Health and wellbeing of staff working at higher education institutions globally during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period: evidence from a cross-sectional study.

Background: The ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job insecurity, burnout, psychological distress and coping amongst staff working at HE institutions globally.

Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries.

Current status and advances to improving drug delivery in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), including tumors diagnosed in the brainstem (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma - DIPG), is the primary cause of brain tumor-related death in pediatric patients. DIPG is characterized by a median survival of <12 months from diagnosis, harboring the worst 5-year survival rate of any cancer. Corticosteroids and radiation are the mainstay of therapy; however, they only provide transient relief from the devastating neurological symptoms.

Economic burden of advanced lung cancer patients treated by gefitinib alone and combined with chemotherapy in two regions of China.

Aim: To assess the economic burden of different chemotherapies for lung cancer patients and influencing factors in China.

Materials And Methods: The economic burden of lung cancer, including direct, indirect and intangible costs was measured within three months after diagnosis and treatment. Direct cost included the cost of hospitalization, outpatient visits, out-of-pocket drug purchases, costs of transportation, accommodation and meal expenses while seeking treatments in hospitals.

Current status and advances in esophageal drug delivery technology: influence of physiological, pathophysiological and pharmaceutical factors.

Diseases affecting the esophagus are common. However, targeted drug delivery to the esophagus is challenging due to the anatomy and physiology of this organ. Current pharmacological treatment for esophageal diseases predominantly relies on the off-label use of drugs in various dosage forms, including those for systemic drug delivery (e.

Epithelial cells sense local stiffness via Piezo1 mediated cytoskeletal reorganization.

Local substrate stiffness is one of the major mechanical inputs for tissue organization during its development and remodeling. It is widely recognized that adherent cells use transmembrane proteins (integrins) at focal adhesions to translate ECM mechanical cues into intracellular bioprocess. Here we show that epithelial cells respond to substrate stiffening primarily via actin cytoskeleton organization, that requires activation of mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels.

Extracellular matrix in high-grade serous ovarian cancer: Advances in understanding of carcinogenesis and cancer biology.

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is notoriously known as the "silent killer" of post-menopausal women as it has an insidious progression and is the deadliest gynaecological cancer. Although a dual origin of HGSOC is now widely accepted, there is growing evidence that most cases of HGSOC originate from the fallopian tube epithelium. In this review, we will address the fallopian tube origin and involvement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in HGSOC development.

Impact of pharmacist-initiated educational interventions on improving medication reconciliation practice in geriatric inpatients during hospital admission in Vietnam.

What Is Known And Objective: Unintentional medication discrepancies (UMDs) are common in geriatric patients during care transitions, resulting in frequent undesirable consequences. Medication reconciliation could be a useful practice to prevent or ameliorate UMD. However, this practice in Vietnamese hospitals has not been well established or standardized.

Physical memory of astrocytes.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major risk factor for development of neurodegenerative disorders later in life. Short, repetitive, mechanical impacts can lead to pathology that appears days or months later. The cells have a physical "memory" of mechanical events.

Implementation and Evaluation of Clinical Pharmacy Services on Improving Quality of Prescribing in Geriatric Inpatients in Vietnam: An Example in a Low-Resources Setting.

Purpose: Geriatric inpatients generally have a high risk of drug-related problems (DRP) in prescribing following hospital admission, which are likely to cause negative clinical consequences. This is particularly evident in developing countries such as Vietnam. Therefore, clinical pharmacy service (CPS) aims to identify and resolve these DRPs to improve the quality use of medicines in the older population following hospital admission.

Pathophysiological and Pharmaceutical Considerations for Enhancing the Control of in Wombats Through Improved Transdermal Drug Delivery.

is an invasive parasitic mite that negatively impacts wombats, causing sarcoptic mange disease, characterized by alopecia, intense pruritus, hyperkeratosis, and eventual mortality. Evidence suggests that wombats may be unable to recovery from infection without the assistance of treatments. Transdermal drug delivery is considered the most ideal route of administration for treatment in free-ranging wombats, as it is non-invasive and avoids the need to capture affected individuals.

Implementing clinical pharmacy activities in hospital setting in Vietnam: current status from a national survey.

Background: Clinical pharmacy activities have evolved over the past decades contributing to all stages of the patient care process, especially in the hospital setting. However, these practice roles may differ to a significant extent depending on the healthcare policy of countries. In Vietnam, the magnitude of adopting clinical pharmacy activities in hospital settings throughout the country is still unknown since these activities have been implemented.

Impact of gastric and bowel surgery on gastrointestinal drug delivery.

General surgical procedures on the gastrointestinal tract are commonly performed worldwide. Surgical resections of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine can have a significant impact on the anatomy and physiological environment of the gastrointestinal tract. These physiological changes can affect the effectiveness of orally administered formulations and drug absorption and, therefore, should be considered in rational drug formulation design for specific pathological conditions that are commonly associated with surgical intervention.

Unintentional Medication Discrepancies at Admission Among Elderly Inpatients with Chronic Medical Conditions in Vietnam: A Single-Centre Observational Study.

