Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most widespread cancer among Palestinian patients. As cancer care improves in hospitals across the West Bank, services like palliative care, targeted therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and individualized therapy are still limited. This study aimed to assess the CRC stages, treatment protocols, and survival rates of patients in the West Bank.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly prescribed long-acting drugs used to treat acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and peptic ulcers. Recently, concerns have been raised about their safety, particularly due to the association between long-term PPI use and cancer development. Multiple comprehensive studies have consistently suggested a noteworthy link between prolonged PPI usage and an increased risk of developing gastric, esophageal, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers, yet the precise underlying mechanism remains elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal models, particularly transgenic mice, are extensively used in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research to emulate key disease hallmarks, such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles formation. Although these models have contributed to our understanding of AD pathogenesis and can be helpful in testing potential therapeutic interventions, their reliability is dubious. While preclinical studies have shown promise, clinical trials often yield disappointing results, highlighting a notable gap and disparity between animal models and human AD pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNatural aging encompasses physiological and psychological changes that impact overall health and quality of life. Mitigating these effects requires physical and mental exercise, coupled with proper nutrition. Notably, protein malnutrition emerges as a potential risk factor for senile dementia, with insufficient intake correlating with premature cognitive decline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUntil breastfeeding is established, progesterone-only pill (POP) use is preferable over combined hormonal contraception (CHC), as the latter potentially reduces milk production. Yet, POPs are often associated with breakthrough bleeding (BTB), and irregular spotting is often a reason for their cessation. Conversely, CHC is less associated with BTB but is not usually prescribed, even if breastfeeding has been established, despite its verified safety profile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreakthrough bleeding is a side effect of progesterone-only pills (POPs) in 40% of women, and is reduced to 10% with combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs). In addition, breakthrough bleeding is reduced if POP is supplemented with norethisterone. As breakthrough bleeding is responsible for a quarter of women stopping the pill, it is vital to realize that CHC is an alternative to POP-even during lactation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSparse and conflicting data exist regarding the normal partogram of grand-multiparous (GMP, defined as parity of 6+) parturients. Customized partograms may potentially lower cesarean delivery rates for protraction disorders in this population. In this study, we aim to construct a normal labor curve of GMP women and compare it to the multiparous (MP, defined as parity of 2-5) partogram.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Despite advancements in the clinical application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), drug resistance remains a major concern hindering treatment efficacy. Thus, identifying the key genes involved in driving NAC resistance and targeting them with known potential FDA-approved drugs could be applied to advance the precision medicine strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArginases are often overexpressed in human diseases, and they are an important target for developing anti-aging and antineoplastic drugs. Arginase type 1 (ARG1) is a cytosolic enzyme, and arginase type 2 (ARG2) is a mitochondrial one. In this study, a dataset containing 2115-FDA-approved drug molecules is virtually screened for potential arginase binding using molecular docking against several ARG1 and ARG2 structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune diseases (AIDs) are often co-associated, and about 25% of patients with one AID tend to develop other comorbid AIDs. Here, we employ the power of datamining to predict the comorbidity of AIDs based on their normalized co-citation in PubMed. First, we validate our technique in a test dataset using earlier-reported comorbidities of seven knowns AIDs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Progesterone-only pills (POP) are widely used contraceptives. About 40% of women taking these pills report vaginal bleeding/spotting; 25% find this a reason for cessation. To date, no effective remedy has been described.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThank you for the opportunity to respond to comments gracefully raised by van der Pluijm et al. [..
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Despite decades of research, the prevention and suppression of metastasis remain an elusive goal, and to date, only a few metastasis-related genes have been targeted therapeutically. Thus, there is a strong need to find potential genes involved in key driver traits of metastasis and their available drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalaria is a prevalent parasitic disease that is estimated to kill between one and two million people-mostly children-every year. Here, we query PubMed for malaria drug resistance and plot the yearly citations of 14 common antimalarials. Remarkably, most antimalarial drugs display cyclic resistance patterns, rising and falling over four decades.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's disease (AD) is an insidious neurodegenerative disorder representing a serious continuously escalating medico-social problem. The AD-associated progressive dementia is followed by gradual formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Though, converging evidence indicates apparent metabolic dysfunctions as key AD characteristic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's disease (AD) is often comorbid with other pathologies. First, we review shortly the diseases most associated with AD in the clinic. Then we query PubMed citations for the co-occurrence of AD with other diseases, using a list of 400 common pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHanahan and Weinberg introduced the "hallmarks of cancer" and typified essential biological abilities acquired by human cancer. Since then, a growing understanding of hallmark principles associated with breast cancer has assisted knowledge-based therapeutics development; however, despite the rapidly increasing number of targeted therapeutics, enduring disease-free responses for most forms of breast cancer is rare. Invasion and metastasis are the most defining feature of breast cancer malignancy and the leading cause of patient mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAging (Albany NY)
April 2021
Polyamines are nitrogen-rich polycationic ubiquitous bioactive molecules with diverse evolutionary-conserved functions. Their activity interferes with numerous genes' expression resulting in cell proliferation and signaling modulation. The intracellular levels of polyamines are precisely controlled by an evolutionary-conserved machinery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of senile dementia and one of the greatest medical, social, and economic challenges. According to a dominant theory, amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide is a key AD pathogenic factor. Aβ-soluble species interfere with synaptic functions, aggregate gradually, form plaques, and trigger neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMotivation: Polyproline II (PPII) is a common conformation, comparable to α-helix and β-sheet. PPII, recently termed with a more generic name-κ-helix, adopts a left-handed structure with 3-fold rotational symmetry. Lately, a new type of binding mechanism-the helical lock and key model was introduced in SH3-domain complexes, where the interaction is characterized by a sliding helical pattern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrowing evidence suggests that increased arginase activity affects vital bioprocesses in various systems and universally mediates the pathogenesis of numerous metabolic diseases. The adverse effects of arginase are associated with a severe decline in L-arginine bioavailability, which leads to nitric oxide synthase substrate insufficiency, uncoupling, and, eventually, superoxide anion generation and substantial reduction of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. In cooperation, it contributes to chronic oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, which might lead to hypertension and atherosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdult neurogenesis is a complex physiological process, which plays a central role in maintaining cognitive functions, and consists of progenitor cell proliferation, newborn cell migration, and cell maturation. Adult neurogenesis is susceptible to alterations under various physiological and pathological conditions. A substantial decay of neurogenesis has been documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and animal AD models; however, several treatment strategies can halt any further decline and even induce neurogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's disease is an incurable chronic neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia, imposing a growing economic burden upon society. The disease progression is associated with gradual deposition of amyloid plaques and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles within the brain parenchyma, yet severe dementia is the culminating phase of the enduring pathology. Converging evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease-related cognitive decline is the outcome of an extremely complex and persistent pathophysiological process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF