Nanoparticle Formulation Composition Analysis by Liquid Chromatography on Reversed-Phase Monolithic Silica.

Multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) formulations for medical purposes have already found their way toward envisaged translation. A persistent challenge of those systems is, next to NP size analysis, the compositional analysis of the NPs with the polymer as the matrix component and the encapsulated drug, particularly in a quantitative manner. Herein, we report the formulation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs by nanoprecipitation and the analysis of their integrity and size by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Those NPs feature a variety of encapsulated drugs including the well-known ibuprofen (Ibu) as well as dexamethasone (Dex) and dexamethasone acetate (DexAce), with the latter being of potential interest for clinical treatment of SARS-CoV-2 patients. All those dissolved formulation compositions have been subjected to liquid chromatography on reversed-phase silica monolithic columns, allowing to quantitatively assess amounts of small molecule drug and NP constituting PLGA polymer in a single run. The chromatographically resolved hydrophobicity differences of the drugs correlated with their formulation loading and were clearly separated from the PLGA matrix polymer with high resolution. Our study identifies the viability of reversed-phase monolithic silica in the chromatography of both small drug molecules and particularly pharmapolymers in a repeatable and simultaneous fashion, and can provide a valuable strategy for analysis of diverse precursor polymer systems and drug components in multifunctional drug formulations.

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.

COVID-19 infection after pediatric heart transplantation in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Background: COVID-19 is a very heterogeneous infection that can vary in its course from asymptomatic to fatal. While the course of pediatric COVID-19 infections is mostly asymptomatic or very mild, patients with immunosuppressive therapy are at high risk of a severe infection. We conducted a multicenter survey with pediatric heart transplantation centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (15 centers) to evaluate the risk of a severe COVID-19 infection after pediatric heart transplantation. Method: Retrospective analyses of all COVID-19 infections between February 2020 and June 2021 of patients after pediatric heart transplantation with medical care in one of the German, Austrian, or Swiss pediatric heart transplantation centers. Results: Twenty-one patients (nine male) with a mean age of 8.34 ± 5.33 years at time of transplantation and on average 8.33 ± 8.49 years after transplantation suffered from COVID-19 infection. Reasons for transplantation were dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 17), restrictive cardiomyopathy (n = 2), and congenital heart disease (n = 2). The immunosuppressive therapy consisted of tacrolimus (n = 17), cyclosporine A (n = 3), everolimus (n = 10), mycophenolate mofetil (n = 11), azathioprine (n = 1), and steroids (n = 3). Twelve patients had an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, the other patients complained about cough (n = 3), rhinitis (n = 3), fever (n = 2), myalgia/fatigue (n = 5), diarrhea (n = 1), pain (n = 2), anosmia (n = 3), and loss of taste (n = 4). None of the patients showed dyspnea or reduced left ventricular function. Only one patient showed an increase in the degree of tricuspid regurgitation. Eight patients needed therapy in an outpatient setting and only two patients were hospitalized. One of these patients had a positive SARS-CoV-2 testing while on ICU early after heart transplantation. Interestingly, this patient had had a COVID-19 infection some weeks before heart transplantation. None of the patients needed oxygen supply or noninvasive ventilation or invasive mechanical ventilation. None of the patients needed a change of the immunosuppressive medication. No specific signs for graft dysfunction were found by noninvasive testing (echocardiography or electrocardiogram). Conclusion: After pediatric heart transplantation, a COVID-19 infection was very often asymptomatic or a mild infection and did not lead to a graft dysfunction despite the immunosuppressive therapy of the patients.