Material and Methods: Patients with Turner syndrome (n=35) and healthy control (n=20) (age/gender matched) subjects were included. MRI imaging of the pituitary was used to calculate pituitary volumes. According to the estradiol regimen, patients were divided into two groups; (i) those treated with low-dose conjugated oestrogen (CE, 0.625 mg) and (ii) those treated with combination therapy (ethinyl estradiol+sipropterone acetate; 35 mcg/2 mg). Pituitary measurements were calculated according to pituitary borders and their distances to each other via pituitary MRI.

Results: Pituitary hyperplasia (0.58±0.15 cm³vs. 0.40±0.17 cm³) was determined in patients with low dose conjugated estrogen compared to the other patients or healthy control subjects (0.42±0.16 cm³) (p=0.005). Serum FSH levels of the patients treated with low dose CE were also higher compared to the patients who received combination therapy (p=0.001).

Conclusion: Inadequate hormone replacement therapy can cause devastating effects on the bones and uterine health and disrupts the pituitary structure.

Objectives: The purpose of this article was to familiarize pediatricians with the diagnosis and management of pinworm infestation.

Methods: A search was conducted in August 2023 in PubMed Clinical Queries using the key terms “Enterobius vermicularis,” OR “enterobiasis,” OR “pinworm.” The search strategy included all clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews published within the past 10 years. Only papers published in the English literature were included in this review. The information retrieved from the above search was used in the compilation of the present article.

Results: Enterobiasis is a cosmopolitan parasitosis caused by Enterobius vermicularis. It affects approximately 30% of children worldwide and up to 60% of children in some developing countries. Predisposing factors include poor socioeconomic conditions, inadequate sanitation, poor personal hygiene, and overcrowding. Children aged 5 to 14 years have shown the highest prevalence of enterobiasis.. Egg transmission is mainly by the fecal-oral route. Approximately 30 to 40% of infested patients do not show any clinical symptoms of the disease. For symptomatic patients, the most common presenting symptom is nocturnal pruritus ani. The diagnosis of E. vermicularis infection is best established by the cellophane tape test. The sensitivity of one single test is around 50%; however, the sensitivity increases to approximately 90% with tests performed on three different mornings. If a worm is visualized in the perianal area or the stool, a pathological examination of the worm will yield a definitive diagnosis. As pinworms and eggs are not usually passed in the stool, examination of the stool is not recommended. The drugs of choice for the treatment of pinworm infestation are mebendazole (100 mg), pyrantel pamoate (11 mg/kg, maximum 1 g), and albendazole (400 mg), all of the above-mentioned drugs are given in a single dose and repeated in two weeks. Mebendazole and albendazole are both adulticidal and ovicidal, whereas pyrantel pamoate is only adulticidal. Given their safety and effectiveness, mebendazole and albendazole are currently the best available drugs for the treatment of pinworm infestation. For pregnant women, pyrantel is preferred to mebendazole and albendazole. Treatment of all household members should be considered, especially if there are multiple or repeated symptomatic infections because reinfection is common even when effective medication is given.

Conclusion: In spite of effective treatment of pinworm infestation, recurrences are common. Recurrences are likely due to repeated cycles of reinfection (particularly, autoinfection) because of the short life span of adult pinworms. Good personal hygiene, such as frequent handwashing, especially after bowel movements and before meals, clipping of fingernails, avoidance of finger-sucking, nail-biting, and scratching in the anogenital area, are important preventive measures. Treatment of all household members should be considered, especially if there are multiple or repeated symptomatic infections.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 111 individuals suffering from musculoskeletal diseases who were undergoing treatment in a university hospital in a metropolitan city in Turkey. Personal information forms, the Emotion Expression Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale were utilized in the research questionnaire.

Results: A significant positive relationship was detected between expressing emotions and psychological well-being scores, and it was determined that expressing emotions positively influenced psychological well-being. Emotion expression accounted for 15.8 percent of psychological well-being (F=21.668, p<0.001). It was also unearthed that there was a significant difference between the groups according to the variables of level of education, gender, marital status, family structure, personal history, and whether there was a history of illness in the family. The model explained 34.7% of the variance in psychological well-being (F=12.708, p<0.001). In order of importance, expressing closeness (β=0.470; p<0.001), a higher education level (β=0.249; p<0.05), and expressing negative emotion (β=0.178, p<0.05) variables positively predict psychological well-being. However, single marital status (β=-0.239, p<0.05) predicts psychological well-being negatively.

