-
Carbohydrate Polymers Sep 2024Cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (CD-MOF) is an edible and porous material that can serve as a template for synthesizing small-sized metal nanoparticles. However,...
Cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (CD-MOF) is an edible and porous material that can serve as a template for synthesizing small-sized metal nanoparticles. However, its highly hydrophilic nature has limited its wider application. Herein, ultra-small gold nanoparticles (U-AuNPs) were loaded into CD-MOF to produce a composite material Au@CD-MOF. The CD-MOF was utilized as a template to control the size of the AuNPs. The synthesized Au@CD-MOF was easily dispersible in aqueous medium and its released U-AuNPs exhibited effective water dispersion stability within 120 days. Additionally, compared to gold nanoparticles prepared using traditional methods (T-AuNPs), the U-AuNPs exhibited superior antibacterial properties. Furthermore, hydrophilic Au@CD-MOF was incorporated into a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix (Au@CD-MOF/PDMS) to achieve a humidity-responsive antibacterial function. The composite membrane exhibited remarkable responsiveness to humidity, showing almost no release of U-AuNPs at 0 % humidity. However, it exhibited approximately 89 % release within 1 h, and complete release of U-AuNPs was observed within 4 h under 100 % humidity. These findings highlight the successful preparation of a humidity-responsive antibacterial composite membrane, which has great potential applications in various scenarios, particularly in the field of antibacterial food packaging.
Topics: Gold; Metal-Organic Frameworks; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Metal Nanoparticles; Humidity; Cyclodextrins; Particle Size; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Escherichia coli; Staphylococcus aureus
PubMed: 38857994
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122200 -
Life Sciences Aug 2024Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a lysosomal lipid storage disorder characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and hepatic dysfunction. A cyclic heptasaccharide,...
Intracerebroventricular 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin alleviates hepatic manifestations without distributing to the liver in a murine model of Niemann-Pick disease type C.
Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a lysosomal lipid storage disorder characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and hepatic dysfunction. A cyclic heptasaccharide, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), is currently under clinical investigation for NPC, but its adverse events remain problematic. We previously identified that a cyclic octasaccharide, 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD), also ameliorated NPC manifestations with higher biocompatibility than HP-β-CD. However, preclinical studies describing the associations between the biodistribution and pharmacodynamics of these compounds, which are essential for clinical application, are still lacking. Here, we investigated these properties of HP-γ-CD by measuring its organ biodistribution and therapeutic effect after systemic and central administration. The effect of HP-γ-CD on disturbed cholesterol homeostasis appeared within several hours after exposure and persisted for several days in NPC model cells and mice. Tissue distribution indicated that only a small fraction of subcutaneously administered HP-γ-CD rapidly distributed to peripheral organs and contributed to disease amelioration. We found that a subcutaneous dose of HP-γ-CD negligibly ameliorated neurological characteristics because it has limited penetration of the blood-brain barrier; however, an intracerebroventricular microdose unexpectedly attenuated hepatic dysfunction without the detection of HP-γ-CD in the liver. These results demonstrate that central administration of HP-γ-CD can indirectly attenuate peripheral manifestations of NPC.
Topics: Animals; Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C; Mice; Liver; gamma-Cyclodextrins; Disease Models, Animal; Tissue Distribution; Cholesterol; Male; Mice, Inbred BALB C
PubMed: 38852794
DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122776 -
Tobacco Control Jun 2024In the UK in May 2016, standardised packaging of tobacco products was implemented, including minimum pack sizes of 20 sticks or 30 g loose tobacco. The change was...
BACKGROUND
In the UK in May 2016, standardised packaging of tobacco products was implemented, including minimum pack sizes of 20 sticks or 30 g loose tobacco. The change was intended to reduce uptake by increasing upfront costs to young people, but there was concern it may unintentionally increase consumption among people smoking. This study aimed to assess whether the introduction of the policy was associated with changes in (1) mean daily factory-made (FM)/roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes consumption among people smoking predominantly (a) FM and (b) RYO cigarettes; and (2) current smoking prevalence among 16-24-year-olds.
METHODS
Data (N=257 929) were from a representative monthly cross-sectional survey of adults (≥16 years) in England, collected between November 2007 and January 2020. Outcome measures were mean daily (FM/RYO) cigarette consumption among those smoking FM/RYO cigarettes, and prevalence of current smoking among 16-24-year-olds. Time-series analyses were conducted using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous variables (ARIMAX) regression models including a gradual level change starting in June 2017 and ending in May 2018 for cigarette consumption and a step change in June 2016 for prevalence of current smoking.
RESULTS
The ARIMAX model was not able to detect a change in mean daily cigarette consumption-for FM (B=-0.543, 95% CI -1.381 to 0.296) or RYO (B=0.002, 95% CI -0.518 to 0.522) following the implementation of standardised packaging. The unadjusted analysis suggested the implementation of standardised packaging was associated with a small (3%) decrease in smoking prevalence among 16-24-year-olds (B=-0.031, 95% CI -0.062 to 0.000), but this association was attenuated after adjustment for covariates (B=-0.010, 95% CI -0.039 to 0.019).
