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Topic Review
Maintaining Digestive Health in Diabetes
Over the last decades, the incidence of diabetes has increased in developed countries and beyond the genetic impact, environmental factors, which can trigger the activation of the gut immune system, seem to affect the induction of the disease process. Since the composition of the gut microbiome might disturb the normal interaction with the immune system and contribute to altered immune responses, the restoration of normal microbiota composition constitutes a new target for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Thus, the interaction of gut microbiome and diabetes, focusing on mechanisms connecting gut microbiota with the occurrence of the disorder, is discussed in the present review. Finally, the challenge of functional food diet on maintaining intestinal health and microbial flora diversity and functionality, as a potential tool for the onset inhibition and management of the disease, is highlighted by reporting key animal studies and clinical trials. Early onset of the disease in the oral cavity is an important factor for the incorporation of a functional food diet in daily routine.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Korean Red Ginseng Ameliorates Fatigue
Fatigue is both a physiological defense response and a disease-associated symptom; therefore, it is a common complaint in both the general population and patients with various disorders. Fatigue can be generally classified according to duration as acute (≤1 month), prolonged (1< and ≤6 months), and chronic, lasting over 6 months. Chronic fatigue is the main fatigue-related issue in the clinic, and its prevalence is approximately 10% in the general population. In particular, medically unexplained chronic fatigue, such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), has a more serious impact on health-related quality of life than brain stroke, angina pectoris, or schizophrenia.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Personalised Ageing
Given the growing number of older people, society as a whole should ideally provide a higher quality of life (QoL) for its ageing citizens through the concept of personalised ageing. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are subject to constant and rapid development, and can contribute to the goal of an improved QoL for older adults. In order to utilise future ICT solutions as a part of an age-friendly smart environment that helps achieve personalised ageing with an increased QoL, one must first determine whether the existing ICT solutions are satisfying the needs of older people. In order to accomplish that, this study contributes in three ways. First, it proposes a framework for the QoL of older adults, in order to provide a systematic review of the state-of-the-art literature and patents in this field. The second contribution is the finding that selected ICT solutions covered by articles and patents are intended for older adults and are validated by them.The third contribution of the study are the six recommendations that are derived from the review of the literature and the patents which would help move the agenda concerning the QoL of older people and personalised ageing with the use of ICT solutions forward.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Pneumococcal Pneumonia
Pneumococcal infection can have serious implications in pneumonia and sepsis. Patients with SCD who have functional asplenia and increased oxidative stress in the vasculature, are at great risk for pneumococcal infections from infancy through to their adult lives.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Osteoblast Dysfunction
Osteoblasts (Ob) originate from mesenchymal cells, secrete matrix proteins and promote mineralization during the bone modelling and restructuring process. Ob are unable to function as a single cell, in fact they function in a group of cells and the functional unit made up of Ob and the bone produced is called bone multicellular units (BMU). The mineralized skeleton is the support for human body and is a fundamental store of calcium, phosphate, participating also to the basic-acid homeostasis.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Pathways Altered in NMD
Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are a heterogeneous group of acquired or inherited rare disorders caused by injury or dysfunction of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord (lower motor neurons), peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions, or skeletal muscles leading to muscle weakness and waste. Unfortunately, most of them entail serious or even fatal consequences. The prevalence rates among NMDs range between 1 and 10 per 100,000 population, but their rarity and diversity pose difficulties for healthcare and research. Some molecular hallmarks are being explored to elucidate the mechanisms triggering disease, to set the path for further advances. In fact, in the present review we outline the metabolic alterations of NMDs, mainly focusing on the role of mitochondria. The aim of the review is to discuss the mechanisms underlying energy production, oxidative stress generation, cell signaling, autophagy, and inflammation triggered or conditioned by the mitochondria. Briefly, increased levels of inflammation have been linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which is key in mitochondrial genomic instability and mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) dysfunction. ROS burst, impaired autophagy, and increased inflammation are observed in many NMDs. Increasing knowledge of the etiology of NMDs will help to develop better diagnosis and treatments, eventually reducing the health and economic burden of NMDs for patients and healthcare systems.
