Compared with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), complicated UTIs (cUTIs) including acute pyelonephritis (AP) present with significant morbidity, a higher risk of treatment failure and typically require longer courses of treatment, or alternative antibiotics. The emergence of drug-resistant organisms represents a considerable challenge in the treatment of patients with cUTIs/AP and has limited antibiotic options. Carbapenems are considered the current last line of therapy, however, carbapenem resistance represents a growing problem.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and related chronic diseases are major non-communicable diseases with high mortality rates worldwide. While dietary sugars are known to be responsible for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MetS), the underlying pathophysiological effects of sustained fructose consumption require further elucidation. We hypothesize that certain bioactive compounds ( punicalagin and ellagic acid) from dietary pomegranate could counteract the harmful effects of sustained fructose consumption in terms of obesity and liver damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from mother to fetus is widely accepted. Whereas most infected neonates present with mild symptoms or are asymptomatic, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and abnormal lung images are significantly more frequent in COVID-19 positive neonates than in non-infected newborns. Fatality is rare and discordant meta-analyses of case reports and series relating perinatal maternal COVID-19 status to neonatal disease severity complicate their extrapolation as prognostic indicators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPomegranate ( L.) is a well-known source of bioactive phenolic compounds such as ellagitannins, anthocyanins, and flavanols. Punicalagin, one of the main constituents of pomegranate, needs to be biodegraded by bacteria to yield metabolites of medicinal interest.
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