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Topic Review
Non-Nutritive Sweeteners and Metabolic Syndrome
Artificial sweeteners have gained increasing attention as dietary assessment tools to help combat the obesity epidemic by providing a sweet taste without the extra calories. Individuals widely use non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in attempts to lower their overall daily caloric intake, lose weight, and sustain a healthy diet. Recent studies have suggested that NNS consumption can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and promote glucose intolerance in healthy individuals that may result in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review
The Human Virome
Members of the virome may collaborate with the human host to retain mutualistic functions in preserving human health. Although a person’s virome can alter over time, viral presence in a person can be extremely stable. Since viruses are present in the environment all the time, it is easy to imagine where the members of the changeable virome originate.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Circulating Tumor Cells
Many different therapies are applied to fight tumor disease. Blood-based biosources, like circulating tumor cells (CTCs), offer the opportunity to monitor the healing progression and the real-time response to the therapy. 
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Plant Polyphenols
Plant polyphenols are the main category of natural active substances, and are distributed widely in vegetables, fruits, and plant-based processed foods. Polyphenols have a beneficial performance in preventing diseases and maintaining body health.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Nitric Oxide-Donating Drugs for IOP Lowering
Nitric oxide (NO) is a commendable new class of glaucoma drugs that acts on the conventional outflow pathway. An increasing number of nitric oxide donors have been developed for glaucoma and ocular hypertension treatment. Here, we will review how NO lowers IOP and the types of nitric oxide donors that have been developed.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Clinical Management of Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy represents a leading cause of vision loss, causing a significant structural and functional impairment of the retinal and choroidal capillary network.  Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, and the most common expressions of this condition are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
MiRNAs Relevant for Asthma
There is an imbalance in asthma between classically activated macrophages (M1 cells) and alternatively activated macrophages (M2 cells) in favor of the latter. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in regulating macrophage proliferation and differentiation and control the balance of M1 and M2 macrophage polarization, thereby controlling immune responses. 
  • 1.1K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
The Selected Rare B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders
The updated 4th edition WHO classification of lymphoid malignancies and certain lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD), released in 2016, contains pivotal new terminology and information that is important for both radiologists and oncologists to understand. In spite of these updates, some LPDs included within this update have been rarely discussed in radiology literature. Many of these disorders have distinct clinical and imaging features, overlapping with more common disorders. The purpose of this entry is provide an overview for radiologists regarding certain rare LPDs.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Capsule Endoscopy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Capsule endoscopy (CE) has proven to be a valuable diagnostic modality for small bowel diseases over the past 20 years, particularly Crohn’s disease (CD), which can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. CE is not only used for the diagnosis of patients with suspected small bowel CD, but can also be used to assess disease activity, treat-to-target, and postoperative recurrence in patients with established small bowel CD. As CE can detect even mildly non-specific small bowel lesions, a high diagnostic yield is not necessarily indicative of high diagnostic accuracy. The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is relatively high but rather stable in Western countries; however, the incidence and prevalence of IBD are rapidly increasing in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America, and this shift in the epidemiology of IBD indicates that it has become a global disease, whose increasing incidence has been burdening health services in recent years. Therefore, the use of CE for the diagnosis and management of IBD is becoming more frequent and its implementation is considered a priority in the field of IBD. 
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Renal Insufficiency
Renal impairment is defined as serum creatinine (sCr) above the upper normal limit of 2 mg/dL or as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin C and Multiple Pathophysiological Stages of COVID-19
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA) is an essential nutrient with many biological roles that have been proven to play an important part in immune function; it serves as an antioxidant, an anti-viral, and exerts anti-thrombotic effects among many other physiological benefits. Research has proven that AA at pharmacological doses can be beneficial to patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and other respiratory illnesses, including sepsis. In addition, High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C (HDIVC) has proven to be effective in patients with different viral diseases, such as influenza, chikungunya, Zika, and dengue. Moreover, HDIVC has been demonstrated to be very safe. Regarding COVID-19, vitamin C in addition to its antiviral properties, it can suppress the cytokine storm, reduce thrombotic complications, and diminish alveolar and vascular damage, among other benefits.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Bioactivities of Turmeric Oil
Curcuma longa L. (syn. Curcuma domestica), commonly known as turmeric, is a perennial herb native to Asia. After curing, drying, and milling, turmeric rhizomes are usually employed as a dye, cosmetic, and food seasoning. Most pharmacological activities of turmeric have been explained by the properties of curcumin, mainly because turmeric oil has not been as extensively studied as curcuminoids. Turmeric rhizome oil (TO) is responsible for this spice’s characteristic taste and smell.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Cytokines and Growth Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prominent neurodegenerative diseases, which impairs cognitive function in afflicted individuals. AD results in gradual decay of neuronal function as a consequence of diverse degenerating events. Several neuroimmune players (such as cytokines and growth factors that are key players in maintaining CNS homeostasis) turn aberrant during crosstalk between the innate and adaptive immunities. This aberrance underlies neuroinflammation and drives neuronal cells toward apoptotic decline. Neuroinflammation involves microglial activation and has been shown to exacerbate AD. Cytokines are non-structural proteins within the molecular weight range of 8000–40,000 Da. They can be described as inflammatory peptides aiding the immune defense response. The majority of nucleated cells are capable of synthesizing cytokines but they are predominantly produced by macrophages/microglia and lymphocytes.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators Biomarkers
The application of precision medicine paradigm in the daily treatment of patients has been greatly hampered by the lack of robust biomarkers. Lipid mediators are central in the regulation of host immune responses during both the initiation and resolution of inflammation. Amongst lipid mediators, the specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) govern immune cells to promote the resolution of inflammation. These autacoids are produced via the stereoselective conversion of essential fatty acids to yield molecules that are dynamically regulated during inflammation and exert potent immunoregulatory activities. Furthermore, there is an increasing appreciation for the role that these mediators play in conveying the biological actions of several anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Identification and quantitation of these mediators has traditionally been achieved using hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques, primarily liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. 
