Utilizing an Ex Vivo Skin Penetration Analysis Model for Predicting Ocular Drug Penetration: A Feasibility Study with Curcumin Formulations.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using the digital image processing technique, developed to semi-quantitatively study dermal penetration, to study corneal penetration in an ex vivo porcine eye model. Here, we investigated various formulation strategies intended to enhance dermal and corneal bioavailability of the model hydrophobic drug, curcumin.

Methods: Several formulation principles were explored, including oily solutions, oily suspensions, aqueous nanosuspension, micelles, liposomes and cyclodextrins.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Group A Streptococcal Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) are often caused by group A (GAS). As the number of invasive GAS infections decreased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions, this study aimed to compare the occurrence of GAS-NSTIs before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adult patients with NSTIs admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, from July 2008 to December 2023.

Development of transferosomes for topical ocular drug delivery of curcumin.

Background: Transferosomes (TFS) are ultra-deformable elastic bilayer vesicles that have previously been used to enhance gradient driven penetration through the skin. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of TFS for topical ocular drug delivery and to compare their penetration enhancing properties in different ocular tissues.

Methods: Curcumin-loaded TFS were prepared using Tween 80 as the edge activator.

Ten simple rules to bridge ecology and palaeoecology by publishing outside palaeoecological journals.

Owing to its specialised methodology, palaeoecology is often regarded as a separate field from ecology, even though it is essential for understanding long-term ecological processes that have shaped the ecosystems that ecologists study and manage. Despite advances in ecological modelling, sample dating, and proxy-based reconstructions facilitating direct comparison of palaeoecological data with neo-ecological data, most of the scientific knowledge derived from palaeoecological studies remains siloed. We surveyed a group of palaeo-researchers with experience in crossing the divide between palaeoecology and neo-ecology, to develop Ten Simple Rules for publishing your palaeoecological research in non-palaeo journals.

Investigating group A antibiotic tolerance in necrotizing fasciitis.

Group A (GAS) necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a difficult-to-treat bacterial infection associated with high morbidity and mortality despite extensive surgery and targeted antibiotic treatment. Difficult-to-treat infections are often characterized by the presence of bacteria surviving prolonged antibiotic exposure without displaying genetic resistance, referred to as persisters. In the present study, we investigated the presence of GAS persisters in tissue freshly debrided from patients as well as in an mouse model of NF and examined the phenomenon of antibiotic tolerance.