An assessment of infant medication administration and storage practices in selected communities in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Background: Effective infant medication administration and storage is a major public health challenge outlined by the World Health Organization. These challenges may be exacerbated in rural or limited-resource areas.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate infant medication administration and storage practices.

Cytoplasmic delivery of functional siRNA using pH-Responsive nanoscale hydrogels.

The progress of short interfering RNA (siRNA) technologies has unlocked the development of novel alternatives for the treatment of a myriad of diseases, including viral infections, autoimmune disorders, or cancer. Nevertheless, the clinical use of these therapies faces significant challenges, mainly overcoming the charged and large nature of these molecules to effectively enter the cell. In this work, we developed a cationic polymer nanoparticle system that is able to load siRNA due to electrostatic interactions.

Uptake and function of membrane-destabilizing cationic nanogels for intracellular drug delivery.

The design of intracellular drug delivery vehicles demands an in-depth understanding of their internalization and function upon entering the cell to tailor the physicochemical characteristics of these platforms and achieve efficacious treatments. Polymeric cationic systems have been broadly accepted to be membrane disruptive thus being beneficial for drug delivery inside the cell. However, if excessive destabilization takes place, it can lead to adverse effects.

Zinc delivery from non-woven fibres within a therapeutic nipple shield.

A Therapeutic Nipple Shield (TNS) was previously developed to respond to the global need for new infant therapeutic delivery technologies. However, the release efficiency for the same Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) from different therapeutic matrices within the TNS formulation has not yet been investigated. To address this, in-vitro release of elemental zinc into human milk from two types of Texel non-woven fibre mats of varying thickness and different gram per square meter values, placed inside the TNS was explored and compared to the release from zinc-containing rapidly disintegrating tablets.

Using the Slug Mucosal Irritation Assay to Investigate the Tolerability of Tablet Excipients on Human Skin in the Context of the Use of a Nipple Shield Delivery System.

Purpose: Neonates are particularly challenging to treat. A novel patented drug delivery device containing a rapidly disintegrating tablet held within a modified nipple shield (NSDS) was designed to deliver medication to infants during breastfeeding. However concerns exist around dermatological nipple tolerability with no pharmaceutical safety assessment guidance to study local tissue tolerance of the nipple and the areola.

Characterisation of zinc delivery from a nipple shield delivery system using a breastfeeding simulation apparatus.

Zinc delivery from a nipple shield delivery system (NSDS), a novel platform for administering medicines to infants during breastfeeding, was characterised using a breastfeeding simulation apparatus. In this study, human milk at flow rates and pressures physiologically representative of breastfeeding passed through the NSDS loaded with zinc-containing rapidly disintegrating tablets, resulting in release of zinc into the milk. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used to detect the zinc released, using a method that does not require prior digestion of the samples and that could be applied in other zinc analysis studies in breast milk.

Mimicking the Impact of Infant Tongue Peristalsis on Behavior of Solid Oral Dosage Forms Administered During Breastfeeding.

An in vitro simulation system was developed to study the effect of an infant's peristaltic tongue motion during breastfeeding on oral rapidly disintegrating tablets in the mouth, for use in rapid product candidate screening. These tablets are being designed for use inside a modified nipple shield worn by a mother during breastfeeding, a proposed novel platform technology to administer drugs and nutrients to breastfeeding infants. In this study, the release of a model compound, sulforhodamine B, from tablet formulations was studied under physiologically relevant forces induced by compression and rotation of a tongue mimic.

Characterising the disintegration properties of tablets in opaque media using texture analysis.

Tablet disintegration characterisation is used in pharmaceutical research, development, and quality control. Standard methods used to characterise tablet disintegration are often dependent on visual observation in measurement of disintegration times. This presents a challenge for disintegration studies of tablets in opaque, physiologically relevant media that could be useful for tablet formulation optimisation.