A review with 54 references covers all aspects of hawthorn, the genus Crataegus, including its traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and clinical effects. Although the effectiveness of hawthorn on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases has received extensive attention worldwide, further scientific research on various areas such as pharmacokinetics, mechanism of actions will be necessary to ensure its safe and effective usage.

Human monoclonal antibody (hMAb) cocktail SM-17220 (also known as BT-570), a heterofunctional antibody mixture of 3 human IgM MAbs (HI-223, MH-4H7, and IN-2A8; ratio of 1:10:10) directed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were administered to patients with pneumonia or burn wounds (or both) to assess the pharmacokinetics, safety, antigenicity, and preliminary efficacy. Twenty mg of SM-17220 was IV infused over 60 min once daily on 3 consecutive days. Twenty patients (8 pneumonia, 4 burns, and 8 both) completed the study. SM-17220 was safe and well tolerated, and no subjects developed antibodies to SM-17220 and mouse J-chain during the follow-up of 8 weeks. Each MAb of SM-17220 had a half-life ranging from 49 to 91 h, similar to native human IgM. Both MH-4H7 and IN-2A8 administration resulted in a high serum level for about 4 days over an effective concentration, whereas HI-223 showed a lower serum level than expected. Some indications of a potential efficacy were observed and are discussed here.

A clinical need for aetiotropic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatments is required. The immune modulator azoximer bromide (AZB; Polyoxidonium®) is indicated in Russia for use against acute viral infections and during remission. In this study, adults hospitalized with COVID-19 ( n =32) received AZB and standard of care in an open-label, multicentre, interventional study. All patients were symptomatic; 22 had severe disease (National Early Warning Score ≥5) and required mechanical ventilation or oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) and 19 patients had co-morbidities. Patients received AZB 12 mg intravenously once daily for 3 days, then intramuscularly every other day (approximately ten injections) until discharge. The primary endpoint was the patient’s clinical status (7-point Ordinal Scale; OS) on day 15 versus that at baseline. The mean duration of hospitalization was 20 days. All patients were alive and discharged with normal SpO 2 with no secondary infections or delayed mortality reported by the end-of-study visit (on day 28–72). A decrease in the mean OS and National Early Warning Score values was observed following treatment with AZB. A decrease in OS score was marked in patients identified as severe. Both sets of patients achieved similar scores, which can be classified as an improvement by day 9–10; SpO 2 levels trended to normalization over time. By day 11–12, all patients had a normal body temperature. Serum C-reactive protein levels decreased in patients with severe and mild disease. Most patients had signs of pneumonia at baseline ( n =27), with the majority recovering by days 10–12. No major toxicities were observed. AZB was safe and well tolerated when administered in addition to standard of care treatment for COVID-19. Further randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed to elucidate any potential therapeutic effect in COVID-19.

The bioavailability of recombinant human growth hormone (somatropin, CAS 12629-01-5) was compared between a transcutaneous jet injection device and subcutaneous cannula injection. Thirteen healthy male subjects received 8.64 IU somatropin once with jet and once with cannula injection in a randomized cross-over study. Baseline-corrected somatropin serum concentrations were evaluated with non-compartmental and compartmental methods. The 90% confidence intervals with two one-sided t-tests around the ratios of injection devices were 91-120% for maximum concentration, 94-110% for area-under-curve until 14 h, and 92-103% for area-under-curve to infinity. Somatropin has a known metabolic half-life of ca. 20-30 min while the observed terminal half-lives were 2-4 h. Absorption and elimination rate constants were similar. Times of maximum concentrations, terminal half-lives and lag times to start of absorption appeared to be shorter and the absorption rate constant appeared to be larger for jet than for cannula injection. In conclusion, the kinetics of somatropin from subcutaneous tissue had a "flip-flop" characteristic. Bioavailability of somatropin after jet injection was equivalent to cannula injection.

The tough, hoof-shaped fruiting bodies of the tinder conk mushroom, <i>Fomes fomentarius</i> (L.) Fr. (Polyporaceae, Agaricomycetes), were traditionally used all over the world as tinder to start fire, for ritual purposes, to make artworks like clothing, frames, ornaments, and also to cure various human diseases (wounds, gastro-intestinal disorders, liver-related problems, inflammations, various cancers, etc.). The first wave of scientific interest in <i>F. fomentarius</i> in Europe dates back to the early 1970s with the discovery of the red-brown pigments of the <i>F. fomentarius</i> external layer. Since then, a number of research papers and reviews have mentioned the history of use, taxonomy, composition and medicinal properties of some <i>F. fomentarius</i> preparations, e.g., soluble extracts and their fractions, isolated cell walls, mycelia and compounds purified from the culture broth. The present review is focused on the composition and benefits of the water-insoluble cell walls obtained from the <i>F. fomentarius</i> fruiting bodies. Isolated cell walls of the tinder mushroom reveal a fibrous hollow structure with an average diameter of 3-5 &mu;m and a wall thickness of 0.2-1.5 &mu;m. Naturally, the fibers are composed of 25-38&#37; glucans, with a majority of &beta;-glucans, around 30&#37; polyphenols, 6&#37; chitin and less than 2&#37; hemicellulose. The percentage of the main structural compounds can vary either slightly or considerably, depending on the extraction conditions. According to <i>in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo</i> as well as clinical studies, <i>F. fomentarius</i> fibers can modulate the immune system, contribute to intestinal health, accelerate wound healing, absorb heavy metals, organic dyes and radionuclides, normalize kidney and liver function, and provide antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Multiple action of the insoluble cell walls purified from the <i>F. fomentarius</i> fruiting bodies is particularly effective in the treatment of chronic, recurring, complicated multifactorial diseases. It is certainly worth exploring the medicinal potential and the practical application of these preparations further.