Publications by authors named "Nina Fitzgerald"
Microorganisms typically used to produce food and pharmaceuticals are now being explored as medicines and agricultural supplements. However, maintaining high viability from manufacturing until use remains an important challenge, requiring sophisticated cold chains and packaging. Here we report synthetic extremophiles of industrially relevant gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli Nissle 1917, Ensifer meliloti), gram-positive bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) and yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii).
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- Chemotherapy dosing traditionally relies on patient weight and height, which often leads to significant variations in drug levels, potentially causing under- or overdosing.
- A new closed-loop drug delivery system, known as CLAUDIA, can automatically adjust drug infusion rates to maintain target drug concentrations in patients, regardless of their individual pharmacokinetics.
- Tests showed that CLAUDIA effectively kept the concentration of 5-fluorouracil within range, unlike conventional BSA-based dosing, and is also more cost-effective, with potential for rapid clinical implementation.
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- Pills are essential in medicine but can be hard to swallow, while liquid forms lack specific therapeutic targeting and controlled release.
- The study introduces liquid in situ-forming tough (LIFT) hydrogels, which create a gel in the stomach by mixing two solutions, allowing for a better drug delivery method.
- Tested in live rats and pigs, LIFT hydrogels are strong, safe, and effectively deliver drugs while protecting sensitive therapeutic enzymes and bacteria from stomach acid, potentially aiding patients who struggle with traditional medicine forms.
Simplification of complex medication regimens in polypharmacy positively contributes to treatment adherence and cost-effective improved health outcomes. Even though fixed dose combination (FDC) drug products are the only currently available single dose poly-pill regimens, the lack of flexibility in dose adjustment of a single drug in the combination limits their efficacy. To fill the existing gap in drug dose personalization and simplification of complex medication regimens commonly encountered in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, and tapering of corticosteroid therapy, a modular titratable polypill approach that simultaneously addresses both aspects is proposed.
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- Oral drug delivery of proteins usually requires injections due to poor absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and mucus barriers.
- The RoboCap is a robotic capsule designed to clear mucus and mix contents in the small intestine to improve drug absorption.
- In studies with swine models, RoboCap significantly enhanced the absorption of vancomycin and insulin, demonstrating its potential for effective oral delivery of traditionally difficult-to-absorb medications.
Hypernatremia in a Sleepy 2-Month-Old With Mention of Abnormal Eye Movements.
Pediatr Emerg Care
December 2021
Septo-optic dysplasia is a rare congenital heterogeneous malformation comprising at least 2 components of the triad: optic nerve hypoplasia, pituitary hormone abnormalities, and midline brain defects. We report a 2-month-old girl who presented with hypernatremia, constipation, and increased sleepiness with mother's recent appreciation of abnormal eye movements. We discuss the diagnosis and management of this patient who avoided significant morbidity by prompt diagnosis based initially on clinical suspicion.
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