With the predicted rise in the incidence of cancer, there is an ever-growing need for new cancer treatment strategies. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles have stood out as promising nanostructures for imaging and drug delivery systems as they possess unique properties. Moreover, magnetic nanomaterials functionalized with other compounds can lead to multicomponent nanoparticles with innovative structures and synergetic performance. The incorporation of chemotherapeutic drugs or RNA in magnetic drug delivery systems represents a promising alternative that can increase efficiency and reduce the side effects of anticancer therapy. This review presents a critical overview of the recent literature concerning the advancements in the field of magnetic nanoparticles used in drug delivery, with a focus on their classification, characteristics, synthesis and functionalization methods, limitations, and examples of magnetic drug delivery systems incorporating chemotherapeutics or RNA.

Infection represents a major complication that can affect wound healing in any type of wound, especially in chronic ones. There are currently certain limitations to the methods that are used for establishing a clinical diagnosis of wound infection. Thus, new, rapid and easy-to-use strategies for wound infection diagnosis need to be developed. To this aim, wearable sensors for infection diagnosis have been recently developed. These sensors are incorporated into the wound dressings that are used to treat and protect the wound, and are able to detect certain biomarkers that can be correlated with the presence of wound infection. Among these biomarkers, the most commonly used ones are pH and uric acid, but a plethora of others (lactic acid, oxygenation, inflammatory mediators, bacteria metabolites or bacteria) have also been detected using wearable sensors. In this work, an overview of the main types of wearable sensors for wound infection detection will be provided. These sensors will be divided into electrochemical, colorimetric and fluorimetric sensors and the examples will be presented and discussed comparatively.

The current study aimed to develop carbomer based hydrogel dressings, incorporating ethanolic extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis aerial parts, Achillea millefolium and Calendula officinalis flowers. The pharmaceutical properties of the obtained hydrogels, as well as their texture and antimicrobial activity, were further evaluated. Five wound dressing formulations based on carbopol were prepared. The addition of the ethanolic extracts to the formulation slightly lowered the pH of the hydrogels, as expected. The Rosmarinus officinalis aerial parts extract loaded hydrogel proved to be the firmest one. In terms of consistency and viscosity, the behavior of the five hydrogels was relatively similar. Based on the texture analysis, the texture of the hydrogels has been affected to some extent by the addition of the ethanolic extracts, decreasing their consistency, firmness, and adhesiveness. The hydrogel loaded with Rosmarinus officinalis aerial parts extract and the one incorporating the blend of extracts (mixture of the three above-mentioned extracts) proved to have a good antimicrobial activity. The studied hydrogel formulations could serve as a basis for the development of novel wound dressing materials, although more extended in vivo studies would be needed in order to support current results.

The antitussive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of a walnut (Juglans regia L.) septum extract (WSE), rich in bioactive compounds were investigated using the citric acid aerosol-induced cough experimental model in rodents. Wistar male rats were treated orally for three days with distilled water (control), codeine (reference), and WSE in graded doses. On the third day, all rats were exposed to citric acid aerosols, the number of coughs being recorded. Each animal was sacrificed after exposure, and blood and lung tissue samples were collected for histopathological analysis and the assessment of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers. The results of the experiment showed a significant antitussive effect of WSE, superior to codeine. This activity could be due to cellular protective effect and anti-inflammatory effect via the stimulation of the antioxidant enzyme system and the decrease of IL-6 and CXC-R1 concentration in the lung tissue of WSE-treated animals. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of WSE were confirmed by biochemical assays and histopathological analysis. This is the first scientific study reporting the antitussive effect of walnut septum, a new potential source of non-opioid antitussive drug candidates, and a valuable bioactive by-product that could be used in the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Recent advances in the development of biomaterials have given rise to new options for surgery. New-generation medical devices can control chemical breakdown and resorption, prevent post-operative adhesion, and stimulate tissue regeneration. For the fabrication of medical devices, numerous biomaterials can be employed, including non-degradable biomaterials (silicone, polypropylene, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) or biodegradable polymers, including implants and three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering, which require particular physicochemical and biological properties. Based on the combination of new generation technologies and cell-based therapies, the biocompatible and bioactive properties of some of these medical products can lead to progress in the repair of injured or harmed tissue and in tissue regeneration. An important aspect in the use of these prosthetic devices is the associated infection risk, due to the medical complications and socio-economic impact. This paper provides the latest achievements in the field of antimicrobial surgical meshes for hernia repair and discusses the perspectives in the development of these innovative biomaterials.

Advances in nanotechnologies have led to the development of nanoscale biosensors with exquisite sensitivity and versatility as their ultimate goal is to detect any biochemical and biophysical signals associated with a specific disease at the level of a single molecule or cell. The ability to detect disease-associated biomolecules is essential not only for disease diagnostics in the clinical settings but also for biomedical research involving drug discovery and development. Portable, faster, and low-cost devices are highly preferred for replacing time-consuming centralized laboratory analysis. The reduction in sensor size provides great versatility, but extreme miniaturization while keeping intact the selectivity and sensitivity characteristics to biosensors must be achieved. The sensitivity of biosensors can be increased using different nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanoparticles while the selectivity is gained when biomolecules are involved (enzymes, antibodies, aptamers). Several examples of tattoo, microneedle, and smartphone-based sensors as screening, diagnosing, and monitoring tools, representing the latest approaches for minimal invasive devices in this dynamic field of research, are presented.