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Opioid Tolerance
Opioids are potent analgesics widely used to control acute and chronic pain, but long-term use induces tolerance that reduces their effectiveness. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) define opioid tolerance as follows (https://www.fda.gov); Patients are considered opioid tolerant if they are taking, for 1 week or longer, at least: - Oral morphine–60 mg daily - Transdermal fentanyl–25 mcg/h - Oral oxycodone–30 mg daily - Oral hydromorphone–8mgdaily - Oral oxymorphone–25mgdaily - Equianalgesic daily dose of another opioid
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Antibiotic-Related Changes in Microbiome
The interplay between drugs and microbiota is critical for successful treatment. An accumulating amount of evidence has identified the significant impact of intestinal microbiota composition on cancer treatment response, particularly immunotherapy. The possible molecular pathways of the interaction between immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and the microbiome can be used to reverse immunotherapy tolerance in cancer by using various kinds of interventions on the intestinal bacteria. This paper aimed to review the data available on how the antibiotic-related changes in human microbiota during colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment can affect and determine ICI treatment outcomes. We also covered the data that support the potential intimate mechanisms of both local and systemic immune responses induced by changes in the intestinal microbiota. However, further better-powered studies are needed to thoroughly assess the clinical significance of antibiotic-induced alteration of the gut microbiota and its impact on CRC treatment by direct observations of patients receiving antibiotic treatment. 
  • 1.0K
  • 18 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Current Vaccines  and Mechanisms of Cancer Vaccines
A vaccine is created to develop specific immunity against a particular disease or infection. The purpose of cancer immunotherapy is to activate the immune system so that it can identify and eliminate cancer cells. Anticancer immunotherapies are classified as either “passive” or “active” based on their ability to (re-)activate the host immune system against malignant cells. Tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and adoptively transferred T-cells (among other approaches) are considered passive forms of immunotherapy because they have intrinsic anticancer activity. Antigen-specificity is an alternative classification of immunotherapeutic anticancer regimens. While tumor-targeting mAbs are widely regarded as antigen-specific interventions, immunostimulatory cytokines or checkpoint blockers activate anticancer immune responses with unknown (and generally broad) specificity.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Antisense Oligonucleotide for Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health issue that places an increasing burden on the healthcare systems of both the developed and developing countries. CKD is a progressive and irreversible condition, affecting approximately 10% of the population worldwide. Patients that have progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require expensive renal replacement therapy, i.e., dialysis or kidney transplantation. Current CKD therapy largely relies on the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). However, these treatments by no means halt the progression of CKD to ESRD. Therefore, the development of new therapies is urgently needed. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) has recently attracted considerable interest as a drug development platform. Thus far, eight ASO-based drugs have been granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of various diseases.
  • 1.0K
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Dietary and Pharmacological Antioxidants
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have physiological roles as second messengers, but can also exert detrimental modifications on DNA, proteins and lipids if resulting from enhanced generation or reduced antioxidant defense (oxidative stress). Venous thrombus (DVT) formation and resolution are influenced by ROS through modulation of the coagulation, fibrinolysis, proteolysis and the complement system, as well as the regulation of effector cells such as platelets, endothelial cells, erythrocytes, neutrophils, mast cells, monocytes and fibroblasts. Many conditions that carry an elevated risk of venous thrombosis, such as the Antiphospholipid Syndrome, have alterations in their redox homeostasis. Dietary and pharmacological antioxidants can modulate several important processes involved in DVT formation, but their overall effect is unknown and there are no recommendations regarding their use. The development of novel antioxidant treatments that aim to abrogate the formation of DVT or promote its resolution will depend on the identification of targets that enable ROS modulation confined to their site of interest in order to prevent off-target effects on physiological redox mechanisms. Subgroups of patients with increased systemic oxidative stress might benefit from unspecific antioxidant treatment, but more clinical studies are needed to bring clarity to this issue. (From: Reactive Oxygen Species in Venous Thrombosis, 10.3390/ijms21061918)
  • 1.0K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Biography
Róbert Bárány
Robert Bárány (Hungarian: Bárány Róbert; Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈroːbɛrt ˈbaːraːɲ]; 22 April 1876 – 8 April 1936) was an ethnic Hungarian otologist from Austria.[1] He received the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus.[2] Bárány was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He was the eldest of six child
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Medical Restraint
Medical restraints are physical restraints used during certain medical procedures to restrain patients with the minimum of discomfort and pain and to prevent them from injuring themselves or others.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Mood Dysregulations in GDM
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic condition of increased maternal blood glucose leve. GDM affects up to 36% of pregnant women. Mood dysregulations (MDs, e.g., depression, distress, and anxiety) are common among women with GDM. Symptoms of depression and anxiety usually overlap with one another as well as with distress symptoms; they develop in up to 27% and 24% of pregnancies, respectively.