CONCLUSIONS
The implementation of standardised packaging of tobacco products was not associated with a meaningful change in the mean number of FM or RYO cigarettes consumed by people smoking in England, suggesting the larger pack size has not had an unintended consequence of substantially increasing cigarette consumption. However, there was also little evidence that the policy substantially reduced smoking among 16-24-year-olds.
PubMed: 38851292
DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058560 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Jun 2024Gene editing technologies have the potential to correct genetic disorders by modifying, inserting, or deleting specific DNA sequences or genes, paving the way for a new... (Review)
Review
Gene editing technologies have the potential to correct genetic disorders by modifying, inserting, or deleting specific DNA sequences or genes, paving the way for a new class of genetic therapies. While gene editing tools continue to be improved to increase their precision and efficiency, the limited efficacy of in vivo delivery remains a major hurdle for clinical use. An ideal delivery vehicle should be able to target a sufficient number of diseased cells in a transient time window to maximize on-target editing and mitigate off-target events and immunogenicity. Here, we review major advances in novel delivery platforms based on cell-derived vesicles - extracellular vesicles and virus-like particles - for transient delivery of gene editing payloads. We discuss major findings regarding packaging, in vivo biodistribution, therapeutic efficacy, and safety concerns of cell-derived vesicles delivery of gene-editing cargos and their potential for clinical translation.
PubMed: 38849005
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115346 -
FEMS Microbiology Letters Jan 2024Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that recently has been increasingly isolated from foods, especially from minimally processed fish-based products....
Global transcriptome analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa NT06 response to potassium chloride, sodium lactate, sodium citrate, and microaerophilic conditions in a fish ecosystem.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that recently has been increasingly isolated from foods, especially from minimally processed fish-based products. Those are preserved by the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl) and packaging in a modified atmosphere. However, the current trends of minimizing NaCl content may result in an increased occurrence of P. aeruginosa. NaCl can be replaced with potassium chloride (KCl) or sodium salts of organic acids. Herein, we examined the antimicrobial effects of KCl, sodium lactate (NaL), sodium citrate (NaC), and sodium acetate (NaA) against P. aeruginosa NT06 isolated from fish. Transcriptome response of cells grown in medium imitating a fish product supplemented with KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC and maintained under microaerophilic conditions was analysed. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment with KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC resulted in changed metabolic activity of cells. In response to KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC treatment, genes related to cell maintenance, stress response, quorum sensing, virulence, efflux pump, and metabolism were differentially expressed. Collectively, our results provide an improved understanding of the response of P. aeruginosa to NaCl alternative compounds that can be implemented in fish-based products and encourage further exploration of the development of effective methods to protect foods against the P. aeruginosa, underestimate foodborne bacteria.
Topics: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Potassium Chloride; Animals; Sodium Citrate; Sodium Lactate; Gene Expression Profiling; Fishes; Citrates; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Sodium Acetate; Transcriptome; Ecosystem; Food Microbiology
PubMed: 38845372
DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnae043 -
AAPS PharmSciTech Jun 2024In this paper, we report two Accelerated Stability Assessment Program (ASAP) studies for a pediatric drug product. Whereas the first study using a generic design failed...
In this paper, we report two Accelerated Stability Assessment Program (ASAP) studies for a pediatric drug product. Whereas the first study using a generic design failed to establish a predictive model, the second one was successful after troubleshooting the first study and customizing the study conditions. This work highlighted important lessons learned from designing an ASAP study for formulations containing excipients that could undergo phase change at high humidity levels. The stability predictions by the second ASAP model were consistent with available long-term stability data of the drug product under various storage conditions in two different packaging configurations. The ASAP model was part of the justifications accepted by the health authority to submit a stability package with reduced long-term stability data from the primary stability batches for a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA).
Topics: Drug Stability; Excipients; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Humidity; Drug Storage; Drug Packaging; Drug Compounding; Humans; Child; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pediatrics
PubMed: 38844721
DOI: 10.1208/s12249-024-02848-0 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024As a translucent functional gel with biodegradability, non-toxicity and acid resistance, gellan gum has been widely used in probiotic packaging, drug delivery, wound... (Review)
Review
As a translucent functional gel with biodegradability, non-toxicity and acid resistance, gellan gum has been widely used in probiotic packaging, drug delivery, wound dressing, metal ion adsorption and other fields in recent years. Because of its remarkable gelation characteristics, gellan gum is suitable as the shell material of microcapsules to encapsulate functional substances, by which the functional components can improve stability and achieve delayed release. In recent years, many academically or commercially reliable products have rapidly emerged, but there is still a lack of relevant reports on in-depth research and systematic summaries regarding the process of microcapsule formation and its corresponding mechanisms. To address this challenge, this review focuses on the formation process and applications of gellan gum-based microcapsules, and details the commonly used preparation methods in microcapsule production. Additionally, it explores the impact of factors such as ion types, ion strength, temperature, pH, and others present in the solution on the performance of the microcapsules. On this basis, it summarizes and analyzes the prospects of gellan gum-based microcapsule products. The comprehensive insights from this review are expected to provide inspiration and design ideas for researchers.
