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Topic Review
Impulse-Control Disorder
Impulse-control disorder (ICD) is a class of psychiatric disorders characterized by impulsivity – failure to resist a temptation, an urge, or an impulse; or having the inability to not speak on a thought. Many psychiatric disorders feature impulsivity, including substance-related disorders, behavioral addictions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, conduct disorder and some mood disorders. The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) that was published in 2013 includes a new chapter (not in DSM-IV-TR) on disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders covering disorders "characterized by problems in emotional and behavioral self-control". Five behavioral stages characterize impulsivity: an impulse, growing tension, pleasure on acting, relief from the urge, and finally guilt (which may or may not arise).
  • 904
  • 06 Dec 2022
Topic Review
War on Cancer
The War on Cancer refers to the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death. The signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 by United States president Richard Nixon is generally viewed as the beginning of this effort, though it was not described as a "war" in the legislation itself. Despite significant progress in the treatment of certain forms of cancer (such as childhood leukemia), cancer in general remains a major cause of death 40+ years after this war on cancer began, leading to a perceived lack of progress and to new legislation aimed at augmenting the original National Cancer Act of 1971. New research directions, in part based on the results of the Human Genome Project, hold promise for a better understanding of the genetic factors underlying cancer, and the development of new diagnostics, therapies, preventive measures, and early detection ability. However, targeting cancer proteins can be difficult, as a protein can be undruggable.
  • 901
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Premature MicroRNA-Based Therapeutic
The current understanding of miRNA biology is greatly derived from studies on the guide strands and the passenger strands, also called miRNAs*, which are considered as carriers with no sense for long periods. As such, various studies alter the expression of guide strands by manipulating the expression of their primary transcripts or precursors, both of which are premature miRNAs. In this situation, the regulatory miRNA* species may interfere with the phenotypic interpretation against the target miRNA. However, such methods could manipulate the expression of two functionally synergistic miRNAs of the same precursor, leading to therapeutic potential against various diseases, including cancers. Premature miRNAs represent an underappreciated target reservoir and provide molecular targets for “one-two punch” against cancers. Examples of targetable miRNA precursors and available targeting strategies are provided here.
  • 900
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Insulin Resistance and Heart Disease
Insulin resistance is defined as an impaired biological response to insulin actions in the insulin-responsive tissues and is considered key to metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of insulin resistance has increased globally, and it is known to be from 15.5 to 46.5% of adults. Previous studies have suggested that insulin resistance is significantly related to the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis and adverse plaque characteristics and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases via pathophysiological mechanisms. Insulin resistance is also the common pathophysiology of prehypertension and prediabetes. 
  • 899
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Intensive Interaction
Intensive interaction is an approach for teaching communication skills to children and adults who have autism, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties who are still at early stages of development. The approach focuses on teaching the fundamentals of communication – the communication concepts and performances that precede speech development, though it may include many people who have some speech and language development.
  • 897
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Metabolomic and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic drugs to mitigate pain, however it is associated with gastrointestinal injury and cardiovascular disease in some individuals. Metabolomics allows the use of biological samples to identify useful pathways involved in disease progression, and subsequently inform a greater understanding of the disease pathogenesis. 
  • 893
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Exposome and Asthma
Asthma is a widespread respiratory disease caused by complex contribution from genetic, environmental and behavioral factors. For several decades, its sensitivity to environmental factors has been investigated in single exposure (or single family of exposures) studies, which might be a narrow approach to tackle the etiology of such a complex multifactorial disease. The emergence of the exposome concept, introduced by C. Wild (2005), offers an alternative to address exposure–health associations. 
  • 893
  • 16 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Precision Medicine in Rare Diseases
The own patient-derived cells can be used to perform personalized pharmacological screening in genetic rare diseases. For precision medicine to be successful at the therapeutic level, in addition of the information provide from genomics, pharmacogenomics, metabolomics and proteomics, our proposal argues that it is also necessary to know the cellular response, and therefore the behavior of particular mutations in vitro, to various therapeutic options. Precision medicine relies on the assumption that different mutations and marked inter-individual genetic variation can contribute significantly to drug response. The goal of personalized medicine is to maximize the probability of therapeutic efficacy for an individual patient.
