Balancing Health and Sustainability: Assessing the Benefits of Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Pesticide Residues.

The increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is essential for moving towards a healthier and more sustainable diet. Vegetarian diets are gaining in popularity due to their environmental and health implications; however, there is a need for additional research investigating pesticide residues in these foods. It is increasingly recognized that the global food system must prioritize nutritional quality, health, and environmental impact over quantity.

Eutectogel-Based Drug Delivery: An Innovative Approach for Atenolol Administration.

Hypertension affects 32% of adults worldwide, leading to a significant global consumption of cardiovascular medications. Atenolol, a β-adrenergic receptor blocker, is widely prescribed for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction. According to the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), atenolol belongs to Class III, characterized by high solubility but low permeability.

Sustainable Synthesis of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Atenolol in Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Atenolol, one of the top five best-selling drugs in the world today used to treat angina and hypertension, and to reduce the risk of death after a heart attack, faces challenges in current synthetic methods to address inefficiencies and environmental concerns. The traditional synthesis of this drug involves a process that generates a large amount of waste and other by-products that need disposal. This study presents a one-pot DES-based sustainable protocol for synthesizing atenolol.

Reactive Deep Eutectic Solvent for an Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Cellulose Carbamate.

The limited solubility of natural cellulose in water and common organic solvents hinders its diverse applications, despite being one of the most abundant and easily accessible biopolymers on Earth. Chemical derivatization, such as cellulose carbamate (CC), offers a pathway to enhance both solubility and industrial processability. In this study, CC was synthesized by exploiting a novel type IV deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of erbium trichloride and urea.

Reactive deep eutectic solvents for EDC-mediated amide synthesis.

The sustainability of amide bond formation is an ever-present topic in the pharmaceutical industry, as it represents the common motif in many clinically approved drugs. Despite many procedures for accomplishing eco-friendly amide synthesis having been developed, this transformation still remains a contemporary challenge. Herein, we report a greener approach for amide synthesis by using Reactive Deep Eutectic Solvents (RDESs) acting as both the reaction medium and reactants.

Green Chemistry Principles for Nano- and Micro-Sized Hydrogel Synthesis.

The growing demand for drug carriers and green-technology-based tissue engineering materials has enabled the fabrication of different types of micro- and nano-assemblies. Hydrogels are a type of material that have been extensively investigated in recent decades. Their physical and chemical properties, such as hydrophilicity, resemblance to living systems, swelling ability and modifiability, make them suitable to be exploited for many pharmaceutical and bioengineering applications.

The relationship between maternal-fetus attachment and perceived parental bonds in pregnant women: Considering a possible mediating role of psychological distress.

Unlabelled: Maternal-Fetal Attachment (MFA) delineates the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects that mothers develop toward the unborn baby during pregnancy. The literature indicates that optimal attachment in pregnancy represents a protective factor for the mother-child attachment bond after birth and child development outcomes. To date, there are few studies that have investigated associated factors of MFA.

COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in pregnant and breastfeeding women and strategies to increase vaccination compliance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Pregnant and breastfeeding women are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Despite this, low vaccination coverages are reported in this population sub-group.

Areas Covered: The purpose of this study is to estimate the proportion of pregnant and breastfeeding women expressing hesitation to the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide.

Deep Eutectic Solvents for Improving the Solubilization and Delivery of Dapsone.

Owing to a growing awareness toward environmental impact, the use of safer and eco-friendly solvents like deep eutectic solvents (DESs), has recently undergone important growth in the pharmaceutical field, with regard to their application as non-aqueous liquid administration vehicles, since they do not carry the same risks of toxicity and handling as traditional organic solvents. Major attention has been given to the development of advantageous transdermal drug delivery systems, because of their ease of use and better acceptability. Here, we report the use of two different DESs, based on choline chloride, used as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), and ascorbic acid or propylene glycol, used as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs), able to enhance the solubility and the topical delivery of dapsone, representing a class IV drug.

Multifunctional Membranes Based on β-Glucans and Chitosan Useful in Wound Treatment.

In this work, bio-based membranes prepared using a crosslinked β-glucans-chitosan dispersed in the chitosan matrix useful in promoting wound healing were studied for the first-time. Wound healing is a process that includes sequential steps designed to restore the structure and function of damaged cells and tissue. To minimize damage and the risk of infection during the healing process and to promote restoration of the integrity of damaged tissue, the wound should be dressed.

Novel Nanoparticles Based on ,-Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Dopamine Amide Conjugate for Nose-to-Brain Delivery.

A widely investigated approach to bypass the blood brain barrier is represented by the intranasal delivery of therapeutic agents exploiting the olfactory or trigeminal connections nose-brain. As for Parkinson's disease (PD), characterized by dopaminergic midbrain neurons degeneration, currently there is no disease modifying therapy. Although several bio-nanomaterials have been evaluated for encapsulation of neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) or dopaminergic drugs in order to restore the DA content in parkinsonian patients, the premature leakage of the therapeutic agent limits this approach.

Green solvents for the formation of amide linkages.

