Trichinella spp. infection occurs when a host ingests muscle tissue containing infective larvae (L1 stage). Wild boar meat and its products represent the second largest source of human trichinellosis worldwide. For this reason, and since that in Portugal wild boar is the most hunted large game specie, the laboratory of Technology, Quality and Food Safety (TQFS) from the University of Trás‐os‐Montes e Alto Douro created a free service to test wild boar meat for Trichinella spp. From December 2015 to February 2020, and 857 samples were analysed. From those, the majority (719/857, 83.9%) were tested after October 2018 when a specific national legislation came into force, demanding that meat from wild boar hunted in a defined risk area should be tested for Trichinella spp. Under TQFS laboratory activity, in January 2020, a positive case was identified, being the first molecular confirmation of Trichinella britovi infection in wild boar in Portugal. Additionally to this activity, in 2019, a questionnaire was submitted to 100 hunters to acquire information about wild boar meat usage and consumption behaviours. From the total respondents, 86% declared they intended to use meat for private consumption. Of those, 93% also stated that have sold part of the meat and/or homemade sausages, the majority (80%) without prior testing for Trichinella spp., as required by EU Regulation. These results alert the hunters to a risk for human infection, which could be extended to outside the hunter's household. Given the actual epidemiological situation, it should be emphasized that testing for Trichinella spp. in wild boar meat should be maintained and reinforced, particularly in the risk area. The results presented in this report strongly support the importance of specific national legislation to mitigate the risk of trichinellosis due to consumption of non‐tested wild boar meat.
The eye is a very complex organ comprising several physiological and physical barriers that compromise drug absorption into deeper layers. Nanoemulsions are promising delivery systems to be used in ocular drug delivery due to their innumerous advantages, such as high retention time onto the site of application and the modified release profile of loaded drugs, thereby contributing to increasing the bioavailability of drugs for the treatment of eye diseases, in particular those affecting the posterior segment. In this review, we address the main factors that govern the development of a suitable nanoemulsion formulation for eye administration to increase the patient’s compliance to the treatment. Appropriate lipid composition and type of surfactants (with a special emphasis on cationic compounds) are discussed, together with manufacturing techniques and characterization methods that are instrumental for the development of appropriate ophthalmic nanoemulsions.
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