  • 892
  • 23 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Air China Flight 112
Air China Flight 112 was a scheduled international passenger flight on 15 March 2003 that carried a 72-year-old man infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This man would later become the index passenger for the infection of another 20 passengers and two aircraft crew, resulting in the dissemination of SARS north to inner Mongolia and south to Thailand. The incident demonstrated how a single person could spread disease via air travel and was one of a number of superspreading events in the global spread of SARS in 2003. The speed of air travel and the multidirectional routes taken by affected passengers accelerated the spread of SARS with a consequential response from the World Health Organization (WHO), the aviation industry and the public. The incident was atypical in that passengers sitting at a distance from the index passenger were affected and the flight was only three hours long. Until this event, it was thought that there was only a significant risk of infection in flights of more than eight hours duration and in just the two adjacent seating rows. Other flights at the time with confirmed passengers with SARS did not have the same extent of infection spread. Some experts have questioned the interpretation of the incident and highlighted that some passengers may have been infected already. The role of cabin air has also come under question and the incident involving Flight 112 has led to some experts calling for further research into patterns of airborne transmission on commercial flights.
  • 891
  • 06 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Adiponectin in Chronic Kidney Disease
Adiponectin is the adipokine associated with insulin sensitization, reducing liver gluconeogenesis, and increasing fatty acid oxidation and glucose uptake. Adiponectin is present in the kidneys, mainly in the arterial endothelium and smooth muscle cells, as well as in the capillary endothelium, and might be considered as a marker of many negative factors in chronic kidney disease. The last few years have brought a rising body of evidence that adiponectin is a multipotential protein with anti-inflammatory, metabolic, anti-atherogenic, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) protective actions. Similarly, adiponectin has shown many positive and direct actions in kidney diseases, and among many kidney cells. Data from large cross-sectional and cohort studies showed a positive correlation between serum adiponectin and mortality in chronic kidney disease. This suggests a complex interaction between local adiponectin action, comorbidities, and uremic milieu.
  • 890
  • 23 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Usage of Antibiotics by COVID-19 Patients with Comorbidities
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health issue that plays a significant role in morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised patients. It also becomes a serious threat to the successful treatment of many bacterial infections. The widespread and irrelevant use of antibiotics in hospitals and local clinics is the leading cause of AMR.
  • 889
  • 31 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Forensic Epidemiology
The discipline of forensic epidemiology (FE) is a hybrid of principles and practices common to both forensic medicine and epidemiology. FE is directed at filling the gap between clinical judgment and epidemiologic data for determinations of causality in civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution and defense. Forensic epidemiologists formulate evidence-based probabilistic conclusions about the type and quantity of causal association between an antecedent harmful exposure and an injury or disease outcome in both populations and individuals. The conclusions resulting from an FE analysis can support legal decision-making regarding guilt or innocence in criminal actions, and provide an evidentiary support for findings of causal association in civil actions. Applications of forensic epidemiologic principles are found in a wide variety of types of civil litigation, including cases of medical negligence, toxic or mass tort, pharmaceutical adverse events, medical device and consumer product failures, traffic crash-related injury and death, person identification and life expectancy.
  • 889
  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Osteoporosis and Environmental Substances
Osteoporosis is a disease having adverse effects on bone health and causing fragility fractures. Osteoporosis affects approximately 200 million people worldwide, and nearly 9 million fractures occur annually. Evidence exists that, in addition to traditional risk factors, certain environmental substances may increase the risk of osteoporosis.
  • 888
  • 09 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Symptom Targeted Intervention
Symptom targeted intervention (STI) is a clinical program being used in medical settings to help patients who struggle with symptoms of depression or anxiety or adherence to treatment plans but who are not interested in receiving outpatient mental health treatment. STI is an individualized therapeutic model and clinical program that teaches patients brief, effective ways to cope with difficult thoughts, feelings, and behaviors using evidence-based interventions. Its individualized engagement process employs techniques from solution-focused therapy, using a Rogerian, patient-centered philosophy. This engagement process ensures that even challenging, at-risk, and non-adherent patients are able to participate. Social workers and other mental health practitioners and medical professionals use STI to assist patients with a number of specific concerns, from sleep and stress to pain management, relationships and mood management. STI's coping tools are cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness interventions that have been condensed and modified to make them user friendly and effective in brief sessions. After meeting with the clinician, the patient takes charge, performing interventions at home through assignments that extend and reinforce learning. Using STI, the clinician helps the patient identify the most problematic symptom of the depression (such as depressed mood, insomnia, anxiety, rumination, irritability, negative thinking, social isolation), then together the clinician and patient address that symptom using STI's evidence-based selection of brief cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness techniques. The emphasis is on keeping interactions brief since mental health treatment in the primary care setting is typically time limited—although the Collaborative Care and Integrated Care models provides hope for improved and expanded mental health services in the primary care setting. As patients learn better coping skills, they become more engaged with their treatment and more adherent to doctors’ recommendations. STI also gives social workers ways to uncover their clinical strengths and tools to continue to work with resistant patients. With STI training, clinicians learn a nuanced approach to all patients, even those who resist help, since often those are the individuals who need help most. After learning STI, clinicians report that they are more likely to approach rather than avoid difficult patient situations.
