Advantages and limitations of nanostructures for biomedical applications.

This review examines recent progress in developing nanoscale drug delivery systems for biomedical applications. Key nanocarriers, including inorganic nanoparticles, dendrimers, protein nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, liposomes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), quantum dots (QDs), and biopolymeric nanoparticles, were summarized. Compared with free drugs, the tunable physicochemical properties of these materials allow for the encapsulation of therapeutics and improved pharmacokinetics. However, limitations such as toxicity, poor biodegradability, lack of controlled release, and low encapsulation efficiency remain. Inorganic nanoparticles exhibit issues with accumulation and toxicity. Dendrimers require complex syntheses and demonstrations of long-term safety. Protein nanoparticles suffer from low drug loading and stability. Polymeric micelles have stability and tumor penetration limitations. Liposomes exhibit low encapsulation efficiency and rapid clearance. Carbon nanotubes demonstrate toxicity and poor aqueous solubility. Quantum dots contain heavy metals, leading to toxicity. Biopolymeric nanoparticles have low stability and control over release kinetics. Strategies such as surface engineering with polymers and ligands aim to enhance nanoparticle targeting and biocompatibility. The combination of nanostructures in hybrid systems aims to synergize benefits while mitigating individual limitations. Stimulus-responsive and multifunctional nanoparticles enable triggered release and imaging capabilities. Overall, continued research into novel bioinspired designs, smart responsiveness and hybrid approaches is critical to fully realize the clinical potential of engineered nanomedicines for advanced drug delivery applications.

Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes for regenerative medicine applications.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes have emerged as a promising cell-free therapy for tissue engineering. Compared to intact stem cells, exosomes have advantages like low immunogenicity and ability to carry regenerative cargo. This review examined the potential of exosomes to treat defects in skin, bone and cartilage. In preclinical models, exosomes improved wound healing, stimulated bone regeneration, and enabled cartilage repair by transferring proteins, mRNAs and microRNAs. Their effects were elicited by modulating inflammation, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and matrix synthesis. Exosomes represent a promising cell-free therapy for tissue engineering. However, challenges remain regarding scalable isolation, elucidating mechanisms, and translating this approach to human trials. Understanding these challenges will enable the successful clinical translation of exosomes for regenerative medicine applications.

Microplastic label in microencapsulation field - Consequence of shell material selection.

Plastics make our lives easier in many ways; however, if they are not appropriately disposed of or recycled, they may end up in the environment where they stay for centuries and degrade into smaller and smaller pieces, called microplastics. Each year, approximately 42000 tonnes of microplastics end up in the environment when products containing them are used. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) one of the significant sources of microplastics are microcapsules formulated in home care and consumer care products. As part of the EU's plastics strategy, ECHA has proposed new regulations to ban intentionally added microplastics starting from 2022. It means that the current cross-linked microcapsules widely applied in consumer goods must be transformed into biodegradable shell capsules. The aim of this review is to provide the readers with a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of recent developments in the art of microencapsulation. Thus, considering the chemical structure of the capsule shell's materials, we discuss whether microcapsules should also be categorized as microplastic and therefore, feared and avoided or whether they should be used despite the persisting concern.

Application of Polyphenols and Flavonoids in Oncological Therapy.

The use of naturally derived drugs in anti-cancer therapies has grown exponentially in recent years. Among natural compounds, polyphenols have shown potential therapeutic applications in treatment due to their protective functions in plants, their use as food additives, and their excellent antioxidant properties, resulting in beneficial effects on human health. Building more efficient cancer therapies with fewer side effects on human health can be achieved by combining natural compounds with conventional drugs, which are typically more aggressive than natural chemicals with polyphenols. This article reviews a wide variety of studies where polyphenolic compounds can play a key role as anticancer drugs, alone or in combination with other drugs. Moreover, the future directions of applications of various polyphenols in cancer therapy are shown.

Phytoremediation as an Effective Remedy for Removing Trace Elements from Ecosystems.

