Simvastatin is delivered to the brain by high-strength intranasal cationic SMEDDS and nanoemulsions.

The repurposing of statins as neuroprotective agents and/or anti-brain tumor drugs is limited by challenges in brain bioavailability and systemic off-target effects. Therefore, improved and targeted delivery of statins to the brain is necessary. This study aimed to develop a high-strength liquid formulation of the poorly soluble prodrug simvastatin for intranasal administration, as a strategy to achieve high brain concentrations of the prodrug and/or its active form, tenivastatin.

Prenatal Exposure to Dibutyl Phthalate and Its Negative Health Effects on Offspring: In Vivo and Epidemiological Studies.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a low-molecular-weight phthalate commonly found in personal care products, such as perfumes, aftershaves, and nail care items, as well as in children's toys, pharmaceuticals, and food products. It is used to improve flexibility, make polymer products soft and malleable, and as solvents and stabilizers in personal care products. Pregnancy represents a critical period during which both the mother and the developing embryo can be significantly impacted by exposure to endocrine disruptors.

Comparative efficacy of essential oils against Cutibacterium acnes: Effect upon strains from phylotypes with different virulence patterns.

Objectives: Despite being a commensal of human skin, Cutibacterium acnes plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Acne vulgaris, with the loss of bacterial phylotype diversity being related to disease progression. This study evaluated differences in the virulence profile of C. acnes strains from different phylotypes and investigated the possible phylotype-selective efficacy of essential oils (EOs) from Thymus x citriodorus (TC), Thymus mastichina, and Cistus ladanifer compared to Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree), focusing on both planktonic and biofilm growth forms, the latter being related with pathogenesis and treatment resistance.

Mentha aquatica (Water Mint) as a Source of Active Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Ingredients: A Critical Review.

Mentha aquatica L., or water mint, is an important member of the Mentha genus, and has long been used in traditional medicine, mainly to treat respiratory diseases such as the common cold. Nevertheless, although over the years many studies have shown that it's potential grows beyond this use, a review that highlights M.

Improving Skin Cancer Treatment by Dual Drug Co-Encapsulation into Liposomal Systems-An Integrated Approach towards Anticancer Synergism and Targeted Delivery.

Skin cancer is a high-incidence complex disease, representing a significant challenge to public health, with conventional treatments often having limited efficacy and severe side effects. Nanocarrier-based systems provide a controlled, targeted, and efficacious methodology for the delivery of therapeutic molecules, leading to enhanced therapeutic efficacy, the protection of active molecules from degradation, and reduced adverse effects. These features are even more relevant in dual-loaded nanosystems, with the encapsulated drug molecules leading to synergistic antitumor effects.

MetSCORE: a molecular metric to evaluate the risk of metabolic syndrome based on serum NMR metabolomics.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of medical conditions and risk factors correlating with insulin resistance that increase the risk of developing cardiometabolic health problems. The specific criteria for diagnosing MetS vary among different medical organizations but are typically based on the evaluation of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia. A unique, quantitative and independent estimation of the risk of MetS based only on quantitative biomarkers is highly desirable for the comparison between patients and to study the individual progression of the disease in a quantitative manner.

Identification of Urine Metabolic Markers of Stroke Risk Using Untargeted Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis.

Stroke remains the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, and the third leading cause of death and morbidity combined, affecting more than 12 million people every year. Stroke pathophysiology results from complex interactions of several risk factors related to age, family history, gender, lifestyle, and the presence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Despite all the evidence, it is not possible to fully prevent stroke onset.

Bee Venom-Loaded Niosomes as Innovative Platforms for Cancer Treatment: Development and Therapeutical Efficacy and Safety Evaluation.

Despite past efforts towards therapeutical innovation, cancer remains a highly incident and lethal disease, with current treatments lacking efficiency and leading to severe side effects. Hence, it is imperative to develop new, more efficient, and safer therapies. Bee venom has proven to have multiple and synergistic bioactivities, including antitumor effects.

