L-glutamic acid-g-poly hydroxyethyl methacrylate nanoparticles: acute and sub-acute toxicity and biodistribution potential in mice

The aim of this safety study in mice was to determine in vivo toxicity and biodistribution potential of a single and multiple doses of L-glutamic acid-g-p(HEMA) polymeric nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. The single dose did not cause any lethal effect, and its acute oral LD₅₀ was >2.000 mg/kg body weight (bw). Multiple doses (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg bw) given over 28 days resulted in no significant differences in body and relative organ weights compared to control. These results are supported by biochemical and histological findings. Moreover, nanoparticle exposure did not result in statistically significant differences in micronucleus counts in bone marrow cells compared to control. Nanoparticle distribution was time-dependent, and they reached the organs and even bone marrow by hour 6, as established by ex vivo imaging with the IVIS^® spectrum imaging system. In conclusion, L-glutamic acid-g-p(HEMA) polymeric nanoparticles appear biocompatible and have a potential use as a drug delivery system.KEY WORDS: biocompatibility, blood biochemistry, genotoxicity, histology, in vivo toxicity, micronucleus test, polymers     

A 13-Year National Monitoring Study to Assess Narcotic Prescriptions and Indications (2007–2019)

Drug Safety - Analgesics are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. This study describes the population treated with narcotic analgesics, their therapeutic indications and how the data have...     

Patient characteristics,anaesthetic workload and techniques in the UK: an analysis from the 7th National Audit Project (NAP7) activity survey

Detailed contemporary knowledge of the characteristics of the surgical population, national anaesthetic workload, anaesthetic techniques and behaviours are essential to monitor productivity, inform policy and direct research themes. Every 3–4 years, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, as part of its National Audit Projects (NAP), performs a snapshot activity survey in all UK hospitals delivering anaesthesia, collecting patient-level encounter data from all cases under the care of an anaesthetist. During November 2021, as part of NAP7, anaesthetists recorded details of all cases undertaken over 4 days at their site through an online survey capturing anonymous patient characteristics and anaesthetic details. Of 416 hospital sites invited to participate, 352 (85%) completed the activity survey. From these, 24,177 reports were returned, of which 24,172 (99%) were included in the final dataset. The work patterns by day of the week, time of day and surgical specialty were similar to previous NAP activity surveys. However, in non-obstetric patients, between NAP5 (2013) and NAP7 (2021) activity surveys, the estimated median age of patients increased by 2.3 years from median (IQR) of 50.5 (28.4–69.1) to 52.8 (32.1–69.2) years. The median (IQR) BMI increased from 24.9 (21.5–29.5) to 26.7 (22.3–31.7) kg.m^–2. The proportion of patients who scored as ASA physical status 1 decreased from 37% in NAP5 to 24% in NAP7. The use of total intravenous anaesthesia increased from 8% of general anaesthesia cases to 26% between NAP5 and NAP7. Some changes may reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anaesthetic population, though patients with confirmed COVID-19 accounted for only 149 (1%) cases. These data show a rising burden of age, obesity and comorbidity in patients requiring anaesthesia care, likely to impact UK peri-operative services significantly.     

One Week of Hospitalization Following Elective Hip Surgery Induces Substantial Muscle Atrophy in Older Patients

Objectives

Short successive periods of skeletal muscle disuse have been suggested to substantially contribute to the observed loss of skeletal muscle mass over the life span. Hospitalization of older individuals due to acute illness, injury, or major surgery generally results in a mean hospital stay of 5 to 7 days, during which the level of physical activity is strongly reduced. We hypothesized that hospitalization following elective total hip arthroplasty is accompanied by substantial leg muscle atrophy in older men and women.

Colon and rectal cancer risk after bariatric surgery in a multicountry Nordic cohort study

Obesity is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Yet, some research indicates that weight-reducing bariatric surgery also increases colorectal cancer risk. Our study was undertaken because current evidence examining bariatric surgery and risk of colorectal cancer is limited and inconsistent. This population-based cohort study included adults with a documented obesity diagnosis in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden in 1980–2015. The incidence of colorectal cancer in participants with obesity who had and had not undergone bariatric surgery was compared to the incidence in the corresponding background population by calculating standardized incidence ratios (SIR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Additionally, operated and nonoperated participants with obesity were compared using multivariable Cox regression, providing hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CIs adjusted for confounders. Among 502,772 cohort participants with an obesity diagnosis, 49,931(9.9%) underwent bariatric surgery. The overall SIR of colon cancer was increased after bariatric surgery (SIR 1.56; 95% CI 1.28–1.88), with higher SIRs ≥10 years postsurgery. The overall HR of colon cancer in operated compared to nonoperated participants was 1.13 (95% CI 0.92–1.39) and 1.55 (95% CI 1.04–2.31) 10–14 years after bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery did not significantly increase the risk of rectal cancer (SIR 1.14, 95% CI 0.83–1.52; HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.79–1.49), but the risk estimates increased with longer follow-up periods. Our study suggests that bariatric surgery is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer, while the support for an increased risk of rectal cancer was weaker.