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Molecular hydrogen is gaining increasing attention as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic agent. Once considered an inert gas, it reveals current therapeutic potential among others in inflammatory diseases, cancer, and sports medicine, among others. The present review aims to provide a consistent summary
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Molecular hydrogen is gaining increasing attention as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic agent. Once considered an inert gas, it reveals current therapeutic potential among others in inflammatory diseases, cancer, and sports medicine, among others. The present review aims to provide a consistent summary of the findings of the last twenty years on the use of molecular hydrogen in major respiratory diseases, including allergies, asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, lung injury of various origins, as well as cancer and infections of the respiratory tract. In addition, the basic mechanisms through which molecular hydrogen exercises its biological activity on the respiratory system are described.
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Muhammad Awais Ashraf, Bei Shen, Muhammad Asif Raza, Zhu Yang, Muhammad Nabeel Amjad, Ghayyas ud Din, Lihuan Yue, Afifa Kousar, Qudsia Kanwal and Yihong Hu
Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein, accounting for approximately 50% of total serum protein in healthy individuals. In recent years, albumin has attracted significant attention due to its biocompatibility, non-toxicity (metabolizing in vivo into harmless degradation products), non-immunogenic properties, ease of purification,
[...] Read more.
Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein, accounting for approximately 50% of total serum protein in healthy individuals. In recent years, albumin has attracted significant attention due to its biocompatibility, non-toxicity (metabolizing in vivo into harmless degradation products), non-immunogenic properties, ease of purification, and water solubility. These characteristics render it an ideal candidate for a wide range of biomedical applications. Its uses include drug delivery systems, wound healing, antioxidant therapies, infusion treatments, COVID-19 therapeutics, tissue engineering, and other critical care domains. Consequently, the global demand for albumin has been steadily increasing. The international albumin market was valued at USD 5394.9 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 9192 million by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%. Given its diverse applications and rising demand, substantial efforts have been made to ensure a sustainable supply of albumin. This review provides an overview of albumin, along with its novel applications, purification methods, and market trends.
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Ivan Vukosavljević, Nataša Djorić, Ivana Vukosavljević, Jasmina Milovanović, Nataša Zdravković, Katarina Djordjević, Nebojša Zdravković, Marina Kostić, Ana Barjaktarević, Snezana Cupara, Ivan Čekerevac, Nevena Vasović, Aleksandra Tomić Lučić, Marija Šorak, Nikola Mirković and Olivera Kostić
Background and Objectives: Self-medication includes the use of drugs or herbal preparations based on one’s own discretion or the recommendation of another person, often a family member, friend, neighbor, or even a pharmacist, without prior examination and consultation with a doctor. The
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Background and Objectives: Self-medication includes the use of drugs or herbal preparations based on one’s own discretion or the recommendation of another person, often a family member, friend, neighbor, or even a pharmacist, without prior examination and consultation with a doctor. The goal of this study was to determine respondents’ reasons for using self-medication, determine the frequency of self-medication, and analyze differences in respondents’ attitudes about self-medication in relation to several factors. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional observational study. The respondents were patients seeking medical examination at the Health Center in Jagodina who had used over-the-counter medications during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 175 respondents participated in the study. The study design provided answers to questions about the respondents’ self-medication habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: More than half of the respondents (53.71%) bought medicines without a prescription, with most cases involving analgesics (52.83%). Almost three-quarters of the respondents were completely vaccinated (74.29%) against COVID-19. Additionally, 39.62% of participants used vitamins as part of their self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the vitamins, respondents most commonly used a combination of vitamins C and D (20.75%), vitamin D (5.66%), vitamin C (5.66%), and vitamin A (1.89%). Conclusions: Self-medication for the treatment of coronavirus is more often used by younger respondents, who are not yet married, do not have their own income, and rarely visit a doctor. As for supplements, respondents used zinc, and as for vitamins, respondents mostly used a combination of vitamins C and D.
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Research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural, urban, and suburban public schools in southwestern Pennsylvania indicated that families and school educators and leaders had different views on education and that more needed to be done to build family, school, and community partnerships.
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Research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural, urban, and suburban public schools in southwestern Pennsylvania indicated that families and school educators and leaders had different views on education and that more needed to be done to build family, school, and community partnerships. The Parents as Allies Partnership, a collective of community, education, and research institutions, emerged out of this study and has led the co-creation of a human-centered design process with school teams on how to radically reimagine and support family, school, and community collaboration in southwestern Pennsylvania. Through the human-centered design process, teams of families, teachers, staff, and school leaders develop innovative solutions together to address pressing needs they identify in their communities. This article details this community-building process alongside case studies of three schools and how they have used the research to launch deeper and more inclusive and equitable familycentric partnership practices. This study challenges educators, researchers, and parent organizations to think differently about family, school, and community engagement and provides an evidence-based process to apply in their own contexts.
