Central nervous system (CNS) disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, etc.) represent a growing public health issue, primarily due to the increased life expectancy and the aging population. The treatment of such disorders is notably elaborate and requires the delivery of therapeutics to the brain in appropriate amounts to elicit a pharmacological response. However, despite the major advances both in neuroscience and drug delivery research, the administration of drugs to the CNS still remains elusive. It is commonly accepted that effectiveness-related issues arise due to the inability of parenterally administered macromolecules to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) in order to access the CNS, thus impeding their successful delivery to brain tissues. As a result, the direct Nose-to-Brain delivery has emerged as a powerful strategy to circumvent the BBB and deliver drugs to the brain. The present review article attempts to highlight the different experimental and computational approaches pursued so far to attain and enhance the direct delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain and shed some light on the underlying mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and treatment of neurological disorders.
Solid electrolytes have found applications in several areas, including (a) sensors, (b) separators, (c) solid oxide fuel cells, and (d) solid-state batteries. In addition, solid electrolytes have been used in the construction of solid electrolyte cell reactors (SECRs), in which heterogeneous catalytic reactions have been studied. Also, SECRs have been used as chemical cogenerative fuel cells, i.e., for the simultaneous production of electricity and useful compounds. In the present work, a survey of the studies conducted in SECRs is presented. The fundamental operating principles, results in technologically important reactions, and the hurdles that should be overcome to bring SECRs into industrial practice are discussed.
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