Mirtazapine in veterinary medicine a pharmacological rationale for its application in chronic pain

Problem statement: Many recent studies have shown that antidepressant agents have analgesic effects in addition to their intended primary actions. The Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) have been recognized as an effective first-line treatment of human neuropathic pain but unfortunately they display a wide range of side effects. Recent studies have shown that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) also have potential analgesic effects, albeit of a lower potency compared with the TCAs. Despite this, there is a trend for their increased use, in place of TCAs, in the treatment of chronic pain. Mirtazapine, a SSRI has been recently investigated in the context of veterinary medicine. It has shown favourable pharmacokinetic profiles. Despite the fact that it has mainly been used for anorexia and as an antiemetic for veterinary patients thus far, it could be potentially useful for the treatment of a wide range of anxiety-related conditions and as an analgesic in chronic and cancerassociated pain, due to its effects on both the noradrenergic and serotonic system. Rationale for the use of mirtazapine in veterinary medicine is reviewed in light of previously published literature. Conclusion/Recommendations: Mirtazapine is proposed as a potential analgesic for use in a multidrug analgesic regime in the context of veterinary medicine. Further studies need to be performed before it is implemented in clinical practice however

O centro referencial da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro: perspectivas para o futuro. (Pôster)

O trabalho apresenta a trajetória do Centro Referencial da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, focalizando sua situação atual e projetando sua situação futura com vistas ao uso das novas tecnologias computacionais e de comunicação

From humans to dogs and back: the translational lesson of metronomic chemotherapy

The main priority in veterinary oncology is to maintain patient quality of life. It is important that new chemotherapy strategies aim to minimize side effects, thus making the treatment attractive for owners as well as their pets. Metronomic chemotherapy has been shown to have an important stabilizing effect on human cancer (including chemotherapy-resistant disease) resulting in prolonged clinical benefit. In addition, this form of treatment has been shown to have positive effects on the quality of life of patients with various types of cancer. These positive effects are obtained without any indication of high grade toxicity. Moreover, low cost and oral administration (which reduces the need for hospitalization and enables patients to stay at home longer) are key characteristics of this schedule, offering important advantages in frail subgroups of patients (e.g., old patients) for whom new therapeutic options are greatly needed. From another perspective, use of metronomic chemotherapy in dogs could reveal new and innovative schedules that could be applied to humans. Veterinary oncology cases treated with metronomic schedules represent the unique opportunity to ethically investigate novel drugs or combination treatments that may be highly translatable to the human community. The aim of the present review was to describe how this new form of treatment has evolved in canine patients thus far

In situ template synthesized silver nanoparticulate banana fibre materials with antimicrobial and antibiotic release properties: Efficacy evaluation in ex vivo wound infection model

This study reports the in-situ template synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) within banana fibres (BF), non-woven sheets (BFS), and microparticles (BFM), yielding multifunctional biocomposites with broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and controlled antibiotic release capabilities. The prepared SNPs exhibited a uniform size distribution with an average diameter of 12.6 ± 2.4 nm, confirmed through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis indicated strong interactions between the banana fibre matrix and SNPs, with characteristic peaks at 1384 and 1612 cm⁻¹ corresponding to the Ag-O bonds. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed enhanced thermal stability, with BFS-SNP showing a 25 % improvement in decomposition onset temperature compared to pristine BFS. Mechanical testing demonstrated improved tensile strength in SNP-modified sheets (21.5 ± 0.8 MPa) compared to untreated sheets (16.8 ± 0.7 MPa), highlighting the reinforcement effect of SNP integration. The biocomposites exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with inhibition zones ranging from 18.5 ± 1.2 mm to 22.3 ± 1.1 mm. Controlled release studies of amoxicillin-loaded composites demonstrated sustained drug release over 72 hours, achieving a cumulative release of 81.6 % in BFS-SNP-AMOX. Cytotoxicity assessment on L929 fibroblasts confirmed the biocompatibility of the composites, with cell viabilities exceeding 90 %. These findings establish BF-SNP, BFS-SNP, and BFM-SNP as promising candidates for antimicrobial wound care applications and controlled drug delivery systems, offering a sustainable, bioresource-based solution for advanced biomedical materials

Analyse der verschiedenen Konstellationen in CISPR 25 Aufbau für die abgestrahlte Störaussendungsmessung von 150 kHz bis 30 MHz

In modernen Fahrzeugen ist die Zahl der Steuergeräte, Sensoren und Aktuatoren erheblich gestiegen. Jede Komponente soll aus EMV-Sicht geprüft und freigegeben werden. Die Messung der gestrahlten Störausendung auf Komponentenebene soll nach CISPR 25 durchgeführt werden. In der Entwicklungsphase kann die Störemission mit Hilfe der 3D-Feldsimulation geprüft werden. Somit können EMV-Probleme schon frühzeitig festgestellt und Maßnahmen dafür entwickelt werden. Um die Entwicklungsphase zu beschleunigen, kann mit Hilfe eines virtuellen CISPR 25 Messaufbau-Modells die abgestrahlte Störaussendung einer neu entwickelten Komponente basierend auf einem Ersatzschaltbild bewertet werden. Im ersten Abschnitt dieses Beitrages wird ein Schaltungsmodell für einen CISPR 25 Messaufbau vorgestellt und durch ein entsprechendes 3D-Modell sowie Messung validiert. Anschließend werden die Einflussparameter des Messaufbaus untersucht und die optimale Konstellation für die CISPR 25 Messung der abgestrahlten Störaussendung ermittelt