Topic Review
Yoga and Qigong for Health
Yoga and qigong are ancient mind–body practices used in the East for thousands of years to promote inner peace and mental clarity. Both share breathing techniques and slow movements and are being used as alternative/complementary approaches to the management of disease, especially chronic problems with no effective conventional treatments.
  • 472
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Xiaochaihu
Xiaochaihu (XCH) is a classic Chinese medicine formula. XCH tablet, XCH granule, XCH capsule, and XCH effervescent tablet are included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. 
  • 407
  • 21 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Xanthones, A Promising Anti-Inflammatory Scaffold
Inflammation is the body’s self-protective response to multiple stimulus, from external harmful substances to internal danger signals released after trauma or cell dysfunction. Many diseases are considered to be related to inflammation, such as cancer, metabolic disorders, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.  Xanthones, a unique scaffold with a 9H-Xanthen-9-one core structure, widely exist in natural sources. Till now, over 250 xanthones were isolated and identified in plants from the families Gentianaceae and Hypericaceae. Many xanthones have been disclosed with anti-inflammatory properties on different models, either in vitro or in vivo.
  • 556
  • 17 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Whole-Person Approach to Urinary Tract Infection
Urobiome dysbiosis, defined as an imbalance in the microbial composition in the microenvironments along the urinary tract, is found in women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). Historically, antibiotics have been used to address UTI. An alternative approach to uncomplicated UTI is warranted as the current paradigm fails to take urobiome dysbiosis into account and contributes to the communal problem of resistance. A whole-person, multi-modal approach that addresses vaginal and urinary tract dysbiosis may be more effective in reducing recurrent UTI.
  • 412
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Vitamin D and Diseases in KSA and UAE
Accumulating evidence supports the potential protective effects of vitamin D against chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, cancers, cardiovascular disease (ischaemic heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and infectious diseases such as acute respiratory tract diseases, COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes. The respective evidence is based on ecological and observational studies, randomized controlled trials, mechanistic studies, and Mendelian randomization studies. However, randomized controlled trials on vitamin D supplementation have largely failed to show benefits, probably due to poor design and analysis.
  • 317
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Vitamin D and Cancer
There is strong evidence from geographical ecological and observational studies that solar UVB exposure and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration are inversely correlated with risk of incidence and death from many types of cancer. Clinical trials have provided limited support for the UVB-vitamin D-cancer hypothesis due to poor design and execution. Many experimental studies in cultured cells and animal models have described a wide range of anticancer effects of vitamin D compounds.
  • 419
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Type I Diabetes Pathoetiology and Pathophysiology
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) arises from the failure of pancreatic β-cells to produce adequate insulin, usually as a consequence of extensive pancreatic β-cell destruction. T1DM is classed as an immune-mediated condition. However, the processes that drive pancreatic β-cell apoptosis remain to be determined, resulting in a failure to prevent ongoing cellular destruction. Alteration in mitochondrial function is clearly the major pathophysiological process underpinning pancreatic β-cell loss in T1DM. This entry highlights the role of intercellular interactions among different cell types in pancreatic islets. It is proposed that the pathoetiology of T1DM arises from mitochondrial interactions among different pancreatic cells, leaving pancreatic B-cells with suppressed capacity to induce the mitochondrial melatonergic pathway, with the associated decrease in pancreatic B-cell melatonin leading to suboptimal mitochondrial function and increased oxidative stress that suppresses PINK1/parkin/mitophagy, leading increased major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-1. This results in the chemoattraction of CD8+ T cells and immune-mediated cell destruction. Variations in different gut bacteria and fungi contribute to pancreatic B-cell loss via their impacts on mitochondrial function within the interacting cells of the pancreatic islets. T1DM may therefore be more of a ‘mitochondria/metabolic’ disorder than an ‘autoimmune’ or ‘immune-mediated’ disorder.
  • 255
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Tomato and Olive Oil in Prostate Health
Tomato, the fruit providing the most comprehensive complex of prostate-health-preserving micronutrients, has been shown to be superior to its single-nutrient counterparts in decreasing the incidence of age-related prostate diseases.
  • 1.4K
  • 30 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Thymosin α1
Thymosin α1 (Tα1) is an immunostimulatory peptide that is commonly used as an immune enhancer in viral infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Tα1 can influence the functions of immune cells, such as T cells, B cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, by interacting with various Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Generally, Tα1 can bind to TLR3/4/9 and activate downstream IRF3 and NF-κB signal pathways, thus promoting the proliferation and activation of target immune cells.Moreover, TLR2 and TLR7 are also associated with Tα1. TLR2/NF-κB, TLR2/p38MAPK, or TLR7/MyD88 signaling pathways are activated by Tα1 to promote the production of various cytokines, thereby enhancing the innate and adaptive immune responses. At present, there are many reports on the clinical application and pharmacological research of Tα1, but there is no systematic review to analyze its exact clinical efficacy in these viral infectious diseases via its modulation of immune function.
  • 210
  • 29 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Therapeutic Potential of Certain Terpenoids as Anticancer Agents
Cancer is a life-threatening disease and is considered to be among the leading causes of death worldwide. Chemoresistance, severe toxicity, relapse and metastasis are the major obstacles in cancer therapy. Therefore, introducing new therapeutic agents for cancer remains a priority to increase the range of effective treatments. Terpenoids, a large group of secondary metabolites, are derived from plant sources and are composed of several isoprene units. The high diversity of terpenoids has drawn attention to their potential anticancer and pharmacological activities. Some terpenoids exhibit an anticancer effect by triggering various stages of cancer progression, for example, suppressing the early stage of tumorigenesis via induction of cell cycle arrest, inhibiting cancer cell differentiation and activating apoptosis. At the late stage of cancer development, certain terpenoids are able to inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis via modulation of different intracellular signaling pathways. Significant progress in the identification of the mechanism of action and signaling pathways through which terpenoids exert their anticancer effects has been highlighted. 
  • 588
  • 07 Mar 2022
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