Exposure to DEP Modifies the Human Umbilical Artery Vascular Resistance Contributing to Hypertension in Pregnancy.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are the most prevalent diseases during pregnancy. In addition to the already identified risk factors, exposure to environmental contaminants has been also considered a new one. Phthalates, which are classified as priority environmental pollutants due to their ubiquitousness and endocrine disrupting properties, have been implicated in HDP in some epidemiological studies.

A review on natural biopolymers in external drug delivery systems for wound healing and atopic dermatitis.

Despite the advantages of topical administration in the treatment of skin diseases, current marketed preparations face the challenge of the skin's barrier effect, leading to low therapeutic effectiveness and undesirable side effects. Hence, in recent years the management of skin wounds, the main morbidity-causing complication in hospital environments, and atopic dermatitis, the most common inflammatory skin disease, has become a great concern. Fortunately, new, more effective, and safer treatments are already under development, with chitosan, starch, silk fibroin, agarose, hyaluronic acid, alginate, collagen, and gelatin having been used for the development of nanoparticles, liposomes, niosomes and/or hydrogels to improve the delivery of several molecules for the treatment of these diseases.

Searching for Metabolic Markers of Stroke in Human Plasma via NMR Analysis.

More than 12 million people around the world suffer a stroke every year, one every 3 s. Stroke has a variety of causes and is often the result of a complex interaction of risk factors related to age, genetics, gender, lifestyle, and some cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Despite this evidence, it is not possible to prevent the onset of stroke.

NMR analysis seeking for cognitive decline and dementia metabolic markers in plasma from aged individuals.

Background: Blood biomarkers can improve the ability to diagnose dementia, providing new information to better understand the pathophysiology and causes of the disease. Some studies with patients have already shown changes in metabolic profiles among patients with pathological cognitive decline or Alzheimer's disease, when compared to individuals with normal cognition.

Methods: To search for new metabolic biomarkers of dementia, we analyzed serum levels of several metabolites, measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, in elderly individuals, a group with normal cognitive decline (control), and three other groups with cognitive decline.

Liposome-Derived Nanosystems for the Treatment of Behavioral and Neurodegenerative Diseases: The Promise of Niosomes, Transfersomes, and Ethosomes for Increased Brain Drug Bioavailability.

Psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders are amongst the most prevalent and debilitating diseases, but current treatments either have low success rates, greatly due to the low permeability of the blood-brain barrier, and/or are connected to severe side effects. Hence, new strategies are extremely important, and here is where liposome-derived nanosystems come in. Niosomes, transfersomes, and ethosomes are nanometric vesicular structures that allow drug encapsulation, protecting them from degradation, and increasing their solubility, permeability, brain targeting, and bioavailability.

Rosacea Topical Treatment and Care: From Traditional to New Drug Delivery Systems.

Rosacea is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by flushing, nontransient erythema, papules and pustules, telangiectasia, and phymatous alterations accompanied by itching, burning, or stinging, the pathophysiology of which is not yet fully understood. Conventional topical treatments usually show limited efficacy due to the physical barrier property of the skin that hinders skin penetration of the active ingredients, thereby hampering proper drug skin delivery and the respective therapeutic or cosmetic effects. New advances regarding the physiopathological understanding of the disease and the underlying mechanisms suggest the potential of new active ingredients as promising therapeutic and cosmetic approaches to this dermatosis.

Comparison of different measuring methods in the assessment of the ISNT rule and its variants in a normal population: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare five different neuroretinal rim (NRR) measurement methods, based on quadrants and NRR widths, in the assessment of the ISNT (inferior (I) > superior (S) > nasal (N) > temporal (T)) rule, and its variants IST (inferior (I) > superior (S) > temporal (S)) rule, IS (inferior (I) > superior (S)) rule and T (temporal is the thinnest) rule in a normal population. Factors influencing compliance with this rule and its variants were also evaluated.

Methods: Stereoscopic fundus images were analysed through a dichoptic viewing system.

