OBJECTIVETo investigate effect of particle size on oral absorption of silymarin-loaded solid lipid nanoparuicles.

METHODSolid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) of various sizes (150 nm, 500 nm and 1000 nm) using Compritol 888 ATO as the material and silymarin (SM) as a model drug were prepared. Silybinin concentration in plasma of rats were determined by RP-HPLC with UV detector. The main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by 3p97.

RESULTResults showed that the AUC of 150 nm SLN was 2.08 fold that of 500 nm SLN and 2.54 fold of 1000 nm SLN treated orally to rats (P < 0.05). The oral bioavailability of 150 nm SLN was remarkably higher than the other two size SLN.

CONCLUSIONThis has important implications in designing of SM-SLN as a new oral drug delivery system.

Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Availability ; Drug Carriers ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Excipients ; Fatty Acids ; Female ; Male ; Milk Thistle ; chemistry ; Nanostructures ; Particle Size ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Silymarin ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics

Objective　To study the role of placental leptin in intrauterine cord leptin production and its relationship with neonatal anthropometry. Methods　Forty women and their babies (40) were enrolled in this study. Placental tissues were assayed for leptin mRNA by reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR), and assayed for the obese gene protein leptin by Western-blot and immunohistochemistry. Blood was taken from the umbilical cord of the babies at delivery. Serum leptin was measured by radio-immunoassay. Neonatal anthropometric measurements were recorded within 48 hours after delivery. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between placental leptin, cord leptin and neonatal anthropometric measures. Results　The obese gene was expressed in placental tissue at comparable or greater levels than that in adipose tissue. The placentas of the small for gestational age (SGA) neonates expressed leptin mRNA and protein at significantly lower levels than those of the appropriate for gestational age (AGA) neonates (P=0.0034 and 0.0076), while the placentas of the large for gestational age (LGA) neonates expressed leptin mRNA and protein at significantly higher levels than those of the AGA neonates (P=0.043 and 0.021). Linear regression analysis showed placental ob gene transcription and leptin translation correlated significantly with cord leptin (r=0.39 and 0.43), and neonatal Ponderal Index (r=0.66 and 0.69). Conclusion　The placenta provides a source of leptin for the growing fetus, and this placental leptin might be a growth factor in intrauterine fetal development.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome