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Designing oral formulations for children is very challenging, especially considering their peculiarities and preferences. The choice of excipients, dosing volume and palatability are key issues of pediatric oral liquid medicines. The purpose of the present study is to develop an oral pediatric solution of a model bitter drug (ranitidine) following a patient centric design process which includes the definition of a target product profile (TPP). To conclude on the matching of the developed solution to TPP, its chemical and microbiological stability was analyzed over 30 days (stored at 4 °C and room temperature). Simulation of use was accomplished by removing a sample with a syringe every day. Taste masking was assessed by an electronic tongue. The developed formulation relied on a simple taste masking strategy consisting in a mixture of sweeteners (sodium saccharine and aspartame) and 0.1% sodium chloride, which allowed a higher bitterness masking effectiveness in comparison with simple syrup. The ranitidine solution was stable for 30 days stored at 4 °C. However, differences were noted between the stability protocols (unopened recipient and in-use stability) showing the contribution of the simulation of use to the formation of degradation products. Stock solution was subjected to acid and alkali hydrolysis, chemical oxidation, heat degradation and a photo degradation stability assessment. The developed pediatric solution matched the TPP in all dimensions, namely composition suitable for children, preparation and handling adapted to hospital pharmaceutical compounding and adequate stability and quality. According to the results, in-use stability protocols should be preferred in the stability evaluation of pediatric formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial spot (BS) of tomato (S. lycopersicum), caused by Xanthomonas spp., namely X. euvesicatoria (Xeu), is one of the major threats for the production of this crop worldwide. Developing new biocontrol solutions against this disease will allow disease management strategies to be less based on Cu compounds. Nanoclays, such as montmorillonite (NMT), have been under investigation for their antimicrobial activity, or as delivery tools/stabilizers for organic compounds, such as essential oils (EOs), that also possess antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens. This work aims to assess how the application of NMT alone or incorporating S. montana EO on Xeu-infected hosts (var. Oxheart) affects the shoots' redox status and antioxidant defense mechanisms. In vitro shoots, grown on Murashige and Skoog medium, were divided in two groups, Xeu-infected and uninfected (control) shoots. Shoots of each group were then treated with NMT, S. montana EO, EO-NMT. Results show that the NMT was able to reduce Xeu bacterial amount, while reducing ROS production and keeping the transcript levels of the defense-related genes close to those of the control. When applied to uninfected shoots, the treatments triggered the production of ROS and upregulated the phenylpropanoid and hormone pathway, which suggest that they act as defense elicitors. Globally, the results indicate that NMT has the potential to integrate BS management strategies, due to its antimicrobial activity, and that EO and/or nanoclays could be successfully employed as new disease preventive strategies, since they enhance the healthy shoots' defense, thus potentially limiting the pathogen establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to assess the 5 day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) levels of several typical and atypical antipsychotic (AP) drugs to evaluate their degree of biodegradabilities. In recent times, the consumption of APs has seen a marked increase, and BOD5 can be a good parameter to evaluate the relative oxygen contents of these pharmaceuticals in polluted waters, effluents and wastewater. The Winkler method was implemented and after that, an automatized sequential injection analysis (SIA) method was used, aiming to overcome some drawbacks of the Winkler method. The degradation degree of these pharmaceuticals was determined from two perspectives: by using the theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD) value and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) value. From the results obtained with the second perspective, we could determine the degree of biodegradability of the AP drugs. The results of the Winkler method and the SIA system were quite similar. The SIA methodology is capable of operating as a screening method in any stage of a synthetic process in addition to being more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Overall, these studies presented promising perspectives for improvement in the removal of pharmaceuticals from waste effluents by assessing BOD values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antipsychotic (AP) drugs are becoming accumulated in terrestrial and aqueous resources due to their actual consumption. Thus, the search of methods for assessing the contamination load of these drugs is mandatory. The COD is a key parameter used for monitoring water quality upon the assessment of the effect of polluting agents on the oxygen level. Thus, the present work aims to assess the chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels of several typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs in order to obtain structure-activity relationships. It was implemented the titrimetric method with potassium dichromate as oxidant and a digestion step of 2 h, followed by the measurement of remained unreduced dichromate by titration. After that, an automated sequential injection analysis (SIA) method was, also, used aiming to overcome some drawbacks of the titrimetric method. The results obtained showed a relationship between the chemical structures of antipsychotic drugs and their COD values, where the presence of aromatic rings and oxidable groups give higher COD values. It was obtained a good compliance between the results of the reference batch procedure and the SIA system, and the APs were clustered in two groups, with the values ratio between the methodologies, of 2 or 4, in the case of lower or higher COD values, respectively. The SIA methodology is capable of operating as a screening method, in any stage of a synthetic process, being also more environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. Besides, the studies presented open promising perspectives for the improvement of the effectiveness of pharmaceutical removal from the waste effluents, by assessing COD values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]