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Topic Review
Orodispersible Films
Orodispersible films (ODFs) are thin, mechanically strong, and flexible polymeric films that are designed to dissolve or disintegrate rapidly in the oral cavity for local and/or systemic drug delivery.
  • 353
  • 28 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Alpha-2 Agonists for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which is marked by symptoms such as inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can affect academic, social, and personal functioning in children and adolescents.
  • 352
  • 01 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Reporting Bias in COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Clinical Trials
Relative risk reduction and absolute risk reduction measures in the evaluation of clinical trial data are poorly understood by health professionals and the public. The absence of reported absolute risk reduction in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials can lead to outcome reporting bias that affects the interpretation of vaccine efficacy. 
  • 352
  • 14 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Applications of Alginates
Alginates (ALG) have been used in biomedical and pharmaceutical technologies for a long time. ALG are natural polymers occurring in brown algae and feature multiple advantages, including biocompatibility, low toxicity and mucoadhesiveness. Moreover, ALG demonstrate biological activities per se, including anti-hyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, anti-reflux, immunomodulatory or anti-inflammatory activities. ALG are characterized by gelling ability, one of the most frequently utilized properties in the drug form design. ALG have numerous applications in pharmaceutical technology that include micro- and nanoparticles, tablets, mucoadhesive dosage forms, wound dressings and films. However, there are some shortcomings, which impede the development of modified-release dosage forms or formulations with adequate mechanical strength based on pure ALG. Other natural polymers combined with ALG create great potential as drug carriers, improving limitations of ALG matrices. 
  • 351
  • 06 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Blood Microsamples for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a specialized area of laboratory medicine which involves the measurement of drug concentrations in biological fluids with the aim of optimizing efficacy and reducing side effects, possibly modifying the drug dose to keep the plasma concentration within the therapeutic range. Plasma and/or whole blood, usually obtained by venipuncture, are the “gold standard” matrices for TDM. Microsampling, commonly used for newborn screening, could also be a convenient alternative to traditional sampling techniques for pharmacokinetics (PK) studies and TDM, helping to overcome practical problems and offering less invasive options to patients.
  • 349
  • 21 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Chronic Oral Methylphenidate Behavioral, Neurochemical and Developmental Effects
The majority of animal studies on methylphenidate (MP) use intraperitoneal (IP) injections, subcutaneous (SC) injections, or the oral gavage route of administration. While all these methods allow for delivery of MP, it is the oral route that is clinically relevant. IP injections commonly deliver an immediate and maximum dose of MP due to their quick absorption. This quick-localized effect can give timely results but will only display a small window of the psychostimulant’s effects on the animal model. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a SC injection does not accurately represent the pathophysiology of an oral exposure because the metabolic rate of the drug would be much slower. The oral-gavage method, while providing an oral route, possesses some adverse effects such as potential animal injury and can be stressful to the animal compared to voluntary drinking. It is thus important to allow the animal to have free consumption of MP, and drinking it to more accurately mirror human treatment. The use of a two-bottle drinking method allows for this. Rodents typically have a faster metabolism than humans, which means this needs to be considered when administering MP orally while reaching target pharmacokinetic levels in plasma.
  • 348
  • 31 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Cannabis for Potential Therapeutic Uses
Cannabis sativa has been utilized as a medicine and for recreational and spiritual purposes. Phytocannabinoids are a family of compounds that are found in the cannabis plant, which is known for its psychotogenic and euphoric effects; the main psychotropic constituent of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). The pharmacological effects of cannabinoids are a result of interactions between those compounds and cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, located in many parts of the human body. Cannabis is used as a therapeutic agent for treating pain and emesis. Some cannabinoids are clinically applied for treating chronic pain, particularly cancer and multiple sclerosis-associated pain, for appetite stimulation and anti-emesis in HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, and for spasticity treatment in multiple sclerosis and epilepsy patients. Medical cannabis varies from recreational cannabis in the chemical content of THC and cannabidiol (CBD), modes of administration, and safety. Despite the therapeutic effects of cannabis, exposure to high concentrations of THC, the main compound that is responsible for most of the intoxicating effects experienced by users, could lead to psychological events and adverse effects that affect almost all body systems, such as neurological (dizziness, drowsiness, seizures, coma, and others), ophthalmological (mydriasis and conjunctival hyperemia), cardiovascular (tachycardia and arterial hypertension), and gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, and thirst), mainly associated with recreational use. Cannabis toxicity in children is more concerning and can cause serious adverse effects such as acute neurological symptoms (stupor), lethargy, seizures, and even coma. 