  • 888
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Uric Acid in Heart Failure
UA is an independent predictor of mortality in acute and chronic HF, making it a significant prognostic factor in both settings. High serum levels have been also associated with an increased incidence of HF, thus expanding the clinical utility of UA. 
  • 886
  • 20 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Vaccine Injury
A vaccine injury is an injury caused by vaccination. Allegations and confirmed instances of vaccine injuries in recent decades have appeared in litigation in the United States. Some families have won substantial awards from sympathetic juries,[weasel words] even though many public health officials have said that the claims of injuries are unfounded. In response, several vaccine makers stopped production, threatening public health, and laws were passed to shield makers from liabilities stemming from vaccine injury claims.
  • 885
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Genetic Alterations of Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer in the world, and targeted therapy is frequently used in the clinical management of this cancer.  An accurate picture of gene abnormalities observed in this cancer is therefore critical. This entry illustrates some of the recent developments underlying the discovery of the numerous genetic abnormalities observed in colorectal cancer that have helped both to better understand how this tumor develops and to identify therapeutic targets for the development of new therapies.
  • 884
  • 04 Nov 2020
Topic Review
SENSOR-Pesticides
Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR)-Pesticides is a U.S. state-based surveillance program that monitors pesticide-related illness and injury. It is administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), twelve state health agencies participate. NIOSH provides technical support to all participating states. It also provides funding to some states, in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Pesticide-related illness is a significant occupational health issue, but it is believed to be underreported. Because of this, NIOSH proposed the SENSOR program to track pesticide poisonings. Because workers in many industries are at risk for pesticide exposure, and public concern exists regarding the use of and exposure to pesticides, government and regulatory authorities experience pressure to monitor health effects associated with them. SENSOR-Pesticides state partners collect case data from several different sources using a standard case definition and set of variables. This information is then forwarded to the program headquarters at NIOSH where it is compiled and put into a national database. Researchers and government officials from the SENSOR-Pesticides program have published research articles that highlight findings from the data and their implications for environmental and occupational pesticide issues. These issues include eradication of invasive species, pesticide poisoning in schools, birth defects, and residential use of total release foggers, or "bug bombs," which are devices that release an insecticide mist.
  • 884
  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Calprotectin in Lung Diseases
Calprotectin (CLP) is a heterodimer formed by two S-100 calcium-binding cytosolic proteins, S100A8 and S100A9. It is a multifunctional protein expressed mainly by neutrophils and released extracellularly by activated or damaged cells mediating a broad range of physiological and pathological responses. It has been more than 20 years since the implication of S100A8/A9 in the inflammatory process was shown; however, the evaluation of its role in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases or its usefulness as a biomarker for the appropriate diagnosis and prognosis of lung diseases have only gained attention in recent years. This entry aimed to provide current knowledge regarding the potential role of CLP in the pathophysiology of lung diseases and describe how this knowledge is, up until now, translated into daily clinical practice. CLP is involved in numerous cellular processes in lung health and disease. In addition to its anti-microbial functions, CLP also serves as a molecule with pro- and anti-tumor properties related to cell survival and growth, angiogenesis, DNA damage response, and the remodeling of the extracellular matrix.
  • 881
  • 26 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Derma-Hc
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic cutaneous disorder that is characterized by severe eczematous inflammation, swelling, and lichenification. Activation of T helper (Th)-22 cells by allergens leads to epidermal hyperplasia with hyperkeratosis at the chronic phase of AD. Derma-Hc is composed of five natural herbs with anti-AD effects, such as Astragalus membranaceus BUNGE, Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq., Cryptotympana pustulata Fabr., Angelica sinensis Diels, Arctium lappa L. In this study, the ameliorative effect of Derma-Hc on cutaneous lichenification in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzne (DNCB)-induced AD was investigated. The dorsal skin of mice was sensitized with DNCB to induce AD-like skin lesions. The dermatitis score and frequency of scratching were evaluated. Thickness of epidermis and dermis was measured by staining with H&E. In addition, infiltration of the mast cell was observed by staining with toluidine blue. Then, desmosomal cadherin, DSC1 was examined by immunofluorescence. Pathological mechanisms involved in lichenification were analyzed in AD-like skin lesions and TNF-α + IFN-γ-treated with human keratinocytes including keratinocyte differentiation genes and JAK1-STAT3 signaling pathway with IL-22 by RT-PCR and western blotting. Topical treatment of Derma-Hc improved AD-like symptoms such as dryness, edema and lichenefication and decreased the number of scratches. Histopathological analysis demonstrated that Derma-Hc significantly inhibited epidermal hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis, and mast cells infiltration. 
  • 880
  • 22 Sep 2021
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