Nanogel Containing Gamma-Oryzanol-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and TiO/MBBT: A Synergistic Nanotechnological Approach of Potent Natural Antioxidants and Nanosized UV Filters for Skin Protection.

The human skin is a recurring target of external aggressions, such as UV radiation, leading to exacerbation of the aging process and the occurrence of skin diseases, such as cancer. Hence, preventive measures should be taken to protect it against these aggressions, consequently decreasing the chance of disease development. In the present study, a topical xanthan gum nanogel containing gamma-oryzanol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) and nanosized UV filters TiO and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (MBBT) was developed to assess their synergistic potential in having multifunctional skin beneficial properties.

Norcantharidin Nanoemulsion Development, Characterization, and In Vitro Antiproliferation Effect on B16F1 Melanoma Cells.

Melanoma is a highly lethal type of cancer that has had an increase in incidence in the last decades. Nevertheless, current therapies lack effectiveness and have highly disabling side effects, which calls for new therapeutic strategies. Norcantharidin (NCTD) is an acid derivative with potential antitumor activity isolated from natural blister beetles.

Association Between Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR) rs6166 and Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) rs2234693 Polymorphisms and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Risk, Phenotype, and Reproductive Outcomes in an Infertile Portuguese Population.

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder often leading to anovulatory infertility. PCOS pathophysiology is still unclear and several potential genetic susceptibility factors have been proposed. The effect of polymorphisms in two genesrelated to follicular recruitment and development, the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor () and the estrogen receptor 1 (), have been studied in different populations with contradictory results.

Nanosystems, Drug Molecule Functionalization and Intranasal Delivery: An Update on the Most Promising Strategies for Increasing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Drugs.

Depression and anxiety are high incidence and debilitating psychiatric disorders, usually treated by antidepressant or anxiolytic drug administration, respectively. Nevertheless, treatment is usually given through the oral route, but the low permeability of the blood-brain barrier reduces the amount of drug that will be able to reach it, thus consequently reducing the therapeutic efficacy. Which is why it is imperative to find new solutions to make these treatments more effective, safer, and faster.

Nanosystems for Brain Targeting of Antipsychotic Drugs: An Update on the Most Promising Nanocarriers for Increased Bioavailability and Therapeutic Efficacy.

Orally administered antipsychotic drugs are the first-line treatment for psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, adverse drug reactions jeopardize clinical outcomes, resulting in patient non-compliance. The design formulation strategies for enhancing brain drug delivery has been a major challenge, mainly due to the restrictive properties of the blood-brain barrier.

In obese hypertensives cholecalciferol inhibits circulating TH17 cells but not macrophage infiltration on adipose tissue.

In arterial hypertension, increased Th17 cells and reduced Tregs are the hallmarks of immunological dysfunction and the basis for the investigation of immunomodulatory drugs. Although cholecalciferol is not a primary immunomodulator, it has recognized action on immune cells, leading us to hypothesise if cholecalciferol can induce a more tolerogenic phenotype in obese hypertensives. In a phase-2, single-centre, randomised, open, 24-week trial, we assigned adults with obesity-associated hypertension and vitamin D deficiency to receive usual therapy plus 50,000 IU/week of cholecalciferol or usual therapy alone.

Eye discomfort at close work in Portuguese university students: A comparative analysis between the pre-COVID and confinement period.

Background: Many individuals experience visual symptoms associated with near work. The level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of digital screen use.

Objective: To study the eye discomfort with near tasks in university students in the pre-COVID period and in the period of confinement due to the pandemic.

Vitreous humor proteome: unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying proliferative and neovascular vitreoretinal diseases.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) are among the leading causes of blindness. Due to the multifactorial nature of these vitreoretinal diseases, omics approaches are essential for a deeper understanding of the pathophysiologic processes underlying the evolution to a proliferative or neovascular etiology, in which patients suffer from an abrupt loss of vision. For many years, it was thought that the function of the vitreous was merely structural, supporting and protecting the surrounding ocular tissues.