Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome with Severe Hepatic Manifestations: A Rare Clinical Case.

Unlabelled: Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome is a rare inherited syndrome with autosomal dominant transmission characterized by systemic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with multi-organ involvement. Its incidence is 1-2/100,000 and it is predominant in females (the male/female ratio varies from 1:2 to 1:4.5).

Body-Packing: A Rare Diagnosis to Keep in Mind.

Unlabelled: Body packing was first described in 1973 and refers to the intracorporeal concealment of illegal drugs, which are swallowed or placed in anatomical cavities and/or body orifices. The body packer can be asymptomatic or can have signs of systemic drug toxicity (neurological, cardiac, abdominal, renal and cutaneous) due to rupture of the packet(s) or symptoms of gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation. The diagnosis is established based on a suggestive history, findings on physical examination and laboratory findings and/or imaging.

When radiology determines the success of removal of a retained epidural catheter: A case report.

The epidural block is an anesthetic procedure that can have possible complications upon insertion or removal. Epidural catheter retention is a rare complication; its etiology may come from lateral migration with kinking of the catheter or from involvement with bone, ligamentous, muscular, vascular structures, or nerve roots. Up until today, there is not a standard approach to this complication; however, there are some recommendations for the management of retained epidural catheters.

biodistribution of venlafaxine-PLGA nanoparticles for brain delivery: plain vs. functionalized nanoparticles.

: Actually, no drugs provide therapeutic benefit to approximately one-third of depressed patients. Depression is predicted to become the first global disease by 2030. So, new therapeutic interventions are imperative.

Antioxidant Activity of Blueberry ( spp.) Cultivar Leaves: Differences Across the Vegetative Stage and the Application of Near Infrared Spectroscopy.

Blueberries production has increased in the last few years boosted somehow by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for a healthier nutrition and their recognized potential to treat several diseases. The production increase lead to high amounts of discarded leaves that could be very valuable. In this context, the antioxidant activity of spp.

A Rare Presentation of Ogilvie's Syndrome.

Unlabelled: Ogilvie's syndrome or acute colonic pseudo-obstruction is characterized by massive colon dilation in the absence of mechanical obstruction or toxic megacolon. The phenotype associated with secretory diarrhoea is rare and is related to increased potassium channel activity in the colon, inducing excessive potassium loss, with increased sensitivity to normal serum aldosterone levels. The recommended therapy is potassium-sparing agents.

Development of a PEGylated-Based Platform for Efficient Delivery of Dietary Antioxidants Across the Blood-Brain Barrier.

The uptake and transport of dietary antioxidants remains the most important setback for their application in therapy. To overcome the limitations, a PEGylated-based platform was developed to improve the delivery properties of two dietary hydroxycinnamic (HCA) antioxidants-caffeic and ferulic acids. The antioxidant properties of the new polymer-antioxidant conjugates (PEGAntiOxs), prepared by linking poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to the cinnamic acids by a one-step Knovenagel condensation reaction, were evaluated.

Using microfluidic platforms to develop CNS-targeted polymeric nanoparticles for HIV therapy.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses the brain as reservoir, which turns it as a promising target to fight this pathology. Nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) are potential carriers of anti-HIV drugs to the brain, since most of these antiretrovirals, as efavirenz (EFV), cannot surpass the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Forasmuch as the conventional production methods lack precise control over the final properties of particles, microfluidics emerged as a prospective alternative.

Delivery of siRNA silencing P-gp in peptide-functionalized nanoparticles causes efflux modulation at the blood-brain barrier.

Aim: Explore the use of transferrin-receptor peptide-functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) targeting blood-brain barrier (BBB) as siRNA carriers to silence P-glycoprotein (P-gp).

Materials & Methods: Permeability experiments were assessed through a developed BBB cell-based model; P-gp mRNA expression was evaluated in vitro; rhodamine 123 permeability was assessed after cell monolayer treatment with siRNA NPs.

Results: Beyond their ability to improve siRNA permeability through the BBB by twofold, 96-h post-transfection, functionalized polymeric NPs successfully reduced P-gp mRNA expression up to 52%, compared with nonfunctionalized systems.

