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Introduction: Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) requires a high index of clinical suspicion in patients who use off-label cotton buds or Q-tips in the external auditory canal (EAC). Methods: A case series of 2 patients who presented to the emergency department with a 2-month history of worsening unilateral otalgia and aural fullness on a background of cotton bud use. Results: A combination of clinical, radiological, laboratory and examination under anaesthesia (EUA) findings confirmed the diagnosis of NOE with temporal bone osteomyelitis. Removal of the cotton bud FB from the EAC was followed by intravenous and topical quinolone antibiotics for 6 weeks. One patient required a SOMI (sternal occipital mandibular immobiliser) brace for atlantoaxial instability due to the extent of disease. Conclusion: NOE requires a high index of clinical suspicion in patients who use off-label cotton buds or Q-tips in the EAC.

Brain tumors remain life-threatening cancer cases in humans. The short survival rates are almost related to therapeutic restrictions, insufficiency in accurate diagnosis, and the inability of the available therapeutics to reach the brain tissue with the efficient doses required for treatment. The present study aims to present oleuropein-loaded niosome (Oleu-Nio) as an efficient drug delivery system to the brain parenchyma of female rats bearing 4T1 metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cells. The Nio formulation, as Tween 60/ cholesterol 1:1 M ratio, was selected regarding the small size of 79.37 ± 0.12 nm, polydispersity index (Pdi) 0.230 ± 0.043, Zeta-potential 1.38 ± 0.074 mv, high stability for more than 50 days, and high entrapment efficiency 96.89 ± 0.241. Furthermore, it has described sensitivity to acidic pH = 5.3, resulting in a controlled release behavior in-vitro vs. neutral pH = 7.4. In-vitro, the viability of 4T1 cancer cells has decreased significantly in the presence of Oleu-Nio (IC50 = 92.679 µg/ml) compared to free Oleu, where IC50 was none detected. Fluorescent microscopy figures have uncovered the role of Nio in increasing the uptake via 4T1 cancer cells. Moreover, treating female rats presenting brain metastasis (BM) with 10 doses of Oleu-Nio (25 mg/kg body weight) via intravenous route has improved the survival rate for more than 45 days vs. 34.5 days in those treated with Oleu and 16.5 days in the control group. These findings remain promising in drug delivery, especially for brain-related diseases like brain tumors. Additionally, Oleu could be presented as a suitable and safe treatment against primary and metastatic breast cancers.

Objective: Reactive oxygen species have effects on gamete quality and gamete interaction; they influence spermatozoa, oocytes, embryos, and their environment. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant effect of different concentrations of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) aqueous extract (SAE) and its ingredient, crocin, on the improvement of in vitro maturation (IVM) and subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo development of mouse oocytes. Materials and methods: Cumulus oocyte complexes were collected from ovaries, and germinal vesicle oocytes were cultured in the presence of SAE and crocin. SAE was added at dosages of 5 μg/mL, 10 μg/mL, and 40 μg/mL; dosages of crocin were 50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, and 400 μg/mL. All dosages were added to maturation medium and a group without SAE or crocin was considered as the control group. Following IVM, metaphase II oocytes were fertilized and cultured in vitro in order to observe embryo development. Results: Both SAE and crocin improved the rate of IVM, IVF, and in vitro culture. Addition of 40 μg/mL SAE to maturation medium significantly increased the rate of IVM, IVF, and in vitro culture (p