Functional ibuprofen-loaded cationic nanoemulsion: Development and optimization for dry eye disease treatment.

Inflammation plays a key role in dry eye disease (DED) affecting millions of people worldwide. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used topically to act on the inflammatory component of DED, but their limited aqueous solubility raises formulation issues. The aim of this study was development and optimization of functional cationic nanoemulsions (NEs) for DED treatment, as a formulation approach to circumvent solubility problems, prolong drug residence at the ocular surface and stabilize the tear film.

Cryocornea - toward enhancing the capacity and throughput of corneal model.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the concentration of two intracellular (i.e. propylene glycol and glycerol) and four extracellular (i.

Preparation of in situ hydrogels loaded with azelaic acid nanocrystals and their dermal application performance study.

Azelaic acid (AZA) is a dicarboxylic acid that is topically used in the treatment of acne and rosacea since it possesses antibacterial and keratolytic activity. The primary objective of this study was to develop an AZA nanocrystal suspension. It is expected that improved solubility and dissolution rate will result in advanced biopharmaceutical properties, primarily the dermal bioavailability.

Biopharmaceutical evaluation of surface active ophthalmic excipients using in vitro and ex vivo corneal models.

The objective of this study was to systematically investigate the effects of surface active ophthalmic excipients on the corneal permeation of ophthalmic drugs using in vitro (HCE-T cell-based model) and ex vivo (freshly excised porcine cornea) models. The permeation of four ophthalmic drugs (i.e.

Lipid/alginate nanoparticle-loaded in situ gelling system tailored for dexamethasone nasal delivery.

In this study, we suggest the development of nanoparticle loaded in situ gelling system suitable for corticosteroid nasal delivery. We propose lipid/alginate nanoparticles (size 252.3±2.

HCE-T cell-based permeability model: A well-maintained or a highly variable barrier phenotype?

The most extensively characterized human-derived cell line used in transcorneal permeability studies, in terms of passive transcellular and paracellular transport, transporter expression and metabolic enzymes, is the immortalized human corneal epithelial cell line (HCE-T). The purpose of this study is to describe the changes in the HCE-T barrier phenotype in vitro when valid cultivation conditions, in accordance with the standardized HCE-T cell-based model protocol, were employed. Evaluation of the structural and functional barrier properties revealed two different HCE-T barrier phenotypes, depending on the polycarbonate membrane pore size.

Tear fluid-eye drops compatibility assessment using surface tension.

Objective: To evaluate the compatibility of commercially available eye drop surface tension with the tear film physiological range and to characterize commonly used ophthalmic excipients in terms of their surface activity under eye-biorelevant conditions.

Significance: There are a number of quality requirements for the eye drops (e.g.

Nanoparticle-mediated interplay of chitosan and melatonin for improved wound epithelialisation.

Herein, we propose an innovative approach to improving wound healing. Our strategy is to deliver melatonin locally at the wound site by means of lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles. We used four types of chitosan that differed in terms of molecular weight and/or deacetylation degree.

Evaluation of cationic nanosystems with melatonin using an eye-related bioavailability prediction model.

In this study, two types of nanosystems, namely lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles and Pluronic® F127/chitosan micelles, have been prepared and evaluated for their potential for the ocular delivery of melatonin, which is known to exert an ocular hypotensive effect. The melatonin content, particle size, zeta potential and in vitro drug release properties were studied as a function of the presence of chitosan in the nanosystem. Lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles were evaluated in terms of the mucoadhesive properties by a newly established method based on HCE-T cells, also used in in vitro biocompatibility and permeability studies.

Salivary levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in patients with oral premalignant and malignant lesions.

The aim of this study was to determine the salivary concentrations of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in patients with premalignant and malignant lesions. The study involved 57 patients who were examined between 2008 and 2010 at the Department of Oral Medicine and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Medical Faculty, University of Rijeka, Croatia. They were divided into three groups: 19 patients with oral premalignant lesions, 19 with oral squamous cell carcinoma and 19 healthy control volunteers.

Two different manifestations of locked-in syndrome.

Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is an entity that usually occur a consequence of the lesion of ventral part of pons. Etiology of locked-in syndrome can be vascular and nonvascular origin. Locked-in syndrome usually occurs as a consequence of thrombosis of intermedial segment of basilar artery that induces bilateral infarction of the ventrobasal part of the pons.

Osteopontin expression is an independent factor for poor survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a computer-assisted analysis on TMA sections.

Introduction: Osteopontin (OPN) is non-collagenous extracellular matrix protein involved in various physiological and pathological events, including tumor progression. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of OPN in normal oral mucosa and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to assess its prognostic significance.

Methods: The expression of OPN was immunohistochemicaly analyzed in 86 OSCC and compared with clinicopathological variable such as tumor size, nodal stage, WHO clinical stage, Ki-67 proliferation index, and patients' outcome.

Predictors of attrition in older users of a home-based monitoring and health information delivery system.

Objective: This retrospective study evaluated predictors of attrition in data from veterans with chronic medical conditions who were enrolled in a Veterans Administration Care Coordination Home Telehealth program.

Subjects And Methods: Data were collected over a 4-year period. The enrolled sample was 73 veterans, 55.

Implant prosthetic rehabilitation of the patients with mandibular resection following oral malignoma surgery.

Patient underwent mandibular resection due to surgical therapy of oropharingeal malignoma. Facial asymmetry and cosmetic distortion are frequent consequences of such interventions, which may also include deviation and intrusion of the mandible, motor and sensory disorders, abnormal intermaxillary relations and malocclusion. Implant-supported prosthesis could be an optimal solution to prosthodontic treatment of such patients.

VA Puget Sound Telemental Health Service to rural veterans: a growing program.

The VA Puget Sound Health Care System Telemental Health program connects veterans with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers via live clinical video teleconferencing. Providers deliver care to veterans in rural Veteran Affairs medical centers, community-based outpatient clinics and residences, and thus, increase access to specialty mental health care for rural and medically underserved veteran communities.

Defense mechanisms in alcohol dependent patients with oral and oropharinegal cancer.

The effects of psychological factors in alcoholics with malignant tumor of the oral cavity and oropharynx are scarcely explored. The aim of the research was to examine early family relations and investigate differences in the use of defense mechanisms in alcohol dependent patients suffering from malignant tumor of the oral cavity and oropharynx compared to alcohol dependent persons without malignant tumors and healthy controls. The research included 51 alcohol dependent patients treated for malignant tumor of the oral cavity and oropharynx at the University Hospital Center Rijeka from 2005 to 2009.

Reaching out to older veterans in need: the Elko clinic demonstration project.

Context: The challenge of providing meaningful health care services to veterans living in rural communities is a major public health concern that involves redefining the traditional facility-based model of care delivery employed in urban areas.

Purpose: This paper describes the steps of a demonstration project, the Elko Telehealth Outreach Clinic. The clinic, located in Elko, Nevada, was created to meet the health care needs of veterans who expressed a desire for greater access to VA services.

Fine needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of parotid gland tumors.

Main objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) diagnosis of parotid masses to distinguish reliably between benign and malignant lesions. In the period of 5 years, 214 parotid glands were resected at the Rijeka University Hospital Center (Croatia), but 176 patients had cytopathological and histopathological diagnoses and therefore fulfilled the criteria for study. The results of the FNAC were analyzed and compared to the corresponding histopathological diagnosis obtained from the surgical specimen.

The Care Coordination Home Telehealth (CCHT) rural demonstration project: a symptom-based approach for serving older veterans in remote geographical settings.

Introduction: Innovative healthcare delivery strategies are needed to address the healthcare needs of the 3.5 million older veterans living in US rural areas who face unique healthcare delivery challenges, including transportation barriers, poverty, and limited access to health professions and community-based programs. The care coordination home telehealth (CCHT) rural demonstration project was developed to address the mismatch between the timely identification of patient needs and the care delivered by the traditional disease-oriented institutionally-based healthcare delivery system for older rural veterans.

Neurectomy of the trigeminal nerve branches: clinical evaluation of an "obsolete" treatment.

Introduction: After all options of conservative treatment of trigeminal neuralgia have been exhausted, surgical methods are used. Peripheral neurectomy is one of the simplest among them. It is a relatively obsolete method, but can still be useful and effective.

Examining the presence of ABO(H) antigens of blood types in the saliva of patients with oral cancer.

Number of researches dealing with the influence of the ABO blood group antigens on the development of the oral cancer have hypothesized that people who do not secrete these substances in the saliva are more prone to suffer from this disease. The objective of this research is to examine this hypothesis. In total 114 subjects were examined, half of which suffered from oral cancer, while the other half was the healthy control group.

Risk factors for wound infection after oral cancer surgery.

Wound infection is a common complication after oral cancer surgery and may result in significant functional morbidity, poor cosmetic results and prolonged hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to identify the most important factors contributing to operative wound infections in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer. A retrospective review of complications in 111 patients after oral and oropharynx cancer surgery with an immediate reconstruction is presented.

The influence of war stress on the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurring as a consequence of exposure to war stress. The examined group consisted of 100 male subjects, aged from 25 to 50 years, who had taken part in the War in Croatia, and in whom PTSD had previously been diagnosed. The control group comprised 100 subjects, without PTSD, of the same sex and age group, who had not taken part in the War.

Polymethyl-methacrylate implants in forehead and supraorbital arches reconstruction: retrospective study.

Frontobasal injuries and some other diseases of frontal sinuses sometimes require radical surgery with the obliteration of the sinus. A cosmetic correction of the forehead and supraorbital arches has to be performed after such a procedure. Nowadays, there is a wide choice of alloplastic materials on the market.