Conclusion: It has been observed that expressing emotions in musculoskeletal disorders contributes, albeit limited, to the level of psychological well-being. Accordingly, it is believed that encouraging individuals with musculoskeletal diseases to communicate their feelings with others or to express their feelings in various ways, providing supportive and reliable environments, and conducting therapeutic studies to increase their behaviors to express their feelings will contribute to patient care.

]]> https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/137217 https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/134363 https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/136555Citrus paradisi) has gained attention due to its rich phytochemical composition and biological activities, including anti-cancer properties. This narrative review analyzes the literature on grapefruit-based drug development and its potential as an adjunctive or alternative therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Grapefruit-derived compounds have been extensively studied for their anti-cancer effects, with preclinical studies showing promising outcomes in inhibiting cancer cell growth and proliferation. Compounds made from grapefruit also have anti-cancer effects. They do this in a number of ways, such as by affecting the cell cycle, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, and key signalling pathways. Petrified grapefruit compounds have potential synergistic effects with conventional chemotherapy drugs, enhancing cytotoxic effects while reducing adverse side effects. They have shown promising results in overcoming drug resistance, a major obstacle in cancer treatment. However, challenges such as bioavailability, drug interactions, and variability in compound composition remain. Overall, grapefruit-derived compounds possess significant anti-cancer properties and warrant further investigation for clinical application.]]> https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/135516Background: A brain tumor is an asymmetrical expansion by cells inevitably emulating amid them. Image processing is a vibrant research area where the handing out of the image in the medical field is an exceedingly tricky field. In this paper, an expert algorithm is suggested for the detection of pituitary brain tumors from MR images.

Methods: The preprocessing techniques (smoothing, edge detection, filtering) and segmentation techniques (watershed) are applied to the online data set. The transfer learning technique is used as a classifier whose performance is measured in terms of classification accuracy. Resnet 50, Inception V3VGG16, and VGG19 models are used as classification algorithms. The proposed model is validated using different machine learning techniques considering hybrid features.

Results: 96% accuracy was obtained employing the Inception V3 model & 95% accuracy was attained using hybrid GLDS and GLCM features employing Support Vector Machine algorithm while 93% was attained using Probabilistic Neural Network and k Nearest Neighbor techniques.

Conclusion: Computer-aided systems gave much faster and more accurate results than image processing techniques.1.0% accuracy improvement was observed while using Inception V3 over GLDS + GLCM + SVM and 2.1% accuracy improvement using GLDS + GLCM + SVM over GLDS + GLCM + kNN.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess in a consecutive sample of TS patients the clinical, biochemical, and instrumental changes during the first period after the transition from paediatric to adult care.

Methods: Sixteen patients with TS were enrolled: 9 with the karyotype 45, X0 and 7 with a mosaic karyotype. Patients’ clinical information was obtained from the management software of the Hospital of Padua.

Results: The median age for transition was 18 years. All patients received an appointment in adult clinics after the last visit with the paediatrician, however, 9 patients dropped out of follow-up by delaying the appointment by 1-2 years. After an average follow-up of 54 ± 36.7 months, all patients presented a significant reduction in the values of insulinemia, HOMA index and HbA1c. Lumbar and proximal femur Z-score values improved, and the prevalence of overweight was reduced among patients on sex hormone replacement therapy for at least four years.

Conclusion: This study confirms the necessity of a structured plan from paediatric to adult care for TS patients to avoid the risk of dropping out of the transition and future follow-up. A periodic monitoring protocol may guarantee an early detection and an effective correction of health complications associated with TS.

Objective: This review aims to summarize recent advances in the development of treatment strategies for FRDA, with a focus on potential drug candidates and their mechanisms of action.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using various authentic scientific databases to identify studies published in the last decade that investigated potential treatment strategies for FRDA. The search terms used included “Friedreich's ataxia”, “treatment”, “drug candidates”, and “mechanisms of action”.

Results: To date, only one drug got approval from US-FDA in the year 2023; however, significant developments were achieved in FRDA-related research focusing on diverse therapeutic interventions that could potentially alleviate the symptoms of this disease. Several promising drug candidates have been identified for the treatment of FRDA, which target various aspects of frataxin deficiency and aim to restore frataxin levels, reduce oxidative stress, and improve mitochondrial function. Clinical trials have shown varying degrees of success, with some drugs demonstrating significant improvements in neurological function and quality of life in FRDA patients.

Conclusion: While there has been significant progress in the development of treatment strategies for FRDA, further research is needed to optimize these approaches and identify the most effective and safe treatment options for patients. The integration of multiple therapeutic strategies may be necessary to achieve the best outcomes in FRDA management.

Methods: Raw data from microarray chips with GEO accession GSE49541 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and the R package (Affy and Limma) was applied to investigate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in the progress of low- (mild 0-1 fibrosis score) to high- (severe 3-4 fibrosis score) fibrosis stage NAFLD patients. Subsequently, significant DEGs with pathway enrichment were analyzed, including gene ontology (GO), KEGG and Wikipathway. In order to then explore critical genes, the protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was established and visualized using the STRING database, with further analysis undertaken using Cytoscape and Gephi software. Survival analysis was undertaken to determine the overall survival of the hub genes in the progression of NAFLD to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results: A total of 311 significant genes were identified, with an expression of 278 being upregulated and 33 downregulated in the high vs. low group. Gene functional enrichment analysis of these significant genes demonstrated major involvement in extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, and the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway. The PPI network was constructed with 196 nodes and 572 edges with PPI enrichment using a p-value < 1.0 e-16. Based on this cut-off, we identified 12 genes with the highest score in four centralities: Degree, Betweenness, Closeness, and Eigenvector. Those twelve hub genes were CD34, THY1, CFTR, COL3A1, COL1A1, COL1A2, SPP1, THBS1, THBS2, LUM, VCAN, and VWF. Four of these hub genes, namely CD34, VWF, SPP1, and VCAN, showed significant association with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Conclusion: This PPI network analysis of DEGs identified critical hub genes involved in the progression of fibrosis and the biological pathways through which they exert their effects in NAFLD patients. Those 12 genes offer an excellent opportunity for further focused research to determine potential targets for therapeutic applications.

Methods: In this study, we reviewed articles on the relationship between alterations in somatic levels of zinc, iron, calcium, copper, chrome, manganese, selenium, and lipid metabolism. In this systematic review and mate-analysis, databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang was searched for articles on the relationship published between January 1, 1900, and July 12, 2022. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration).

Results: No significant association was found between serum zinc and dyslipidemia, while other serum trace elements (iron, selenium, copper, chromium, and manganese) were associated with hyperlipidemia.

Conclusion: The present study suggested that the human body's zinc, copper, and calcium content may be related to lipid metabolism. However, findings on lipid metabolism and Iron, Manganese have not been conclusive. In addition, the relationship between lipid metabolism disorders and selenium levels still needs to be further studied. Further research is needed on treating lipid metabolism diseases by changing trace elements.

Objective: Based on a literature review, we propose the PaSTe regimen (Pantoprazole, Simvastatin, Trimetazidine) as a metabolic therapy for prostate cancer. Pantoprazole and simvastatin inhibit the enzymes fatty acid synthase (FASN) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl- coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), therefore, blocking the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol, respectively. In contrast, trimetazidine inhibits the enzyme 3-β-Ketoacyl- CoA thiolase (3-KAT), an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of fatty acids (FAO). It is known that the pharmacological or genetic depletion of any of these enzymes has antitumor effects in prostatic cancer.

Results: Based on this information, we hypothesize that the PaSTe regimen will have increased antitumor effects and may impede the metabolic reprogramming shift. Existing knowledge shows that enzyme inhibition occurs at molar concentrations achieved in plasma at standard doses of these drugs.

Conclusion: We conclude that this regimen deserves to be preclinically evaluated because of its clinical potential for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Objective: Abuse of alcohol does not occur suddenly. People becoming addicted to various alcoholic beverages is a problem that results from months and years of irresponsible drinking. The process of recovering from the issue in turn includes targeted, particular methods for raising awareness of the negative effects of alcohol usage.

