Svanehaaning5022

BACKGROUND Taste masking of bitter or unpleasant drugs is an important prerequisite to improve patient compliance, especially for children and elderly patients. We aimed at obtaining taste-masked microparticles intended for incorporation into orodispersible tablets (ODTs). We selected the precipitation method using enalapril maleate (ENA) as a model bitter-tasting drug and Eudragit EPO® as a pH sensitive polymer. AIM The aim of this study was to obtain microparticles with enalapril maleate by the precipitation method in order to mask the bitter taste of the drug. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine models of enalapril maleate – Eudragit EPO® microparticles were prepared by the precipitation method at varied drug-polymer ratios. The models were characterized in terms of size, shape, production yield, drug content, encapsulation efficiency and moisture content. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were used to analyze possible interactions in the complex. In vitro drug release in simulated salivary fluid and in vivo taste evaluation in rats were realized to prove taste masking. RESULTS The particle size distribution varied from 266.9 µm to 410.9 µm. The shape of the resulting particles was irregular. The production yield varied from 23.6% to 78.2%. The drug content ranged between 2.3% to 4.8%, encapsulation efficiency increased from 1.6% to 9.0%. In vitro drug release data indicated significant taste masking. CONCLUSION Some of the obtained microparticles by the precipitation method showed satisfactory taste masking efficiency, which proved the taste masking feasibility of this method. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.INTRODUCTION Carbamylated low-density lipoprotein (cLDL) has profound proatherogenic properties. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) has been identified as the primary cLDL receptor. The soluble form of LOX-1 (sLOX-1) and 3-nitrotyrosine (NT) have recently been suggested as biomarkers of vascular disease. Although type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterised by an increased atherosclerotic risk, the clinical data on cLDL, NT and sLOX-1 levels in T2DM are limited. AIM To explore the possible role of cLDL, NT and sLOX-1 as potential biomarkers for disease progression and complications in poorly controlled T2DM patients with and without microalbuminuria. MATERIALS AND METHODS The serum concentrations of cLDL, NT and sLOX-1 were measured by ELISA in a cross-sectional study of 60 T2DM patients and 35 nondiabetic controls. RESULTS Both the normoalbuminuric (n = 34) and the microalbuminuric (n = 26) patients had significantly higher serum levels of cLDL and NT than the healthy controls, but sLOX-1 was only elevated in the microalbuminuric subgroup (p less then 0.05). Carbamylated LDL correlated positively with NT in the diabetic subjects (rs = 0.266, p = 0.04) while it correlated with urea only in the control group (rs = 0.475, p = 0.004). The serum concentration of sLOX-1 correlated significantly with fasting glucose (rs = 0.441, p less then 0.001), HbA1c (rs = 0.328, p = 0.01) and microalbuminuria (rs = 0.272, p = 0.035) in the whole diabetic cohort. CONCLUSIONS The present study highlights the potential of cLDL, NT and sLOX-1 as possible markers of diabetic complications. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.BACKGROUND Besides its “classical” neurotransmitter function in the central and peripheral nervous systems, serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is also a local hormone in a number of tissues, including those of the GI tract. Radiation is known to be able to disrupt certain functions of the tract, modulated by 5-HT-signaling pathways, or the serotonin receptors themselves. AIM The present investigation focused on clarifying the nature and extent of influence of an accelerated electron beam with energy of 9 MeV on the serotonergic mediation of healthy smooth muscle gastric tissue of rats following total body irradiation of the animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved a control group and two experimental groups of animals exposed to 1 and 5 Gy, respectively, using Siemens Primus S/N 3561. Circular smooth muscle tissues were isolated from rats 1 hour and 18 hours after they were exposed to 1 and 5 Gy and also 5 days after irradiation from the rats that received a dose of 5 Gy in order to investigate the action of exogenous serotonin at increasing concentrations from 10-8 to 10-4 mol/l. The contractile reactivity of each group SM preparations was registered isometrically. RESULTS Electron beams with energy of 9 MeV did not damage the contractile apparatus of gastric SM of rats and had a stimulating effect on contractility resulting from rapidly developing processes (1 hour) or later occurring once (5 days). CONCLUSIONS Difference was observed in the importance of the factors of received dose, lapse of time from irradiation to investigation of SM tissues, and exogenous 5-HT concentration for the changes in SM reactivity in serotonin-induced tonic and phasic responses. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.INTRODUCTION Obesity is linked to the development of low-grade, chronic inflammation. Obesity-related inflammation appears to be a different type of inflammation, mainly due to excessive food intake and unusual homeostasis. It can be evaluated by measuring the concentration of pro- and anti-inflammatory marker molecules – C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA) and interleukin-4. AIM The aim of the present study is to evaluate the rate of the inflammatory process in heart, provoked by the consumption of a high-fat diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty 8-week-old male Wistar rats were used in this experiment. The laboratory animals were fed orally with two different types of rodent food for 14 or 18 weeks – a high-fat diet (experimental groups) and standard rodent food (control groups). They all were kept under standard housing conditions. The levels of the pro- and anti-inflammatory markers in tissue homogenates from heart were analyzed using ELISA. Their expression in tissue samples was detected immunohistochemically by the biotin-streptavidin-peroxidase method. The total protein concentration was determined by the Lawry method. RESULTS CRP levels showed no significant differences when the control group was compared with the groups fed with a high-fat diet (p>0.05). The SAA levels detected were also insignificantly changed. Only the IL-4 tissue levels showed tendency to increase (p less then 0.05) in the high-fat diet group. CONCLUSIONS Our experiment indicates that there is a specific reaction of the heart to a high-fat diet. It also refers to the existence of adaptive mechanisms allowing the heart to counteract the development of dietary induced inflammation. 20-Hydroxyecdysone solubility dmso This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.INTRODUCTION We conducted a retrospective analysis of 602 children operated on for acute appendicitis (AA) in our department between 1/2007 and 12/2017. AIM The aim of this study was to identify factors that are related to a delay in diagnosing AA in children. Furthermore, we’d like to strengthen our previous preliminary results by a) adding gender as a new factor and b) studying a much larger population. MATERIALS AND METHODS The time that elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the surgical intervention was associated with gender, age, obesity, use of antibiotics prior to diagnosis, and the initial examination by a paediatric surgeon or another physician. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression method (backward method) was applied. RESULTS The diagnosis of AA was delayed by at least 48 hours in 287 patients (group A, 47.7%) and was made within 48 hours in 315 patients (group B, 52.3%). In multivariate model we noticed that boys who were examined by a paediatric surgeon and didn’t take antibiotics had the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.BACKGROUND Cerebral palsy (CP) is a serious disorder with an important impact not only on the affected person but also on parents and the entire family. CP children often undergo surgery with long stay hospitalization. AIM The aim of the study was to highlight the impact of orthopedic surgery on parents of children affected by cerebral palsy in Greece. MATERIALS AND METHODS The semi-structured interviews of 80 parents (40 fathers and 40 mothers) of nuclear and intact families were collected. All parents were of Greek nationality, belonged to the middle socio-economic class and had at least one child affected by CP candidate to orthopedic surgery. RESULTS The majority of parents’ perception was that CP is a condition requiring special education, need for specialized services and a medical problem that affects the entire family. Their expectations after orthopedic surgery were focused mainly on child’s healing and hope to have a “healthy” child, while expectations from future surgery were focused on improving child’s quality of life, movement and gait. CONCLUSIONS Parents of CP children have different perceptions of the clinical condition and a variety of expectations about orthopedic surgery and its outcomes. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.BACKGROUND In the older population, tortuosity of the vertebral artery (VA), uncovertebral joint (UVJ) osteoarthritis, and abnormal vertebral alignment may alter the normal anatomy. AIM We aimed to determine the anatomical variations and relationships between the cervical segment of the VA and the cervical spine with regard to ageing. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the computed tomography angiography scans of 110 subjects were reviewed. Any variations in the VA, UVJ degeneration were identified. The distance between the VA and uncinate process (UP) was measured electronically. The distance between the VA and UP were compared according to the age group (group A 65 years-old). RESULTS With regard to the transverse foramen, 7.2% of the cases had entering abnormalities of the VA, while in one case (0.83%), the right VA had an exiting abnormality (exiting from the C2 instead of the C1). UVJ degeneration was found to be significantly higher in the older age group (p less then 0.