Background: Elderly patients are at high risk of unintentional medication discrepancies during transition of care as they are more likely to have multiple comorbidities and chronic diseases that require multiple medications.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency of unintentional medication discrepancies and identify the associated risk factors and potential clinical impact of them in elderly inpatients during hospital admission.

Patients And Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from July to December 2018 in an 800-bed geriatric hospital in Hanoi, North Vietnam.

Adherent cell remodeling on micropatterns is modulated by Piezo1 channels.

Adherent cells utilize local environmental cues to make decisions on their growth and movement. We have previously shown that HEK293 cells grown on the fibronectin stripe patterns were elongated. Here we show that Piezo1 function is involved in cell spreading.

Considerations for using optical clearing techniques for 3D imaging of nanoparticle biodistribution.

A key consideration in the clinical translation of nanomedicines is determining their in vivo biodistribution in preclinical studies, which is important for predicting and correlating therapeutic efficacy and safety. There are a number of techniques available for analyzing the in vivo biodistribution of nanoparticles, with each having its own advantages and limitations. However, conventional techniques are limited by their inability to image the three-dimensional (3D) association of nanoparticles with cells, vasculature and other biological structures in whole organs at a subcellular level.

Advances in Oral Drug Delivery for Regional Targeting in the Gastrointestinal Tract - Influence of Physiological, Pathophysiological and Pharmaceutical Factors.

The oral route is by far the most common route of drug administration in the gastrointestinal tract and can be used for both systemic drug delivery and for treating local gastrointestinal diseases. It is the most preferred route by patients, due to its advantages, such as ease of use, non-invasiveness, and convenience for self-administration. Formulations can also be designed to enhance drug delivery to specific regions in the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract.

Advances in Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery Approaches for Sublingual and Buccal Administration.

The sublingual and buccal routes of administration have significant advantages for both local and systemic drug delivery. They have shown to be an effective alternative to the traditional oral route, especially when fast onset of action is required. Drugs can be rapidly and directly absorbed into the systemic circulation venous drainage to the superior vena cava.

Physiological and Pharmaceutical Considerations for Rectal Drug Formulations.

Although the oral route is the most convenient route for drug administration, there are a number of circumstances where this is not possible from either a clinical or pharmaceutical perspective. In these cases, the rectal route may represent a practical alternative and can be used to administer drugs for both local and systemic actions. The environment in the rectum is considered relatively constant and stable and has low enzymatic activity in comparison to other sections of the gastrointestinal tract.

Impact of pharmaceutical care in the improvement of medication adherence and quality of life for COPD patients in Vietnam.

Background: Medication adherence is an important factor in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the rate of non-adherence to medications is high in COPD and is associated with worsened clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life for patients.

Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of a pharmaceutical care program led by pharmacists in the improvement of medication adherence and quality of life for COPD patients in Vietnam.

Shear stress-induced nuclear shrinkage through activation of Piezo1 channels in epithelial cells.

The cell nucleus responds to mechanical cues with changes in size, morphology and motility. Previous work has shown that external forces couple to nuclei through the cytoskeleton network, but we show here that changes in nuclear shape can be driven solely by calcium levels. Fluid shear stress applied to MDCK cells caused the nuclei to shrink through a Ca-dependent signaling pathway.

In vitro comparison of liposomal drug delivery systems targeting the oxytocin receptor: a potential novel treatment for obstetric complications.

Introduction: Targeted intervention to the uterus has great potential for the treatment of obstetric complications (eg, preterm birth, dysfunctional labor, and postpartum hemorrhage) by improving the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic compounds. In particular, targeting the oxytocin receptor (OTR) is a novel approach for drug delivery to the uterus. The aim of this study was to report the complete data set for the pharmaceutical synthesis and in vitro characterization of PEGylated liposomes conjugated with anti-OTR monoclonal antibodies (OTR-Lipo) or atosiban (ATO-Lipo, OTR antagonist).

Extracellular matrix-mediated regulation of cancer stem cells and chemoresistance.

The identity of cancer stem cells (CSCs) remains an enigma, with the question outstanding of whether CSCs are fixed entities or plastic cell states in response to microenvironmental cues. Recent evidence highlights the power of the tumor microenvironment to dictate CSC functionality and spatiotemporal regulation that gives rise to tumor heterogeneity. This microenvironmental regulation of CSCs parallels that of normal tissues, whereby resident stem cells reside within specialized microenvironments or 'niches', which provide the cellular and molecular signals that wire every aspect of stem cell behavior and fate.

Synthesis and characterization of oxytocin receptor targeted PEGylated immunoliposomes for drug delivery to the uterus.

Targeted delivery of therapeutics to the uterus is an important goal in the treatment of obstetric complications, such as preterm labour, postpartum hemorrhage, and dysfunctional labour. Current treatment for these obstetric complications is challenging, as there are limited effective and safe therapeutic options available. We have developed a targeted drug delivery system for the uterus by conjugating anti-oxytocin receptor (OTR) antibodies to the surface of PEGylated liposomes (OTR-PEG-ILs).