Thermo-responsive hydrogels containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), reinforced both with covalent and non-covalent interactions with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), were synthesized via free-radical polymerization in the absence of any additional cross-linkers. The properties of PNIPAAm-CNC hybrid hydrogels were dependent on the amounts of incorporated CNC. The thermal stability of the hydrogels decreased with increasing CNC content. The rheological measurement indicated that the elastic and viscous moduli of hydrogels increased with the higher amounts of CNC addition, representing stronger mechanical properties of the hydrogels. Moreover, the hydrogel injection also supported the hypothesis that CNC reinforced the hydrogels; the increased CNC content exhibited higher structural integrity upon injection. The PNIPAAm-CNC hybrid hydrogels exhibited clear thermo-responsive behavior; the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) was in the range of 36 to 39 • C, which is close to normal human body temperature. For wound dressing purposes, metronidazole, an antibiotic and antiprotozoal often used for skin infections, was used as a target drug to study drug-loading and the release properties of the hydrogels. The hydrogels showed a good drug-loading capacity at room temperature and a burst drug release, which was followed by slow and sustained release at 37 • C. These results suggested that newly developed drugs containing injectable hydrogels are promising materials for wound dressing.

IntroductionA long-term intragastric feeding is the indication for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement in a patient. The procedure is performed in children with central nervous system (CNS) disorders, congenital heart defects and neoplastic or metabolic diseases. The PEG placement procedure is most commonly performed by a gastroscopy procedure.AimThe study aimed to retrospectively analyse the methods applied and complications following PEG tube insertion in patients of the Regional Specialist Children's Hospital in Olsztyn, Poland, in the years 2000–2019.Material and methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted of medical histories and records of children qualified for PEG placement procedure. PEG procedure was performed on 48 children: 24 boys and 24 girls. The mean age was 7 years. PEG was inserted in cerebral plasy in 30 patients, congenital defects in 11 and genetic disorders in 7.Results and discussionThe reasons for PEG insertion included dysphagia in 30 children, no weight gain in 7, aspiration of gastric contents to the bronchial tree in 6, and feeding difficulties in 10. Two methods for performing PEG insertion procedure were employed: a gastroscopy alone (31 cases) and a laparoscopic-assisted gastroscopy (17). The following complications were: local complications at the incision site (28), PEG dysfunction (13), vomiting (9), sepsis (2), buried bumper syndrome (1), oesophagitis (1), and gastrointestinal fistula (1).ConclusionsThe PEG placement procedure is burdened with a significant number of complications, however, they are mainly related to local inflammation or PEG dysfunction.

Genome instability and mutations are the hallmarks of cancer. Mutations within BRCA genes increase the risk of pancreatic cancer (PC) development. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) show the synthetic lethality phenomenon in tumoral cells with BRCA mutation and improve outcomes in patients with breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. Olaparib was the first PARPi registered for the patient with metastatic PC with a deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutation. The POLO phase III clinical trial shows that olaparib in PC increases progression-free survival, however it does not prolong the overall survival. Currently, many clinical trials are ongoing to determine the clinical utility of PARPi in monotherapy or polytherapy of PC. The role of PARPi in PC has not been well established and many questions remain unanswered. This review aims to summarise the rationales behind the use of PARPi and current clinical data.