European review for medical and pharmacological sciences最新文献

Objective: Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam. is a native perennial plant with chemical characteristics of therapeutic importance. In Paraguayan traditional medicine, it is attributed to antihypertensive and diuretic activities. For this reason, the objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of acute oral administration of the ethanolic extract and fraction enriched in saponins obtained from the root of S. sisymbriifolium on the diuresis profile of rats.

Materials and methods: Male Wistar rats were used, randomly distributed in 6 groups to evaluate the diuretic activity. The control group received distilled water; the diuretic group was treated with 20 mg/kg of furosemide. Two groups were treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg of the ethanolic extract of S. sisymbriifolium, and two other groups were treated with 1 and 10 mg/kg with the fraction enriched in saponins. The animals were placed in individual metabolic cages for a period of 24 h. Urine volume was determined at 5 and 24 h, and urinary electrolytes, pH, and glomerular filtration rate at 24 h.

Results: The findings indicated that both doses of the ethanolic extract and the saponin-enriched fraction significantly increased diuresis after 24 hours of treatment. Urinary pH was not affected. A significant increase in the urinary excretion of Na+ and Cl- was observed without affecting the elimination of K+ with both doses of the extracts. In addition, a significant increase in GFR was evidenced.

Conclusions: Both ethanolic extract and saponins enriched fraction, presented natriuretic and saluretic effects with a possible mechanism of action mediated, at least partially, by the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase. Furthermore, it was possible to demonstrate the participation of the COX/PG pathway in the diuretic mechanism of the extracts in male rats.

Objective: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and obesity represent two chronic pediatric diseases characterized by increased risk for renal impairment and cardiovascular disease. The potential usefulness of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), two novel biomarkers, for predicting early kidney injury or increased cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents with DM1 or obesity, was investigated in this cross-sectional study.

Patients and methods: Serum samples were obtained from children and adolescents aged 12.7 ± 3.8 years old with DM1 (n = 38) or obesity (n = 34) and normal renal function, as well as from healthy controls (n = 24). NGAL and MMP-9 concentrations were measured using commercially available sandwich ELISA kits (NGAL: DY1757-05, MMP-9: DMP900; R&D systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA).

Results: NGAL serum values were found significantly higher in patients with obesity but not in those with DM1. A positive correlation was found in patients with DM1 with diabetes duration, and in the total population with body mass index (BMI) z-score. Also, serum MMP-9 levels were significantly increased in patients with DM1 and in patients with obesity compared to controls.

Conclusions: Circulating NGAL and MMP-9 levels may prove useful as surrogate biomarkers to creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and albumin excretion rate for early detection of kidney injury and cardiovascular complications in children and adolescents with DM1 or obesity.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of psoralidin, a natural phenolic coumarin compound, on MK-801-induced neurotoxicity that may cause Alzheimer's disease and to determine the phosphodiesterase (PDE)-related molecular mechanism of action.

Materials and methods: In this study, neurotoxicity was performed using the MK-801 in the HT-22 cell line. The effects of compounds on the proliferation of HT-22 cells were determined by Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA). After measuring the total protein concentration, the PDE4A protein level was determined using the Western blot method.

Results: Psoralidin (100, 200, 400 µM) has been shown to have a neuroprotective effect against MK-801-induced neurotoxicity, as indicated by Real-Time Cell Analysis. In HT-22 cells, the half maximal effective concentration (EC50) value of psoralidin was calculated to be 230.4 µM, IC50 value of MK-801 was calculated to be 62.4 µM at 24 hours. It has been determined that psoralidin (200, 400 µM) inhibits PDE4A by using the Western blot method.

Conclusions: This research uncovers that psoralidin has neuroprotective effects in MK801-associated accumulation of the excitatory amino acid glutamate neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: COVID-19, first identified in December 2019, quickly became a global pandemic and remains a significant public health concern. Robust data is rare, especially in pregnant women. The symptoms of this disease range from mild to severe respiratory distress syndrome and mortality. The present study aimed to evaluate the factors influencing COVID-19 severity in women to be better prepared in case of a new epidemic.

