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The objective of the present study is to conjugate L-thyroxine PEI derivative onto another PEI to compensate the amine content of the whole structure which has been utilized for the ligand conjugation. Since αvβ3 integrin receptors are over-expressed on cancer cells and there is binding site for L-thyroxine on these receptors, PEI conjugation by L-thyroxine along with restoring the PEI amine content might be an efficient strategy for targeted delivery using polymeric nanoparticles. The results demonstrated the ability of the PEI conjugate in the formation of nanoparticles with the size of around 210 nm with higher buffering capacity. The conjugated PEI derivative increased the transfection efficiency in the cell lines over-expressing integrin by up to two folds higher than unmodified PEI, whereas in the cell lines lacking the integrin receptors there was no ligand conjugation-associated difference in gene transfer ability. The specificity of transfection demonstrated the delivery of plasmid DNA through integrin receptors. Also, the results of in vivo imaging of the polyplexes revealed that 99mTc-labeled PEI/plasmid DNA complexes accumulated in kidney and bladder 4 h post injection. Therefore, this PEI derivative could be considered as an efficient targeted delivery system for plasmid DNA.

Purpose Administering drugs and food to patients with swallowing disabilities via enteral tubes requires special skills. This task is a nursing duty and vital to ensure that they do this safely. An integrated program training nurses by a clinical pharmacist is likely to result in improved quality of oral drug administration via enteral feeding tubes. This quantitative study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of a clinical pharmacist educational program for improving nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) concerning administrating medication via feeding tubes. Methods This case–control study was performed to evaluate KAP of intensive-care nurses with regard to drug delivery through enteral feeding tubes before and after their training program. A questionnaire focusing on nurses’ KAP was prepared by a clinical pharmacist and reviewed by 18 nurses for its reliability. Then, an educational program was designed for the case group. Two months later, nurses’ KAP in the case and control groups were reevaluated. Nurses’ practice regarding drug administration through feeding tube was observed three times. Results This study was carried out with 82 nurses working in six intensive-care units in two major training hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. The overall knowledge of nurses increased significantly after the training program in the case group, with adequate awareness regarding solid dosage–form crushing increasing from 14% to 63.2% ( P ˂0.001), tube flushing and drug dilution from 32.6% to 81.6% ( P ˂0.001), and knowledge about mixing crushed drugs through a feeding tube from 23.3% to 55.3% ( P ˂0.001). On the contrary, there was no change in the control group. After intervention, nurses’ attitudes in the case group had changed significantly, and 50% of them consulted with pharmacists regarding drug administration. Conclusion An in-service education program by clinical pharmacists can lead to substantial improvements in administration of drugs via enteral feeding tubes.

Since the first report on the pharmacological activity of curcumin in 1949, enormous amounts of research have reported diverse activities for this natural polyphenol found in the dietary spice turmeric. However, curcumin has not yet been used for human application as an approved drug. The clinical translation of curcumin has been hampered due to its low solubility and bioavailability. The improvement in bioavailability and solubility of curcumin can be achieved by its formulation using drug delivery systems. Hydrogels with their biocompatibility and low toxicity effects have shown a substantial impact on the successful formulation of hydrophobic drugs for human clinical trials. This review focuses on hydrogel-based delivery systems for curcumin and describes its applications as anti-cancer as well as wound healing agents.