The formation of the amide bond is among the most commonly performed transformations in the pharmaceutical industry and the wider chemical industry. The current methods for its installation in organic compounds frequently rely on the use of large amounts of organic solvents, mainly -dimethylformamide (DMF), -methylpyrrolidone (NMP), and dichloromethane (DCM), which have been associated with adverse environmental and health concerns over the last decades. This fact led academia and industry to make significant efforts toward the development of synthetic routes with the aim to avoid, reduce or replace the use of hazardous solvents.

Gel-Based Materials for Ophthalmic Drug Delivery.

The most common route of administration of ophthalmic drugs is the topical route because it is convenient, non-invasive, and accessible to all patients. Unfortunately, drugs administered topically are not able to reach effective concentrations. Moreover, their bioavailability must be improved to decrease the frequency of administrations and their side effects, and to increase their therapeutic efficiency.

Effects of maternal psychological distress and perception of COVID-19 on prenatal attachment in a large sample of Italian pregnant women.

Background: Evidence concerning the impact of COVID-19-related stress exposure on prenatal attachment in pregnant women is unknown. In this study we sought to assess the effect of psychological distress and risk perception of COVID-19 on prenatal attachment in a Italian sample of pregnant women.

Methods: 1179 pregnant women completed an anonymous online survey and self-report questionnaires measuring socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics, psychological distress (STAI Form Y-1-2 and BDI-II), prenatal attachment (PAI) and risk perception of COVID-19.

Bleeding events in COVID-19: the other side of the coin?

We present three cases of patients affected by severe SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia treated with a low molecular weight heparin for prevention or treatment of pulmonary embolism, who presented a major bleed, in particular an ileopsoas haematoma that caused severe anaemia; in one case it was fatal. In the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus infection, significantly abnormal coagulation parameters in SARS-CoV-2 infection occur very often, but complications in the opposite direction such as bleeding diathesis are very rare. In these cases, there are different levels of gravity: for one patient the major bleed required the anticoagulant therapy to be stopped until bleeding stabilized, one patient needed interventional radiology and one patient died.

Nose-to-brain delivery: A comparative study between carboxymethyl chitosan based conjugates of dopamine.

Herein, the synthesis of a novel polymeric conjugate N,O-CMCS-Dopamine (DA) based on an amide linkage is reported. The performances of this conjugate were compared with those of an analogous N,O-CMCS-DA ester conjugate previously studied (Cassano et al., 2020) to gain insight into their potential utility for Parkinson's disease treatment.

Semi-synthesis as a tool for broadening the health applications of bioactive olive secoiridoids: a critical review.

Covering: 2005 up to 2020Olive bioactive secoiridoids are recognized as natural antioxidants with multiple beneficial effects on human health. Nevertheless, the study of their biological activity has also disclosed some critical aspects associated with their application. Firstly, only a few of them can be extracted in large amounts from their natural matrix, namely olive leaves, drupes, oil and olive mill wastewater.

Psychosocial precursors of the correct sanitation and sanitization of the patient unit in the hospital setting.

Background And Aim Of The Work: Worrying data indicate the urgency of strongly limiting Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI). Therefore, according to the Theory of Planned Behavior, the psychosocial precursors of correct sanitation and sanitization were assessed.

Methods: An Italian sample of hospital health workers (nurses, healthcare assistants, cleaners; N=250), replied to a validated questionnaire measuring: a) knowledge of HAI; b) favorable attitude towards the correct sanitation and sanitization procedure; c) perception that the management and colleagues give importance to the government of infectious risk; d) perception of being able to implement risk management behaviors; e) perception of having received proper training for the prevention of HAI.

Production of Plant-Derived Oleuropein Aglycone by a Combined Membrane Process and Evaluation of Its Breast Anticancer Properties.

Natural products and herbal therapies represent a thriving field of research, but methods for the production of plant-derived compounds with a significative biological activity by synthetic methods are required. Conventional commercial production by chemical synthesis or solvent extraction is not yet sustainable and economical because toxic solvents are used, the process involves many steps, and there is generally a low amount of the product produced, which is often mixed with other or similar by-products. For this reason, alternative, sustainable, greener, and more efficient processes are required.

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent as Extraction Media for the Main Phenolic Compounds from Olive Oil Processing Wastes.

In this new century, sustainable development challenges chemical sciences to develop new and clean technological processes. The agri-food industry produces significant quantities of waste, raising significant economic and environmental concerns. Food waste valorization using environmentally friendly procedures is of increasing importance.

Multicenter evaluation of analytical performances of platelet counts and platelet parameters: Carryover, precision, and stability.

Introduction: The correctness of the results of automated platelet analysis is still highly debated. The aim of this multicenter study, conducted according to international guidelines, was to verify the analytical performance of nine different types of hematology analyzers (HAs) in the automated platelet analysis.

Methods: Four hundred eighty-six peripheral blood samples (PB), collected in K EDTA tubes, were analyzed by ABX Pentra, ADVIA2120i, BC-6800, BC-6800 Plus, Cell-DYN Sapphire, DxH800, XE-2100, XE-5000, XN-20 with PLT-F App.

Effectiveness of home-based preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD patients undergoing lung cancer resection.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a home-based preoperative rehabilitation program for improving preoperative lung function and surgical outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) undergoing lobectomy for cancer.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational, single-center study including 59 patients with mild COPD who underwent lobectomy for lung cancer. All patients attended a home-based preoperative rehabilitation program including a minimum of 3 sessions each week for 4 weeks.