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Topic Review
Biography
Peer Reviewed Entry
Video Entry
Topic Review
Hydrogels in Hand Sanitizers
Hand hygiene can be considered a strategic key useful in the containment of infections such as COVID-19 both at home and in communities because it can dramatically reduce the widespread outbreak of infections.
692
08 May 2021
Topic Review
Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
The combination of molecular imprinting technology with magnetic nanoparticles provides a new class of smart hybrids, i.e., magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) to overcome limitations in current cancer therapy. The application of these complexes is gaining more interest in therapy, due to their favorable properties, namely, the ability to be guided and to generate slight hyperthermia with an appropriate external magnetic field, alongside the high selectivity and loading capacity of imprinted polymers toward a template molecule. In cancer therapy, using the MMIPs as smart-drug-delivery robots can be a promising alternative to conventional direct administered chemotherapy, aiming to enhance drug accumulation/penetration into the tumors while fewer side effects on the other organs.
690
23 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Advanced Drug Delivery for Treating Sjögren’s Dry Eye
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic and insidious autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocyte infiltration of exocrine glands. Patients typically present with dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), dry mouth (xerostomia), and other systemic manifestations. The current management for Sjögren's syndrome dry eye (SSDE) has been ineffective as it only targets ocular surface inflammation and dryness without addressing the specific disease process. Ophthalmologists often adopt a trial-and-error approach, which allows the cycle of dry eye disease (DED) to progress and potentially cause permanent damage to the lacrimal functional unit. Topical treatments also depend on patients' ability to administer eye drops and their compliance. These limitations emphasize the need for personalized, targeted treatments that address the underlying pathophysiology of SSDE. This article aims to present new advances in ocular drug delivery for more effective treatment.
687
10 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Nano-Gels in Skin Cancer
Nano-gels, a dual combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles, have demonstrated significant promise as a targeted drug delivery system in the treatment of cancer, attributing to excellent drug loading capacity. Skin disorders, the 4th foremost source of non-fatal diseases, are frequently the outward manifestation of more serious systemic illnesses, such as HIV, and neglected tropical diseases, such as elephantiasis and other ailments causing lymphedema.
687
27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency and Squalene Synthase Inhibitor (TAK-475)
Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency (MKD) is a rare inborn disease belonging to the family of periodic fever syndromes. The MKD phenotype is characterized by systemic inflammation involving multiple organs, including the nervous system. Current anti-inflammatory approaches to MKD are only partially effective and do not act specifically on neural inflammation. According to the new emerging pharmacology trends, the repositioning of drugs from the indication for which they were originally intended to another one can make mechanistic-based medications easily available to treat rare diseases. According to this perspective, the squalene synthase inhibitor Lapaquistat (TAK-475), originally developed as a cholesterol-lowering drug, might find a new indication in MKD, by modulating the mevalonate cholesterol pathway, increasing the availability of anti-inflammatory isoprenoid intermediates.
685
19 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Biomedical Applications of mRNA Using Nanomedicine
The development and commercialization of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have pivoted the way towards future applications of mRNA medicines by finally finding a solution to the problem of delivery. Despite concerns from detractors about a lack of applications for nanotechnology, nanomedicine has now demonstrated that it is a translational, relevant and much-needed approach to engineer new genetic drugs. Thus, it is now clear that the full potential of mRNA therapeutics, along with its advantages could not be envisioned without nanomedicine.
685
07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Crocus sativus L. and Therapy
The dried stigma of the plant Crocus sativus L., (CS) commonly known as saffron, are used in traditional medicine for various purposes.
684
12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Neurotensin and Neurotensin Receptors
The tridecapeptide neurotensin (NT) was isolated from the bovine hypothalamus. It is involved in gut motility and belongs to a family of bioactive peptides, including contulakin, xenopsin, LANT-6, and neuromedin, showing similar amino acid sequences at the C-terminal region; this sequence is essential for the physiological effects mediated by these peptides. Neurotensin is relevant in brain reward mechanisms. Its role in substance abuse needs to be explored in depth to open new therapeutic strategies.
684
17 May 2023
Topic Review
CCL-11 or Eotaxin-1
CCL-11 (eotaxin) is a chemokine with an important role in allergic conditions. Recent evidence indicates that CCL-11 plays a role in brain disorders as well. CCL-11 is rapidly transported from the blood to the brain through the blood-brain barrier. Age-related increases in CCL-11 are associated with cognitive impairments in executive functions and episodic and semantic memory, and therefore, this chemokine has been described as an “Endogenous Cognition Deteriorating Chemokine” (ECDC) or “Accelerated Brain-Aging Chemokine” (ABAC).
683
16 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Pharmacogenetic Testing
Pharmacogenomics is a study of how the genome background is associated with drug resistance and how therapy strategy can be modified for a certain person to achieve benefit. The pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing becomes of great opportunity for physicians to make the proper decision regarding each non-trivial patient that does not respond to therapy. Although pharmacogenomics has become of growing interest to the healthcare market during the past five to ten years the exact mechanisms linking the genetic polymorphisms and observable responses to drug therapy are not always clear. Therefore, the success of PGx testing depends on the physician’s ability to understand the obtained results in a standardized way for each particular patient. The review aims to lead the reader through the general conception of PGx and related issues of PGx testing efficiency, personal data security, and health safety at a current clinical level.