Tailoring Lipid and Polymeric Nanoparticles as siRNA Carriers towards the Blood-Brain Barrier - from Targeting to Safe Administration.

Blood-brain barrier is a tightly packed layer of endothelial cells surrounding the brain that acts as the main obstacle for drugs enter the central nervous system (CNS), due to its unique features, as tight junctions and drug efflux systems. Therefore, since the incidence of CNS disorders is increasing worldwide, medical therapeutics need to be improved. Consequently, aiming to surpass blood-brain barrier and overcome CNS disabilities, silencing P-glycoprotein as a drug efflux transporter at brain endothelial cells through siRNA is considered a promising approach.

Oral hypoglycaemic effect of GLP-1 and DPP4 inhibitor based nanocomposites in a diabetic animal model.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone, is used for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment because of its ability to stimulate insulin secretion and release in a glucose-dependent manner. Despite of its potent insulinotropic effect, oral GLP-1 delivery is greatly limited by its instability in the gastrointestinal tract, poor absorption efficiency and rapid degradation by dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP4) enzyme leading to a short half-life (~2min). Thus, a multistage dual-drug delivery nanosystem was developed to deliver GLP-1 and DPP4 inhibitor simultaneously.

siRNA as a tool to improve the treatment of brain diseases: Mechanism, targets and delivery.

As the population ages, brain pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases and brain cancer increase their incidence, being the need to find successful treatments of upmost importance. Drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) is required in order to reach diseases causes and treat them. However, biological barriers, mainly blood-brain barrier (BBB), are the key obstacles that prevent the effectiveness of possible treatments due to their ability to strongly limit the perfusion of compounds into the brain.

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery to improve the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy in the central nervous system.

Antiretroviral drug therapy plays a cornerstone role in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients. Despite obvious advances over the past 3 decades, new approaches toward improved management of infected individuals are still required. Drug distribution to the central nervous system (CNS) is required in order to limit and control viral infection, but the presence of natural barrier structures, in particular the blood-brain barrier, strongly limits the perfusion of anti-HIV compounds into this anatomical site.

Lipid nanoparticles for topical and transdermal application for alopecia treatment: development, physicochemical characterization, and in vitro release and penetration studies.

Alopecia is a dermatological disorder, commonly known as hair loss, which affects up to half of the Caucasian male population by middle age, and almost all (95%) Caucasian men by old age. Considering that alopecia affects so many people and that there is currently no scientifically proven treatment with few side effects, new drug-delivery systems able to improve alopecia therapy are urgently required. With this purpose in mind, the present study aimed to develop lipid nanoparticles (nanostructured lipid carriers) with the ability to incorporate and deliver anti-alopecia active compounds (minoxidil and finasteride) into the dermis and hair follicles.

Rituximab therapy in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of glandular tissues leading to sicca symptoms, namely, dry eyes and dry mouth. In the majority of cases, the disease course is benign, albeit with considerable patient discomfort. Some patients, however, have systemic symptoms with arthritis, cutaneous vasculitis, low complement levels, and cryoglobulinemia.

Evaluation of the radiographic cephalometry learning process by a learning virtual object.

Introduction: Radiographic cephalometry is a complex area of study. The literature shows a lack of interobserver reproducibility in the definition and identification of cephalometric landmarks. The aim of this study was to test a learning virtual object (LVO) called ceph learning used in the teaching of radiographic cephalometry and to verify whether it improves performance of the landmarking process.

Combination therapy with single inhaler budesonide/formoterol compared with high dose of fluticasone propionate alone in patients with moderate persistent asthma.

Background: The efficacy and safety of Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol in a single inhaler) were compared with those of a high dose of the commonly used corticosteroid fluticasone propionate in patients with moderate persistent asthma.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study involved 373 patients with asthma (mean age 42 years; FEV(1) 78% of predicted; reversibility 21%). After a 2-week run-in period, during which patients received budesonide 200 microg twice daily, they were randomly assigned to treatment with either Symbicort Turbuhaler (budesonide/formoterol 160/4.