Background. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces body weight (BW), body fat mass (BFM), and increases or maintains lean body mass in animals. However, the results concerning the eff ect of CLA on weight reduction in humans are contradictory. The present study aimed to evaluate the eff ect of CLA supplementation on the BW and anthropometric parameters (waist and hip circumferences) in overweight and obese adult women. Material and methods. A total of 74 subjects (BMI: 28-42 kg/m

Chitosan is a valued excipient due to its biocompatibility properties and increasing solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. The research presented in this paper concerns the preparation of binary combinations of chitosan (deacetylated chitin) with carvedilol (beta-blocker) to develop a formulation with a modified carvedilol release profile. As part of the research, six physical mixtures of chitosan with carvedilol were obtained and identified by spectral (PXRD, FT-IR, and Raman), thermal (DSC), and microscopic (SEM) methods. The next stage of the research estimated the profile changes and the dissolution rate for carvedilol in the obtained drug delivery systems; the reference sample was pure carvedilol. The studies were conducted at pH = 1.2 and 6.8, simulating the gastrointestinal tract conditions. Quantitative changes of carvedilol were determined using the developed isocratic UHPLC-DAD method. Established apparent permeability coefficients proved the changes in carvedilol’s permeability after introducing a drug delivery system through membranes simulating the gastrointestinal tract and skin walls. A bioadhesive potential of carvedilol–chitosan systems was confirmed using the in vitro model. The conducted research and the obtained results indicate a significant potential of using chitosan as an excipient in modern oral or epidermal drug delivery systems of carvedilol.

Aim. Increased arterial stiffness is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Adult men with untreated hypertension are at risk of future CVD. The study aimed to compare the effects of a submaximal exercise on the recovery of the two descriptors of arterial pressure waveform, i.e. stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI), between men with untreated hypertension (HA) and healthy peers. Material and Methods. The study included 70 Caucasian men with untreated primary HA and 30 normotensive men. Blood pressure, SI and RI were determined by photoplethysmography before and 6 minutes after a submaximal (up to 85% of age-predicted maximal heart rate) exercise on a treadmill. Results. Baseline SI was higher in HA than control men (6.06 [0.66] vs. 6.61 [0.84] m/s; p=0.0019) and remained significantly increased during post-exercise recovery only in HA men (7.59 [1.6] vs. 6.18 [0.85] m/s; p<0.0001). Pre-exercise RI did not differ between HA and healthy men (50.74 [14.17] vs 48.9 [14.86]%). Six minutes after the exercise, RI higher in HA patients than in healthy men (45.26[15.33] vs 36.2 [13.18]%; p=0.0058). Conclusions. Arterial stiffness is higher in men with HA both at rest and 6 minutes after exercise. Compared with healthy men, those with HA have more increased arterial tone and impaired vasodilation but only during the recovery. It suggests that untreated HA patients have abnormal mechanical properties of arterial pressure waveforms during the post-exercise recovery.

Background. COVID-19 is an infectious viral disease that has affected more than 234 million people and has caused almost 4.8 million deaths worldwide. A patient's age is the most important factor influencing the risk of severe course of the disease. The elderly usually suffer from many ailments, and therefore, polypharmacy is a common phenomenon among them. Our paper presents the initial results of the analysis of adverse effects in the group of older people in the context of participants' pharmacotherapy. Methods. The information concerning post-vaccination adverse effects, COVID-19 in the past and current pharmacotherapy was collected from 200 people aged 60 years or older. Statistical analysis was performed using StatSoft Statistica 13.1 software. Results. Twenty-three participants reported adverse effects after vaccination. Statistical analysis of groups with and without adverse effects revealed significant differences in age, cardiovascular drugs, neurological and psychiatric drugs, analgesics, gastrointestinal drugs, supplements, and vitamins. Conclusions. Obtained results suggest the need to study the potential effect of ongoing pharmacotherapy on the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.

This article is available in open access under Creative Common Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license, allowing to download articles and share them with others as long as they credit the authors and the publisher, but without permission to change them in any way or use them commercially.