The COVID-19 pandemic caused much illness, many deaths, and profound disruption to society. The production of ‘safe and effective’ vaccines was a key public health target. Sadly, unprecedented high rates of adverse events have overshadowe...
Background and Objectives: Meditation and mindfulness, rooted in ancient traditions, enhance mental well-being by cultivating awareness and emotional control. It has been shown to induce neuroplasticity, increase cortical thickness, reduce amygdala r...
Combination chemotherapy is still the standard clinical care for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, sodium iodide symporter (NIS) uptake by TNBC has opened the potential of NIS as a molecular target for radioiodine theranostic treatments....
Melanomas of the skin are poorly circumscribed lesions, very frequently asymptomatic but unfortunately with a continuous growing incidence. In this landscape, one can distinguish melanomas originating in the mucous membranes and located in areas not...
Genes required for SARS-CoV-2 entry into human cells, ACE2 and FURIN, were employed as baits to build genomic-guided molecular maps of upstream regulatory elements, their expression and functions in the human body, and pathophysiologically relevant c...
COVID-19 vaccines have been developed to confer immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prior to the pandemic of COVID-19 which started in March 2020, there was a well-established understanding about the structure and pathogenesis of previously kn...
Anemia is one of the most common chronic kidney disease (CKD) complications. It negatively affects patients’ quality of life and clinical outcomes. The pathophysiology of anemia in CKD involves the interplay of various factors such as erythropo...
Background: Miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has gained attention as an effective alternative to traditional rapid palatal expansion, particularly in adult patients. This scoping review synthesizes recent evidence to assess the clin...
The current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, has raised significant social, psychological and economic concerns in addition to direct medical issues. The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (S...
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines effectively reduce incidence of severe disease, hospitalisation and death. The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of the mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in these vaccines are unknown in humans. In this study, we us...
Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) belongs to polyphenols’ stilbenoids group, possessing two phenol rings linked to each other by an ethylene bridge. This natural polyphenol has been detected in more than 70 plant species, esp...
Nephrotic edema stands out as one of the most common complications of nephrotic syndrome. The effective management of hypervolemia is paramount in addressing this condition. Initially, “the underfill hypothesis” suggested that proteinuria...
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) encompasses the dysregulation of multiple brain circuits involved in executive function leading to excessive consumption of alcohol, despite negative health and social consequences and feelings of withdrawal when access to...
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are disorders associated with the heart and circulatory system. Atherosclerosis is its major underlying cause. CVDs are chronic and can remain hidden for a long time. Moreover, CVDs are the leading cause of global morbi...
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major microvascular complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. DKD is characterised by injury to both glomerular and tubular compartments, leading to kidney dysfunction over time. It is one of the most common...
Collagen is the most abundant structural protein found in humans and mammals, particularly in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Its primary function is to hold the body together. The collagen superfamily of proteins includes over 20 types that have bee...
Acute liver failure represents a life-threatening organ dysfunction with high mortality rates and an urgent need for liver transplantation. The etiology of the disease varies widely depending on various socio-economic factors and is represented mainl...
Liver iron overload is associated with conditions such as hereditary hemochromatosis, thalassemia major, and chronic liver diseases. The liver-related outcomes, patient outcomes, and treatment recommendations of these patients differ depending on the...
Background: Stroke is the third leading cause of disability. Virtual reality (VR) has shown promising results in post-stroke rehabilitation. The VR TRAVEE system was designed for the neuromotor rehabilitation of the upper limb after a stroke and offe...
Bone is the preferential site of metastasis for the most common tumors, including breast cancer. On the other hand, osteosarcoma is the primary bone cancer that most commonly occurs and causes bone cancer-related deaths in children. Several treatment...
Background/Objectives: The quantitative flow ratio (QFR)-based functional Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score (FSSQFR) combines coronary arteries’ anatomy and physiology. Methods: We...
Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is a group of enzymes that play an essential role in Phase I metabolism, with 57 functional genes classified into 18 families in the human genome, of which the CYP1, CYP2, and CYP3 families are prominent. Beyond drug metaboli...
The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 disease) uses the Spike proteins of its envelope for infecting target cells expressing on the membrane the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) enzyme that a...
A number of anti-angiogenesis drugs have been FDA-approved and are being used in cancer treatment, and a number of other agents are in different stages of clinical development or in preclinical evaluation. However, pharmacologic anti-angiogenesis str...
Alcoholic liver disease is the result of cascade events, which clinically first lead to alcoholic fatty liver, and then mostly via alcoholic steatohepatitis or alcoholic hepatitis potentially to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Pathogenetic ev...
