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Background: Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip. (T. parthenium) is an aromatic perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, also known as feverfew. It is widely distributed in various regions of Europe and other parts of the world. The plant has a rich background in the traditional medicine of many nations and has been used as a remedy for fever, pain, inflammation, asthma, rheumatism, menstrual disorders, etc. Methods: GC–MS analysis was conducted to determine the chemical composition of the isolated essential oil (EO). Using the method proposed by Litchfield and Wilcoxon, the average lethal dose (LD50) of the EO on Wistar rats was determined for two routes of administration: oral (p.o.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.). The subacute toxicity of the EO was also tested by oral administration of a daily dose of 1.0 g/kg body weight (BW) for 28 days. The toxicity of the EO was evaluated by observing and evaluating changes in behavior, body weight, basic hematological and serum biochemical parameters, and histopathological changes of the internal organs. Results: Thirty-seven volatile organic compounds representing 94.58% of the total oil composition were tentatively detected in the obtained T. parthenium EO. The dominant compounds were camphor (45.47%), trans-chrisantenyl acetate (21.65%), camphene (9.48%), and cis-isogeraniol (5.42%). The results showed that the EO was not toxic when administered in acute oral doses. The acute mean lethal dose for intraperitoneal administration was LD50 i.p. = 2.13 g/kg BW. In the subacute study involving administration of an oral dose of EO for 28 days, there were a number of changes in the hematological and serum biochemical parameters of the blood compared with the control group of animals. However, no symptoms of toxicity, changes in the body weight of the rats, death, or pathological changes in the histological indicators of the examined organs—brain, heart, stomach, liver, spleen and kidney—were found. Extrapolating the results obtained from the rat experiments, we can state that the EO is safe for use in doses below 1 g/kgBW for a period not exceeding one month.

Introduction: In children and adolescents, the most common periodontal disease is the plaque-induced gingivitis.Aim: The aim of this study was to reveal the bacterial species associated with supragingival plaque of Bulgarian adolescents diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis.Materials and methods: Supragingival plaque samples from 70 healthy subjects with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis (37 females and 33 males), aged 12-18 years, were obtained and examined microbiologically.Results: A total of 224 microorganisms were isolated. Gram-negative bacteria were predominant compared to Gram-positive [132 (59%) vs. 92 (41%), ppStreptococcus mutans group and Neisseria spp. were isolated from all adolescents. The frequency of isolation of C. albicans was relatively lower – 11 (15.7%). The anaerobes showed much greater microbial diversity (12 pathogen groups were isolated). Gram-negative rods were isolated from 57 of the adolescents (isolation frequency 81.4%). F. varium, P. melaninogenica, P. intermedia and P. assacharolyticus were detected respectively in 12 (16%), 9 (12%), 8 (11%) and 7 (10%) samples. The less frequently isolated anaerobes were Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative cocci, Bacteroides uniformis and Bifidobacterium spp. together.Conclusion: The most frequently isolated microbiota in our study is part of the normal oral bacterial flora. The presence of anaerobes such as Prevotella, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides and Porphyromonas reflects the gradual change of the flora to more complex one. The results of quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the plaque of adolescents with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis may contribute to the selection of the prevention and treatment of this disease.

The creation of a University Press is a prerequisite for raising the reputation of the Medical University - Plovdiv. With its significant scientific output and the large number of students, it will represent the face of the University in front of the scientific communities and will be an important element of the national and international interuniversity communication. By documenting the individual qualities of the teachers, knowledge is preserved and its development is assisted, thus meeting the public demands. Without a developed publishing activity, it is difficult to evolve the creative potential of teachers and students. The University Press, on the one hand, is a real participant in the learning process, as it facilitates students' access to books as well as novelties in science. On the other hand, it is also a natural center of university life.

