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Abstract Entecavir is an inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA synthesis that has been widely prescribed in the treatment of chronic infections caused by the virus. Production of generic ETV drugs is an ongoing global endeavor, with particular significance for developing countries that rely on importing the expensive reference drug. ETV-excipient compatibility studies were conducted with the declared inputs in solid pharmaceutical formulations on the market through thermal analysis and HPLC techniques. Thermal analyses by TGA and DTA indicated compatibility of entecavir with the excipients microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, polyethylene glycol and povidone; this was confirmed via HPLC. Lactose monohydrate proved to be incompatible with ETV in thermal and chromatographic assays. The thermal analysis of marketed solid dosage forms revealed a predominance of the lactose monohydrate profile at the expense of ETV and other inputs in the TGA and DTA curves, due to its high content in the formulations; this makes the evidence of ETV-lactose chemical interaction even more important. Compatibility tests by HPLC showed no chemical interaction of ETV with the excipient mannitol, a soluble diluent proposed as a replacement for lactose monohydrate, with the same function in the formulation.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a leading cause of stroke-related mortality and long-term disability, with initial ICH volume, age, location of the hemorrhage, and clinical severity being key predictors of outcome. While clinical scores incorporating these elements are validated and exhibit good inter-rater reliability, their accuracy in predicting long-term recovery remains suboptimal. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has emerged as a potential adjunct for improving both prognostication and functional recovery in ICH survivors. Despite promising results, heterogeneity in stimulation protocols, patients' populations, and outcome measures have prevented NIBS implementation in clinical practice. This narrative review summarizes the available evidence on the association between NIBS, outcome prediction and functional recovery, discussing current challenges and future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study published in Translational Neurodegeneration explores the relationship between the protein CAP2 and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research indicates that CAP2 levels are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients, particularly in the early stages of the disease. These findings suggest a potential link between CAP2 alterations and tau-related changes, highlighting synaptic dysfunction as a key event in AD pathogenesis. Further research is needed to validate these results and understand the dynamic trajectories of synaptic changes in AD. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive and effective quantitative method to measure the overall sustainability performance of electric companies in Italy. Due to the vast diversity of the sustainability issues, many methods have been developed to measure the sustainability performance of companies, but with results that are, in our opinion, not fully satisfactory, either because they are difficult to apply or because they only cover some of the sustainability aspects. In an attempt to overcome these shortcomings, we have applied a methodology to meet the requirements of our research, on the basis of its high versatility (https://lab24.ilsole24ore.com/qualita-della-vita/). The analysis was carried out on the 12 largest Italian electricity companies, by calculating the overall sustainability index (OSI) for the years 2020 and 2021, taking into account 56 different indicators, chosen from those made available by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for corporate sustainability reporting. For a more comprehensive evaluation of the sustainability performance of the electricity companies, selected indicators were chosen from all the three pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, social). The OSI results of this research have allowed to highlight the critical points of the corporate reporting systems on sustainability providing valuable indications on the targets achieved and achievable in view of the European Commission's Green Deal 2050. This work also highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts have been made to improve therapeutic and diagnostic strategies in systemic right ventricles (SRV), one of the most complex congenital heart diseases (CHD). Understanding the determinants of quality of life in these patients could help them to receive more holistic care and improve their daily lives. The aim of the Qualisystemic trial is to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to understand the factors associated with HRQoL in this population. This prospective multicenter cross-sectional study was performed between 2017 and 2020 in 13 congenital heart disease centers from France and Belgium. Adult patients with a D-transposition of the great artery (d-TGA) or a congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery (cc-TGA) were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were collected. Ninety-nine adult patients with systemic right ventricle (mean age 38.7 ± 9.2 years; sex ratio of 1.1) with a diagnosis of d-TGA (n = 70) or cc-TGA (n = 27) were included in the analysis. Most patients were symptomatic (52.2% in NYHA II functional class and 33.7% in NYHA III) with impaired exercise capacity (mean VO2max of 20 ± 6.1 mL/kg/min, representing 62.4 ± 16.8% of the predicted values). Physical component of SF36 score was influenced by the VO2max, a recent cardiac decompensation, an unemployed status, and the use of Vitamin K Antagonist (VKA). The number of treatments and the use of antiarrhythmic drugs were correlated with lower psychological component of SF-36. Our study highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach for these complex patients. Cardiovascular exercise rehabilitation, therapeutic education program, and social support should form the cornerstone of their management, complementing medical and technical advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies evaluated peripheral and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mtDNA as a putative biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases, often yielding inconsistent findings. We systematically reviewed the current evidence assessing blood and CSF mtDNA levels and variant burden in Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Multiple sclerosis (MS) was also included as a paradigm of chronic neuroinflammation-driven neurodegeneration., Methods: Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for articles published from inception until October 2023. Studies focused on mtDNA haplogroups or hereditary pathogenic variants were excluded. Critical appraisal was performed using the Quality Assessment for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies criteria., Results: Fifty-nine original studies met our a priori-defined inclusion criteria. The majority of CSF-focused studies showed (i) decreased mtDNA levels in PD and AD; (ii) increased levels in MS compared to controls. No studies evaluated CSF mtDNA in ALS. Results focused on blood cell-free and intracellular mtDNA were contradictory, even within studies evaluating the same disease. This poor reproducibility is likely due to the lack of consideration of the many factors known to affect mtDNA levels. mtDNA damage and methylation levels were increased and reduced in patients compared to controls, respectively. A few studies investigated the correlation between mtDNA and disease severity, with conflicting results., Conclusions: Additional well-designed studies are needed to evaluate CSF and blood mtDNA profiles as putative biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases. The identification of "mitochondrial subtypes" of disease may enable novel precision medicine strategies to counteract neurodegeneration., (© 2025 The Author(s). European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.)