The purpose of the present work was to develop nanoemulsion-based formulations of mirtazapine for intranasal delivery using a spray actuator to target the brain for treating depression. Research on the solubility of medications in different oils, surfactants, co-surfactants, and solvents has been done. Using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, the various ratios of the surfactant and co-surfactant mix were computed. Thermotriggered nanoemulsion was formulated using different concentrations of poloxamer 407 (i.e., 15%, 15.5%, 16%, 16.5% up to 22%). Similarly, mucoadhesive nanoemulsion using 0.1% Carbopol and water-based plain nanoemulsions were also prepared for comparative assessment. The developed nanoemulsions were analyzed for physicochemical properties, i.e., physical appearance, pH, viscosity, and drug content. Drug-excipient incompatibility was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectral (FTIR) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In vitro drug diffusion studies were conducted for optimized formulations. Among the three formulations, RD1 showed the highest percentage of drug release. Ex vivo drug diffusion studies were conducted on freshly excised sheep nasal mucosa with Franz diffusion cell simulated nasal fluid (SNF) for all three formulations up to 6 h, and the thermotriggered nanoemulsion (RD1) showed 71.42% drug release with 42.64 nm particle size and a poly dispersity index of 0.354. The zeta potential was found to be −6.58. Based on the above data, it was concluded that thermotriggered nanoemulsion (RD1) has great potential to be used as an intranasal gel for treating depression in patients. It can offer great benefits by reducing dosing frequency and improving bioavailability of mirtazapine by direct nose-to-brain delivery.

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare education, offering innovative tools to enhance learning and clinical decision-making. AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT are increasingly integrated into pharmacy education, enabling students to access vast medical knowledge, refine decision-making skills, and simulate clinical scenarios. Objective: This study examines pharmacy students’ attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding ChatGPT’s use in clinical decision-making, evaluates its perceived benefits and limitations, and identifies factors influencing AI integration in pharmacy education. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 512 pharmacy students at King Khalid University. A structured questionnaire assessed demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Data were analyzed using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Results: The majority (82.4%) supported AI integration in pharmacy education, while 74.6% believed that ChatGPT could enhance clinical decision-making. Primary applications included drug information retrieval (72.3%) and exam preparation (66.7%). However, concerns about AI accuracy (55.2%) and ethical implications were noted. Conclusions: Pharmacy students at King Khalid University exhibit positive attitudes toward AI, recognizing its educational benefits while acknowledging challenges. Addressing accuracy concerns and ethical considerations through structured AI training programs is essential to optimize AI’s role in pharmacy education and practice.

Background: Health literacy plays an important role in medication understanding, self-management, and engagement with healthcare services among older adults. Limited health literacy may contribute to medication-related problems and reduced utilization of pharmacist-led services in geriatric populations. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted among geriatric outpatients (≥60 years) attending a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia. Health literacy was assessed using a four-domain functional tool—covering prescription label comprehension, understanding of healthcare instructions, confidence in completing medical forms, and comprehension of written health information—developed in alignment with established health literacy frameworks, including the Health Literacy Survey—European Union (HLS-EU) model and Baker’s conceptual framework. Participants were classified as having higher health literacy (0–2 domains impaired) or lower health literacy (3–4 domains impaired). Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical burden, medication self-management behaviors, and awareness of clinical pharmacist services were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with lower health literacy. Results: A total of 200 participants were included. Impairment in three or more domains was observed in 55.5% of participants. Lower health literacy was independently associated with older age, lower educational attainment, lower income, female sex, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy. Participants with lower health literacy reported higher rates of missed or incorrect medication dosing and unreported adverse drug reactions and lower use of medication management aids. Awareness of clinical pharmacist services and prior exposure to pharmacist counseling were significantly lower among participants with lower health literacy. Willingness to receive pharmacist counseling was higher among participants with higher health literacy and greater awareness of pharmacist roles. Conclusions: Health-literacy impairment is common among geriatric outpatients and is associated with medication self-management behaviors and engagement with pharmacist-led services. These findings highlight the relevance of functional health literacy in geriatric medication use and support further research on literacy-sensitive pharmacist-led interventions.