  • 347
  • 29 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Immunomodulatory Properties of Nigella sativa Seed Extracts
For thousands of years till nowadays, Nigella sativa (NS) has served as a common spice and food preservative. Its seed extracts, seed oil, and essential oil in traditional medicine have been used to remedy many ailments such as headaches, fever, gastric complaints, and even rheumatism. In addition, the antibacterial, virucidal, fungicidal, and antiparasitic properties of NS are well known. However, studies on the possible immunomodulatory effects of black cumin are relatively scarce.
  • 346
  • 06 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Interactions of Analgesics with Cisplatin
Cisplatin (CDDP), one of the most eminent cancer chemotherapeutic agents, has been successfully used to treat more than half of all known cancers worldwide. Despite its effectiveness, CDDP might cause severe toxic adverse effects on multiple body organs during cancer chemotherapy, including the kidneys, heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and auditory system, as well as peripheral nerves causing severely painful neuropathy. The latter, among other pains patients feel during chemotherapy, is an indication for the use of analgesics during treatment with CDDP. Different types of analgesics, such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), and narcotic analgesics, could be used according to the severity of pain. Administered analgesics might modulate CDDP’s efficacy as an anticancer drug. NSAIDS, on one hand, might have cytotoxic effects on their own and few of them can potentiate CDDP’s anticancer effects via inhibiting the CDDP-induced cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme, or through COX-independent mechanisms. On the other hand, some narcotic analgesics might ameliorate CDDP’s anti-neoplastic effects, causing chemotherapy to fail. Concerning safety, some analgesics share the same adverse effects on normal tissues as CDDP, augmenting its potentially hazardous effects on organ impairment.
  • 345
  • 14 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Disrupting GPCR Complexes with Smart Drug-like Peptides
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a superfamily of proteins classically described as monomeric transmembrane (TM) receptors. However, increasing evidence indicates that many GPCRs form higher-order assemblies made up of monomers pertaining to identical (homo) or to various (hetero) receptors. The formation and structure of these oligomers, their physiological role and possible therapeutic applications raise a variety of issues that are currently being actively explored. In this context, synthetic peptides derived from TM domains stand out as powerful tools that can be predictably targeted to disrupt GPCR oligomers, especially at the interface level, eventually impairing their action.
  • 343
  • 10 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Microfluidic Approaches for Affinity-Based Exosome Separation
As a subspecies of extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes have provided promising results in diagnostic and theranostic applications in recent years. The nanometer-sized exosomes can be extracted by liquid biopsy from almost all body fluids, making them especially suitable for mainly non-invasive point-of-care (POC) applications. To achieve this, exosomes must first be separated from the respective biofluid. Impurities with similar properties, heterogeneity of exosome characteristics, and time-related biofouling complicate the separation. Due to the compactness of state-of-the-art methods available for the separation of exosomes, quick analysis time and portable form factor, these microfluidic devices are particularly suitable to deliver fast and reliable results for POC applications. For these devices, new manufacturing methods (e.g., laminating, replica molding and 3D printing) that use low-cost materials and do not require clean rooms are presented. Additionally, special flow routes and patterns that increase contact surfaces, as well as residence time, and thus improve affinity purification are displayed. 
  • 340
  • 25 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Phytochemicals and Parkinson’s Disease
Complementary therapies and phytonutrients derived from plant sources have been proposed as treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Numerous natural phytochemicals have emerged as therapeutically interesting compounds, drug entities, and phytochemicals for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Additionally, numerous pharmacological studies have shown that phytochemicals are useful in treating neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), depression, and dementia.
  • 337
  • 10 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors
Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors presented themselves as important players in the nitric oxide/cGMP pathway, thus exerting a profound impact on various physiological and pathological processes. Beyond their well-known efficacy in treating male erectile dysfunction (ED) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a plethora of studies have unveiled their significance in the treatment of a myriad of other diseases, including cognitive functions, heart failure, multiple drug resistance in cancer therapy, immune diseases, systemic sclerosis and others.
