Antibiotic-metal complexes attract the attention of pharmaceutical scientists who endeavor to increase the activity of antibiotics currently in use as those looking for new compounds possessing modified pharmacological and toxicological properties. This research proposed enhanced antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of metronidazole and reduced irritancy of zinc chloride through complexation. The chemically green preparation of metronidazole: zinc (ІІ) complexes with different ratios: (A; 2:1), (B; 1:1) and (C; 1:2), revealed the formation of three complexes. The differences between their structures, physical and chemical properties were evaluated using morphological characteristics, DSC, XRD, FTIR, Mass spectrometry, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of the complexes were increased when compared to the parent drug where complex-C manifested the highest antibacterial activity (MIC = 0.625 mM and 10 mM for the bacterial strains and C. albicans, respectively). The antitumor efficacy of the complexes was studied against HepG2 and MCF-7 human cancer cell lines. Complex-A showed the highest cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀ = 17.2 μM), while, complex-C displayed the most cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ = 29.0 μM). The in vivo skin irritancy study of the complexes on rats and their histological examination were assessed and showed no erythema and/or edema. Our results suggest the promising antimicrobial and antitumor activity of the prepared metronidazole-zinc complexes.

Background: Drug-related problems (DRPs) are widespread in hospitalized
neonates, but studies on the prevalence of DRPs in this population are limited.
The presence of clinical pharmacists on multidisciplinary teams helps prevent and
reduce DRPs.
Aim: This investigation aimed to identify and classify the incidence of DRPs in the
neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), to determine the determining factors
associated with DRPs and to document clinical pharmacists’ interventions,
outcomes, acceptance rates and clinical significance.
Method: A prospective descriptive hospital study was conducted from August to
November 2023 at the NICU of Children’s University Hospital, Assiut University,
Egypt. DRPs were classified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network of Europe
(PCNE) classification V9.1.
Results: Three hundred sixteen neonates were included in the study, with a mean
gestational age of 34 ± 4 weeks and a mean birth weight of 2.03 ± 0.85 kg. A total
of 1723 DRPs occurred among 283 neonates (89.6%), an average of 5.5 ± 5.1 DRPs
per patient. The main types were treatment effectiveness (P1) (799, 46.4%),
followed by others (P3) (469, 27.2%), and treatment safety (P2) (455, 26.4%).
The leading causes were dose selection (C3) (1264, 61.9%) and “other domain”
(C9) (543, 26.6%). Of the 2149 interventions introduced by pharmacists, 98.8%
were accepted and 93% were accepted, and fully implemented. As a result, 92% of
the DRPs were resolved. Both length of hospital stay and number of medications
were significantly associated with DRPs.
Conclusion: DRPs are common in the NICU; this study demonstrated the crucial
role of clinical pharmacists in identifying and resolving DRPs.