Introduction: The misconception and misuse of antibiotics among the public has been widely outlined to be one of the main reasons for bacterial resistance. The aim of the present study was to assess the practices, level of knowledge and attitudes regarding the rational and self-medication use of antibiotics in the general public in different districts of Baghdad province, Iraq. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among 384 participants through an interview using a structured 3-parts questionnaire, consisting of 24 items assessing the demographic characteristics, practices, level of knowledge and attitude towards rational antibiotics use. Results: 45.8% of the study participants reported self-medication of antibiotics without prescription. Flu/common cold and sore throat represented the majority of medical conditions for antibiotics intake without prescription (44.9%, 31.3%) respectively. Oral amoxicillin (34.1%) was the most common non-prescription antibiotic. 50.3% had education about the rational use of antibiotics. 41.4% reported intake of antibiotics after having medical advice, 44% suggested their antibiotics not to be used by other members, and 52.9% stated the importance of antibiotic education among the public. However, 57% of the respondents had negative attitudes regarding antibiotics use for sore throat/fever, the effectiveness of antibiotics for cold/flu (54.7%) and cough (49.2%), to keep antibiotics for future use (40.9%) and not completing the antibiotic course after feeling well (49.2%). Conclusions: A widespread use of antibiotics without prescription was reported, providing some crucial gaps and a lower level of practice, knowledge and attitudes regarding the use of antibiotics among a sample of the Iraqi population.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are integral to cancer treatment over conventional non-specific therapy methods. This study provides a scoping review of the clinically approved mAbs, focusing on the current application of different nanocarrier technologies as drug delivery targets for mAb-conjugated nanoparticles as potential features for breast cancer treatment. An extensive literature search was conducted between the years 2000 and 2023 using various sources of databases. The first part covered mAb classification, types, and mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, and clinical applications in breast cancer. The second part covered polymeric, lipid, and inorganic-based nanoparticles, which are a variety of mAb-conjugated nanoparticles targeting breast cancer. A total of 20 relevant studies were enrolled indicating there are three different types of nanoparticular systems (polymeric NPs, inorganic NPs, and lipid-based NPs) that can be used for breast cancer treatment by being loaded with various active substances and conjugated with these antibodies. While mAbs have altered the way in cancer treatment due to targeting cancer cells specifically, the delivery of mAbs with nanoparticulate systems is important in the treatment of breast cancer, as nanoparticles are still being investigated as distinctive and promising drug delivery methods that can be employed for effective treatment of breast cancer.

Oral mucositis (OM) is an extremely serious and challenging complication of chemoradiotherapy, which may limit the efficacy of cancer treatment. Complications related to OM include potential nutrition impairment, high economic burden, and negative impacts on patients’ quality of life. Current therapeutic options with local traditional pharmaceutical formulations are largely focused on controlling symptoms, and only few agents are available for treatment. Several local supportive and palliative agents are used for the prevention of OM; however, a standard treatment for the disease has not been confirmed yet. The efficacy of treatment could be improved through the introduction of new medical agents with updated dosage forms that can enhance and optimize local drug delivery and create greater therapeutic effects with fewer side effects. The focus of this review was to provide clear and direct information about the currently available topical therapeutic agents in clinical practice used to cure and/or reduce the incidence of ulcerative symptoms of OM, excluding the associated pain and other coexisting complications such as bacterial and fungal infections. The review also provides recent evidences regarding agents that could be used as promising novel therapies in updated local delivering systems. This will support further encouraging options and approaches for the management of OM and will improve compliance that could be translated in better disease control and survival.