One strategy for improving the dissolution of poorly water soluble drugs is to prepare solid dispersions such as binary mixtures with hydrophilic carriers. These mixtures are generally characterized by better solubility than those of the individual components from which they are formed. In the present study, solid dispersions of ketoconazole (KET) with Pluronic F127 (PLU) were prepared by the grinding method. Solid-liquid equilibria in the system being studied were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. A phase diagram for the whole range of compositions was constructed. The investigation revealed that ketoconazole and Pluronic F127 form a simple eutectic system containing 4.4 % w/w of ketoconazole at the eutectic point. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry studies of obtained mixtures suggest that there is no drugcarrier interaction and both components are crystalline in the solid dispersion with the whole range of composition. The prepared mixtures show an appreciable improvement of the dissolution rate of KET in 0.5 % w/v sodium lauryl sulfate. The improvement of the dissolution rate of drug is additionally increased by effective solubilization.

In recent years, considerable attention focuses on making sustained release dosage forms also containing solid dispersions. The objective of this study is evaluation of imatinib base (IMA) solid dispersion physicochemical properties which can be useful to controlled release solid dosage formation. The solid dispersions were obtained by kneading method, containing of 10-90% w/w Pluronic F127 (PLU). Drug dissolution test was determined by rotating-disc system method in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid (pH 1.2) and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). XRD, DSC, FTIR, and SEM observations were performed to evaluate the physical characteristics of solid dispersions. These studies showed that there was no chemical interaction of the IMA with PLU in the solid state and revealed that IMA and PLU form a simple eutectic phase diagram. Our research has shown that the dynamics of the release of imatinib base from solid dispersions with Pluronic F127 depends on the pH of dissolution medium. At pH 1.2, the presence of polymer in solid dispersion causes delaying of drug release due to formation a viscous gel layer, whereas at pH 6.8 significant enhancement of the drug dissolution rate from solid dispersions has been observed compared to pure IMA. The highest improvement was observed in solid dispersions containing 20 and 30% w/w polymer. The present investigation confirmed that the hydrophilic polymer Pluronic F127 could be applied as a suitable matrix to design modified release formulations of imatinib base.

Bacterial cellulose is one of the most promising polymers of recent years. Herein, we present a possibility of BC application as a carrier of gentamycin antibiotic for the treatment and prevention of bone infections. We have shown that BC saturated with gentamycin significantly reduces the level of biofilm‐forming bone pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and displays very low cytotoxicity in vitro against osteoblast cell cultures. Another beneficial feature of our prototype dressing is prolonged release of gentamycin, which provides efficient protection from microbial contamination and subsequent infection. Moreover, it seems that bacterial cellulose (BC) alone without any antimicrobial added, may serve as a barrier by significantly hampering the ability of the pathogen to penetrate to the bone structure. Therefore, a gentamycin‐saturated BC dressing may be considered as a possible alternative for gentamycin collagen sponge broadly used in clinical setting. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 108B:30–37, 2020.

Purpose: To evaluate the physicochemical properties of clotrimazole (CLT) solid dispersion with Pluronic F127 (PLU). Methods: Solid dispersions of the antifungal drug, clotrimazole, were prepared with Pluronic F127 using grinding (PM) and fusion (FUS) methods. Physicochemical characterization of the dispersions were performed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR

The success of modern dental treatment is strongly dependent on the materials used both temporarily and permanently. Among all dental materials, polymers are a very important class with a wide spectrum of applications. This review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the recent advances in the field of natural polymers used to maintain or restore oral health. It focuses on the properties of the most common proteins and polysaccharides of natural origin in terms of meeting the specific biological requirements in the increasingly demanding field of modern dentistry. The use of naturally derived polymers in different dental specialties for preventive and therapeutic purposes has been discussed. The major fields of application cover caries and the management of periodontal diseases, the fabrication of membranes and scaffolds for the regeneration of dental structures, the manufacturing of oral appliances and dentures as well as providing systems for oral drug delivery. This paper also includes a comparative characteristic of natural and synthetic dental polymers. Finally, the current review highlights new perspectives, possible future advancements, as well as challenges that may be encountered by researchers in the field of dental applications of polymers of natural origin.

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium known mainly of its ability to cause persistent inflammations of the human stomach, resulting in peptic ulcer diseases and gastric cancers. Continuous exposure of this bacterium to antibiotics has resulted in high detection of multidrug-resistant strains and difficulties in obtaining a therapeutic effect. The purpose of the present study was to determine the usability of bacterial cellulose (BC) chemisorbed with 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) or sertraline (SER) to act against lawn H. pylori biofilms. The characterization of BC carriers was made using a N2 adsorption/desorption analysis, tensile strength test, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. Determination of an antimicrobial activity was performed using a modified disk-diffusion method and a self-designed method of testing antibacterial activity against biofilm microbial forms. In addition, bacterial morphology was checked by SEM. It was found that BC disks were characterized by a high cross-linking and shear/stretch resistance. Growth inhibition zones for BC disks chemisorbed with 2 mg of SER or 3-BP were equal to 26.5–27.5 mm and 27–30 mm, respectively. The viability of lawn biofilm H. pylori cells after a 4-h incubation with 2 mg SER or 3-BP chemisorbed on BC disks was ≥4 log lower, suggesting their antibacterial effect. SEM observations showed a number of morphostructural changes in H. pylori cells exposed to these substances. Concluding, SER and 3-BP chemisorbed on BC carriers presented a promising antibacterial activity against biofilm H. pylori cells in in vitro conditions.

Pharmacists play a beneficial role in supplying medicines to patients. Pharmacist prescribing practices were introduced into law in Poland in 2002, permitting pharmacists to prescribe medications in emergency situations and in 2020 the new law allowed to prescribe in all situation where it is needed because of the health risks reasons. Our aim was to analyze pharmacist prescribing practices in Poland and confirm the useful of pharmacists’ activity in this area. Additionally, pharmacists were also authorized to issue reimbursed prescriptions for themselves or their family members. Since January 2020, only e-prescriptions are allowed in Poland. A retrospective analysis of the inspection written reports from 842 community pharmacies in the representative region of Poland with a population of two million, carried out in the time period from 2002 to 2016 was performed (2189 prescriptions) to assess the emergency pharmacist prescribing practices in Poland. The second part of the research was based on digital data on pharmacists prescriptions (18,529) provided by the e-Health Centre (a governmental organization under the Ministry of Health responsible for the development of health care information systems in Poland), enabling to conduct the analysis of pharmacist’s prescribing from 1 of April 2020 to 31 of October 2020. The analysis gave the insight of the evolution of the pharmacy prescribing patterns. In general, pharmaceutical prescriptions were issued in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, in town- or city center pharmacies, and in pharmacies in residential areas. The most common reason for a pharmaceutical prescription was that the patient was running out of a medicine and was unable to contact their physician. Cardiovascular, respiratory, dermatological, and digestive medications were most frequently prescribed. An analysis of pharmacists’ prescribing data from 1 April 2020 to 31 October 2020 confirmed the rapid increase of pharmaceutical prescriptions following implementation of the new legislative act during the COVID-19 epidemic.

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