Topic Review
Bacteriophage Therapy of Bacterial Infections
Antibiotic-resistant infections present a serious health concern worldwide. It is estimated that there are 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections and 35,000 deaths in the United States every year. Such microorganisms include Acinetobacter, Enterobacterioceae, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Mycobacterium. Alternative treatment methods are, thus, necessary to treat such infections. Bacteriophages are viruses of bacteria. In a lytic infection, the newly formed phage particles lyse the bacterium and continue to infect other bacteria. In the early 20th century, d’Herelle, Bruynoghe and Maisin used bacterium-specific phages to treat bacterial infections. Bacteriophages are being identified, purified and developed as pharmaceutically acceptable macromolecular “drugs,” undergoing strict quality control. Phages can be applied topically or delivered by inhalation, orally or parenterally. Some of the major drug-resistant infections that are potential targets of pharmaceutically prepared phages are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Acinetobacter baumannii.
  • 989
  • 27 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin is a well-known carotenoid of the xanthophyll family, mainly produced by marine organisms such as the macroalgae of the fucus genus or microalgae such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Fucoxanthin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties but also several anticancer effects. Fucoxanthin induces cell growth arrest, apoptosis, and/or autophagy in several cancer cell lines as well as in animal models of cancer. Fucoxanthin treatment leads to the inhibition of metastasis-related migration, invasion, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis. Fucoxanthin also affects the DNA repair pathways, which could be involved in the resistance phenotype of tumor cells. Moreover, combined treatments of fucoxanthin, or its metabolite fucoxanthinol, with usual anticancer treatments can support conventional therapeutic strategies by reducing drug resistance.
  • 989
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Sertraline in Hemodialysis Patients
Depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric disorders in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients treated with hemodialysis (HD) and may correlate with lower quality of life and increased mortality. Depression treatment in HD patients is still a challenge both for nephrologists and psychiatrists. The possible treatment of depressive disorders can be pharmacological and non-pharmacological. In our article, we focus on the use of sertraline, the medication which seems to be relatively safe and efficient in the abovementioned population, taking under consideration several limitations regarding the use of other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
  • 983
  • 23 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Colloidal Systems
Preparing a suitable formulation for parenteral administration is already a difficult task; this, coupled with poor water-soluble new chemical entity (NCE), complicates this situation even further. Making a micro/nano emulsion with a suitable surfactant not only increases the drug solubility but also the cell membrane permeability. This succinct entry delves into various aspects of biphasic micro/nano emulsion systems for parenteral drug delivery including the structure of the biphasic colloidal systems, characterization parameters, stability issues, regulatory considerations, and applications in life sciences.
  • 981
  • 20 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Natural-Drugs-Based Low-Molecular-Weight Supramolecular Gels
The utilization of paclitaxel, camptothecin, rhein, curcumin, and other natural small molecular drugs with unique rigid backbone structures and modifiable multiple sites as building blocks to form gels by self-assembly has attracted widespread attention. The obtained low-molecular-weight supramolecular gel not only retains the general characteristics of the gel but also overcomes the shortcomings of natural drugs, such as poor water solubility and low bioavailability.
  • 980
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Excipients Used for Modified Nasal Drug Delivery
Intranasal absorption is a favored route because it avoids the gastrointestinal and hepatic metabolism, leading to an increase in drug bioavailability, and a reduction in the side effects and the required dose administered. The ongoing challenging task in the field of nasal drug delivery is the maintenance of an efficient concentration of the active substance in the target area for an adequate period of time. 
  • 981
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Microbiota
The human gut microflora comprises over 1000 species and more than 7000 strains, representing 1013–1014 bacterial cells, which is ten times more numerous than other cells. Healthy gut microbiota is mainly composed of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, representing around 90% of the human gut flora, followed by Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Proteobacteria.
  • 979
  • 18 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Human Endogenous Retrovirus in Neurodegeneration
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ancient retroviral DNA sequences established into germline. They contain regulatory elements and encoded proteins few of which may provide benefits to hosts when co-opted as cellular genes. Their tight regulation is mainly achieved by epigenetic mechanisms, which can be altered by environmental factors, e.g., viral infections, leading to HERV activation. This review summarizes the recent advances on the epigenetic mechanisms controlling HERV expression and the pathogenic effects triggered by HERV de-repression leading to neurological diseases, inflammatory processes and neurodegeneration.
  • 979
  • 04 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Techniques for Extraction of Phytochemicals from Medical Cannabis
Cannabis is a rich source of phytochemicals with over 125 types of cannabinoids and 400 non-cannabinoids like flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, and terpenes. These phytochemicals have been linked to various health benefits. Cannabis is well-known for its numerous therapeutic activities, as demonstrated in pre-clinical and clinical studies primarily due to its bioactive compounds. The Cannabis industry is rapidly growing; therefore, product development and extraction methods have become crucial aspects of Cannabis research. 
  • 979
  • 27 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Leukocytosis Associated with Clozapine Treatment
Clozapine is the only antipsychotic approved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Despite its superior efficacy profile as compared with other antipsychotics, clozapine remains underutilized. Clozapine monitoring systems clearly describe the proposed management of clozapine-induced neutropenia; however, no specific mention is made of how to interpret neutrophilic leukocytosis, despite that being a relatively frequent finding. 
  • 976
  • 28 Sep 2021
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