The antimicrobial effect of chitosan and synthetic chitosan derivatives has been confirmed on many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The tests were carried out on pathogenic microorganisms, so the mechanism and concentration dependence of the inhibitory effect of chitosan were revealed. We conducted our tests on a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus plantarum. Commercially available chitosan derivatives of different molecular weights were added to L. plantarum suspension in increasing concentrations. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of chitosan was determined and confirmed the viability decreasing effect at concentrations above the MIC with a time-kill assay. The release of bacterium cell content was measured at 260 nm after treatment with 0.001–0.1% concentration chitosan solution. An increase in the permeability of the cell membrane was observed only with the 0.1% treatment. The interaction was also investigated by zeta potential measurement, and the irreversible interaction and concentration dependence were established in all concentrations. The interaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled low molecular weight chitosan and bacterial cells labeled with membrane dye (FM^® 4–64) was confirmed by confocal microscopy. In conclusion, the inhibitory effect of chitosan was verified on a probiotic strain, which is an undesirable effect in probiotic preparations containing chitosan additives, while the inhibitory effect experienced with pathogenic strains is beneficial.

Microencapsulation and coating are preferred methods to increase the viability of the probiotic strains. The effect of microencapsulation technologies and materials used as microcapsule cores on viability is being investigated during development. In the present study, chitosan-coated and Eudragit L100-55-coated alginate microspheres were produced to encapsulate Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic bacteria. After the heat loading and simulated gastrointestinal juice dissolution study, the differences in viability were compared based on the CFU/mL values of the samples. The kinetics of the bacterial release and the ratio of the released live/dead cells of Lactobacillus plantarum were examined by flow cytometry. In all cases, we found that the CFU value for the chitosan-coated samples was virtually zero. The ratio of live/dead cells in the 120 min samples was significantly reduced to less than 20% for chitosan, while it was nearly 90% in the uncoated and Eudragit L100-55-coated samples. In the case of chitosan, based on some published MIC values and the amount of chitosan coating determined in the present study, we concluded the reason for our results. It was the first time to determine the amount of the released chitosan coat of the dried microcapsule, which reached the MIC value during the dissolution studies.

The physiology of the kidney has long been understood, and its mechanisms are well described. The pathology of renal failure is also a deeply researched area. It seems logical, therefore, to create devices that can replace the lost normal function of the kidney. Using the physical processes that take place in the kidney, such as diffusion or convection across a membrane, various renal replacement therapies (RRT) have been created. There are those that are used intermittently and those that are used for longer periods. What they have in common is that all RRTs have the same purpose; to replace the excretory function of the kidney that has been lost. CRRT is an extracorporeal renal replacement therapy that effectively replicates the excretory function of the kidneys in cases of acute renal failure. However, it has become increasingly evident that this rapidly advancing treatment modality offers benefits beyond merely substituting kidney function, with its applications continuing to expand significantly with non-renal and other indications. The use of these devices has raised new questions, many of which are still not clearly answered. When should this start? Who should receive it? How long should it last? What indication should it be for? What modality should it be with? How does it change the pharmacokinetics of the medicines? To answer these questions, it is first worth understanding the mechanisms behind the processes and the factors that influence them. This should not only focus on the procedures used in RRT therapies, but also consider the patient’s condition and the physicochemical properties of the drugs. In this review, we aim to provide a literature summary to highlight the factors that may influence the success of RRT therapies.

The publication explores the development of the Augmented Medication Risk Score (AUGMERIS) calculator, a web application supported by artificial intelligence, designed to automate the evaluation of medication therapies with the Danish Medication Risk Score (MERIS) method. It is a tool that assesses drug combinations and kidney function in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which helps clinical pharmacists identify high‐risk patients. To overcome the problem of processing unstructured electronic health records (EHRs), a hybrid text processing model was created by combining rigorous algorithms and Generative Pre‐trained Transformer (GPT) technology, which was integrated into a web application along with an automated risk calculation programme. Our objective was to develop and test a globally accessible calculator application with the validation of performance on poor‐quality data. Despite the validation limitations, the text processing function serves the application satisfactorily. The AUGMERIS web app is built with Python 3 and shared globally by Streamlit. Volunteer testers from eight different countries performed a total of 383 trial calculations. The application has the potential to improve global pharmacotherapy by identifying patients requiring medication reviews. Its wider adoption might enhance patient safety and optimize treatments in a variety of healthcare systems.