The issue of drug disposal, as well as the development and implementation of efficient collection strategies, represents an important concern at the highest European level. This research looks into the factors that could have an impact on the efficiency of pharmacies in collecting and disposing the medicinal waste of the population. There were 521 pharmacists from all over the country who filled in a questionnaire on their opinion/attitude related to the system of collecting and disposing the pharmaceutical waste of the population. Of the surveyed pharmacists, 16% work in pharmacies that do not collect unused/expired drugs from the population, and nearly 33% of those investigated have refused, at least once, to take the unused medicines from the people. Pharmacists' most important reasons for refusing to collect the pharmaceutical waste were the lack of procedure, incomplete legislation, exceeding the amount contracted with the operators, and high costs. Results show that pharmacies in Romania face several deficiencies in the pharmaceutical waste collection services. The lack of implemented programs has contributed considerably to lower standards of pharmaceutical waste management in Romania. This study is the first research on this topic in Romania, a country where the management of drug-based waste generated by the population is at the beginning. The results shown in this survey can provide a reference point for competent authorities in developing and implementing a take-back program for waste medicine whose efficiency is superior to the existing ones.

Using different methods of statistics, this paper aims to highlight the potential link between the antioxidant activity of flavonoids and the corresponding molecular descriptors. By calculating the descriptors (van der Waals surface (A), molar volume (V), partition coefficient (LogP), refractivity (R), polarizability (a), forming heat (Hformation), hydration energy (Ehidr), the dipole moment (mt)), together with antioxidant activities (RSA) calculated or taken from the literature, number of phenolic -OH groups and the presence (2) or absence (1) of C2=C3 double bond) for 29 flavonoid compounds and by intercorrelation between the studied parameters, the link between the number of phenolic groups grafted to the basic structure of flavonoids and their antioxidant activity was confirmed. Simultaneously, by using the chi-squared test and the intercorrelations matrix, a satisfactorily correlation coefficient (r2=0.5678; r=0.7536) between the structure of the flavonoids and their activity was obtained, fact that confirms the correlation of the antioxidant activity with the number of -OH phenolic groups.

Diclofenac, both from human and veterinary consumption, may arrive in landfills or in the wastewater treatment plants, becoming an environmental pollutant. Therefore, we aimed to study the influence of diclofenac on plants growth and development. We chose as model plant the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that was watered with different concentrations of aqueous diclofenac solutions (0-0.4 g/L). The plants exhibited linear decreased values of net assimilation rates and stomatal conductance to water vapors with increased diclofenac�s concentrations. Emission of 3-hexenol was determined to scale up with diclofenac concentration, therefore this compound may be proposed as stress marker. Also in the emission of bean plants were detected 3 different monoterpenes (a-pinene, camphene and 3-carene), their concentration increasing with elevated concentration of diclofenac. We can conclude that diclofenac may affect the plants photosynthetic parameters and also might disturb the methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP) in plastids.

Thymus vulgaris essential oil is one of the most common oils used mainly in food industry but it could also have applications in medicine and pharmacy. The chemical composition of this essential oil depends on the plant material harvesting time, phenomenological stages, meteorological conditions and growing area of plants. In our study, four different Thymus vulgaris L. var. Donne Valley essential oils have been extracted and characterised. The essential oils have been extracted from plants before and after flowering in two different years. There is an important difference between the chemical composition of oils obtained from plants harvested before and after flowering. Thymol and carvacrol have been found as the major components, but the percentage depends on the phenological stages of the plants and the year of harvesting. Furthermore, the composition of the minor components changed.

Cutaneous melanoma is the most severe skin neoplasia with an increased incidence in the recent decades, particularly due to the intense exposure to sunlight. Our study analyzed the characteristics of malignant melanoma and the role of sentinel node biopsy in the diagnosis and prognosis of the patients with cutaneous melanoma by identifying the regional metastasis. The small or large clusters of circulating cancer cells are expressing epitops identified by some chemical reaction. These reagents are usually monoclonal antibodies with high sensitivity and specificity which are matching with the right receptor from the melanoma cells. The result is an antibody-antigen complex high-light in the microscopic examination by 3,3`-diaminobenzidine (DAB). The study was conducted on a sample of 151 patients diagnosed with melanoma in different developmental stages: 62 had Breslow index between 1-4 mm, 71 patients had Breslow index � 4 mm and 18 patients had Breslow index [ 1 mm. 45 patients (out of 62) with Breslow index between 1-4 mm had SLN positive. The mortality rate was 5% in the case of the patients with SLN positive. Comparing the rate of mortality by considering the Breslow index, 65% of the patients with Breslow index � 4 mm died. The correct identification of the patients with negative sentinel node or positive sentinel node improves staging and can facilitate the subsequent therapeutic decision, which is useful for early identification of the micro metastases and of the patients who require regional complete lymph node dissection.

In the frame of Higuchi's type functionality, this paper presents the anisotropy influences on the drug delivery mechanisms through the joint invariant functions to the simultaneous actions of the two SL(2R) isomorphic groups. Then, a new equation for drug delivery mechanism, independent of the type of polymer matrix and/or drug, is proposed.

Abstract:The presence of emerging organic micropollutants (such as pharmaceuticals) in sewage has been, for a long time, an issue of great concern within the international scientific debate. This item represents one of the main challenges related to a sustainable development, with particular concern to the public health control. While most of the work has been concentrated on their detection and the evaluation of their average level, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of concentrations of these compounds in the effluent and its capability to affect the concentrations in time of the receiving water body. In this study, three sampling campaigns were carried out at two different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Varese area (Northern Italy) with the aim of monitoring the occurrence of some pharmaceuticals to evaluate their removal efficiency. The detected pharmaceuticals were: Ofloxacin, Ibuprofen, Atenolol, Bezafibrate, Carbamazepine, Salbutamol, Cyclophosphamide and Hydrochlorothiazide. The results obtained, together with the analysis of the characteristics of the chemicals and of the two WWTPs, allowed evaluating the factors affecting the spatial and temporal concentration variability in effluent waters and the potential influence of this variability in driving the exposure of the aquatic ecosystems in the receiving water body.

Grape skin is considered a valuable by-product for antioxidant and antibacterial agent preparation. The grape skin contains some active compounds, such as, dietary fiber, polyphenols, flavonols, and resveratrol; it is commonly used as a nutritional supplement. The main aim of this study was to establish the optimum dose of grape skin flour, to be used as a functional ingredient in the bakery products industry, from both chemical and rheological point of view. The laboratory experiments evaluated the functional potential of wheat flour enriched with grape skin flour, in different proportions, by examining the chemical composition and rheological behaviour of the doughs. Protein, crude fibre, fat, ash and mineral contents were determined. Using �H-NMR spectral technique, the fatty acids composition was determined, especially the concentrations of short-chain saturated fatty acids (C4-C8), di-unsaturated fatty acids, mono-unsaturated fatty acids and long-chain saturated fatty acids (]C8). 1H-NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker Ascend 400 MHz spectrometer. The rheological behaviour was analyzed using the predefined Chopin + protocol on Mixolab, an equipment of CHOPIN Technologies. Grape skin flour was incorporated into wheat flour at three different levels, 5, 10 and 15% and it was found that incorporation up to a 15% level into the formulation of wheat flour yielded an acceptable product in terms of rheological parameters, with improved chemical, nutritional and functional properties.