Topic Review
Drug Response Diversity
Interindividual heterogeneity in response to treatment is a real public health problem. It is a factor that can be responsible not only for ineffectiveness or fatal toxicity but also for hospitalization due to iatrogenic effects, thus increasing the cost of patient care. Several research teams have been interested in what may be at the origin of these phenomena, particularly at the genetic level and the basal activity of organs dedicated to the inactivation and elimination of drug molecules. Today, a new branch is being set up, explaining the enigmatic part that could not be explained before. Pharmacomicrobiomics attempts to investigate the interactions between bacteria, especially those in the gut, and drug response.
  • 344
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Tissue-Specific Methylation Biosignatures
Tissue-specific gene methylation events are key to the pathogenesis of several diseases and can be utilized for diagnosis and monitoring. By employing a data-driven approach, researchers establish specific methylation disease profiles to be applied in clinical practice and to understand human pathology. 
  • 344
  • 25 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Natural Peptides and Their Beneficial Effects on Skin
Peptides, functional nutrients with a size between those of large proteins and small amino acids, are easily absorbed by the human body. Therefore, they are seeing increasing use in clinical medicine and have revealed immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties which could make them effective in healing skin wounds.
  • 344
  • 17 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Effects of Hydroxytyrosol in Endothelial Functioning
Pharmacologists have been emphasizing and applying plant and herbal-based treatments in vascular diseases. Olives, for example, are a traditional symbol of the Mediterranean diet. Hydroxytyrosol is an olive-derived compound known for its antioxidant and cardioprotective effects. Acknowledging the merit of antioxidants in maintaining endothelial function warrants the application of hydroxytyrosol in endothelial dysfunction salvage and recovery. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is an impairment of endothelial cells that adversely affects vascular homeostasis. Disturbance in endothelial functioning is a known precursor for atherosclerosis and, subsequently, coronary and peripheral artery disease.
  • 344
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Drug Delivery Hurdles in Skin Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy of skin cancer can be either oral, parenteral, or topical. In the first case, only a limited amount of the drug reaches the target site, while the rest reaches other organs, tissues, and cells, and can cause harmful side effects. The case is quite similar in parenteral application together with its invasiveness. Therefore, the local application on different skin cancer forms can gain in therapeutic efficacy and safety. The various types of gel formulations applied topically in the treatment of skin cancer was discussed. The most common gelling agents, their concentration and mechanism of action is also provided. The possibility to combine nanotechnology for improvement of drug loading and delivery by incorporation of nanoparticles into hydrogels is also evaluated. The main methods for gel characterization in the light of topical delivery of chemotherapeutics were summarized.
  • 345
  • 05 May 2023
Topic Review
Echinacea purpurea L. (Moench) Hemagglutinin
Echinacea purpurea L. (Moench) is used in traditional and conventional medicine. However, there is lack of data on the biological activities of primary plant metabolite lectins. The aim of our experiment was to find out how lectin LysM (lysine motif), which was previously purified, affects the immune response in vivo. Eight-week-old BALB/c male mice (n = 15) received four weekly 250 μg/kg peritonial injections of purified Echinacea purpurea L. (Moench) roots’ LysM lectin. The control animal group (n = 15) received 50 μL peritoneal injections of fresh Echinacea purpurea L. (Moench) root tincture, and the negative control animal group (n = 15) received 50 μL peritoneal injections of physiological solution. At the fifth experimental week, the animals were sedated with carbon dioxide, and later euthanized by cervical dislocation, and then their blood and spleen samples were collected. The leukocytes’ formula and lymphocytes’ count was estimated in blood samples, the T lymphocytes’ density was evaluated in spleen zones. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference between each group was observed in the leukocytes’ formula (monocytes’ percentage, also little, medium and giant size lymphocytes). The purple coneflower fresh roots’ tincture significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the T lymphocytes’ quantity in peritoneal lymphoid sheaths (PALS) compared with the physiological solution injection’s group (p < 0.05) and the lectin injection’s group (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, lectin injections caused a significant (p < 0.01) increase in the T lymphocytes in a spleen PALS zone, compared with the physiological solution and tincture injection’s group. Our data suggests that LysM lectin acts as an immunostimulant, while fresh purple coneflower tincture causes immunosuppression.
  • 344
  • 15 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Natural Products in the Model Organism Caenorhabditis elegans
Natural products are small molecules naturally produced by multiple sources such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and archaea. They exert both beneficial and detrimental effects by modulating biological targets and pathways involved in oxidative stress and antioxidant response. Natural products’ oxidative or antioxidative properties are usually investigated in preclinical experimental models, including virtual computing simulations, cell and tissue cultures, rodent and nonhuman primate animal models, and human studies.
  • 343
  • 15 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Intrathecal Pseudodelivery of Drugs for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Intrathecal pseudodelivery of drugs is a novel route to administer medications to treat neurodegenerative diseases based on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-sink therapeutic strategy by means of implantable devices. 
  • 343
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
The Bright Side of Psychedelics
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has emerged as an alternative strategy, one that arose in response to the crisis of new psychiatric drugs, there have been promising clinical trials of PAP with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and ibogaine to combat drug, alcohol and nicotine addiction. Potential applications have been found in the treatment of anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, major depression, autism spectrum disorders, and, finally, in delaying cognitive decline.
  • 343
  • 27 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Transformation  of the Role of the Pharmacist
Pharmacy emerged as an identifiable profession emanating from a nebulous background in which various actors delved in medicinal science and other aspects of healthcare. The profession of the pharmacist as a dispenser of medicines is expanding. The pharmacist’s activities are also progressing into new healthcare fields. 
  • 342
  • 15 Nov 2022
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