Nanocarriers: more than tour de force for thymoquinone.

: Thymoquinone (TQ), 2-isopropyl-5-methylbenzo-1, 4-quinone, the main active constituent of Nigella sativa (NS) plant, has been proven to be of great therapeutic aid in various in vitro and in vivo conditions. Despite the promising therapeutic activities of TQ, this molecule is not yet in the clinical trials, restricted by its poor biopharmaceutical properties including photo-instability.: This review compiles the different types of polymeric and lipidic nanocarriers (NCs), encapsulating TQ for their improved oral bioavailability, and augmented in vitro and in vivo efficacy, evidenced on various pathologies.

Formulation, In-Vitro and Ex-Vivo Evaluation of Tretinoin Loaded Cubosomal Gel for the Treatment of Acne.

Objective: The current work was attempted to formulate and evaluate the topical sustained release delivery systems called cubosomes containing Tretinoin for the acne treatment. The recent patents on various formulations of tretinoin (EP0408370A2) helped in selecting a new formulation and evaluation.

Methods: Tretinoin loaded cubosomes were prepared by bottom-up technique, using varying the concentration of lipid and surfactant and keeping the drug concentration constant, a total of nine formulations of tretinoin was developed.

The bacterial diversity of pharmaceutical clean rooms analyzed by the Fatty Acid methyl ester technique.

Clean rooms are largely employed in pharmaceutical companies whose purpose is to produce sterile drugs and devices. We employed Gram staining and gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters extracted from whole cells of environmental isolates to characterize and identify bacteria isolated in each of 50 different clean rooms designed for the manufacturing of sterile medicinal products and to provide a fatty acid profile of the most common species of isolated bacteria. Statistical analysis allowed us to corroborate previous studies and confirm that Gram-positive cocci are the most relevant group of microorganisms inside the studied clean rooms.

Safety evaluation of single-use medical devices after submission to simulated reutilization cycles.

Pyrogenic and toxic reactions, especially in immunologically compromised patients, are among the risks associated with reuse of single-use medical devices (SUDs) with recurrent damaged surfaces. These drawbacks have raised serious doubts about the true benefits of the reprocessing practice. Taking into consideration prolonged patients' stay in hospitals due to adverse reactions provoked by recycled SUDs, the safety of these reprocessed materials was evaluated.

Evaluation of preservative systems in a sunscreen formula by linear regression method.

A sunscreen formula with eight different preservative systems was evaluated by linear regression, pharmacopeial, and the CTFA (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association) methods. The preparations were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Burkholderia cepacia, Shewanella putrefaciens, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus sp. The linear regression method proved to be useful in the selection of the most effective preservative system used in cosmetic formulation.