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Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
Food Polyphenols and Type II Diabetes Mellitus
Type II diabetes mellitus and its related complications are growing public health problems. Many natural products present in our diet, including polyphenols, can be used in treating and managing type II diabetes mellitus and different diseases, owing to their numerous biological properties. Anthocyanins, flavonols, stilbenes, curcuminoids, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringenin, and phenolic acids are common polyphenols found in blueberries, chokeberries, sea-buckthorn, mulberries, turmeric, citrus fruits, and cereals. These compounds exhibit antidiabetic effects through different pathways.
652
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Future Modulation of Gut Microbiota
The human gut is inhabited by a multitude of bacteria, yeasts, and viruses. A dynamic balance among these microorganisms is associated with the well-being of the human being, and a large body of evidence supports a role of dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Given the importance of the gut microbiota in the preservation of human health, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics have been classically used as strategies to modulate the gut microbiota and achieve beneficial effects for the host. Besides, several molecules not typically included in these categories have demonstrated a role in restoring the equilibrium among the components of the gut microbiota.
305
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Pituitary Function following Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy
Pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs) are usually benign and slow-growing; however, in some cases, they may behave aggressively and become resistant to conventional treatments. Therapeutic options for aggressive or metastatic PitNETs are limited, and currently mainly consist of temozolomide, with little experience of other emerging approaches, including peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). Somatostatin receptor expression in PitNETs explains the effectiveness of somatostatin analogues for treating PitNETs, particularly those hypersecreting pituitary hormones, such as growth hormone or adrenocorticotropic hormone. The expression of such receptors in pituitary tumour cells has provided the rationale for using PRRT to treat patients with aggressive or metastatic PitNETs.
260
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Eudragit
®
Based Copolymer for Smart Healthcare
Eudragit, synthesized by radical polymerization, is used for enteric coating, precise temporal release, and targeting the entire gastrointestinal system. Evonik Healthcare Germany offers different grades of Eudragit. The ratio of methacrylic acid to its methacrylate-based monomers used in the polymerization reaction defines the final product’s characteristics and consequently its potential range of applications.
763
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Liver Transplantation in Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a neoplasm with high mortality that represents 15% of all primary liver tumors. Its worldwide incidence is on the rise, and important advances in the knowledge of molecular mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment, overall survival has not substantially improved in the last decade. Surgical resection remains the cornerstone therapy for CCA. Unfortunately, complete resection is only possible in less than 15–35% of cases, with a risk of recurrence greater than 60%. Liver transplantation (LT) has been postulated as an effective therapeutic strategy in those intrahepatic CCA (iCCA) smaller than 3 cm.
264
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Surgical Management of Brain Tumors with Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound is a novel technique for the treatment of aggressive brain tumors that uses both mechanical and thermal mechanisms. This non-invasive technique can allow for both the thermal ablation of inoperable tumors and the delivery of chemotherapy and immunotherapy while minimizing the risk of infection and shortening the time to recovery. With recent advances, focused ultrasound has been increasingly effective for larger tumors without the need for a craniotomy and can be used with minimal surrounding soft tissue damage. Treatment efficacy is dependent on multiple variables, including blood–brain barrier permeability, patient anatomical features, and tumor-specific features.
383
22 May 2023
Topic Review
CT Application in Structural Heart Diseases
Computed tomography (CT) scanning has recently assumed a first-pillar role in the preoperative planning of patients undergoing transcatheter structural heart procedures (e.g., transcatheter aortic valve implantation, TAVI; MitraClip; Triclip; left atrial appendage occlusion, LAAO). A careful preprocedural assessment is crucial for achieving the best possible result, and, currently, CT represents the paramount technique to obtain morphological data on cardiac and vessel structures, thus allowing to choose the most appropriate vascular approach, the type and size of devices, and all the required steps to meet procedural expectations. The image reconstruction accuracy also provides information to predict potential complications such as misplacements and leakages.
181
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Phenotypic Guidance of Corticosteroids and Antibiotics in COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease with distinct phenotypes, each having distinct treatment needs. Eosinophilic airway inflammation is present in a subset of COPD patients in whom it can act as a driver of exacerbations. Blood eosinophil counts are a reliable way to identify patients with an eosinophilic phenotype, and these measurements have proven to be successful in guiding the use of corticosteroids in moderate and severe COPD exacerbations. Antibiotic use in COPD patients induces a risk of Clostridium difficile infection, diarrhea, and antibiotic resistance. Procalcitonin could possibly guide antibiotic treatment in patients admitted with acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). Current studies in COPD patients were successful in reducing exposure to antibiotics with no changes in mortality or length of stay. Daily monitoring of blood eosinophils is a safe and effective way to reduce oral corticosteroid exposure and side effects for acute exacerbations.
407
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Pharmacological Activities of Diterpenoid Alkaloids
Diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs) are characteristic components of some genera of the Ranunculaceae family, the occurrence of which is extraordinarily high in the genera Aconitum, Delphinium, and Consolida. To affect the central nervous system, primarily, the drug should pass the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Transmembrane diffusion is the most common route of drugs to pass the BBB and, in contrast to the transport system, shows a non-saturable kinetic. Physiochemical features of the drug mainly determine the amounts of this passage. Molecular weight (400–600 Da is optimum), lipid solubility, molecular charge, and tertiary structure are the most important factors necessary for transmembrane diffusion through BBB. The diterpenic backbone of DAs provides their suitable lipid solubility, but the presence of tertiary nitrogen makes them different from normal diterpenoids. The tertiary nitrogen with the highest proton affinity in the molecule (in water) rearranges the electronic structure of DA by its protonation. Moreover, computational modeling showed that the function of nitrogen besides ester sidechains causes DAs to interact with the active sites as well as their toxicity.
293
22 May 2023
Topic Review
Role of Midkine in Cancer Drug Resistance
Molecules involved in drug resistance can be targeted for better therapeutic efficacies. Research on midkine (MDK) has escalated in the last few decades, which affirms a positive correlation between disease progression and MDK expression in most cancers and indicates its association with multi-drug resistance in cancer. MDK, a secretory cytokine found in blood, can be exploited as a potent biomarker for the non-invasive detection of drug resistance expressed in various cancers and, thereby, can be targeted.
367
22 May 2023
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