Topics: Polysaccharides, Bacterial; Capsules; Emulsions; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Temperature
PubMed: 38843607
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132697 -
European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy :... Jun 2024Medication dispensing errors cause wastage of medicines and increase healthcare costs, with serious consequences for patients. However, few studies have systematically...
Exploring susceptibility factors to medication dispensing errors through a retrospective study of patient-reported dispensing errors over 11 years: are dispensing errors indeed due to personal reasons for pharmacists?
BACKGROUND
Medication dispensing errors cause wastage of medicines and increase healthcare costs, with serious consequences for patients. However, few studies have systematically and completely reviewed dispensing errors, with inadequate attention to the objective regularity and risk factors for dispensing errors.
OBJECTIVES
To explore the potential causes and risk factors influencing the prevalence of medication dispensing errors.
METHODS
We collected patient-reported medication dispensing errors from a large tertiary care hospital in South China over 11 years. We assessed the characteristics of dispensing errors, labelled the causes, compared them with more than 25 million prescriptions from 2012 to 2022, identified the susceptibility factors for the occurrence of dispensing errors, and analysed the characteristics and patterns of the errors.
RESULTS
A total of 376 patient-reported dispensing errors were recorded. It took an average of 5.2 days for a patient to find an error. Only 37.5% of errors were reviewed by the patient within 24 hours. These errors directly contributed to a medication loss of US$188 406. Of the 160 recorded pharmacists, 112 (70%) committed dispensing errors. Dispensing errors were affected by the pharmacists' use of the machine, workload and the length of monthly vacation. Of the dispensing errors, 47.9% (n=180) were caused by medication packaging or names that were similar. Antibiotics (n=32, 8.5%) were the most common types of drugs dispensed incorrectly, and traditional Chinese medicines (n=31, 8.2%) and immunosuppressants (n=21, 5.6%) were the most likely to be dispensed in inaccurate quantities.
CONCLUSIONS
Organising adequate staff and using machines to prepare medicines may be necessary to reduce dispensing errors. When pharmacists have been away from work for more than 72 hours they should find their rhythm in other positions before dispensing medicines. It is more important to prioritise the differentiation of medicines with similar packaging over those with similar names when arranging drug shelving.
PubMed: 38839267
DOI: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2023-004064 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024The development of novel packaging materials with antimicrobial properties is crucial in preventing the microbial-induced spoilage of fruits, vegetables, and foodborne...
The development of novel packaging materials with antimicrobial properties is crucial in preventing the microbial-induced spoilage of fruits, vegetables, and foodborne illnesses. In this study, homojunction g-CN (HCN) photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic performance were incorporated into a matrix consisting of pullulan/chitosan (Pul/CS). These photocatalysts were then electrostatically spun onto polylactic acid (PLA) films to fabricate PLA@Pul/CS/HCN nanofibrous composite films. The design of the bilayer films aimed to combine the physical properties of PLA film with the excellent antibacterial properties of nanofiber films, thereby achieving synergistic advantages. The incorporation of the HCN photocatalysts resulted in enhanced hydrophobicity, barrier function, and mechanical properties of the composite films. Under visible light irradiation, the PLA@Pul/CS/HCN films exhibited approximately 3.43 log and 3.11 log reductions of Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), respectively, within 2 h. The excellent antimicrobial performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect of CS and the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from HCN. Moreover, the strawberries packaged in the PLA@Pul/CS/HCN film demonstrated diminished quality degradation and a prolonged shelf life following visible light irradiation treatment. This study will provide new insights into the exploration of safe and efficient antimicrobial food packaging.
Topics: Glucans; Polyesters; Chitosan; Light; Fruit; Food Packaging; Food Preservation; Escherichia coli; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Reactive Oxygen Species; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Fragaria; Nanofibers; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Anti-Infective Agents; Graphite; Nitrogen Compounds
PubMed: 38838885
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132834 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024Foodborne pathogens result in a great harm to human, which is an urgent problem to be addressed. Herein, a novel cellulose-based packaging films with excellent...
Foodborne pathogens result in a great harm to human, which is an urgent problem to be addressed. Herein, a novel cellulose-based packaging films with excellent anti-bacterial properties under visible light were prepared. A porphyrin-based covalent organic polymer (Por-COPs) was constructed, then covalently grafted onto dialdehyde cellulose (DAC). The addition of Por-COPs enhanced the mechanical, hydrophobicity, and water resistance of the DAC-based composite films. DAC/Por-COP-2.5 film exhibited outstanding properties for the photodynamic inactivation of bacteria under visible light irradiation, delivering inactivation efficiencies of 99.90 % and 99.45 % towards Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli within 20 min. The DAC/Por-COPs films efficiently generated •O and O under visible light, thereby causing oxidative stress to cell membranes for bacterial inactivation. The prepared composite film forms a protective barrier against bacterial contamination. Results guide the development of high performance and more sustainable packaging films for the food sector.
Topics: Cellulose; Porphyrins; Escherichia coli; Staphylococcus aureus; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Light; Food Packaging; Polymers; Sterilization; Photosensitizing Agents
PubMed: 38838883
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132893