A direct anonymous survey was conducted with 200 students of all specialties (167 women and 33 men) from the Medical University of Plovdiv, aged 18 to 25 years. Respondents answered two sets of questions that aim at distinguishing healthy eating habits and behavior, associated with this daily activity, from unhealthy habits, that are conditioned by the dynamic characteristics of today's globalizing society. The first group of 15 questions relates to circumstances, directly connected with the nutrition process and aims at detecting the frequency of harmful habits of a particular behavioral type. The second group of 3 multilevel issues specifies the spatiotemporal parameters of daily meals, as well as the habitual social environment of respondents during meals. The results show a clear tendency towards eating habits that are unfavorable to the healthy eating (eating in front of the TV or the computer, omitting meals for dietary considerations, dinner after 23.00, alcohol consumption, smoking during meals) and the presence of reactive behavioral patterns (the overwhelming majority of respondents - over 50% - ignore breakfast daily or several times a week, prefer to eat alone, do not eat regularly at certain times). The interpretation of these results leads to the elaboration of a model with sustainable elements, which characterizes the behavioral pattern of feeding in the respondents. The statistical analysis highlighted as the most important and statistically significant the following characteristics of young people's eating behavior: "To eat alone", "To eat in front of the TV", "Do not eat regularly at certain times", "Do not have breakfast in the morning" and "To eat while talking on the phone". These five elements can be defined both as a result of negative attitudes towards healthy eating habits and as factors that affect overall attitudes and eating habits of students of the target age group.

Cognitive impairment is considered a frequent side effect in the drug treatment of epilepsy. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of lacosamide (LCM) on learning and memory processes in rats, on the serum level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and BDNF/TrkB ligand receptor system expression in the hippocampal formation. Male Wistar rats underwent long-term treatment with three different doses of lacosamide – 3 mg/kg (LCM 3), 10 mg/kg (LCM 10) and 30 mg/kg (LCM 30). All rats were subjected to one active and one passive avoidance tests. The BDNF/TrkB immunohistochemical expression in the hippocampus was measured and serum BDNF was determined. The LCM-treated rats made fewer avoidance responses than controls during acquisition training and in the memory retention test. The number of escapes in the LCM 10 and LCM 30 groups decreased throughout the test, while the rats in the LCM 3 group showed fewer escapes only in the memory test in the active avoidance task. In the step-down test, the latency time of the LCM-30 treated rats was reduced as compared with the controls during the learning session and the short- and long-term memory retention tests. Lacosamide induced a dose-dependent reduction of the hippocampal expression of BDNF and its receptor TrkB. We found no significant difference between BDNF serum levels in the test animals and controls. The results of the study suggest that LCM suppresses the learning and memory processes in rats, with the inhibition of hippocampal BDNF/TrkB ligand receptor system being one of the possible mechanisms causing this effect.

In pathogenic experimentation in homeopathy on healthy volunteers, some individuals develop stronger reactions than others, i.e. they show more symptoms of the same biologically active substance. They are defined as sensitive type (ST) individuals. The aim of this work is to create a web-based module for determining ST patients in the homeopathic information system. Material and methods: We carried out an analysis of test questions relating to the definition of ST patients from a specialized homeopathy manual (Horvilleur, 2003). For the development of a web-based GUI, we used Oracle APEX. Results: For the implementation of the software module of ST and the disclosure of its features an electronic questionnaire was developed, containing 533 test questions. Processing the responses from the test allows the programming module to indicate one of 20 medications for ST patients in a specific clinical situation. Conclusion: The module for determining ST patients helps the doctor practicing clinical homeopathy to significantly shorten the time for prescribing the medicament for the terrain treatment in primary care.

We compared the effect of two therapeutic approaches (marketed toothpaste and addition of Bulgarian propolis extract to the toothpaste) on gingival inflammation, plaque formation and oral microbial flora on Bulgarian adolescents with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of 35 students. The first group was instructed to use marketed toothpaste in their routine oral hygiene. The second group was instructed to add 10 drops of Propolin® to the toothpaste before every brushing. The Gingival index and Plaque index were registered and dental plaque samples were collected on the first visit and on the 20th day of the study. After the treatment, the number of students with Gingival index = 1.1–2.0 in the second group was significantly lower than the respective number in the first group. Neisseria spp. and Streptococcus spp. were present in all samples before and after treatment. The addition of propolis resulted in the complete eradication of Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, Fusobacterium varium, Gram-negative cocci, Gram-positive rods, Porphyromonas asaccharolyticus, Prevotella bivia, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella melani and Streptococcus intermedius. The analyses of Propolin® composition revealed it was a black poplar type propolis and is rich in compounds with pronounced antimicrobial activity. In conclusion, the addition of Bulgarian propolis to the toothpaste improved the gingival health in adolescents with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis and resulted in increased activity against potential periodontal and cariogenic pathogens. Keywords: Bulgarian propolis, Candida albicans, Oral pathogens, Plaque-induced gingivitis, Prevotella spp., Streptococcus spp.