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Background and Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can support patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure, but it poses risks such as hemolysis, leading to complications. Plasma-free hemoglobin (PFH) is a hemolysis biomarker, with elevated levels linked to mortality. This study evaluates PFH and
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Background and Objectives: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can support patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure, but it poses risks such as hemolysis, leading to complications. Plasma-free hemoglobin (PFH) is a hemolysis biomarker, with elevated levels linked to mortality. This study evaluates PFH and ECMO survival in COVID-19, non-COVID-19 pulmonary, and cardiac patients, focusing on late PFH spikes. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 122 ECMO patients treated at our tertiary hospital (January 2020–December 2021). Patients were categorized by indication: post-COVID-19, non-COVID-19 pulmonary, or cardiac. We classified patients as Expired (died during ECMO or ≤30 days post-ECMO) or Survived (>30 days post-ECMO). Data included demographics, ECMO duration, and PFH values at 24 h and during the last 3 and 5 ECMO days. Groups were compared using two-tailed t-tests, with p < 0.05 indicating significance. Results: COVID-19 patients survived after significantly longer ECMO duration than non-COVID-19 pulmonary and cardiac patients. Expired COVID-19 patients had higher PFH values during the last 3 and 5 days of ECMO compared to survivors. Cardiac patients had the highest overall PFH levels regardless of mortality. No significant differences in PFH trends were observed between non-COVID-19 pulmonary and cardiac patients. Conclusions: Late PFH spikes correlated with mortality in COVID-19 patients, suggesting the utility of measuring late PFH spikes in ECMO management. Additionally, COVID-19 pulmonary patients survived when undergoing ECMO significantly longer than both groups, while VA ECMO was more prone to hemolysis. However, technical cannulation differences and frequent use of an Impella pump in cardiac patients may increase blood stress and PFH values.
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Normal pregnancy is associated with multiple changes in the coagulation and the fibrinolytic system. In contrast to a non-pregnant state, pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state where the level of VWF increases by 200–375%, affecting coagulation activity. Moreover, in this hypercoagulable state of pregnancy,
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Normal pregnancy is associated with multiple changes in the coagulation and the fibrinolytic system. In contrast to a non-pregnant state, pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state where the level of VWF increases by 200–375%, affecting coagulation activity. Moreover, in this hypercoagulable state of pregnancy, preeclampsia is exacerbated. ADAMTS13 cleaves the bond between Tyr1605 and Met1606 in the A2 domain of VWF, thereby reducing its molecular weight. A deficiency of ADAMTS13 originates from mutations in gene or autoantibodies formed against the protease, leading to defective enzyme production. Von Willebrand protein is critical for hemostasis and thrombosis, promoting thrombus formation by mediating the adhesion of platelets and aggregation at high shear stress conditions within the vessel wall. Mutations in VWF disrupts multimer assembly, secretion and/or catabolism, thereby influencing bleeding. VWF is the primary regulator of plasma ADAMTS13 levels since even minute amounts of active ADAMTS13 protease have a significant inhibitory effect on inflammation and thrombosis. VWF is released as a result of endothelial activation brought on by HIV infection. The SARS-CoV-2 infection promotes circulating proinflammatory cytokines, increasing endothelial secretion of ultra large VWF that causes an imbalance in VWF/ADAMTS13. Raised VWF levels corresponds with greater platelet adhesiveness, promoting a thrombotic tendency in stenotic vessels, leading to increased shear stress conditions.
Full article
The first webinar in the series, held on 17 April 2020, saw both Prof. Dr. Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Prof. Dr. Evelyne Bischof, Associate Professor, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China and Research physician, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland speak on this topic.
The second webinar in the series, entitled “Coronaviruses: history, replication, innate immune antagonism”, saw Prof. Dr. Susan R. Weiss, Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania speak on this topic.
WEBINAR 3: Could the COVID-19 Crisis be the Opportunity to Make Cities Carbon Neutral, Liveable and Healthy
The third webinar in this series was presented by Prof. Dr. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a world leading expert in environmental exposure assessment, epidemiology, and health risk/impact assessment with a strong focus and interest on healthy urban living.
WEBINAR 4: COVID-19 - Global Supply Chains and the SDGs
For the fourth webinar of this series, Prof. Dr. Max Bergman, Dr. Dorothea Schostok and Prof. Dr. Patrick Paul Walsh gave a presentation on Global Supply Chains and the SDGs.
WEBINAR 5: The New Role of Family Physicians in Times of COVID-19
The fifth webinar of the COVID-19 Series saw Prof. Dr. Christos Lionis discuss the new role of family physicians that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WEBINAR 6: Survey on Symptoms/Signs, Protective Measures, Level of Awareness and Perception Regarding COVID-19 Outbreak among Dentists
In the sixth webinar of this series, Prof. Dr. Guglielmo Campus and Prof. Dr. Maria Grazia present and discuss the risk and the preventions that can and should be taken by dentists during this pandemic.
WEBINAR 7: Living with COVID-19: An Early Intervention Therapeutic Strategy to Control the Pandemic
The seventh webinar of the COVID-19 series, Dr. Hamid Merchant discussed the different therapeutic strategies that can be adopted in the early stages of the infection.
WEBINAR 8: Impact of COVID-19 on Routine Immunization, Reproduction and Pregnancy Outcome
For the eighth COVID-19 webinar, Prof. Dr. Jon Øyvind Odland discussed the effect that COVID-19 seems to have on pregnant women; whereas Prof. Dr. Giovanni Gabutti discussed the role of routine immunization as a way of fighting COVID-19.