Patients and methods: This retrospective matched case-control study based on body mass index, smoke, and drug use was conducted on all women hospitalized with COVID-19 at Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran from the beginning of 2020 to 2021. In this study, 130 female patients with COVID-19 were included, with 65 patients in the case group (moderate and severe cases of COVID-19) and 65 patients in the control group (mild cases of COVID-19). The data were entered into the Stata software, and to determine the effective risk factors for the severity of COVID-19 disease, both univariate and multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were utilized, assuming individual matching. Finally, the odds ratios (OR), along with 95% confidence intervals (CI), were estimated.

Results: The average age of women in the case group was 36.92 ± 7.07 years, compared to 30.12 ± 6.27 years in the control group. Among all patients, 50% were pregnant, with a mean gestational age of 30.03 weeks. Significant factors affecting disease severity included age, education, employment status, place of residence, insurance coverage, comorbidities, and pregnancy status. The highest adjusted odds ratio for severe COVID-19 was associated with comorbidities (OR = 7.8, 95% CI: 2.3-11.1), while the lowest was associated with urban residence (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.02-4.5). Overall, significant predictors of severe COVID-19 included age over 30, urban residence, lack of insurance, a short duration between diagnosis and hospitalization, comorbidities, and non-pregnancy.

Conclusions: The study identified several significant predictors of severe COVID-19 among women, including age over 30, urban residency, lack of insurance coverage, presence of comorbidities, and non-pregnancy, all of which were associated with a heightened risk of severe illness. Notably, comorbidities emerged as the strongest predictor. These findings underscore the critical need for targeted interventions to protect vulnerable populations.

The article "Aldose reductase inhibitor Epalrestat alleviates high glucose-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via ROS" by X. Wang, F. Yu, W.-Q. Zheng, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (3 Suppl): 294-303-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201908_18660-PMID: 31389594 has been retracted by the Editor in Chief. The authors contacted the journal in June 2024, requesting to withdraw the article. Following this request, the journal discovered that the article was commented on PubPeer (link: https://pubpeer.com/publications/DE4E22B2B9E506EDC2E650C58152E0). The journal started an investigation and asked the authors to provide answers to the concerns raised as well as to send the raw data. Following the journal's requests, the authors neither responded nor provided the raw data. The journal's investigation revealed duplications between panels Blank, HG+1 umol/l, and HG+10 umol/l of Figure 4A. Consequently, the Editor in Chief mistrusts the results presented and has decided to retract the article. This article has been retracted. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18660.

The Editor in Chief and the Publisher are issuing an expression of concern to alert readers that the following article is under investigation due to a potential ethical breach regarding lack of transparency in the transplantation procedure as outlined in the article published by Rogers W et al (DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024473): - Chen J, Zhong L. Clinical significance of serum hepcidin-25 levels in predicting invasive fungal disease in patients after transplantation. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2013; 17 (13): 1769-1773-PMID: 23852902. Further updates will be provided once the investigation is completed. The authors have been notified about the ongoing investigation and the publication of this expression of concern.

Objective: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been offered as a large-scale and effective genomic analyzing tool. In this research, we seek to examine the possible benefits of an actionable mutation panel in association with clinical and pathological features in the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Patients and methods: In our study, 85 cases whose diagnosis of carcinoma was confirmed histopathologically either by endoscopic biopsy or esophageal surgery between 2010 and 2020 were identified from the hospital database. In formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples, a total of 20 genes of AKT1, ALK, BRAF, DDR, EGFR, ERBB2, ERBB3, ESR1, FGFR1, KIT, KRAS, MAP2K1, MET, NRAS, NTRK, PDGFRA, PIK3CA, PTEN, RICTOR and ROS1 were analyzed via NGS for actionable mutations.