Conclusion: Due to the heightened risks for one's bodily and mental health along with the social issues it generates, alcohol consumption results in these costs. We discuss the three areas of the epidemiology of alcohol's impact on health and diseases, the public health approach for treating problems related to alcohol use, and advancements in alcohol science.

Objective: The paper highlights basic concepts of AI and acmes the interdisciplinary collaboration of Computational neuroscience, Cognitive science, and AI. Also, the article draws out important findings related to AI in neuroscience amongst its diverse application in the various disciplines. An ephemeral overview of applications of AI-based constructs in neurological disorders namely Neuroinflammation, Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, Epilepsy, Autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Brain tumor and Anesthesiology has been demonstrated in the present work.

Methods: The method includes the collection of data from different search engines like google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, etc. to get coverage of relevant literature for accumulating appropriate information regarding AI, neuroscience, and their linkages.

Results: These considerations are made to expand the existing literature on the progressing role of AI in the management of neurological disorders.

Conclusion: The exponential expansion in the development of AI-based systems might aid in addressing the prevailing limitations in the domain of neurological disorders and neuroscience.

Objective: Understanding the pathways and mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction related to neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, Pelizaeus- Merzbacher Disease (PMD), mental retardation, Autism spectrum disorder, Rett's syndrome, and Fragile X syndrome is important. In this review, we discussed the possible factors associated with mitochondria that influence the clinical presentation of NDDs, better understanding of the mechanisms behind these pathways will hopefully be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment approaches.

Conclusion: Mitochondria are simply another subcellular victim of various neurodegenerative pathways, or are they a common denominator on the path to neurodegeneration? A better understanding of functional and molecular mechanistic pathways can lead to the identification of potential targets, thereby opening perspectives for future treatment.

Methods: A total of 70 healthy people aged 18 - 65 years old with a BMI >25.0 kg/m² were chosen for an 8-week study. They were randomized into two groups, herbal medicine and placebo. Anthropometry, laboratory tests, and appetite assessment by questionnaire were performed at baseline and the end of the study period. In the end, the data were analyzed.

Results: There were significant differences in appetite and BMI (p<0.05) between the two groups after 8 weeks. No serious adverse events occurred in the two groups, and herbal medicine was well tolerated. Purslane juice was found to be well tolerated and could be effective in the reduction of appetite and BMI, either in obese or overweight individuals, following 8 weeks of intervention.

Conclusion: The trial indicated the effectiveness of this extract on appetite and BMI. However, long-term investigations with larger populations are needed to determine the tolerability and permanent effectiveness of this natural medicament.

Objective: This review article focuses on the beneficial effects of black seeds (Nigella sativa) in the management of long COVID and persistent COVID symptoms.

Methods: The literature was searched in databases such as LitCOVID, Web of Science, Google Scholar, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Science Direct, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, and reference lists to identify studies, which evaluated various effects of black seeds (N. sativa) related to signs and symptoms of long COVID.

Results: Black seeds (N. sativa) have shown potential anti-COVID, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antiasthmatic properties in various clinical, animal, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies, which would help the patients recovered from COVID to mitigate Long COVID complications.

Conclusion: Patients experiencing Long COVID may use black seeds (N. sativa) as adjunctive therapy in combination with symptomatic treatment and supportive care to prevent further deterioration and hospitalization. The safety and efficacy of N. sativa in patients with Long-COVID would further be established by future randomized controlled clinical trials.

Background: The global incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been on the increase despite current interventional therapies, underscoring the need for alternative or complementary therapeutic approaches.

Objective: The objective is to determine the effect of tBHQ on blood glucose, insulin resistance, body weight, relative liver and kidney weights, serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), liver function (albumin, aspartate and alanine amino transaminases) and kidney function markers (urea, creatinine and uric acid) in the sera, and study maternal and foetal renal levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, foetal weights and histology of the kidney of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced GDM in rats.

Methods: Twenty female pregnant rats were used, and they were divided into four groups of control (normal pregnancy), disease (diabetic untreated), metformin (received 200 mg/kg metformin dissolved in distilled water) and tBHQ groups (received 25 mg/kg tBHQ in 1% corn oil), respectively, with five rats in each group. GDM was induced in the disease and treated groups by intraperitoneal injection of STZ (45 mg/kg in sodium citrate buffer, pH 4.5).