683
07 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Promising Lead Compounds for Drug-Resistant-Tuberculosis
The development of drug-resistant strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis illustrates the importance and demand for an early identification of drug-resistant strains, exploring new targets for drug sensitivity, customized treatment plans, and more effective medical interventions. Literature shows several studies, incorporating bioinformatics and proteomics approaches that clearly indicate the potential drug targets and an early diagnostic against drug-resistant strains. To tackle the alarming condition of antimicrobial resistance, pathogen-centric approach covering novel chemotherapeutics and novel diagnostic pathways, along with host targeted therapeutics (i.e., host immune system modulators to treat pathogenesis), must be appraised. The efficacy of novel chemotherapeutic agents (i.e., delamanid and bedaquiline), which currently have approval from USFDA, are now compromised by the successional pathogen tolerance strategies. Novel antitubercular repurposed drugs as combinational treatment solutions (new anti-TB drug schedules) and host-directed therapeutics may be measured to tackle the antibiotic resistance, which is a major problem to tuberculosis management. To combat the antibiotic resistance, the key problem in tuberculosis management, we have to identify the most promising lead compounds among new emerging antitubercular agents and conclude these compounds to clinical trials as potential antitubercular drug candidates, along with considering the host-targeted therapeutics.
682
10 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading matters of vision-loss globally. Even though there have been extensive efforts to reduce vision loss, the prevalence of DR is still uprising. There are several pharmacological and surgical therapies currently used in clinics, but none of them has not been used as effective therapies at the early stage of DR.
682
01 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Anthocyanins in Nano-Delivery Systems
Anthocyanins are among the best-known phenolic compounds and possess remarkable biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic effects. Despite their therapeutic benefits, they are not widely used as health-promoting agents due to their instability, low absorption, and, thus, low bioavailability and rapid metabolism in the human body. Research suggests that the application of nanotechnology could increase their solubility and/or bioavailability, and thus their biological potential.
682
03 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicle-based Therapeutics
This is a entry of recent developments of bio-inspired drug delivery systems based on extracellular vesicles (EVs). The main hurdles and limitations for therapeutic and clinical applications of EV-based formulations and various attempts to solve these problems are described.
681
09 Dec 2020
Topic Review
RNA-Dependent RNA-Polymerase (RdRp)
RdRp is an attractive target for developing therapies for COVID-19 as it plays a crucial role in the replication of SARS-CoV-2 (Scheme 1) and is well conserved between coronaviruses (RNA viruses).
681
09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
CAR-T Therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) therapy targeting CD19 has revolutionised the treatment of advanced acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The success of CAR-T therapy in the first two indications led to the initiation of a large number of studies testing CAR-T therapy in different haematologic tumours such as acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), Hodgkin’s disease (HD), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM), as well as different solid tumours. Notwithstanding, this did not prohibit further development of this new therapy to treat other malignancies.
680
31 May 2021
Topic Review
Novel Pyridothienopyrimidine Derivatives
The growing risk of antimicrobial resistance besides the continuous increase in the number of cancer patients represents a great threat to global health, which requires intensified efforts to discover new bioactive compounds to use as antimicrobial and anticancer agents. Thus, a new set of pyridothienopyrimidine derivatives 2a,b–9a,b was synthesized via cyclization reactions of 3-amino-thieno[2,3-b]pyridine-2-carboxamides 1a,b with different reagents. All new compounds were evaluated against five bacterial and five fungal strains. Many of the target compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity. In addition, the new derivatives were further subjected to cytotoxicity evaluation against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The most potent cytotoxic candidates (3a, 4a, 5a, 6b, 8b and 9b) were examined as EGFR kinase inhibitors.
677
10 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Gut Microbiome, Metformin Treating T2DM
Metformin is the first-line pharmacotherapy for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, its mechanism of modulating glucose metabolism is elusive. Recent advances have identified the gut as a potential target of metformin. As patients with metabolic disorders exhibit dysbiosis, the gut microbiome has garnered interest as a potential target for metabolic disease. Henceforth, studies have focused on unraveling the relationship of metabolic disorders with the human gut microbiome.
675
08 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Induced Tissue-Specific Stem Cells (iTSCs)
Induced tissue-specific stem cells (iTSCs) are partially reprogrammed cells which have an intermediate state, such as progenitors or stem cells. They originate from the de-differentiation of differentiated somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells, such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs), or from the differentiation of undifferentiated cells. They show a limited capacity to differentiate and a morphology similar to that of somatic cell stem cells present in tissues, but distinct from that of iPSCs and ESCs. iTSCs can be generally obtained 7 to 10 days after reprogramming of somatic cells with Yamanaka’s factors, and their fibroblast-like morphology remains unaltered. iTSCs can also be obtained directly from iPSCs cultured under conditions allowing cellular differentiation. In this case, to effectively induce iTSCs, additional treatment is required, as exemplified by the conversion of iPSCs into naïve iPSCs. iTSCs can proliferate continuously in vitro, but when transplanted into immunocompromised mice, they fail to generate solid tumors (teratomas), implying loss of tumorigenic potential. The low tendency of iTSCs to elicit tumors is beneficial, especially considering applications for regenerative medicine in humans. Several iTSC types have been identified, including iTS-L, iTS-P, and iTS-D, obtained by reprogramming hepatocytes, pancreatic cells, and deciduous tooth-derived dental pulp cells, respectively. This review provides a brief overview of iPSCs and discusses recent advances in the establishment of iTSCs and their possible applications in regenerative medicine.
672
11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Video
Exosomes as Nanosystems of Nucleic Acids and Drugs
Exosomes are defined as a type of extracellular vesicle released when multivesicular bodies of the endocytic pathway fuse with the plasma membrane. They are characterized by their role in extracellular communication, partly due to their composition, and present the ability to recognize and interact with cells from the immune system, enabling an immune response. Their targeting capability and nanosized dimensions make them great candidates for cancer therapy. As chemotherapy is associated with cytotoxicity and multiple drug resistance, the use of exosomes targeting capabilities, able to deliver anticancer drugs specifically to cancer cells, is a great approach to overcome these disadvantages.
671
21 Nov 2022
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