Results: Of 85 cases, 47 patients (55.3%) were men and 38 (44.7%) were women, and the mean age of the patients was 58.01±11.45 years. There were substantial distinctions in the variables of pathogenicity of variant, operation type, stage, and both lymphovascular and perineural invasion (p<0.05). Most of the primary tumors were situated in the lower thoracic esophagus (n=23; 27%). PIK3CA variant was the highest in number among the variant types (n=17) and was detected in 41.2% of the lower thoracic tumors. The increases in mutation numbers of >2 were especially concentrated in the lower thoracic esophageal carcinomas.

Conclusions: The utility of an actionable multigene panel revealed the value of a well-designed NGS workflow in the practical use of clinical outcomes via the prediction of responsiveness to therapeutic agents or indications for novel treatment modalities in addition to the estimation of prognosis.

Objective: Standard treatment for adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) involves anthracycline and cytarabine, while alternative regimens are necessary for elderly and frail patients. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of various induction regimens in AML patients.

Patients and methods: The retrospective study included 130 adult AML patients treated at a tertiary care center from January 2014 to December 2022. Patients received one of the following induction regimens: anthracycline and cytarabine (n = 82), azacitidine and venetoclax (n = 11), etoposide and cytarabine (n = 22), or reduced-dose anthracycline and cytarabine (n = 15). Data on demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment-related toxicities, and infectious complications were collected. Outcomes included overall survival and remission rates.

Results: The anthracycline and cytarabine regimen demonstrated the highest overall survival rate, although remission rates did not significantly differ among the treatment groups. Patients receiving azacitidine and venetoclax experienced a significantly longer duration of neutropenia. The use of antiviral prophylaxis increased over the study period, reflecting improved management strategies. Infection remained the leading cause of mortality.

Conclusions: Effective management of prolonged neutropenia and infections is crucial for improving patient outcomes. Future research should focus on optimizing prophylactic and infection treatment strategies to further enhance survival in AML.

The article "MiR-299-3p inhibits proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cell via targeting TCF4" by Y. Yu, J.-D. Zhao, H. Yang published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (13): 5621-5627-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201907_18296-PMID: 31298314 has been retracted by the Editor in Chief. Following some concerns raised on PubPeer (link: https://pubpeer.com/publications/4275612B2FA-7C9A9CD7255B791D3A6), the Editor in Chief has started an investigation to assess the validity of the results as well as possible figure manipulation. The journal's investigation revealed data fabrication and several figure manipulations. Specifically, duplications were found within Figures 2C, 2F, 3C, 4A, and 4E. Moreover, Figure 2 (C, D, E), Figure 3C, and Figure 4 (C-D) contained duplications from previously published articles. The authors have been informed about the journal's investigation but remained unresponsive and have not provided the study's raw data. Consequently, the Editor in Chief decided to retract the article. This article has been retracted. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18296.

Objective: The recently discovered protein adropin is a highly conserved polypeptide that plays critical functions in energy homeostasis, metabolic processes, fat metabolism, and insulin resistance. On the other hand, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a medical condition that causes the buildup of fat in the liver cells in individuals who consume little or no alcohol. The frequency of NAFLD is rising globally, and it is frequently linked to obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, this study evaluates the association between adropin levels and insulin resistance in individuals with and without NAFLD.

Materials and methods: Data from Scopus, Science Direct, and PubMed were searched between January 1, 2012, and February 18, 2024, using precise terms and stated criteria. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis V. 2 (Biostat, Englewood, NJ, USA) was used for data analysis, and Random-effect models were used to estimate the pooled mean differences with 95% CIs of adropin level, insulin level, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) associated with the exposures of interest.

Results: Our results revealed that adropin blood levels are significantly reduced in NAFLD patients compared to control individuals. The mean difference in adropin blood levels was 2.391 ng/ml with a 95% CI of 1.127 to 3.656 with I2 99.6. on the other hand, insulin resistance was significantly higher in NAFLD compared to controls (MD: -1.668, 95% CI: -2.333 to -1.002, I2=86%).

Conclusions: Our findings reveal that adropin levels are significantly greater in healthy controls than in NAFLD patients, suggesting that adropin may have a preventative effect on NAFLD. This meta-analysis highlights how closely adropin and insulin resistance interact in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Also, it may open the door to new diagnostic tools and therapeutic modalities.