Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Drug Policy Reform
Drug policy reform, also known as drug law reform, generally refers to proposed changes to the laws and regulations that governments promulgate with respect to substances that have psychoactive effects or a real or perceived potential to be used for recreational or other non-medical reasons. Proponents of drug policy reform frequently argue that prohibition of recreational drugs—such as cannabis, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and hallucinogens—has been ineffective and counterproductive and that substance use is better responded to by implementing practices for harm reduction and increasing the availability of addiction treatment. Another reform proposed is to introduce a regulatory regime for the production, marketing, and distribution of some or all currently illegal drugs in a manner analogous to that for alcohol and tobacco. Proponents of drug law reform argue that relative harm should be taken into account in the regulation of controlled substances. Addictive or dependence-forming substances such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine have been a traditional part of many culture for centuries and remain legal in most countries, though other drugs which cause less harm than alcohol or tobacco are entirely prohibited, with possession punishable with severe criminal penalties.
  • 1.6K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
The main factors contributing to the development of diabetic foot ulcers are peripheral neuropathy (sensory, motor and autonomic) and peripheral arterial disease. Both complications predispose to the development of lesions and the destruction or infection of tissue, which are the precursors to amputations in most cases. Currently, we have a great deal of information on preventive and therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing the sequence of events (foot at risk, injury and subsequent amputation); but other aspects, such as patient mortality and how certain clinical factors, blood glucose control, ulcer evolution and severity influence patient survival, are less well known. 
  • 1.6K
  • 05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Atypical Depression
Atypical depression as it has been known in the DSM IV, is depression that shares many of the typical symptoms of the psychiatric syndromes of major depression or dysthymia but is characterized by improved mood in response to positive events. In contrast to atypical depression, people with melancholic depression generally do not experience an improved mood in response to normally pleasurable events. Atypical depression also features significant weight gain or an increased appetite, hypersomnia, a heavy sensation in the limbs, and interpersonal rejection sensitivity that results in significant social or occupational impairment. Despite its name, "atypical" depression does not mean it is uncommon or unusual. The reason for its name is twofold: it was identified with its "unique" symptoms subsequent to the identification of melancholic depression and its responses to the two different classes of antidepressants that were available at the time were different from melancholic depression (i.e., MAOIs had clinically significant benefits for atypical depression, while tricyclics did not). Atypical depression is four times more common in females than in males. Individuals with atypical features tend to report an earlier age of onset (e.g. while in high school) of their depressive episodes, which also tend to be more chronic and only have partial remission between episodes. Younger individuals may be more likely to have atypical features, whereas older individuals may more often have episodes with melancholic features. Atypical depression has high comorbidity of anxiety disorders, carries more risk of suicidal behavior, and has distinct personality psychopathology and biological traits. Atypical depression is more common in individuals with bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia and seasonal affective disorder. Depressive episodes in bipolar disorder tend to have atypical features, as does depression with seasonal patterns.
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Tuberculin
Tuberculin, also known as purified protein derivative, is a combination of proteins that are used in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. This use is referred to as the tuberculin skin test and is recommended only for those at high risk. Reliable administration of the skin test requires large amounts of training, supervision, and practice. Injection is done into the skin. After 48 to 72 hours, if there is more than a five to ten millimeter area of swelling, the test is considered positive. Common side effects include redness, itchiness, and pain at the site of injection. Allergic reactions may occasionally occur. The test may be falsely positive in those who have been previously vaccinated with BCG or have been infected by other types of mycobacteria. The test may be falsely negative within ten weeks of infection, in those less than six months old, and in those who have been infected for many years. Use is safe in pregnancy. Tuberculin was discovered in 1890 by Robert Koch. Koch, best known for his work on the etiology of tuberculosis (TB), laid down various rigorous guidelines that aided the establishment between a pathogen and the specific disease that followed that were later named Koch's postulates. Although he initially believed it would cure tuberculosis, this was later disproved. Tuberculin is made from an extract of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Acute Stress Reaction
Acute stress reaction (also called acute stress disorder, psychological shock, mental shock, or simply shock) is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event, or witnessing a traumatic event that induces a strong emotional response within the individual. It should not be confused with the unrelated circulatory condition of shock/hypoperfusion. Acute stress reaction (ASR) may develop into delayed stress reaction (better known as Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD) if stress is not correctly managed. ASR is characterized by re-living and avoiding reminders of an aversive event, as well as generalized hypervigilance after initial exposure to a traumatic event. ASR is differentiated from PTSD as a disorder that precedes it, and if symptoms last for more than one month, it will develop into PTSD. It can thus be thought of as the acute phase of PTSD.