Results: STZ induction in the disease group significantly increased their blood glucose levels (P<0.05), altered their body and foetal weights, relative liver and kidney weights, serum lipid profile, liver and kidney function markers in the sera (relative to the control), inducing oxidative stress and inflammation to the maternal and foetal kidneys and altering the maternal kidney histology, which was found to be improved following supplementation with tBHQ in a manner akin to or even better than metformin.

Conclusion: tBHQ was found beneficial in protecting the foetal kidneys against oxidative stress and the foetus against mortality arising from maternal hyperglycaemia. Finally, the study showed the potential of tBHQ in mitigating histological changes in the maternal kidney arising from STZinduced hyperglycemia in rats.

MOD in different animal disease models exerted beneficial effects on induced memory and learning impairment, which in some cases were accompanied by modulation of neurotransmitter pathways or neuroplastic capabilities, reducing oxidative stress, or expression of synaptic proteins. Individuals treated with MOD showed improved memory and learning skills in different conditions. These effects were associated with regulating brain activity in some participants, confirmed by functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Presented herein, data support the use of MOD in treating memory and learning deficits in various disease conditions.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of PVL-encoding genes in S. aureus isolated from clinical samples of inpatients with invasive infections in a teaching hospital in Southern Brazil. Furthermore, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of bacterial isolates were analyzed.

Methods: A total of 98 S. aureus isolates recovered from different body sites were characterized according to their antimicrobial susceptibility profile, methicillin-resistance and SCCmec typing, genetic relatedness and occurrence of virulence-encoding genes, such as icaA, lukS-PV/lukF-PV, and tst.

Results: Sixty-eight (69.4%) isolates were classified as methicillin-resistant, and among them, four (5.9%) did not harbor the mecA gene. The mecA-harboring methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates were grouped into SCCmec types I (6.3%), II (64.1%), III (6.3%), IV (15.6%), V (4.7%), and VI (1.6%). One isolate (1.6%) was classified as non-typeable (NT). Seventy isolates (71.4%) were classified as multidrug-resistant. The overall prevalence of virulence-encoding genes was as follows: icaA, 99.0%; tst, 27.5%; and lukS-PV/lukF-PV, 50.0%. The presence of tst gene was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) compared to MRSA isolates.

Conclusion: The present study reports a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus harboring lukS-PV/lukF-PV and tst genes in invasive infections. The continuous monitoring of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile and virulence of S. aureus is an important measure for the control of infections caused by this bacterium.

Materials and Methods: The material included 50 patients of Rheumatology Policlinic of the Central Clinical Hospital of Interior Affairs in Warsaw and a matched control group of 50 individuals without RA. The degree of foot joint damage was assessed using the Manchester scale, lower limb movement and quality of life using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Score and HAQ.

Results: The duration of symptoms was 16.0 ± 8.9 years. High activity of RA measured by the DAS was observed in 20% of patients, moderate in 26%, and low in 54%. The most common foot deformities were: hammer toes (82%), longitudinal flat feet (74%), and hyperkeratosis (56%). The least frequent were: stiff toe (38%) and overlapping fingers (28%). In the RA group, the outcomes of the FAOS questionnaire were statistically significantly worse than in the control group in all categories (p<0.001). The worst-rated domain was the sport and recreation subscale (median 55.0), the best daily activity (median 86.8). The strongest relationship was demonstrated between the FAOS and HAQ indices. Spearman's HAQ correlation coefficient with the ADL subscale was r=-0.85, p<0.001; with the QOL, sport/recreation and pain subscales moderate, it was r=-0.72; r= 0.71, p <0.001.

Conclusion: Lower limb movement function and quality of life are worse in RA patients; pain accompanies climbing and descending stairs; running and jumping require effort.]]> https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/127769 https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/126043 https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/127355Background: The demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) devices has rapidly grown since they offer immediate test results with ease of use, makingthem suitable for home self-testing patients and caretakers. However, the POCT development has faced the challenges of increased cost and limited resources. Therefore, the paper substrate as a low-cost material has been employed to develop a cost-effective POCT device, known as “Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs)”. This device is gaining attention as a promising tool for medicinal diagnostic applications owing to its unique features of simple fabrication, low cost, enabling manipulation flow (capillarydriven flow), the ability to store reagents, and accommodating multistep assay requirements.