The pollution of soil by trace elements is a global problem. Conventional methods of soil remediation are often inapplicable, so it is necessary to search intensively for innovative and environment-friendly techniques for cleaning up ecosystems, such as phytoremediation. Basic research methods, their strengths and weaknesses, and the effects of microorganisms on metallophytes and plant endophytes resistant to trace elements (TEs) were summarised and described in this manuscript. Prospectively, bio-combined phytoremediation with microorganisms appears to be an ideal, economically viable and environmentally sound solution. The novelty of the work is the description of the potential of "green roofs" to contribute to the capture and accumulation of many metal-bearing and suspended dust and other toxic compounds resulting from anthropopressure. Attention was drawn to the great potential of using phytoremediation on less contaminated soils located along traffic routes and urban parks and green spaces. It also focused on the supportive treatments for phytoremediation using genetic engineering, sorbents, phytohormones, microbiota, microalgae or nanoparticles and highlighted the important role of energy crops in phytoremediation. Perceptions of phytoremediation on different continents are also presented, and new international perspectives are presented. Further development of phytoremediation requires much more funding and increased interdisciplinary research in this direction.

Religion and Spirituality in Oncology: An Exploratory Study of the Communication Experiences of Clinicians in Poland.

Communication with patients regarding oncology-related aspects is a challenging experience and requires a high level of skill from the interlocutors. The aim of this study was to verify the influence of religion/spirituality in oncological settings from the health professionals' perspectives in Poland. It assessed the role of religion/spirituality in patient-clinician communication, death or stress self-management, empathy, and breaking bad news skills. Data collection was carried out through a standardized self-administered questionnaire with varying scales. The study cohort consisted of 60 medical practitioners specializing in oncological radiotherapy treatments. It was observed that strategies used for coping with patients' death, stress reduction, empathy, communication with patients and/or their relatives, or breaking bad news skills, may be gender-specific or may depend on the length of time employed, as well as experience in a cancer-related work environment. This study shows that spirituality and religiousness can support clinicians in managing challenging or negative emotions related to their work in cancer settings. Religiousness and spirituality can also serve as a potential therapeutic strategies for those exposed to patient suffering and death.

Ciprofloxacin and Graphene Oxide Combination-New Face of a Known Drug.

Drug modification with nanomaterials is a new trend in pharmaceutical studies and shows promising results, especially considering carbon-based solutions. Graphene and its derivatives have attracted much research interest for their potential applications in biomedical areas as drug modifiers. The following work is a comprehensive study regarding the toxicity of ciprofloxacin (CIP) modified by graphene oxide (GO). The influence on the morphology, viability, cell death pathway and proliferation of T24 and 786-0 cells was studied. The results show that ciprofloxacin modified with graphene oxide (CGO) shows the highest increase in cytotoxic potential, especially in the case of T24 cells. We discovered a clear connection between CIP modification with GO and the increase in its apoptotic potential. Our results show that drug modification with carbon-based nanomaterials might be a promising strategy to improve the qualities of existing drugs. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that cytotoxicity effects are highly dependent on dose and nanomaterial size. It is necessary to conduct further research to determine the optimal dose of GO for drug modification.

Encapsulation for Cancer Therapy.

The current rapid advancement of numerous nanotechnology tools is being employed in treatment of many terminal diseases such as cancer. Nanocapsules (NCs) containing an anti-cancer drug offer a very promising alternative to conventional treatments, mostly due to their targeted delivery and precise action, and thereby they can be used in distinct applications: as biosensors or in medical imaging, allowing for cancer detection as well as agents/carriers in targeted drug delivery. The possibility of using different systems-inorganic nanoparticles, dendrimers, proteins, polymeric micelles, liposomes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), quantum dots (QDs), biopolymeric nanoparticles and their combinations-offers multiple benefits to early cancer detection as well as controlled drug delivery to specific locations. This review focused on the key and recent progress in the encapsulation of anticancer drugs that include methods of preparation, drug loading and drug release mechanism on the presented nanosystems. Furthermore, the future directions in applications of various nanoparticles are highlighted.