Preparation and Characterization of a Novel Salicin-Cyclodextrin Complex.

Bioactive compounds extracted from plants can provide wide health benefits. However, some molecules have limited applications as pharmaceuticals due to their limited solubility, poor bioavailability, and low stability when exposed to environmental factors. Their integration in formulations that can deliver them to physiological targets while preserving their biological activity can enhance their usage in improving human health.

Some Extracts as Potential Antioxidants and Green Corrosion Inhibitors.

Glucosinolates-rich extracts of some sources, such as broccoli, cabbage, black radish, rapeseed, and cauliflower, were obtained using an eco-friendly extraction method, in a microwave field, with 70% ethanol, and evaluated in order to establish their in vitro antioxidant activities and anticorrosion effects on steel material. The DPPH method and Folin-Ciocâlteu assay proved good antioxidant activity (remaining DPPH, 9.54-22.

Properties and Bioapplications of Amphiphilic Janus Dendrimers: A Review.

Amphiphilic Janus dendrimers are arrangements containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic units, capable of forming ordered aggregates by intermolecular noncovalent interactions between the dendrimer units. Compared to conventional dendrimers, these molecular self-assemblies possess particular and effective attributes i.e.

Novel Chloro-Substituted Salicylanilide Derivatives and Their β-Cyclodextrin Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity.

The goal of this research was to design novel chloro-substituted salicylanilide derivatives and their β-cyclodextrin complexes in order to obtain efficient antibacterial compounds and to demonstrate the beneficial role of complexation on the efficiency of these compounds. Thus, salicylanilide derivatives, esters, and hydrazides were obtained by microwave-assisted synthesis and their structure proven based on FTIR and NMR spectra. In order to improve water solubility, chemical and physical stability, and drug distribution through biological membranes, the inclusion complexes of the ethyl esters in β-cyclodextrin were also obtained using kneading.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension: guidelines and unmet clinical needs.

The term pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) identifies a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary arterial resistance (PVR), which causes a significant burden in terms of quality of life, right heart failure and premature death. The pathogenesis of PAH is not completely clear: the remodeling of the small pulmonary vessels is crucial, causing an increase in the resistance of the pulmonary circle. Its diagnosis is based on cardiac catheterization of the right heart.

Landmarks for dual biological therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: lesson from two case reports of vedolizumab in combination with ustekinumab.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and disabling disorder. Severity of IBD is prominent among refractory with patients with concomitant immune-mediated disorders. Among those patients, dual biological therapy (DBT) has been suggested as an alternative approach to spare steroids and avoid surgery.

A computational study of the interactions between anthocyans and cyclodextrins.

The interactions between six anthocyans (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, malvidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside, malvidin-3-O-rutinoside) and cyclodextrins were investigated by means of computational techniques. Four different structures of the aforementioned anthocyans were considered, as a result of the dependence structure - pH value (flavylium cations in acidic medium, hemiketals in neutral solutions and two tautomeric quinones in alkaline environment). The results outlined that the anthocyanidin-3-O-rutinoside are favored for the obtaining of inclusion complexes with the cyclodextrins, mostly due to the larger number of OH groups involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds.

A review of network meta-analysis comparing biologics in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Even though in recent years significant improvements have been made in the management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis due to the introduction of biologic agents, it is still difficult to identify the most effective and safest available treatment. The choice and comparison between biological agents are a challenge, for only limited head-to-head clinical studies are available. The aim of this manuscript is to review the published network meta-analysis (NMA) to gain a better understanding of efficacy and safety of biological agents and small molecules in the management of RA patients.

Integration of Public Health in LCME Accredited Medical Schools in Florida: A Survey Based Study.

Introduction:  The future physician will face a career challenged by a number of significant changes in healthcare, including changes in demographics and disease, an increasing focus on population health and value-based care, and changes in healthcare funding. National organizations have called for medical schools to better prepare students for these challenges, and to incorporate more public health education in medical school. While many medical schools have responded, the topics covered, the timing in the curriculum, and the importance of these topics for graduation vary widely.

