Development of Cationic Solid Lipid Nanoparticles with Factorial Design-Based Studies for Topical Administration of Doxorubicin

Topical chemotherapy using doxorubicin, a powerful anticancer drug, can be used as an alternative with reduced systemic toxicity when treating skin cancer. The aim of the present work was to use factorial design-based studies to develop cationic solid lipid nanoparticles containing doxorubicin; further investigations into the influence of these particles on the drug's cytotoxicity and cellular uptake in B16F10 murine melanoma cells were performed. A 3(2) full factorial design was applied for two different lipid phases; one phase used stearic acid and the other used a 1:2 mixture of stearic acid and glyceryl behenate. The two factors investigated included the ratio between the lipid and the water phase and the ratio between the surfactant (poloxamer) and the co-surfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride). It was observed that the studied factors did not affect the mean diameter or the polydispersity of the obtained nanoparticles; however, they did significantly affect the zeta potential values. Optimised formulations with particle sizes ranging from 251 to 306 nm and positive zeta potentials were selected for doxorubicin incorporation. High entrapment efficiencies were achieved (97%) in formulations with higher amounts of stearic acid, suggesting that cationic charges on doxorubicin molecules may interact with the negative charges in stearic acid. Melanoma culture cell experiments showed that cationic solid lipid nanoparticles without drug were not cytotoxic to melanoma cells. The encapsulation of doxorubicin significantly increased cytotoxicity, indicating the potential of these nanoparticles for the treatment of skin cancer.

Design-based random permutation models with auxiliary information

We extend the random permutation model to obtain the best linear unbiased estimator of a finite population mean accounting for auxiliary variables under simple random sampling without replacement (SRS) or stratified SRS. The proposed method provides a systematic design-based justification for well-known results involving common estimators derived under minimal assumptions that do not require specification of a functional relationship between the response and the auxiliary variables.

Brazilian psychiatric brain bank: a new contribution tool to network studies

There is an urgent need for expanding the number of brain banks serving psychiatric research. We describe here the Psychiatric Disorders arm of the Brain Bank of the Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group (Psy-BBBABSG), which is focused in bipolar disorder (BD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Our protocol was designed to minimize limitations faced by previous initiatives, and to enable design-based neurostereological analyses. The Psy-BBBABSG first milestone is the collection of 10 brains each of BD and OCD patients, and matched controls. The brains are sourced from a population-based autopsy service. The clinical and psychiatric assessments were done by an expert team including psychiatrists, through an informant. One hemisphere was perfused-fixed to render an optimal fixation for conducting neurostereological studies. The other hemisphere was comprehensively dissected and frozen for molecular studies. In 20 months, we collected 36 brains. A final report was completed for 14 cases: 3 BDs, 4 major depressive disorders, 1 substance use disorder, 1 mood disorder NOS, 3 obsessive compulsive spectrum symptoms, 1 OCD and 1 schizophrenia. The majority were male (64%), and the average age at death was 67.2 +/- 9.0 years. The average postmortem interval was 16 h. Three matched controls were collected. The pilot stage confirmed that the protocols are well fitted to reach our goals. Our unique autopsy source makes possible to collect a fairly number of high quality cases in a short time. Such a collection offers an additional to the international research community to advance the understanding on neuropsychiatric diseases.

SCG postnatal remodelling - hypertrophy and neuron number stability - in Spix's Yellow-toothed Cavies (Galea spixii)

Whilst a fall in neuron numbers seems a common pattern during postnatal development, several authors have nonetheless reported an increase in neuron number, which may be associated with any one of a number of possible processes encapsulating either neurogenesis or late maturation and incomplete differentiation. Recent publications have thus added further fuel to the notion that a postnatal neurogenesis may indeed exist in sympathetic ganglia. In the light of these uncertainties surrounding the effects exerted by postnatal development on the number of superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons, we have used state-of-the-art design-based stereology to investigate the quantitative structure of SCG at four distinct timepoints after birth, viz., 1-3 days, 1 month, 12 months and 36 months. The main effects exerted by ageing on the SCG structure were: (i) a 77% increase in ganglion volume; (ii) stability in the total number of the whole population of SCG nerve cells (no change - either increase or decrease) during post-natal development; (iii) a higher proportion of uninucleate neurons to binucleate neurons only in newborn animals; (iv) a 130% increase in the volume of uninucleate cell bodies; and (v) the presence of BrdU positive neurons in animals at all ages. At the time of writing our results support the idea that neurogenesis takes place in the SCG of preas, albeit it warrants confirmation by further markers. We also hypothesise that a portfolio of other mechanisms: cell repair, maturation, differentiation and death may be equally intertwined and implicated in the numerical stability of SCG neurons during postnatal development. (C) 2011 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychosexual Perspectives of the Husbands of Women Treated With an Elective Hysterectomy

The purpose of this study was to explore the psychosexual perspectives of a group of Brazilian men whose wives underwent an elective hysterectomy. A qualitative design based on the narrative analysis method was used to interview 22 husbands. Results showed similarities and differences among husbands regarding the support provided to their wives, the notion of sexual absence in the postsurgical period, the notion of sexual pleasure after the hysterectomy, and feelings regarding the impossibility of having children. The authors conclude that personal care requirements should be identified and satisfied to provide comprehensive and meaningful care.