Objective: This review comprehensively examines the fabrication methods and device designs (2D/3D configuration) and their advantages and disadvantages, focusing on updated μPADs applications for motif identification.

Methods: The evolution of paper-based devices, starting from the traditional devices of dipstick and lateral flow assay (LFA) with μPADs, has been described. Patterned structure fabrication of each technique has been compared among the equipment used, benefits, and drawbacks. Microfluidic device designs, including 2D and 3D configurations, have been introduced as well as their modifications. Various designs of μPADs have been integrated with many powerful detection methods such as colorimetry, electrochemistry, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, and SER-based sensors for medicinal diagnosis applications.

Conclusion: The μPADs potential to deal with commercialization in terms of the state-of-the-art of μPADs in medicinal diagnosis has been discussed. A great prototype, which is currently in a reallife application breakthrough, has been updated.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a l signalling protein with critical functions in cell growth, metabolism, and proliferation. It is known for its regulatory functions in protein synthesis and angiogenesis cascades. The structure of mTOR consists of two distinct complexes (mTORC1 and mTORC2) with diverse functions at different levels of the signalling pathway. By activating mRNA translation, the mTORC1 plays a key role in regulating protein synthesis and cellular growth. On the other hand, the functions of mTORC2 are mainly associated with cell proliferation and survival.

By using an appropriate inhibitor at the right time, mTOR modulation could provide immunosuppressive opportunities as antirejection regimens in organ transplantation as well as in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and solid tumours. The mTOR also has an important role in the inflammatory process. Inhibitors of mTOR might indeed be promising agents in the treatment of viral infections. They have further been successfully used in patients with severe influenza A/H1N1 pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. The officially accepted mTOR inhibitors that have undergone clinical testing are sirolimus, everolimus, temsirolimus, and tacrolimus. Thus, further studies on mTOR inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 therapy are well merited.

Objectives: This work aims to review current evidence regarding the potential contribution of psychedelics and hallucinogens to the discovery of new drugs for treating different psychiatric disorders.

Discussion: Ayahuasca/N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin have evidence supporting their use in depression, and psilocybin and ayahuasca have also shown good results in treatment-resistant depression. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted with anxious patients, there were symptomatic improvements with psilocybin and LSD. Psilocybin diminished Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores in a small obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) sample. The evidence is less robust regarding substance use disorders, but it suggests a possible role for LSD and psilocybin in alcohol use disorders and for psilocybin in tobacco addiction. In a clinical setting, these substances seem to be safe and well-tolerated. Their mechanisms of action are not fully elucidated, but there seems to be a preponderant role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) 2A agonism, as well as connectivity changes within the default mode network (DMN) and amygdala and some other molecular modifications.

Conclusion: The studies underlying the conclusions have small samples and are heterogeneous in their methods. However, the results suggest that the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens could be considered in some disorders. More studies are needed to reinforce their evidence as potential new drugs.]]> https://www.benthamscience.comarticle/119325Background: In this fast-growing lifestyle, humans are in the race against time to cope up with busy schedule. Less exercise, consumption of high calorie-low fiber food and stress take us one step closer towards digestive dysfunction. Dysfunctional digestive system causes various gastrointestinal disorders like constipation, IBS, UC, diarrhea, gastrointestinal tract immobility, hyperglycemia, hemorrhoids, fistula, anal fissures, stomach cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer and metabolic syndrome. Amongst various natural and synthetic indazole derivatives nigellicine, nigellamine, nigellidine, zanubrutinib and SCH772984 showed prominent results to cure various gastrointestinal disorders.

Objectives: In this manuscript, we focus on the importance of indazole derivatives in the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases.

