Procalcitonin-guided duration of antibiotic treatment in children hospitalised with confirmed or suspected bacterial infection in the UK (BATCH): a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Procalcitonin is a rapid response biomarker specific for bacterial infection, which is not routinely used in the UK National Health Service. We aimed to assess whether using a procalcitonin-guided algorithm would safely reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy compared with usual care, in which C-reactive protein is the commonly used biomarker.

Methods: The BATCH trial was a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, parallel, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial conducted in 15 hospitals in England and Wales.

Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Skin Diseases and for Cosmetic Purposes in Norway.

Skin diseases in Norway represents an important area of study due to their incidence and prevalence, yet ethnobotanical research in this context remains scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Norwegian traditional medicine regarding the treatment of skin diseases and cosmetic purposes through a comparative analysis with EMA monographs. Participants were surveyed using semi-structured interviews.

Development and Evaluation of Oromucosal Spray Formulation Containing Plant-Derived Compounds for the Treatment of Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases of the Oral Cavity.

According to data in the literature, natural products and essential oils are often used in dental practice. To develop a new oromucosal spray for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, clove CO extract and essential oils of lavender and grapefruit were used as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Clove extract was obtained by the method of subcritical extraction from various raw materials, the choice of which was based on the yield of the CO extract and the study of its phytochemical and microbiological properties.

In Vitro Study of Cyano-Phycocyanin Release from Hydrogels and Ex Vivo Study of Skin Penetration.

Background: This study explored the most suitable materials for incorporating cyano-phycocyanin (C-PC) into hydrogels, focusing on maintaining the C-PC's long-term structural integrity and stabilityNext, the release of C-PC from the hydrogels and its skin penetration were investigated.

Methods: A series of 1% (/) C-PC hydrogels was prepared using various gelling agents and preservatives. Spectrophotometric measurements compared the amount of C-PC in the hydrogels to the initially added amount.