Eculizumab in refractory catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome: a case report and systematic review of the literature.

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a rare disorder, characterized by the development of multiple vascular thrombosis over a short period of time, in patients with persistently detectable antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). The vascular occlusions predominantly affect small vessels. The overall mortality is 36.

Plasma Leptin in Patients at Intermediate to High Cardiovascular Risk With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that leptin concentrations are related to the metabolic disturbances that constitute the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to diabetes mellitus (DM).

Aim: To investigate possible determinants of leptin concentrations in a sample of patients at high cardiovascular (CV) risk carrying two or more features of the MetS and to investigate if any difference exist between at risk patients with or without DM.

Methods: Serum leptin concentrations were measured in 60 consecutive male patients affected by at least two CV risk factors which belong to the National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) definition of MetS: 30 patients affected by type 2 DM (T2DM) and 30 nondiabetic patients (non-T2DM).

Analysis of clock gene-miRNA correlation networks reveals candidate drivers in colorectal cancer.

Altered functioning of the biological clock is involved in cancer onset and progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) interact with the clock genes modulating the function of genetically encoded molecular clockworks. Collaborative interactions may take place within the coding-noncoding RNA regulatory networks.

Multifaceted enrichment analysis of RNA-RNA crosstalk reveals cooperating micro-societies in human colorectal cancer.

Alterations in the balance of mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles contribute to the onset and development of colorectal cancer. The regulatory functions of individual miRNA-gene pairs are widely acknowledged, but group effects are largely unexplored. We performed an integrative analysis of mRNA-miRNA and miRNA-miRNA interactions using high-throughput mRNA and miRNA expression profiles obtained from matched specimens of human colorectal cancer tissue and adjacent non-tumorous mucosa.

Clock gene expression in human and mouse hepatic models shows similar periodicity but different dynamics of variation.

The biological hard-wiring of 24-hour rhythmicity relies on the circadian clock circuitry, made of peripheral oscillators operated by molecular clockworks and synchronized through humoral and neural outputs by central oscillators located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei. Metabolically active tissues, such as the liver, are entrained also by local cues represented by metabolic flux related to feeding. The mechanics of the molecular clockwork have been explored by studies using cell lines and wild type or genetically engineered mouse models.

Morphofunctional and signaling molecules overlap of the pineal gland and thymus: role and significance in aging.

Deficits in neuroendocrine-immune system functioning, including alterations in pineal and thymic glands, contribute to aging-associated diseases. This study looks at ageing-associated alterations in pineal and thymic gland functioning evaluating common signaling molecules present in both human and animal pinealocytes and thymocytes: endocrine cell markers (melatonin, serotonin, pCREB, AANAT, CGRP, VIP, chromogranin А); cell renovation markers (p53, AIF, Ki67), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP2, MMP9) and lymphocytes markers (CD4, CD5, CD8, CD20). Pineal melatonin is decreased, as is one of the melatonin pathway synthesis enzymes in the thymic gland.

Time related variations in stem cell harvesting of umbilical cord blood.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) contains hematopoietic stem cells and multipotent mesenchymal cells useful for treatment in malignant/nonmalignant hematologic-immunologic diseases and regenerative medicine. Transplantation outcome is correlated with cord blood volume (CBV), number of total nucleated cells (TNC), CD34+ progenitor cells and colony forming units in UCB donations. Several studies have addressed the role of maternal/neonatal factors associated with the hematopoietic reconstruction potential of UCB, including: gestational age, maternal parity, newborn sex and birth weight, placental weight, labor duration and mode of delivery.

Deregulated expression of cryptochrome genes in human colorectal cancer.

Background: Circadian disruption and deranged molecular clockworks are involved in carcinogenesis. The cryptochrome genes (CRY1 and CRY2) encode circadian proteins important for the functioning of biological oscillators. Their expression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) and in colon cancer cell lines has not been evaluated so far.