Background: Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a widely used industrial chemical, was reported to induce memory and learning process dysfunction. Some studies tried to reveal the mechanisms that mediate these effects, but how they are produced is...
Coriolus versicolor (L.) Quél. is a higher fungi or mushroom which is now known by its accepted scientific name as Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd (family Polyporaceae). The polysaccharides, primarily two commercial products from China and Japa...
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, which may or may not be associated with muscle or joint stiffness, accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. It is...
Once ingested, most of the alcohol is metabolized in the liver by alcohol dehydrogenase to acetaldehyde. Two additional pathways of acetaldehyde generation are by microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (cytochrome P450 2E1) and catalase. Acetaldehyde ca...
Menopause-related decline in estrogen levels is accompanied by a change in adipose tissue distribution from a gynoid to an android and an increased prevalence of obesity in women. These unfavorable phenomena can be partially restored by hormone repla...
The rise of antimicrobial resistance, particularly from extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E), poses a significant global health challenge as it frequently causes the failure of empirical antibiotic therapy, leading...
Millions of people around the world drink alcoholic beverages to cope with the stress of modern lifestyle. Although moderate alcohol drinking may have some relaxing and euphoric effects, uncontrolled drinking exacerbates the problems associated with...
While the physical improvements from exercise have been well documented over the years, the impact of physical activity on mental health has recently become an object of interest. Physical exercise improves cognition, particularly attention, memory,...
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring tryptamine known for its psychedelic properties. Recent research indicates that psilocybin may constitute a valid approach to treat depression and anxiety associated to life-threatening diseases. The aim of this wo...
Cerebrospinal fluid plays a crucial role in protecting the central nervous system (CNS) by providing mechanical support, acting as a shock absorber, and transporting nutrients and waste products. It is produced in the ventricles of the brain and circ...
Chronic wounds do not progress through the wound healing process in a timely manner and are considered a burden for healthcare system; they are also the most common reason for decrease in patient quality of life. Traditional wound dressings e.g., ban...
The low water solubility of pharmacoactive molecules limits their pharmacological potential, but the solubility parameter cannot compromise, and so different approaches are employed to enhance their bioavailability. Pharmaceutically active molecules...
Historically, cannabis has been valued for its pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and calming properties. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese medicines recognized their therapeutic potential. The discovery of the endocannabi...
When “hijacked” by compulsive behaviors that affect the reward and stress centers of the brain, functional changes in the dopamine circuitry occur as the consequence of pathological brain adaptation. As a brain correlate of mental health,...
Herbal extracts and isolated plant compounds play an increasing role in the treatment of skin disorders and wounds. Several new herbal drugs, medicinal products and cosmetic products for the treatment of various skin conditions have been developed in...
Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been defined as the inability to attain or maintain penile erection sufficient for successful sexual intercourse. ED carries a notable influence on life quality, with significant implications for family and social relati...
The hypothalamic neuropeptide and hormone oxytocin are of fundamental importance for maternal, social, and sexual behavior. Deviations in oxytocin levels have also been associated with anxiety, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), depression, ADHD (atten...
Chronic stress significantly influences the pathogenesis of headache disorders, affecting millions worldwide. This review explores the intricate relationship between stress and headaches, focusing on the dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituit...
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gums. The incidence of periodontitis is increasing all over the world. In patients with periodontitis, there is gradual destruction of the periodontal ligament and the alveolar bone, and later, i...
Globally, malignancies cause one out of six mortalities, which is a serious health problem. Cancer therapy has always been challenging, apart from major advances in immunotherapies, stem cell transplantation, targeted therapies, hormonal therapies, p...
The human gut microbiota creates a complex microbial ecosystem, characterized by its high population density, wide diversity, and complex interactions. Any imbalance of the intestinal microbiome, whether qualitative or quantitative, may have serious...
First, we review the definitively severed myotendinous junction and recovery by the cytoprotective stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 therapy, its healing that might combine both transected and detached tendon and transected muscle, ligament and...
Evidence has shown that gut microbiome plays a role in modulating the development of diseases beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including skin disorders such as psoriasis. The gut–skin axis refers to the bidirectional relationship between the...
Meningiomas are the most common intracranial tumor, making up more than a third of all primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. They are mostly benign tumors that can be observed or preferentially treated with gross total resection that provides...
Inflammation is a physiological process involved in the defenses of the body and the repair of tissues. It is acutely activated by infections, trauma, toxins, or allergic reactions. However, if it becomes chronic, inflammation can end up stimulating...
