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Topic Review
Glycemic Control
Experimental evidence suggests that cadmium (Cd) boosts oxidative stress that may result in toxicity on the endocrine system also in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the glycemic control and oxidative stress markers in male adolescents with increased urinary levels of cadmium. We investigated 111 males, aged 12–14 years, living in a polluted area of Sicily and a control age-matched population (n = 60) living 28–45 km far from the polluted site. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant activity (TAC), metallothionein-1A (MT-1A) gene expression, insulin resistance by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR), and urinary cadmium were investigated. Cd levels were significantly higher in adolescents living in the polluted area than in control age-matched subjects. Adolescents with elevated Cd levels had a significant increase in MDA, MT-1A, and HOMA-IR and reduced TAC compared to the control group. A robust correlation was found between urinary cadmium and MT-1A, HOMA-IR, and MDA whereas an inverse correlation was identified between urinary cadmium and TAC. This study indicates that cadmium burden alters glycemic control in adolescents and suggests that oxidative stress plays a key role in cadmium-induced insulin resistance, increasing the risk of developing metabolic disorders.
  • 818
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
New Discovered Molecules of COVID-19
New molecules/drugs are discovered by humans for the therapeutic management of new diseases or to address existing health challenges. New molecules/drugs require extensive clinical investigations, followed by approval from drug regulatory agencies for marketing.
  • 820
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Spatiotemporal Release of Anticancer Drugs
To overcome cancer, various chemotherapeutic studies are in progress; among these, studies on nano-formulated combinatorial drugs (NFCDs) are being actively pursued. NFCDs function via a fusion technology that includes a drug delivery system using nanoparticles as a carrier and a combinatorial drug therapy using two or more drugs. It not only includes the advantages of these two technologies, such as ensuring stability of drugs, selectively transporting drugs to cancer cells, and synergistic effects of two or more drugs, but also has the additional benefit of enabling the spatiotemporal and controlled release of drugs. This spatial and temporal drug release from NFCDs depends on the application of nanotechnology and the composition of the combination drug. 
  • 817
  • 05 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Combination Therapies in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Until now, available therapeutic agents for AD treatment only provide symptomatic treatment. Since AD pathogenesis is multifactorial, use of a multimodal therapeutic intervention addressing several molecular targets of AD-related pathological processes seems to be the most practical approach to modify the course of AD progression. It has been demonstrated through numerous studies, that the clinical efficacy of combination therapy (CT) is higher than that of monotherapy. It is indeed difficult to combine several pharmacophores into a single molecule.  It is essential to carry out long-duration randomized controlled trials to establish whether CT delays disease progression in early AD stages. Other factors also need to be assessed in CT, such as its potential neuroprotective effects, cost-effectiveness, and a more exhaustive estimation of its potential benefits on the patients at the end-stage of AD.
  • 816
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Beta-Blockers and Cancer
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. After diagnosis, cancer treatment may involve radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Several of the approaches used to treat cancer also attack normal cells and, thus, there is the need for more effective treatments that decrease the toxicity to normal cells and increase the success rates of treatment. The use of beta-blockers in cancer has been studied for their antagonist action on the adrenergic system through inhibition of beta-adrenergic receptors. Besides regulating processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, and airway strength or reactivity, beta-blockers block mechanisms that trigger tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and tumor metastasis.
  • 816
  • 28 May 2021
Topic Review
Artemisia absinthium L.
