Buccal Administration of a Zika Virus Vaccine Utilizing 3D-Printed Oral Dissolving Films in a Mouse Model.

Over the years, research regarding the Zika virus has been steadily increasing. Early immunization for ZIKV is a priority for preventing complications such as microencephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Unlike traditional vaccination approaches, oral dissolving films (ODFs) or mucoadhesive film technology is an emerging, exciting concept that can be used in the field of pharmaceuticals for vaccine design and formulation development. This attractive and novel method can help patients who suffer from dysphagia as a complication of a disease or syndrome. In this study, we investigated a microparticulate Zika vaccine administered via the buccal route with the help of thin films or oral dissolving films (ODFs) with a prime dose and two booster doses two weeks apart. In vitro, the ODFs displayed excellent physiochemical properties, indicating that the films were good carriers for vaccine microparticles and biocompatible with the buccal mucosa. In vivo results revealed robust humoral (IgG, subtypes IgG1 and IgG2a) and T-cell responses (CD4+/CD8+) for ZIKV-specific immunity. Both the Zika MP vaccine and the adjuvanted Zika MP vaccine affected memory (CD45R/CD27) and intracellular cytokine (TNF-α and IL-6) expression. In this study, ZIKV vaccination via the buccal route with the aid of ODFs demonstrated great promise for the development of pain-free vaccines for infectious diseases.

Using Online Cancer Genomics Databases to Provide Teaching Resources for Pharmacy Education.

Connecting scientific concepts with clinical applications is an important objective of pharmacy education. As the field of precision oncology expands, it is critical for pharmacy students to understand how genetic information informs cancer treatment decisions. However, to effectively teach students about pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, faculty require relevant educational resources, including those that support higher-order learning. In this Commentary, we demonstrate the potential utility of publicly accessible cancer genomics databases as teaching resources for pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics in oncology pharmacy education. Using clinical data retrieved from a genomics database, we illustrate how case studies can be developed to target core competencies, including understanding tumor genomics profiling, somatic mutations and pharmacotherapy selection, and clinical pharmacogenetics testing. Cancer genomics databases provide readily available, cost-effective, clinical data resources that support active learning related to pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics education in oncology pharmacy curricula.

Classification of biodiesel and fuel blends using gas chromatography - differential mobility spectrometry with cluster analysis and isolation of C18:3 me by dual ion filtering.

Fatty acid alkyl esters (FAAEs) were determined at 10-100mg/L in biodiesel and blends with petrodiesel without sample pre-treatment using gas chromatography with a tandem differential mobility detector. Selectivity was provided through chromatographic separations and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization reactions in the detector with mobility characterization of gas ions. Limits of detection were ~0.5ng with an average of 2.98% RSD for peak area precision, ≤1.3% RSD for retention time precision, and ≤9.2% RSD for compensation voltage precision. Biodiesel blends were classified using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Unsupervised cluster analysis captured 52.72% of variance in a single PC while supervised analysis captured 71.64% of variance using Fisher ratio feature selection. Test set predictions showed successful clustering according to source or feedstock when regressed onto the training set model. Detection of the regulated substance methyl linolenate (C18:3 me) was achieved in 6-10s with a 1m long capillary column using dual ion filtering in the tandem differential mobility detector.