Velichka Andonova,1,2 Petya Peneva,1,2 George S Georgiev,3 Vencislava T Toncheva,3 Elisaveta Apostolova,4 Zhivko Peychev,5 Stela Dimitrova,6 Mariana Katsarova,6 Nadia Petrova,7 Margarita Kassarova1,2 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Plovdiv, 2Technological Center for Emergency Medicine (TCEMED), Plovdiv, 3Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, 4Department of Pharmacology and Drug Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Plovdiv, 5Department of Medical Informatics, Biostatistics and e-learning, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University-Plovdiv, 6Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University-Plovdiv, Plovdiv, 7Institute of Mineralogy and Crystallography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Abstract: The purpose of the study was to investigate the stability and biopharmaceutical characteristics of ketoprofen, loaded in polymeric carriers, which were included into a bigel in a semisolid dosage form. The polymer carriers with in situ-included ketoprofen were obtained by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of the monomers in aqueous medium or a solution of the polymers used. The morphological characteristics of the carriers, the in vitro release and the photochemical stability of ketoprofen were evaluated. The model with optimal characteristics was included in a bigel formulation. The bigel was characterized in terms of pH, rheological behavior, spreadability, and in vitro drug release. Acute skin toxicity, antinociceptive activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and antihyperalgesic effects of the prepared bigel with ketoprofen-loaded polymer carrier were evaluated. The carriers of ketoprofen were characterized by a high yield and drug loading. The particle size distribution varied widely according to the polymer used, and a sustained release was provided for up to 6 hours. The polymer mixture poly(vinyl acetate) and hydroxypropyl cellulose as a drug carrier, alone or included in the bigel composition, improved the photostability of the drug compared with unprotected ketoprofen. The bigel with ketoprofen-loaded particles provided sustained release of the drug and had optimal rheological parameters. In vivo experiments on the bigel showed no skin inflammation or irritation. Four hours after its application, a well-defined analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperalgesic effect was registered. The polymer mixture of poly(vinyl acetate) and hydroxypropyl cellulose as a carrier of ketoprofen and the bigel in which it was included provided an enhanced photostability and sustained drug release. Keywords: antihyperalgesic effect, antinociceptive activity, biphasic systems, carrageenan-induced edema, emulsifier-free radical polymerization

Purpose: To obtain and evaluate carbopol hydrogel/sorbitan monostearate-almond oil-based organogel biphasic formulations (bigels) as a semi-solid vehicle for medicated topical applications. Methods: Bigel formulations were obtained under mild conditions at a hydrogel/organogel ratio of 80/20, 70/30, and 60/40 (w/w). Their stability, viscosity, spreadability, microarchitecture, and acute skin toxicity were evaluated. Results: Two formulations, prepared at ratios of 80/20 and 70/30, were stable based on intermediate stability testing, and had a similar viscosity and spreadability (38.0 ± 1.0 mm and 37.3 ± 0.6 mm, p > 0.05, respectively). Both of these formulations had a bimodal droplet size distribution and very similar values for the droplet mean diameter (0.33 ± 0.05 μm and 2.35 ± 0.44; and 0.34 ± 0.04 μm and 2.59 ± 0.21 μm). The formulation obtained at a ratio of 60/40 was unstable during storage. The in vivo results did not reveal any signs of skin toxicity. Conclusion: Considering their beneficial properties, the developed bigels are a potential semi-solid vehicle for topical application and exhibit a moisturizing effect. Keywords: Almond oil, Bigels, Carbopol hydrogel, Moisturizing effect, Organogel, Sorbitan monostearate