In this study solid dispersions of carbamazepine in the hydrophilic Kollidon® VA64 polymer, adsorbed onto Neusilin® UFL2 adsorption carrier have been employed to improve carbamazepine dissolution rate. In order to evaluate effects of changing in the proportions of all solid dispersion components on carbamazepine dissolution rate, D-optimal mixture experimental design was used in the formulation development. From all prepared solid dispersion formulations, significantly faster carbamazepine dissolution was observed compared to pure drug. Ternary solid dispersions containing carbamazepine, Kollidon® VA64 and Neusilin® UFL2 showed superior dissolution performances over binary ones, containing only carbamazepine and Neusilin® UFL2. Proportion of Kollidon® VA64 showed the most profound effect on the amount of carbamazepine dissolved after 10 and 30 min, whereby these parameters increase upon increasing in Kollidon® VA64 concentrations up to the middle values in the studied range of Kollidon® VA64 concentrations. Physicochemical characterization of the selected samples using differential scanning calorimetry, FT-IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and polarizing light microscopy showed polymorphic transition of carbamazepine from more thermodynamically stable monoclinic form (form III) to less thermodynamically stable triclinic form (form I) in the case of ternary, but not of binary solid dispersion formulations. This polymorphic transition can be one of the factors responsible for improving of carbamazepine dissolution rate from studied solid dispersions. Ternary solid dispersions prepared with Kollidon® VA64 hydrophilic polymer and Neusilin® UFL2 adsorption carrier resulted in significantly improvement of carbamazepine dissolution rate, but formation of metastable polymorphic form of carbamazepine requires particular care to be taken in ensuring product long term stability.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties of peloid, its mineralogical composition and its antimicrobial activity, including the presence of algae, with the aim of considering its dermo-cosmetic application, such as anti-skin aging and treatment. Physicochemical analysis showed that peloid from Ulcinj coast, contains minerals, necessary for smooth performance of skin functions, as well as, the whole body. A studied peloid sample showed significant antimicrobial activity of Candida albicans strain, and the presence of algae of Bacillariophyta division, known to have a beneficial effect on skin health. Results of examination of peloid from Ulcinj locality, recommended it as a high quality natural substance applicative in dermo-cosmetic preparations for treatment of problematic skin.

Background: The administration of chemotherapy positively correlates with diverse adverse drug reactions, including the significant impact of hematological hazards such as anemia, leukopenia-neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and pancytopenia. This pilot pharmacoeconomic study aimed to estimate the total direct costs of treating hematological toxicity induced by chemotherapy and its main determinants. Methods: The study was conducted as a retrospective cost of illness study using the ''from bottom to the top'' approach from the perspective of the Republic Health Insurance Fund. This study included 88 patients treated due to developing at least one episode of one of the types of hematological complications of cytostatics in 2018 at the Oncology Clinic of the University Clinical Center Kragujevac, Kragujevac, the Republic of Serbia. Results: Among cancer patients who developed haematological toxicity, treating pancytopenia was most demanding in a pharmacoeconomic manner compared to neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, with an estimated value of direct costs of 264,14, 178,19 and 157,76 euros per patient per year respectively. Regarding total direct costs, the main determinants were the costs of drugs, their parenteral administration, and costs due to hospitalization. Conclusion: Due to the rising cancer incidence and obligatory hospital treatment of hematological toxicity induced by chemotherapy, the identification of the pharmacoeconomic aspects of the treatment of these complications is needed. Future research should focus on the development of new modalities of treatment regarding patient characteristics anticipating high costs.

The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of using artificial neural networks in the optimization of solid dispersions with carbamazepine. Artificial neural networks of the Generalized regression neural network type with four layers, gave models that describe the effect of components in solid dispersions carbamazepine-Neusilin ® UFL2 (magnesium aluminosilicate)-Collidon ® VA64 (vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate) and dissolved carbamazepine value (%) after 10 (Q10) and 30(Q30) minutes of carbamazepine testing. After the learning process, root mean square error (RMS) values of 0.0029 were obtained for the training data set, and 0.1185 for the test training data, which is an excellent prediction of the neural network.

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