Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease affecting from 0.2 to 3% of the general population. The current treatment for Sjögren’s syndrome is aimed at controlling symptoms such as dry eyes and xerostomia. Systemic therapy with glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants is also used. Baricitinib is an immunosuppressant drug, specifically a Janus kinases 1 and 2 selective inhibitor. We propose ocular liposomal formulations loaded with baricitinib for the management of Sjögren’s syndrome. The novelty of the work relies on the fact that, for the first time, baricitinib is intended to be used for topical delivery. Two liposomal formulations were prepared with different lipids: (i) L-α-phosphatidylcholine (Lα-PC) and (ii) a combination of lipids 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine: s1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphoglycerol (3:1, mol/mol) (POPE:POPG), and they were physicochemically characterized. The in vitro drug release and the ex vivo permeation through corneal and scleral tissues were also assessed. Finally, the tolerance of the formulations on the ocular tissues was evaluated by the HET-CAM technique, as well as through the histological analysis of the cornea and sclera and the cornea transparency. Both liposomes resulted in small, spherical shapes, with suitable physicochemical properties for the ocular administration. Lα-PC led to higher flux, permeation, and retention in the sclera, whereas POPE:POPG led to higher flux and permeation in the cornea. The formulations showed no irritant effects on the chorioallantoic membrane. Additionally, the liposomes did not affect the cornea transparency when they were applied, and the histological analysis did not reveal any structural alteration.

Titanium is used widely for applications that involve low weight and require suitable mechanical, biomedical and other desirable properties. In this paper, the effect of nitrogen ion implantation on surface structure and resistance against titanium corrosion and achievement of the best conditions for titanium nitride formation is investigated. For these experiments nitrogen ions with an energy of 30 keV and doses of 1 × 1018 to 5 × 1018 ion cm−2 were used. X-ray diffraction was performed for metallic analysis and investigation of new structures created by nitrogen ion implantation. Roughness variations before and after implantation were observed by atomic force microscopy. Corrosion analysis apparatus is used for comparison of resistance against titanium corrosion before and after ion implantation. Results show that nitrogen ion implantation has a substantial effect on resistance improvement against titanium corrosion. The surface morphology of the samples after corrosion testing is investigated using scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that the more important factor will control the final corrosion speed. In doses lower than 2×1018 ion cm−2, the roughness effect is most important, and in higher does, TiN phase formation is dominant.

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Background: The onset of the COVID-19 outbreak brought unprecedented psychological and emotional consequences, especially for recovered patients, so resiliency in disasters could be helpful. Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in the increasing resilience of recovered COVID-19 patients at the peak of the pandemic. Methods: This research was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and control group. The statistical population of this study included all recovered COVID-19 patients with a mean age of 33.06 years at the peak of the pandemic in Isfahan (N = 30) in 2021-2022. They were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 subjects in each group). After performing the pretest, the experimental group received a CBT program for 12 sessions, and then the post-test was performed. The required data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; 2003). Results: The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and SD) and inferential statistics (analysis of covariance [ANCOVA]) using SPSS version 20. The findings showed that CBT led to increased resilience and had a significant effect on the experimental group (P < 0.01). Conclusions: CBT can be considered an effective treatment in reducing problems and improving the psychological indicators of recovered COVID-19 patients.