Publications by authors named "Heba F Salem"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates Losartan potassium-laden pegylated nanocubic vesicles (LP-NCVs-PEG) as a targeted treatment for acute renal injury, focusing on blocking cell death and activating protective pathways in the kidneys.
  • Researchers optimized a formulation process to enhance drug delivery efficiency, resulting in LP-NCVs-PEG that protect against stomach conditions and specifically target kidney tissue with reduced side effects.
  • Findings show that LP-NCVs-PEG significantly improve the drug’s bioavailability and reduce renal damage by altering expression of several key proteins, indicating potential as a protective therapy for kidney injuries.
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Introduction: Adherence studies among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, in Egypt and throughout the Middle East region, are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate methotrexate (MTX) adherence in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to identify specific non-adherence predictors.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study included 300 RA patients who were administered MTX for at least one year.

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More than 1 billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension; therefore, hypertension management has been categorized as a global health priority. Losartan potassium (LP) is an antihypertensive drug with a limited oral bioavailability of about 33% since it undergoes the initial metabolic cycle. Thus, nasal administration is a unique route to overcome first-pass metabolism.

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Alzheimer's disease is the most serious neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive and memorial defects alongside deterioration in behavioral, thinking and social skills. Donepezil hydrochloride (DPZ) is one of the current two FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors used for the management of Alzheimer's disease. The current study aimed to formulate hyaluronic acid-coated transfersomes containing DPZ (DPZ-HA-TFS) for brain delivery through the intranasal pathway to surpass its oral-correlated GIT side effects.

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Over the previous three decades, the rate of caesarean sections performed worldwide has grown exponentially. In comparison to a vaginal birth, the risk of all postpartum infections is higher with a cesarean section. One of the key factors contributing to maternal morbidity is the development of infectious complications in the surgical site after a caesarean section.

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Background: Increased antimicrobial resistance patterns lead to limited options for antimicrobial agents, affecting patient health and increasing hospital costs.

Objectives: To investigate the antimicrobial prescribing patterns at two district hospitals in Northern Ireland before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A mixed prospective-retrospective study was designed to compare pre- and during pandemic antimicrobial prescribing data in both hospitals using a Global Point Prevalence Survey.

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Ischemic stroke is the second-leading cause of death. Hyperglycemia, which is characteristic of diabetes mellitus, contributes to the development of endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk of stroke. Isoxsuprine is an efficient beta-adrenergic agonist that improves blood flow to the ischemic aria and stops the infarct core from growing.

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Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that can be managed with several treatment options. However, there is a lack of comparative data on the efficacy of these options in different phases of the disease.

Aim Of The Study: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of high-dose Dexamethasone (HD-DXM), Prednisolone + Azathioprine, Rituximab, Eltrombopag, and Romiplostim schedules in persistent, chronic refractory or relapsed Egyptian ITP patients with a platelet count ≤30 × 10/L.

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder caused by antigen-specific T cells and antiplatelet autoantibodies that inhibit platelet production in the bone marrow or destroy platelets in the spleen. ITP is a form of autoimmunity and is closely associated with inflammation. Corticosteroids are the first-line therapy for ITP, with a total response rate of 53-80%.

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Nanomedicine has emerged as an important approach for targeting RA medication. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a widespread autoimmune disorder marked by multiple inflamed joints. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been demonstrated as efficacious nanocarriers due to their unique characteristics and the relative simplicity of their synthesis in varied sizes; moreover, they have the capability to alleviate several inflammatory markers.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study in a 120-bed hospital involved 221 patients with hospital-acquired infections, analyzing bacterial cultures and antibiotic susceptibility.
  • The findings revealed that Gram-negative bacteria were the most common pathogens (71%), particularly E. coli and Klebsiella, with significant antibiotic resistance, highlighting the need for better antibiotic prescribing practices.
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Cancer is one of the most important causes of death worldwide. Several studies have shown the efficacy of apricot kernel seed as a cancer therapy due to the presence of amygdalin. These studies have demonstrated amygdalin's cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, and apoptosis in vitro using human cancer cell lines.

