of MOFs, including those based on zirconium, iron, zinc, copper, titanium, aluminum, potassium, and magnesium, assessing their drug-loading capacities, biocompatibility, and controlled release mechanisms.

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Enteric fever is a significant health concern in endemic countries. While extensive research has been conducted to understand its presentation and outcomes in non-cancer patients, limited data exist on its impact on cancer patients. This descriptive study aims to investigate the clinical presentation and outcome in cancer patients.

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Objective: This study aims to utilize PEGylated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles as a delivery system for simultaneous administration of the BRAF peptide, a tumor-specific antigen, and imiquimod (IMQ). The objective is to stimulate dendritic cell (DC) maturation, activate macrophages, and facilitate antigen presentation in C57BL6 mice.

Methods: PEG-PLGA-IMQ-BRAF nanoparticles were synthesized using a PLGA-PEG-PLGA tri-block copolymer, BRAF, and IMQ.

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This review highlights the transformative impact of microfluidic technology on personalized drug delivery. Microfluidics addresses issues in traditional drug synthesis, providing precise control and scalability in nanoparticle fabrication, and microfluidic platforms show high potential for versatility, offering patient-specific dosing and real-time monitoring capabilities, all integrated into wearable technology. Covalent conjugation of antibodies to nanoparticles improves bioactivity, driving innovations in drug targeting.

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Human skin is the largest organ and outermost surface of the human body, and due to the continuous exposure to various challenges, it is prone to develop injuries, customarily known as wounds. Although various tissue engineering strategies and bioactive wound matrices have been employed to speed up wound healing, scarring remains a significant challenge. The wound environment is harsh due to the presence of degradative enzymes and elevated pH levels, and the physiological processes involved in tissue regeneration operate on distinct time scales.

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Background: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) in developing countries is an important dilemma and further research is needed to elucidate the infectious causes of FUO.

Methods: A multi-center study for infectious causes of FUO in lower middle-income countries (LMIC) and low-income countries (LIC) was conducted between January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2023. In total, 15 participating centers from seven different countries provided the data, which were collected through the Infectious Diseases-International Research Initiative platform.

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In this review, we highlight the potential of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems (DDSs) to revolutionize healthcare. Through examining pH, temperature, enzyme, and redox responsiveness, the presented case studies highlight the precision and enhanced therapeutic outcomes achievable with these innovative systems. Challenges, such as complex design and bio-based material optimization, underscore the complete journey from bench to bedside.

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To assess whether prophylactic use of Levofloxacin would reduce the number of febrile neutropenia episodes during the induction phase, a single-centre, case-control study was carried out. Data was collected prospectively of patients who received Levofloxacin prophylaxis during the induction chemotherapy from September 2019 till October 2020. The cases were compared with historical controls who did not receive antibiotics prophylaxis.

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Objectives: Bacteraemia during the course of neutropenia is often fatal. We aimed to identify factors predicting mortality to have an insight into better clinical management.

Methods: The study has a prospective, observational design using pooled data from febrile neutropenia patients with bacteraemia in 41 centres in 16 countries.

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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) occur in a variety of bodily fluids and have gained recent attraction as natural materials due to their bioactive surfaces, internal cargo, and role in intercellular communication. EVs contain various biomolecules, including surface and cytoplasmic proteins; and nucleic acids that are often representative of the originating cells. EVs can transfer content to other cells, a process that is thought to be important for several biological processes, including immune responses, oncogenesis, and angiogenesis.

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The prognosis of brain cancers such as glioblastoma remains poor despite numerous advancements in the field of neuro-oncology. The presence of the blood brain barrier (BBB) along with the highly invasive and aggressive nature of glioblastoma presents a difficult challenge for developing effective therapies. Temozolomide (TMZ) is a first line agent used in the clinic for glioblastoma and it has been useful in increasing patient survival rates.

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Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a serious public health emergency of global concern. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) peptidase domain is important for the cellular entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Germline variants in ACE2 peptidase domain may influence the susceptibility for SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease severity in the host population.

