Nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in the pharmaceutical field to treat various human disorders. Among these, lipid-based NPs (LNPs), including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), are favored for drug/bioactive delivery due to their high stability, biocompatibility, encapsulation efficiency, and sustained/controlled release. These properties make them particularly suitable as carriers of compounds derived from plant sources. This study comprehensively explores updated literature knowledge on SLN and NLC, focusing on their composition and production methods for the specific delivery of drug/bioactive compounds derived from plant sources of interest in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields. SLN and NLC facilitate the development of more effective natural product-based therapies, aiming to reduce dosage and minimize side effects. These delivery systems align with the consumer demands for safer and more sustainable products, as there are also based on biocompatible and biodegradable raw materials, thereby posing minimal toxicological risks while also meeting regulatory guidelines.

Numerous purified bioactive compounds, crude extracts, and essential oils have demonstrated potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, particularly in vitro or in silico; however, their in vivo applications are hindered by inadequate absorption and distribution in the organism. The incorporation of these phytochemicals into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) or nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) has demonstrated significant advancements and represents a viable approach to improve their bioavailability through different administration routes. This review discusses the potential applications of SLN and NLC, loading bioactive compounds sourced from plants for the treatment of several diseases. An overview of the preclinical developments on the use of these lipid nanoparticles is also provided, as well as the requisites to be launched on the market. Medicinal plants have gained even more value for the pharmaceutical industries and their customers, leading to many studies exploring their therapeutic potential. Several bioactives derived from plants with antiviral, anticancer, neuroprotective, antioxidant and antiaging properties have been proposed and loaded into lipid nanoparticles. In vitro and in vivo studies corroborate the added value of SLN/NLC to improve the bioavailability for several bioactives. Surface modification to increase their stability and target delivery should be considering.

Photodynamic therapy is one of the more unique cancer treatment options available in today’s arsenal against this devastating disease. It has historically been explored in cutaneous lesions due to the possibility of focal/specific effects and minimization of adverse events. Advances in drug delivery have mostly been based on biomaterials, such as liposomal and hybrid lipoidal vesicles, nanoemulsions, microneedling, and laser-assisted photosensitizer delivery systems. This review summarizes the most promising approaches to enhancing the photosensitizers’ transdermal delivery efficacy for the photodynamic treatment for cutaneous pre-cancerous lesions and skin cancers. Additionally, discussions on strategies and advantages in these approaches, as well as summarized challenges, perspectives, and translational potential for future applications, will be discussed.

Amazonas suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mortality and fatality rates soared and scarcity of oxygen and healthcare supplies led the health system and funerary services to collapse. Thus, we analyzed the trends of incidence, mortality, and lethality indicators of COVID-19 and the dynamics of their main determinants in the state of Amazonas from March 2020 to June 2021. This is a time-series ecological study. We calculated the lethality, mortality, and incidence rates with official and public data from the Health Department. We used the Prais–Winsten regression and trends were classified as stationary, increasing, or decreasing. The effective reproduction number (Rt) was also estimated. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. We extracted 396,772 cases of and 13,420 deaths from COVID-19; 66% of deaths were in people aged over 60; 57% were men. Cardiovascular diseases were the most common comorbidity (28.84%), followed by diabetes (25.35%). Rural areas reported 53% of the total cases and 31% of the total deaths. The impact of COVID-19 in the Amazon is not limited to the direct effects of the pandemic itself; it may present characteristics of a syndemic due to the interaction of COVID-19 with pre-existing illnesses, endemic diseases, and social vulnerabilities.

Among the veins used as a graft in myocardial revascularizations and ends, great saphenous vein is the most used. Knowing the presence and location of valves has great importance when evaluating the surgical anatomy of the great saphenous vein. Despite major surgical application and many works involving great saphenous vein, the number of valves present in it from the saphenous hiatus to the medial epicondyle of the femur is still described inaccurately. The objective of this study is to quantify the valves of the great saphenous vein from the saphenous hiatus to the medial epicondyle of the femur to determine the best portion of the great saphenous vein to perform revascularization surgeries. This is a cross sectional observational study in which it was analyzed great saphenous vein extracted from 30 cadavers. It was measured the length of the veins; (diameter) at its proximal, middle and distal, quantifying the number of valves in each one and the total number of valves at the great saphenous vein. The frequency of valves in the great saphenous vein taken from the medial epicondyle of the femur to the saphenous hiatus was 4.82, ranging between 2 and 9. Moreover, there is a significant difference in the number of valves in the proximal and distal relative to the average. the median and distal portions of the saphenous vein in the thigh, are the best options for the realization of bridges due to the fact that these portions have fewer valves which therefore would tend to decrease the risk of complications connected with the valves in these grafts.

Introduction: validated educational technologies favor access to reliable and adequate information, representing a critical risk communication tool for cancer patients during public health emergencies. Objective: to assess the validity and reliability of an electronic booklet on COVID-19 for adults with cancer. Methods: methodological validation by a panel of 22 experts linked to Brazil’s national curriculum vitae database. Sampling was performed by convenience, snowball, and selection techniques according to Jasper’s criteria. The validity of the booklet was evaluated by an electronic questionnaire using the content validity index (CVI), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the suitability assessment of materials (SAM) instrument, and the metalinguistic thematic analysis for educational technologies (MeTA-Edu) of dissertation proposals. Results: the expert panel consisted of 22 doctors with homogeneous sociodemographic characteristics, high specialization in education (86.4%), and teaching experience (average = 17.8 years). In general, the educational technology was validated by experts for content (overall CVI = 0.953) with a high degree of agreement (ICC = 0.958) and suitability of the content, literacy demand, graphics, layout, and typography, learning stimulation and motivation, and cultural appropriateness (SAM = 90.6%). After thematic analysis, 94 dissertation proposals were identified, mainly of the visual language type (47.9%) and referential/informative function (68.1%). Most expert suggestions were accepted (83.0%), and only 17.0% were rejected. Conclusion: the validity and reliability of the booklet “Uncomplicating COVID-19 for people with cancer” were ratified by experts. These findings can contribute to the methodological optimization of the validation of educational technologies and innovation of health education strategies, subsidizing cancer care in times of crisis.