  • 336
  • 19 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Dopamine Levels and Metabolism in the Heart
Dopamine has effects on the mammalian heart. These effects can include an increase in the force of contraction, and an elevation of the beating rate and the constriction of coronary arteries. Depending on the species studied, positive inotropic effects were strong, very modest, or absent, or even negative inotropic effects occurred.
  • 334
  • 06 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Therapies of the Immune-Mediated Kidney Diseases
Therapy of immune-mediated kidney diseases has evolved during recent decades from the non-specific use of corticosteroids and antiproliferative agents (like cyclophosphamide or azathioprine), towards the use of more specific drugs with measurable pharmacokinetics, like calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine A and tacrolimus) and mycophenolate mofetil, to the treatment with biologic drugs targeting detailed specific receptors, like rituximab, eculizumab or abatacept. Moreover, the data coming from a molecular science revealed that several drugs, which have been previously used exclusively to modify the upregulated adaptive immune system, may also exert a local effect on the kidney microstructure and ameliorate the functional instability of podocytes, reducing the leak of protein into the urinary space. The innate immune system also became a target of new therapies, as its specific role in different kidney diseases has been de novo defined. Current therapy of several immune kidney diseases may now be personalized, based on the detailed diagnostic procedures, including molecular tests. However, in most cases there is still a space for standard therapies based on variable protocols including usage of steroids with the steroid-sparing agents. They are used as a first-line treatment, while modern biologic agents are selected as further steps in cases of lack of the efficacy or toxicity of the basic therapies. In several clinical settings, the biologic drugs are effective as the add-on therapy. 
  • 332
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors
Information on absorption, metabolism and excretion of drugs is necessary to support the studies on their pharmacokinetics and potential drug–drug interactions. Moreover, the knowledge on drug metabolism is one of the crucial factors used to assess their pharmacokinetic profile in patients with some dysfunctions. It is especially important in diabetic patients with higher incidence of chronic liver and kidney problems.
  • 332
  • 27 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Anticancer Activity of Napabucasin
Napabucasin (also known as BBI608) is a natural naphthoquinone originally identified as a cancer cell stemness inhibitor. Accumulated in vitro and in vivo evidence demonstrated that napabucasin showed significant anticancer effects in various types of cancers. Napabucasin showed multiple anticancer activities, including proliferation inhibition, cell death induction, cell cycle arrest, metastasis suppression, drug resistance overcoming, and stemness inhibition, etc., which were documented in many benchworks.
  • 330
  • 09 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanism of Drug Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa remains one of the most challenging phenomena of everyday medical science. The universal spread of high-risk clones of multidrug-resistant/extensively drug-resistant (MDR/XDR) clinical P. aeruginosa has become a public health threat. The P. aeruginosa bacteria exhibits remarkable genome plasticity that utilizes highly acquired and intrinsic resistance mechanisms to counter most antibiotic challenges. In addition, the adaptive antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa, including biofilm-mediated resistance and the formation of multidrug-tolerant persisted cells, are accountable for recalcitrance and relapse of infections.
  • 326
  • 06 Sep 2023
Topic Review
The Use of Deferiprone against COVID-19
Deferiprone (L1) is an EMA- and FDA-approved drug used worldwide for the treatment of iron overload and also other conditions where there are no effective treatments. The multi-potent effects and high safety record of L1 in iron loaded and non-iron loaded categories of patients suggests that L1 could be developed as a “magic bullet” drug against COVID-19 and diseases of similar symptomatology.
  • 325
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
New Potential Heterocyclic Molecular Targeted Drugs
Heterocyclic compounds, which are made up of both carbon and non-carbon atoms, serve as a crucial structural foundation for numerous chemicals with pharmacological and biological value. The research on heterocyclic compounds is an important part of organic chemistry and is utilized extensively in many industries, especially medicine. Heterocyclic compounds serve as the main active ingredient in a variety of pharmaceuticals, including analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-tubercular drugs, antihypertensives, antidepressants, and even anticancer drugs. Many novel heterocyclic targeted drugs have emerged.Molecular targeted therapy is a key element of the new era of comprehensive multidisciplinary cancer treatment. A considerable number of molecular targeted medications have been created as part of the development of targeted therapy. 
  • 325
  • 25 Jun 2023
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