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Background: Metformin has been reported to have an anti-tumorigenic impact against metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cells through several mechanisms. Its effect can be evaluated by using many variables such as the response rate (RR) as well as the progression-free survival (PFS).

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was conducted to investigate and estimate the metformin effect on MBC.

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Budesonide (BUD), a glucocorticoids drug, inhibits all steps in the inflammatory response. It can reduce and treat inflammation and other symptoms associated with acute lung injury such as COVID-19. Loading BUD into bilosomes could boost its therapeutic activity, and lessen its frequent administration and side effects.

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Duloxetine HCl (DXH) is a psychiatric medicine employed for treating major depressive disorder. Nonetheless, its low water solubility, high first-pass metabolism, and acid instability diminish the absolute oral bioavailability to 40%, thus necessitating frequent administration. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to formulate DXH as nasal chitosan-grafted polymeric nanoparticles to improve its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties.

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Duloxetine HCl (DXH) is a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin and norepinephrine used to treat the major depressive disorder. Following its extensive hepatic metabolism, acid-labile nature, and limited aqueous solubility, DXH has poor oral bioavailability (40%). The rectal route has been suggested as another route of administration to surmount such challenges.

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Background: 5-azacitidine is a very potent chemotherapeutic agent that suffers from certain disadvantages.

Objective: This study aims to prepare gold nanoparticles as a new nano-formula of 5-azacitidine that can improve its bioavailability and decrease its side effects.

Methods: 5-azacytidine-loaded GA-AuNPs were prepared and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, infrared (IR), and electronic transmission microscope (TEM).

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High variability of linezolid blood concentrations with partial subtherapeutic levels was observed in critically ill patients who received a standard intravenous dose of linezolid, contributing to drug resistance and toxicity. Continuous infusions of linezolid have been suggested as an alternative and provide good serum and alveolar levels without fluctuations in trough concentration. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of continuous linezolid infusion versus the standard regimen in critically ill patients.

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Introduction: Metformin hydrochloride (metformin HCL), a first-line drug treating diabetes type II, was known to cause severe gastritis, so seeking a non-oral dosage form was the new trend. Bilosomes are bilayer nano-vesicles of non-ionic surfactants embodying bile salts. In our study, bilosomes were investigated as an acceptable novel carrier for active targeting transdermal delivery of metformin HCL, circumventing its side effects.

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The high hydrophilicity of citicoline and its rapid metabolism are the two main obstacles hindering intact molecules from passing the blood-brain barrier. This study aimed to formulate citicoline-loaded niosomes (CTCNSMs) for efficient brain delivery via the intranasal route to improve management of epilepsy. CTCNSMs were formulated via thin-film hydration method, optimized using d-optimal design, and characterized for entrapment efficiency, vesicle size, drug release, and cumulative amount permeated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer globally, and Vismodegib (VSD) is a drug used for its treatment, but it has low effectiveness due to poor bioavailability and potential side effects.
  • Researchers developed a nano-invasome gel to improve the delivery and effectiveness of VSD, using a formulation that included certain ingredients like cineole, cholesterol, and phospholipid.
  • The resulting VSD-loaded invasome gel showed significantly improved skin penetration and bioavailability—over 3.5 times greater than oral VSD—while also demonstrating strong anti-tumor effects, making it a promising alternative for skin cancer therapy.
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Foods with medical value have been proven to be beneficial, and they are extensively employed since they integrate two essential elements: food and medication. Accordingly, diabetic patients can benefit from papaya because the fruit is low in sugar and high in antioxidants. An RP-HPLC method was designed for studying the pharmacokinetics of metformin (MET) when concurrently administered with papaya extract.

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The present work is concerned with tailoring and appraisal of a novel nano-cargo; bilosomes (BLS) dual laded with doxylamine succinate (DAS) and pyridoxine hydrochloride (PDH), the first treatment option against gestational nausea and vomiting, for intranasal delivery. This bifunctional horizon could surmount constraints of orally-commercialized platforms both in dosage regimen and pharmacokinetic profile. For accomplishing this purpose, DAS/PDH-BLS were elaborated integrating phospholipid, sodium cholate and cholesterol applying thin-film hydration method based on Box-Behnken design.

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