Artemisia absinthium – wormwood (Asteraceae) – is a very important species in the history of medicine, formerly described in medieval Europe as “the most important master against all exhaustions”. It is a species known as a medicinal plant in Europe and also in West Asia and North America. The raw material obtained from this species is Artemisiae herba and Artemisiae absinthium aetheroleum. The main substances responsible for the biological activity of the herb are: the essential oil, bitter sesquiterpenoid lactones, flavonoids, another bitterness-imparting compounds, azulenes, phenolic acids, tannins and lignans. In the official European medicine, the species is used in both allopathy and homeopathy. In the traditional Asian and European medicine, it has been used as an effective agent in gastrointestinal ailments and also in the treatment of helminthiasis, anaemia, insomnia, bladder diseases, difficult-to-heal wounds, and fever. Today, numerous other directions of biological activity of the components of this species have been demonstrated and confirmed by scientific research, antiprotozoal, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, cytotoxic, analgesic, neuroprotective, antidepressant, procognitive, neurotrophic, and cell membrane stabilizing activities. A. absinthium is also making a successful career as a cosmetic plant. In addition, the importance of this species as a spice plant and valuable additive in the alcohol industry (famous absinthe and vermouth-type wines) has not decreased. The species has also become an object of biotechnological research.
  • 816
  • 27 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Microbial Biosurfactants
Surface-active molecules also known as surfactants are chemicals that have key impacts on several aspects of our daily products and life. Most of these chemical surfactants originate from petrochemical of oleochemical sources and are ingredients of household laundry cleaning agents, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, environmental cleaning products, petroleum, and agro-food processing industry. Worldwide use of these compounds has been steadily increasing during the past few decades and will be further increasing in the future.  Most such chemical surfactants  however, have negative effects on the environment, a fact that led to the search for alternatives with less impact and the shift towards a more sustainable environmental friendly biological surfactants (biosurfactants) which was mainly driven by the sustainability agenda by many international players in the field. Most these biosurfactants are produced by microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and the advantages they bring include much lower toxicity, relative stability at high temperature and in adverse environments in addition to being readily biodegradable when, discharged into the environment. Many chemical surfactants included in cosmetic and pharmaceutical compounds have been reported to have the potential to cause detrimental effects such as allergic reactions and skin irritations to the human skin which encouraged the search for a more suitable replacements  with less or no negative effects on skin health. As biosurfactants were known to exhibit skin compatibility, protection and surface moisturizing effects which are key components for an effective skincare routine in addition to lower toxicity. Interest therefore in biosurfactants that have antimicrobial, skin surface moisturizing and low toxicity properties which would make them suitable substitutes for chemical surfactants in current cosmetic and personal skincare and pharmaceutical formulations has been steadily increasing. 
  • 819
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Natural Compound Berberine
Accumulation of misfolded proteins is a common hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) which results from a failure or an impairment of the protein quality control (PQC) system. The PQC system is composed by chaperones and the degradative systems (proteasome and autophagy). Misfolded proteins are potentially neurotoxic, thus strategies aimed at preventing their aggregation or enhancing their clearance are emerging as interesting therapeutic targets for NDs. We tested the natural alkaloid berberine (BBR) and some derivatives (NAXs) for their capability to enhance misfolded proteins clearance in cell models of NDs. We found that both BBR and its semisynthetic derivatives promoted proteasomal degradation of mutant androgen receptor (ARpolyQ) causative of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, preventing its aggregation. Overlapping effects were observed on other misfolded proteins causative of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal-lobar degeneration or Huntington disease, but with selective and specific action against each different mutant protein. BBR and NAX compounds induce the clearance of misfolded proteins responsible for NDs, representing potential therapeutic tools to counteract these fatal disorders.  
  • 815
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System
The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is comprised of two main branches, with ACE2 representing a crucial component of the protective part of the complex. The ACE2/Ang (1-7) axis is well represented in the testis, heart, brain, kidney, and intestine. Infection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus determines downregulation of ACE2 and interrupts the equilibrium between ACE and ACE2 in these organs.
  • 815
  • 30 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Honey in Reversing Metabolic Syndrome
Honey is a natural by-product from the flower nectar and aerodigestive tract of honey bees, which contains various complex biochemical components. Fructose (36%) and glucose (31%) are the main carbohydrate constituents of honey.
  • 814
  • 18 Mar 2021
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