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
GABAB Receptor
The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B receptor (GABAB-R) belongs to class C of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Together with the GABAA receptor, the receptor mediates the neurotransmission of GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS).
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Host Immune System Interaction
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is characterized by variable clinical presentation that ranges from asymptomatic to fatal multi-organ damage. The site of entry and the response of the host to the infection aect the outcomes. The role of the upper airways and the nasal barrier in the prevention of infection is increasingly being recognized. Besides the epithelial lining and the local immune system, the upper airways harbor a community of microorganisms, or microbiota, that takes an active part in mucosal homeostasis and in resistance to infection. However, the role of the upper airway microbiota in COVID-19 is not yet completely understood and likely goes beyond protection from viral entry to include the regulation of the immune response to the infection. Herein, we discuss the hypothesis that restoring endogenous barriers and anti-inflammatory pathways that are defective in COVID-19 patients might represent a valid strategy to reduce infectivity and ameliorate clinical symptomatology.
  • 1.0K
  • 16 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Etiopathogenetic Models on BIA-ALCL
BIA-ALCL is a rare T-cell lymphoma, CD30 positive, ALK-negative usually discovered after the diagnosis of spontaneous periprosthetic seroma or intracapsular mass around the breast implant.
  • 1.0K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Radon Exposure
Radon, an imperceptible natural occurring radioactive noble gas, contributes as the largest single fraction to radiation exposure from natural sources. For that reason, radon represents a major issue for radiation protection. Nevertheless, radon is also applied for the therapy of inflammatory and degenerative diseases in galleries and spas to many thousand patients a year. In either case, chronic environmental exposure or therapy, the effect of radon on the organism exposed is still under investigation at all levels of interaction. This includes the physical stage of diffusion and energy deposition by radioactive decay of radon and its progeny and the biological stage of initiating and propagating a physiologic response or inducing cancer after chronic exposure.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms
Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) are permanent and localized dilations of the aorta that predispose patients to a life-threatening risk of aortic dissection or rupture. The identification of pathogenic variants that cause hereditary forms of TAA has delineated fundamental molecular processes required to maintain aortic homeostasis. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) elaborate and remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM) in response to mechanical and biochemical cues from their environment. Causal variants for hereditary forms of aneurysm compromise the function of gene products involved in the transmission or interpretation of these signals, initiating processes that eventually lead to degeneration and mechanical failure of the vessel. These include mutations that interfere with transduction of stimuli from the matrix to the actin–myosin cytoskeleton through integrins, and those that impair signaling pathways activated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β).
  • 1.0K
  • 16 Feb 2021
Topic Review
MRI function in Bone Microstructure
Bone microarchitecture has been shown to provide useful information regarding the evaluation of skeleton quality with an added value to areal bone mineral density, which can be used for the di-agnosis of several bone diseases. Bone mineral density estimated from dual-energy x-ray absorp-tiometry (DXA) has shown to be a limited tool to identify patients’ risk stratification and therapy delivery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been proposed as another technique to assess bone quality and fracture risk by evaluating the bone structure and microarchitecture.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Mar 2021
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