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Background. COVID-19 is an infectious viral disease that has affected more than 234 million people and has caused almost 4.8 million deaths worldwide. A patient's age is the most important factor influencing the risk of severe course of the disease. The elderly usually suffer from many ailments, and therefore, polypharmacy is a common phenomenon among them. Our paper presents the initial results of the analysis of adverse effects in the group of older people in the context of participants' pharmacotherapy. Methods. The information concerning post-vaccination adverse effects, COVID-19 in the past and current pharmacotherapy was collected from 200 people aged 60 years or older. Statistical analysis was performed using StatSoft Statistica 13.1 software. Results. Twenty-three participants reported adverse effects after vaccination. Statistical analysis of groups with and without adverse effects revealed significant differences in age, cardiovascular drugs, neurological and psychiatric drugs, analgesics, gastrointestinal drugs, supplements, and vitamins. Conclusions. Obtained results suggest the need to study the potential effect of ongoing pharmacotherapy on the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.

Chitosan is a valued excipient due to its biocompatibility properties and increasing solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs. The research presented in this paper concerns the preparation of binary combinations of chitosan (deacetylated chitin) with carvedilol (beta-blocker) to develop a formulation with a modified carvedilol release profile. As part of the research, six physical mixtures of chitosan with carvedilol were obtained and identified by spectral (PXRD, FT-IR, and Raman), thermal (DSC), and microscopic (SEM) methods. The next stage of the research estimated the profile changes and the dissolution rate for carvedilol in the obtained drug delivery systems, the reference sample was pure carvedilol. The studies were conducted at pH = 1.2 and 6.8, simulating the gastrointestinal tract conditions. Quantitative changes of carvedilol were determined using the developed isocratic UHPLC-DAD method. Established apparent permeability coefficients proved the changes in carvedilol’s permeability after introducing a drug delivery system through membranes simulating the gastrointestinal tract and skin walls. A bioadhesive potential of carvedilol–chitosan systems was confirmed using the in vitro model. The conducted research and the obtained results indicate a significant potential of using chitosan as an excipient in modern oral or epidermal drug delivery systems of carvedilol.

Aim. Increased arterial stiffness is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Adult men with untreated hypertension are at risk of future CVD. The study aimed to compare the effects of a submaximal exercise on the recovery of the two descriptors of arterial pressure waveform, i.e. stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI), between men with untreated hypertension (HA) and healthy peers. Material and Methods. The study included 70 Caucasian men with untreated primary HA and 30 normotensive men. Blood pressure, SI and RI were determined by photoplethysmography before and 6 minutes after a submaximal (up to 85% of age-predicted maximal heart rate) exercise on a treadmill. Results. Baseline SI was higher in HA than control men (6.06 [0.66] vs. 6.61 [0.84] m/s; p=0.0019) and remained significantly increased during post-exercise recovery only in HA men (7.59 [1.6] vs. 6.18 [0.85] m/s; p

Background. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces body weight (BW), body fat mass (BFM), and in- creases or maintains lean body mass in animals. However, the results concerning the eff ect of CLA on weight reduction in humans are contradictory. The present study aimed to evaluate the eff ect of CLA supplementa- tion on the BW and anthropometric parameters (waist and hip circumferences) in overweight and obese adult women. Material and methods. A total of 74 subjects (BMI: 28-42 kg/m 2 ) were included in a double blind, placebo- controlled trial. Subjects were randomized into two groups, those supplemented with either 3.0 g/d CLA or with placebo (sunfl ower oil) for 12 weeks. Results. CLA signifi cantly decreased the hip circumferences compared to placebo (p = 0.016209), but had no eff ect on body weight, BMI, or waist circumference. The number of subjects with a reduction in hip circum- ference in the CLA group was signifi cantly larger compared to that in the placebo group (p = 0.0017; NNT = 2.65; CI (6.27-1.685)). Conclusions. In conclusion, our fi ndings do not support the hypothesis that 12 weeks CLA supplementation, as dosed in the present study, is eff ective for body weight reduction in overweight and obese women. How- ever, its local action in decreasing the hip circumference seems to be encouraging and suggests that CLA may represent an attractive dietary supplement.