Biomaterials are being utilized to engender biomimetic, pro-regenerative constructs in the form of 3D scaffolds to augment functional neural tissue (brain tissue) repair and regeneration. Tissue engineered three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds have shown various degrees of experimental success, indicating great potential for development as treatment options. However, there is yet to be a 3D scaffold that exhibits consummate results of an effective clinical standard. Critical assessment of the performance of current 3D scaffolds could provide insightful feedback for tailoring future 3D scaffolds towards more promising results. This review provides a critical analysis of current 3D scaffolds for neural tissue engineering. Architectural properties, such as porosity, swelling, and architectural influences, such as design approach and polymeric material choice, were scrutinized for suitability for the desired tissue target properties. Success and shortcomings of various 3D scaffolds were evaluated through the analysis of tissue integration of the 3D scaffold in vivo. Investigations focused on in this review included those: (1) reporting at an in vivo experimental level in animal models, (2) involving polymer-based (natural/synthetic) scaffolds described as possessing a '3D' architecture, (3) targeting brain tissue regeneration (4) published from 2011 onward.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) presents a serious challenge for modern medicine due to the poor regenerative capabilities of the brain, complex pathophysiology, and lack of effective treatment for TBI to date. Tissue-engineered scaffolds have shown some experimental success in vivo; unfortunately, none have yielded consummate results of clinical efficacy. N-acetylcysteine has shown neuroprotective potential. To this end, we developed a N-acetylcysteine (NAC)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) electrospun system for potential neural tissue application for TBI. Scanning electron microscopy showed nanofiber diameters ranging 72–542 nm and 124–592 nm for NAC-free and NAC-loaded PLGA nanofibers, respectively. NAC loading was obtained at 28%, and drug entrapment efficacy was obtained at 84%. A biphasic NAC release pattern that featured an initial burst release (13.9%) stage and a later sustained release stage was noted, thus enabling the prolonged replenishing of NAC and drastically improving cell viability and proliferation. This was evidenced by a significantly higher cell viability and proliferation on NAC-loaded nanofibers for rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) and human glioblastoma multiform (A172) cell lines in comparison to PLGA-only nanofibers. The increased cell viability and cell proliferation on NAC-loaded nanofiber substantiates for the repositioning of NAC as a pharmacological agent in neural tissue regeneration applications.

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Illegible prescriptions are an illegal, frequent, and longstanding problem for pharmacy personnel engaged in dispensing. These contribute to patient safety issues and negatively impact safe dispensing in pharmaceutical delivery. To date, little is documented on measures taken to assess the negative impact posed by illegible prescriptions on South African pharmacy dispensing personnel. Therefore, this pilot study was performed to evaluate the ability of pharmacy personnel to read and interpret illegible prescriptions correctly; and to report on their perceived challenges, views and concerns when presented with an illegible prescription to dispense. A cross-sectional, three-tiered self-administered survey was conducted among pharmacy personnel. A total of 885 measurements were recorded. The ability to read an illegible prescription is not an indicator of competency, as all (100%) participants (novice and experienced) made errors and experienced difficulty evaluating and deciphering the illegible prescription. The medication names and dosages were correctly identified by only 20% and 18% of all participants. The use of digital prescriptions was indicated by 70% of the participants as a probable solution to the problem. Overall, improving the quality of written prescriptions and instructions can potentially assist dispensing pharmacy personnel in reducing illegible prescription-related patient safety issues and dispensing errors.