Results and Conclusion: In the treatment of IBS, four positions (R¹, R², R³ and R⁴) of indazole were mainly substituted with aromatic aldehyde/substituted methyl, aromatic acid/formamide, benzamide/ sulfonamide and methyl groups, respectively. In case of diarrhea and metabolic syndrome treatment, substitutions with benzyl/isopropyl/acetaldehyde (R1 position) and carboxamide/ formamide (R² position) of indazole play a critical role. Also, in the treatment of diabetes melitus, all six positions of indazole derivative were substituted with substituted aryl/alkyl/aromatic acid, substituted formamide, substituted acetamide/hydrazide group, halo aryl, substituted aryl/aromatic acid and a long chain of alkyl-aryl alcohol groups, respectively. In the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, all six positions of indazole derivative were substituted with benzylamide (R¹), octanediamide/ benzamide/formamide (R²), carbaldehyde (R⁴) and substituted phenyl (R⁵ and R⁶) groups, respectively. Six receptors (6NP0, 2YME, 4EFU, 4WZ8, 5U4W and 7KKP) associated with GI disorders (co-crystallized with indazole derivative) were identified. Analysis of the receptors showed that co-crystalized ligand molecules were well-interacted with receptors via pie-pie interaction, coordinate and sigma bonding within 4 Å distance. As per Ramachandran plot analysis, more than 90% of the amino acid residues were present in the most favored region. So, if sufficient focuses are imposed on the development of newer indazole derivatives to treat gastrointestinal diseases, it will work as a boon to society.

Methods: An online questionnaire was administered in October 2020, which included: the socio-demographic section, the insomnia condition assessment and the behavioral flexibility evaluation to develop in connection with developing an eating disorder.

Results: 341 Italian nurses answered the questionnaire. Regarding the insomnia condition levels, nurses belonging to regions with a higher incidence rate of the Covid-19 pandemic recorded higher levels of insomnia than others (p=.004). Females and nurses belonging to regions with lower Covid-19 incidence rate recorded a significant higher total eating flexibility attitude (p=.003; p<.001), also, in the Food and Exercise flexibility (p=.007; p<.001). As regards the flexibility attitude for weight and shape, significant differences were recorded among nurses according to their BMI values (p<.001) and to their incidence rate of the belonging region (p<.001). The insomnia condition levels significantly correlated with the flexibility attitude to eat both in its total score (p=.010), in the general score (p=.010) and in the weight and shape score (p<.001). All correlations between the insomnia conditions and the flexibility to eat were significantly inverse with the exception for of the food and exercise dimension. All the flexibility attitudes to eat sub dimensions significantly correlated among them (p<.001).

Conclusion: There was a direct correlation among socio-demographic factors, BMI values, insomnia and behavioral flexibility scores in Italian nurses so, it could be assumed that the nursing profession is at risk of developing a metabolic syndrome condition and, therefore, it could be considered as a psychoendocrinological employment disease during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Objective: The present study was proposed to explore the possible role of VEGF in the relation between SCH and DR; thus, we investigated the relationship between SCH and VEGF levels in patients with DR.

Methods: Two hundred patients with DR were recruited in this study [100 patients with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) and 100 patients with Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR)]. Patients with DR were divided into 2 groups according to thyroid function, patients with SCH or those with euthyroidism. Patients were subjected to careful history taking and underwent clinical and ophthalmological examination. Fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), TSH, FT4, FT3, VEGF, and thyroid volume were assessed.

Results: Among all the studied patients, 21.5% (43/200) had SCH. DR patients with SCH had older age, longer diabetes duration, and higher HbA1c, HOMA-IR, and VEGF than those with euthyroidism. The frequency of PDR in patients with SCH was 72.1% (31/43) and 43.9% (69/157) in those with euthyroidism, whereas the frequency of NPDR in patients with SCH was 27.9 (12/43) and 56.1% (88/157) in those with euthyroidism (P 0.003). In multivariate analysis, PDR, HOMA- IR, and VEGF levels were the significant predictor variables of SCH.

Conclusion: Increased VEGF levels may be implicated in the relationship between SCH and DR.

Objective: This paper presents a review of the principal features of the tumors involving the genitourinary tract in children and an update in genetic background, diagnosis, and treatment.

Methods: A narrative review was performed on published literature about genitourinary tract tumors in pediatric patients. Papers presented in English and Spanish literature were reviewed. PubMed, Science Direct, and SciELO databases were used to collect information and present this article.

Results: Kidney tumors are the most common type of genitourinary tumors in children. Among those, Wilms tumor represents the majority of cases and shows the successful work of clinical trial groups studying this tumor type. Other tumors involving the genitourinary tract in children include Rhabdomyosarcoma, Transitional cell carcinoma, Testicular, and Adrenal tumors.

Conclusion: Genitourinary tract tumors in children represent significant morbidity and economic burden, so awareness in early diagnosis represents improvement in treatment, clinical, and oncological outcomes.