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Dental Implants and Thickness of Cortical Bone
Dental implantation exhibits a high and predictable prevalence of success, but correct assessment of the relation between bone quality, primary stability and osseointegration of implants is still a major challenge. For example, the relationship between a denser thickness of cortical bone and implant stability has been the subject of low-quality clinical reports only, and this has not helped clinicians wishing to use this type of bone to design, prepare or place dental implants. Nevertheless, knowledge of this topic is important to refine the practice of dental implantation, as well as to minimize the risks of its failure.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Dec 2021
Topic Review
BRAF V600K-Mutant Cutaneous Melanoma
BRAF is a serine/threonine protein kinase that, activating MAPK and ERK signalling, is involved in cell proliferation. About 50% of melanomas harbour a BRAF mutation. Of these 50%, 10% have a V600K mutation. Recent findings have underlined how melanoma V600K seems to be less dependent on the ERK/MAPK pathway, with a higher expression of PI3KB and a strong inhibition of multiple antiapoptotic pathways. Both target therapy with BRAF inhibitors + MEK inhibitors and immunotherapy with anti-checkpoint blockades are effective in melanoma V600K, although no sufficient evidence can currently support a formal recommendation for first line treatment choice in IIIC unresectable/IV stage patients.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Role of Partial Splenectomy in Hematologic Childhood Disorders
The spleen is a secondary lymphoid organ that belongs to the reticular-endothelial system, directly connected to blood circulation. The spleen is greatly involved in the immune response, especially against capsulated bacteria. Splenectomy plays a fundamental role in the treatment of numerous pediatric hematologic disorders. Taking into account all the possible complications (especially infections) linked to this procedure, partial splenectomy has been proposed as a treatment that allows the reduction of infectious risk. This approach has proven safe and feasible in most patients, but multicentric and prospective studies are necessary to more accurately define the indications for performing partial splenectomy.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Mexican Propolis
Propolis is a resinous substance collected by bees from plants and its natural product is available as a safe therapeutic option easily administered orally and readily available as a natural supplement and functional food.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Gene Mutations in Systemic Mastocytosis
Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare hematologic disease characterized by an abnormal expansion and accumulation of pathological mast cells (MCs) in skin and/or other several extracutaneous tissues such as bone marrow (BM) and the gastro-intestinal tract. Currently, SM is divided into five different diagnostic subtypes according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 classification. These include indolent SM (ISM), smouldering SM (SSM), aggressive SM (ASM), SM with associated haematological neoplasms (SM-AHN) and MC leukaemia (MCL). Additionally, the inclusion of two new subtypes of SM into the classification of the disease is currently under consideration: a variant of ISM known as BM mastocytosis (BMM), which is characterized by a low BM MC burden in the absence of skin lesions, and a very rare (<5%) variant of mastocytosis, which shows tumour mast cells (MCs) with a well-differentiated morphology together with a CD25− CD2− immunophenotype and unique clinical, biological and molecular features, termed well-differentiated SM (WDSM). From a prognostic point of view, all these diagnostic subtypes of SM can be grouped into (i) non-advanced forms of SM (Non-AdvSM), which include BMM, ISM and SSM, typically characterized by a more stable and indolent course of the disease and a life expectancy similar or close to that of a sex- and age-matched population; and (ii) advanced SM (AdvSM) including ASM, SM-AHN and MCL, which typically display an adverse prognosis associated with a significantly shortened life expectancy requiring cytoreductive therapy. Despite this, some ISM patients (<5%) can eventually evolve to SSM and AdvSM. Conversely, a small proportion of AdvSM patients may also show a relatively stable disease course over years or even decades.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Probiotics in Children with Asthma
A type-2 immune response usually sustains wheezing and asthma in children. In addition, dysbiosis of digestive and respiratory tracts is detectable in patients with wheezing and asthma. Probiotics may rebalance immune response, repair dysbiosis, and mitigate airway inflammation. As a result, probiotics may prevent asthma and wheezing relapse. There is evidence that some probiotic strains may improve asthma outcomes in children.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Jul 2022
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