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The oral cavity is a complex ecosystem accommodating various microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi).

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Glioblastoma is an incurable cancer with a 5-year survival chance of less than 5%. Chemotherapy is a therapeutic approach to treating the disease; however, due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the probability of success is low. To overcome this issue, nanoparticles are promising carriers for crossing the BBB and delivering drugs to the tumor.

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Antimicrobial resistance is a major concern for public health throughout the world that severely restricts available treatments. In this context, methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is responsible for a high percentage of infections and mortality. To overcome this challenge, nanoparticles are appropriate tools as drug carriers to improve the therapeutic efficacy and decrease the toxicity of drugs.

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Natural killer (NK) cells have emerged as a major target for cancer immunotherapies, particularly as cellular therapy modalities because they have relatively less toxicity than T lymphocytes. However, NK cell-based therapy suffers from many challenges, including problems with its activation, resistance to genetic engineering, and large-scale expansion needed for therapeutic purposes. Recently, nanobiomaterials have emerged as a promising solution to control the challenges associated with NK cells.

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This study aimed to characterize a stable nano-niosome formulation, which could reduce the adverse effects of carboplatin (CB) and improve its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of breast cancer. For this purpose, CB-loaded polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated niosome nanoparticles (PEG-NS-CB) were synthesized using the reverse-phase evaporation method. PEG-NS-CB (226.

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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) biofilm-associated infections are a primary concern for public health worldwide. Current therapeutics cannot penetrate the biofilms efficiently, resulting in low drug concentrations at the infected sites and increasing the frequency of drug usage.

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Background Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is an uncommon entity and carries a high mortality rate. It can be be odontogenic, sinogenic, or otogenic in origin, in addition to being a complication of skull surgery/trauma. is one of the most commonly identified pathogen.

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Glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1 is a gut-derived peptide secreted from pancreatic β-cells that reduces blood glucose levels and body weight; however, native GLP-1 (GLP-1(7-36)-NH and GLP-1(7-37)) have short circulation half-lives (∼2 min) due to proteolytic degradation and rapid renal clearance due to its low molecular weight (MW; 3297.7 Da). This study aimed to improve the proteolytic stability and delivery properties of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) through modifications that form nanostructures.

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Herein, a multi-functional nano-in-micro hierarchical microsphere system is demonstrated for controlling the intestinal efflux pumps that affect the oral bioavailability of many therapeutic drugs. The hierarchical particles were generated by a co-flow microfluidic device and consisted of porous silica nanoparticles packed in Eudragit® polymeric matrix. Meropenem (MER), a last-resort antibacterial drug, was loaded into porous silica (MCM-48) with a loading capacity of 34.

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To enhance the efficacy of radiation therapy, functionalised core-shell nanoparticles (CS NPs) are used as a radiosensitizer. These NPs can act as a therapeutic agent and carrier for other therapeutic agents. In this study, the first poly-acrylic acid modified silver-coated titanium dioxide NPs were fabricated to evaluate the radiation dose enhancement within the human tissue equivalent polymer gel after investigating the biocompatibility.

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Meropenem (MER) is one of the last resort antibiotics used to treat resistant bacterial infections. However, the clinical effectiveness of MER is hindered due to chemical instability in aqueous solution and gastric pH, and short plasma half-life. Herein, a novel multi-material delivery system based on γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) and poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is demonstrated to overcome these challenges.

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Meropenem (MER) is an effective broad-spectrum antibiotic currently only available in the parenteral form requiring frequent drug preparation and administration due to its extremely poor stability. The unavailability of oral Meropenem is primarily due to its ultrapoor handling and processing stability, hydrophilic nature that inhibits the passive diffusion across the gastrointestinal (GI) epithelium, degradation in the harsh gastric environment, and GI expulsion through enterocyte efflux glycoproteins. In this regard, we have developed an oral drug delivery system that confines MER into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs i.

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