Summary: Recent advances on mRNA vaccine development for COVID-19 are discussed in this perspective, including sequence design, chemical modification, manufacturing process, and in vivo delivery. Phase I to IV clinical trials of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 are then summarized, respectively.

Conclusion: Using mRNA vaccines is a promising strategy to achieve mass vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that future studies of mRNA vaccine technology will overcome existing limitations and help people cope with COVID-19.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to discuss the existing evidence on the interaction between COVID-19 infection, ACE2 and ACEIs or ARBs and to examine the main implications for clinical practice. In addition, novel therapeutic strategies for blocking ACE2-mediated COVID-19 infection will be displayed.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive review of the literature to identify data from clinical and experimental studies for the association between COVID-19 infection, ACE2 and RAS inhibition.

Results: The current clinical and experimental evidence for ACEIs or ARBs to facilitate severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is insufficient to suggest discontinuing these drugs. Several observational studies arrive at the conclusion that the continued use of RAS inhibitors is unlikely to be harmful in COVID-19-positive patients.

Conclusions: Further randomized trials are needed to answer the question of whether RAS inhibitors are harmful or beneficial to patients with COVID-19.

Practical Applications: Several diseases originate from aberrant post-translational modifications. The misregulation of the arginine methylation of proteins, which is regulated by PRMTs and influences a series of cellular activities, leads to developmental abnormalities and physiological diseases. PRMT1, which accounts for 85% of the activity of PRMTs, is involved in several cellular processes occurring in various diseases. Multiple inhibitors have been developed and studied for their potential as biomarkers and suitable drug targets in clinical application. The present report summarizes the findings of the most recent studies focusing on the structural characteristics, splicing, substrates, and biological functions of PRMT1, to contribute to future research for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of PRMT1 and drug improvement.

Background: Müllerian anomalies are congenital defects of female reproductive tract resulting from faulty development and fusion of Müllerian ducts. Objectives: To identify common Müllerian anomalies, their presentation, radiological appearances, complications, associated renal anomalies in rural women of Northern India.

Methods: Present observational study was conducted on 181 female patients with suspected Müllerian anomalies presenting to the outpatient department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with various complaints. Data included age, religion, menarche, previous pregnancy if any, duration of infertility, presenting complaints, type of Müllerian anomaly, incidental or symptomatic, diagnostic method, associated anomalies. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22.0 version software.

Results: Of 181 patients, 16.5% were adolescents, 83.5% adult women with an overall mean (SD) age of 25.02 (5.96) years. Of these, 170 had true Müllerian-duct anomalies and 11 had defects other than Müllerian anomalies, hence excluded. Total 158 (92.9%) patients were symptomatic and 12 (7.1%) asymptomatic at presentation. The majority (75.9%) were diagnosed incidentally during their visit to the department for various complaints of which infertility (32.4%) was most common. Septate uterus (29.4%) was most common anomaly diagnosed followed by Müllerian agenesis/hypoplasia (22.9%). Around 11.2% of cases had associated renal and collecting system anomalies with unilateral renal agenesis (47.4%) being most common.

Conclusion: Hence, Müllerian-duct anomalies have diverse presentations and most of them are diagnosed incidentally. The exact prevalence of Müllerian-duct anomalies may be high, especially in rural India, due to lack of knowledge and societal pressures.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on 30 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, who were referred to the endocrine clinics of Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. After giving informed consent, patients were randomly divided into intervention (50 μg/- day levothyroxine for 2 months) and control (placebo) groups. Serum levels of osteocalcin, thyroid hormones, lipid profile, insulin, and fasting glucose, as well as other clinical and anthropometric data, were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. SPSS was used to analyze the data, and p < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Mean age in the intervention and control groups was 35.07 ± 9.94 and 31.30 ± 4.30, respectively (p = 0.20). There was no significant difference between osteocalcin levels before and after the intervention in either of the groups (p = 0.54). TSH level was significantly decreased in the levothyroxine group after the intervention (p < 0.01). T4 level was significantly increased in the intervention group (p = 0.02).

Conclusion: Levothyroxine had no significant effect on the increasing levels of serum osteocalcin in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Conclusion: It has been concluded that ACE2 blockade imposes neuroinflammation.]]>