Digital ulcers in scleroderma patients: A retrospective observational study.

Background: The guidelines for digital ulcers (DUs) management in systemic sclerosis (SSc) indicate the use of iloprost to induce wound healing and bosentan to prevent the onset of new DU. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether the combination treatment may surmount the effect of the single drug.

Methods: We analyzed data regarding 34 patients with SSc and at least one active DU persisting despite 6 months of iloprost therapy, and treated for other 6 months with a combination therapy, i.

Ultrasound signs of pulmonary fibrosis in systemic sclerosis as timely indicators for chest computed tomography.

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients in the early stages of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) often have few or no symptoms, normal to borderline pulmonary function tests, and negative chest X-ray (CXR); high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the only reliable means of detecting the early signs of PF. However, thoracic ultrasound (TUS) enables detection of pleural thickening, pleural/subpleural nodules, and other subpleural lung abnormalities across 70% of the subpleural surface. We reassessed concordance between TUS abnormalities and HRCT findings in SSc patients, to see whether TUS pleural line thickness (normally <3.

Diabetic pregnancy outcomes in mothers treated with basal insulin lispro protamine suspension or NPH insulin: a multicenter retrospective Italian study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to study the efficacy and safety of long-acting insulin analog insulin lispro protamine suspension (ILPS) in diabetic pregnant women.

Methods: In a multicenter observational retrospective study, we evaluated pregnancy outcome in 119 women affected by type 1 diabetes and 814 with gestational diabetes (GDM) treated during pregnancy with ILPS, compared with a control group treated with neutral protamine hagedorn (NPH) insulin.

Results: Among type 1 diabetic patients, fasting blood glucose at the end of pregnancy was significantly lower in ILPS-treated than in NPH-treated patients.

The synovio-entheseal complex in enthesoarthritis.

The group of diseases classified as seronegative spondyloarthritis or enthesoarthritis is characterized by typical osteoarticular and extra-articular manifestations. Diverse patterns of disease can affect different members of the same family and may show different features in the same patient, with clinical overlaps thwarting the differential diagnosis. An anatomo-pathological hallmark in enthesoarthritis is the inflammatory process in the synovio-entheseal sites.

Stem cell autograft and allograft in autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by an insufficiency of immune tolerance and, although treated with a number of useful drugs, may need more unconventional therapeutic strategies for their more severe presentations. Among such unconventional therapeutic approaches, stem cell autograft and allograft have been used, with the aim of stimulating disease remission by modifying the pathogenic mechanisms that induce anomalous responses against self-antigens. Autologous transplantation is performed with the purpose of retuning autoimmune cells, whereas allogeneic transplantation is performed with the purpose of replacing anomalous immune effectors and mediators.

Behçet syndrome: from pathogenesis to novel therapies.

Behçet syndrome is a chronic disease hallmarked by inflammation of the blood vessels that is related to an autoimmune reaction caused by inherited susceptibility due to specific genes and environmental factors, probably components of infectious microorganisms, which turn on or get going the disease in genetically susceptible subjects. The more common clinical expression of the disease is represented by a triple-symptom complex of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, and uveitis, sometimes associated with inflammatory arthritis, phlebitis, iritis, as well as inflammation of the digestive tract, brain, and spinal cord. The treatment strategies used to manage the manifestations of Behçet syndrome have gradually progressed, and a number of new therapeutic resources have been implemented in recent years, allowing better control of pathogenic mechanisms, reducing symptoms and suffering, and ameliorating patient's outcome.

Rheumatoid arthritis and the biological clock.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause and a chronic and progressive inflammatory disorder ensuing in genetically predisposed subjects, characterized by synovitis causing joint destruction, as well as inflammation in body organ systems, leading to anatomical alteration and functional disability. Immune competent cells, deregulated synoviocytes and cytokines play a key role in the pathophysiological mechanisms. The immune system function shows time-related variations related to the influence of the neuroendocrine system and driven by the circadian clock circuitry.