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Sexual Sadism Disorder
Sexual sadism disorder is the condition of experiencing sexual arousal in response to the extreme pain, suffering or humiliation of others. Several other terms have been used to describe the condition, and the condition may overlap with other conditions that involve inflicting pain. It is distinct from situations in which consenting individuals use mild or simulated pain or humiliation for sexual excitement. The words sadism and sadist are derived from Marquis de Sade.
  • 1.6K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Respiratory System and its Microbiome
Several studies suggest the importance of preserving the micro-ecosystem of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microbes of the respiratory system, and, more recently, its relationship with the intestinal microbiome. However, recent studies investigate how it leads to the maintenance of human health, also in relation to some factors such as the effect of age, diet and others, making its composition and stability better understood.  
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Sleep Stages Detection Using DL
Sleep is vital for one’s general well-being, but is often neglected, which has led to an increase in sleep disorders worldwide. Indicators of sleep disorders, such as sleep interruptions, extreme daytime drowsiness, or snoring, can be detected with sleep analysis. However, sleep analysis relies on visuals conducted by experts, and is susceptible to inter- and intra-observer variabilities. One way to overcome these limitations is to support experts with a programmed diagnostic tool (PDT) based on artificial intelligence for timely detection of sleep disturbances. Artificial intelligence technology, such as deep learning (DL), ensures that data are fully utilized with low to no information loss during training.
  • 1.6K
  • 31 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Dengue and Chikungunya
Dengue and chikungunya are the vector-borne diseases, that are transmitted to humans by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. This study aimed to show the spatial and temporal distribution of those diseases in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.   
  • 1.6K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Wood Antimicrobial Behavior Test Method
Some wood species have antimicrobial properties and a variety of methods are used to investigate them. For testing the effect of antimicrobial compounds, direct and indirect methods are used. Meanwhile, the survival of microbes is also tested on surfaces (or material in contact with microbes) to validate the safety of surfaces.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Sonodynamic Therapy
Sonodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for eliminating tumor cells by irradiating sonosentitizer in a patient’s body with higher penetration ultrasound and inducing the free radicals. Titanium dioxide has attracted the most attention due to its properties among many nanosensitizers. Hence, in this study, carbon doped titanium dioxide, one of inorganic materials, is applied to avoid the foregoing, and furthermore, carbon doped titanium dioxide is used to generate ROS under ultrasound irradiation to eliminate tumor cells. Spherical carbon doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles are synthesized by the sol-gel process. The forming of C-Ti-O bond may also induce defects in lattice which would be beneficial for the phenomenon of sonoluminescence to improve the e ectiveness of sonodynamic therapy. By dint of DCFDA, WST-1, LDH and the Live/Dead test, carbon doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles are shown to be a biocompatible material which may induce ROS radicals to suppress the proliferation of 4T1 breast cancer cells under ultrasound treatment. From in vivo study, carbon doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles activated by ultrasound may inhibit the growth of the 4T1 tumor, and it showed a significant di erence between sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and the other groups on the seventh day of the treatment.
  • 1.6K
  • 13 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Morning Tiredness
Morning tiredness (also known as morning fatigue) is a feeling of prolonged tiredness experienced in the morning. It could be caused by a simple reason such as inadequate sleep, however it could also be a sign of an underlying health problem. There have been numerous scientific studies conducted on morning tiredness such as it's relationship with caffeine in children and its association with a person's particular characteristic such as their level of exercise. Morning tiredness is not to be confused with sleep inertia which is the short term drowsiness experienced immediately after waking up.
  • 1.6K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Intravenous Immunoglobulins
Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) are blood preparations pooled from the plasma of donors that have been first employed as replacement therapy in immunodeficiency. IVIG interact at multiple levels with the different components of the immune system and exert their activity against infections. Passive immunotherapy includes convalescent plasma from subjects who have recovered from infection, hyperimmune globulin formulations with a high titer of neutralizing antibodies, and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). IVIG are used for the prevention and treatment of several infections, especially in immunocompromised patients, or in case of a poorly responsive immune system. The evolution of IVIG from a source of passive immunity to a powerful immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory agent results in extensive applications in autoimmune diseases. IVIG composition depends on the antibodies of the donor population and the alterations of protein structure due to the processing of plasma.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorder (CD) is a mental disorder diagnosed in childhood or adolescence that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that includes theft, lies, physical violence that may lead to destruction and wanton breaking of rules, in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated. These behaviors are often referred to as "antisocial behaviors." It is often seen as the precursor to antisocial personality disorder, which is per definition not diagnosed until the individual is 18 years old. Conduct disorder may result from parental rejection and neglect and can be treated with family therapy, as well as behavioral modifications and pharmacotherapy. Conduct disorder is estimated to affect 51.1 million people globally as of 2013.
  • 1.5K
  • 14 Nov 2022
Topic Review
BPA Potential Links to COVID-19
 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a new disease (COVID-19). Certain underlying comorbidities (e.g. asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) have been identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can promote these cardio-metabolic diseases, endocrine-related cancers, and immune system dysregulation and so may also be linked to higher risk of severe COVID-19. Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most common EDCs, exerting its effects via receptors which are widely distributed in human tissues, including nuclear estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), membrane-bound estrogen receptor GPR30 and human nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor gamma. The potential role of BPA on the risk and severity of COVID-19 requires further investigation and focus should be placed on the potential role of BPA in promoting comorbidities associated with severe COVID-19, as well as on potential BPA-induced effects on key SARS-CoV-2 infection mediators, such as angiotensin‑converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2).
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Timeline of Leukemia
This is a timeline of leukemia, describing especially major discoveries and advances in treatment against the disease.
  • 1.5K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
TCR Therapy of Cancer
A thorough overview of principles, recent technological breakthroughs, and current status of TCR gene therapy for cancer.
  • 1.5K
  • 09 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Health Effects of Enterolignans
Enterolignans are metabolites generated by the gut flora from lignans. The later can derive from lignin and are present in numerous fruits, vegetables and grains. Among the gut metabolites are Enterolactone and Enterodiol which exhibit slight estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities at nutritional levels of exposure. There is a great variability among humans for the synthesis of enterolignans since only specific gut bacteria can produce estrogenic enterolignans. Their health effects are essentially beneficial due to their low ingestion levels and their peculiar interactions with estrogen receptors.
  • 1.5K
  • 08 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Medcyclopaedia
This is a list of medical wikis, collaboratively-editable websites that focus on medical information. Many of the most popular medical wikis take the form of encyclopedias, with a separate article for each medical term. Some of these websites, such as WikiDoc and Radiopaedia, are editable by anyone, while others, such as Ganfyd, restrict editing access to professionals. The majority of them have content available only in English. The largest and most popular general encyclopedia, Wikipedia, also hosts a significant amount of health and medical information.
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Sexological Testing
Sexuality can be inscribed in a multidimensional model comprising different aspects of human life: biology, reproduction, culture, entertainment, relationships and love. In the last decades, a growing interest towards sexuality and a greater quest to acknowledge a "right to sexuality" has occurred both in society and individuals. The consequence of this evolution has been a renewed and more explicit call for intervention from those who suffer, or think they suffer from alterations of their sexual and relational sphere. This has produced an increased attention of medicine and psychology towards sexual dysfunctions and the problems they cause in individuals and couples. Science has gradually adjusted already existing research tools, mostly used in other fields of clinical research, to the field of sexology, so completing and increasing the number of tools in the "toolkit" of various branches of sexological diagnosis. Psychological measurements cannot be considered as accurate as physical ones (weight, height, mass, etc.), as the former evaluate those aspects and variables pertaining to an "individual" whose individuality refers to his/her own psychological, personological and environmental constituents: emotions, expressiveness, senses, feelings and experiences which can greatly vary according to the subjects and change in the short period or depending on different settings, even in the same individual. What is expected of psychological measurements is "sufficient" accuracy and reliability, i.e. capability to express an indication or focus which clinicians can use as a "guideline" to rapidly and accurately deepen the aspects highlighted by the measurements and check them together with their patients. For this purpose, several statistical validation indexes of psychodiagnostic tests are provided: from standardization to various constructions of validity (internal, external, face, construct, convergent, content, discriminant, etc.). There are several sexual dysfunctions and each of them has a different cause. Therefore, the field of sexology provides different psychological evaluation devices in order to examine the various aspects of the discomfort, problem or dysfunction, regardless of whether they are individual or relational ones. The number of psychodiagnostic reactives is certainly wide and heterogeneous, nevertheless, the number of tests specifically meant for the field of sexology is quite limited. The following list (in alphabetical order) is not exhaustive but shows the best known and/or most used reactives in the field of sexological and relational psychodiagnosis.
  • 1.5K
  • 17 Nov 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 48
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback

Quick Survey

Encyclopedia MDPI is conducting a targeted survey to identify the specific barriers hindering efficient research. We invite you to spend 3 minutes defining the priorities for our next generation of structured knowledge tools.
Take Survey