Advances in experimental medicine and biology最新文献

With opioids being increasingly prescribed and illicit opioids being misused, substance use disorder has become a growing public health concern. The impacts of the opioid epidemic have been devastating, especially for pregnant people, infants, and children. Pre- and perinatal opioid exposure is complex. Opioids affect multiple body systems and have detrimental effects on the placenta, brain, and immune system. Pharmacological properties make each class of opioid unique, thereby compounding effects on development based on the type, receptors engaged, or combination of drugs used. Accordingly, animal models are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms, pathways, and developmental processes affected by opioid exposure during and after pregnancy. However, the complexity of opioid use in humans means that preclinical modeling is also complicated with variation by species type, duration, and timing of exposure, and combinations of opioids studied. In this chapter, we present a summary of numerous, intricate preclinical models of perinatal opioid exposure. Specifically, we discuss (1) the inherent variability and difficulty in modeling complex patterns of opioid use by pregnant and peripartum people, (2) provide background on opioids and their receptors, and (3) present evidence for long-term changes in brain structure and function secondary to prenatal opioid exposure. Together, we emphasize the significant immunological, structural, and cognitive changes documented in animals and humans after opioid exposure to highlight the potential for translatability and illustrate a path forward for improved mechanistic and therapeutic discovery.

This chapter provides an introduction and overview of animal models that have been used to investigate the teratogenic effects of alcohol. Since the first model was developed in 1899, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been studied in species ranging from invertebrates to primates. Here, we contextualize and outline critical experimental considerations, including blood alcohol concentration, timing of exposure, and routes of ethanol administration. Detailed comparisons of vertebrate and invertebrate models, particularly rodents, guinea pigs, and non-human primates, highlight their translational relevance and limitations in replicating human gestational processes, and the pathophysiology of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). This chapter also examines behavioral outcomes across motor, executive, cognitive, and social domains, illustrating how PAE disrupts neural development and function throughout the lifespan. Collectively, we emphasize the importance of recognizing the pros and cons when selecting an animal model and experimental paradigm.

Chronic ulcers represent a significant challenge in modern medicine, with profound implications for patients' quality of life, healthcare costs, and clinical management. The complexity of ulcer healing necessitates the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance tissue regeneration and accelerate wound closure. This study investigates the effects of ascorbic acid, arginine, silver sulfadiazine, and colloidal silver on ulcer healing, aiming to elucidate their role in the restoration of skin integrity. A clinical study was conducted on 106 patients, who were divided into an intervention group and a control group. Participants were monitored for up to 75 days, with systematic recording of key clinical healing markers. The findings provide critical insights into the efficacy of these agents in modulating cellular repair mechanisms and promoting faster epithelialization. The proposed therapeutic approaches leverage the synergistic properties of these compounds, which are known for their antioxidative, antimicrobial, and tissue-repairing capabilities. Given the substantial burden of chronic ulcers on healthcare systems and their detrimental impact on patient outcomes, optimizing therapeutic interventions remains a priority. The results of this study contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting alternative and complementary treatments for chronic wound management. By refining clinical protocols and integrating these bioactive agents into standardized treatment regimens, healthcare professionals may improve healing rates, reduce complications, and enhance overall patient care.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect perceived stress, mental resilience, and quality of life in cancer patients and the associations between these variables.

Methods: A quantitative, observational correlational study was conducted in the day unit of a central oncology center of Athens, Greece. Through convenience sampling, 120 cancer patients were recruited. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) questionnaire, mental resilience with the Resilience Scale (RS-14), and quality of life with the EORTC QLQ-C30 v.3.

Results: 51.7% of patients were women and had breast cancer (25%). The mean age was 65.28 ± 9.98 years. The mean PSS score was18.73 ± 7.83, while the RS score was 81.04 ± 11.46. The mean score of the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale was 81.04 ± 11.46. Statistically significant negative correlations were observed between all subscales of the PSS scale with the functional subscales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 (r = -0.27- -0.58, p < 0.05), while statistically significant positive correlations were observed between the scale PSS and the symptom subscales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 (r = 0.21-0.44, p < 0.05). The PSS total score was correlated with RS total score (r = -0.42, p < 0.01). The PSS score was a statistically significant negative predictor of the EORTC QLQ-C30 total score (b = -0.54, p < 0.001), while the RS score was not a predictive factor.

Conclusion: Perceived stress, mental resilience, and quality of life in cancer patients are influenced and related. The extent of their influence depends on the individual characteristics of the patients but also on the support they receive and certainly requires further research.

Viral infectious diseases represent a major global health burden, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality across diverse populations. Lower respiratory infections, including bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia, accounted for more than 2 million deaths worldwide in both 2016 and 2019, while upper respiratory tract infections such as the common cold, sinusitis, and pharyngitis collectively caused billions of incident cases with notable mortality. Gastrointestinal viruses, particularly rotaviruses, remain a leading cause of severe pediatric gastroenteritis, resulting in thousands of childhood deaths daily, especially in developing countries. Exanthematous viral diseases, including measles and rubella, continue to pose high transmission risks, with measles alone responsible for over half a million child deaths annually. Hepatic viral infections, most notably hepatitis viruses A-E, affect more than two billion individuals globally and cause approximately 1.4 million deaths each year. Cutaneous viral diseases, hemorrhagic fevers, and neurologic infections such as polio and viral encephalitis further illustrate the broad clinical spectrum and public health challenges posed by viral pathogens. Addressing these threats relies heavily on the development and application of antiviral agents with diverse mechanisms of action. These include direct virus-targeting approaches-such as attachment, entry, uncoating, protease, polymerase, and integrase inhibitors-as well as reverse transcriptase inhibitors used in HIV management. Complementary strategies involve indirect virus-targeting antivirals that disrupt host cellular pathways exploited during viral replication. Together, these therapeutic strategies highlight the critical need for continued innovation and comprehensive antiviral development to mitigate the ongoing global burden of viral diseases.

Poor quality of sleep is a frequent problem among patients on dialysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of sociodemographic factors with sleep quality in patients on dialysis. The present study was conducted with 402 patients on dialysis using the Athens Insomnia Scale for the assessment of sleep disorders and a questionnaire about demographic characteristics. The results showed that 41% of the participants had difficulty in falling asleep, 40.3% waking up during the night, 35.6% waking up earlier than desired, 33.3% found the duration of sleep insufficient, 31.8% had a diminished sense of well-being during the day, 24.4% had reduced functioning, and 26.4% had daytime sleepiness problems. Overall, 72.1% of patients suffered from insomnia. Participants undergoing hemodialysis had significantly greater percentage of having a problem with awakenings during the night compared to participants under peritoneal dialysis (p = 0.020). Additionally, women had 1.88 times greater probability of suffering from insomnia compared to men (p = 0.019).Thus, sleep hygiene education programs and intradialytic resistance exercises programs along with early diagnosis of sleep disorders and home dialysis can lead to an improvement of sleep quality in dialysis population.

This study aims to explore the various defense mechanisms employed by individuals with harmful alcohol use and their implications for psychiatric mental health nursing. Utilizing a literature review methodology, the chapter examines both mature and immature defense mechanisms as classified by Koukias (Principles of psychiatric nursing - mental health nursing (Αρχές ψυχιατρικής νοσηλευτικής - νοσηλευτική ψυχικής υγείας). Broken Hill Publishers LTD, Athens, 2018) in "Principles of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing." The findings reveal that mature mechanisms, such as altruism and sublimation, can promote healthier coping strategies and emotional resilience, aiding in recovery. Conversely, immature mechanisms like passive aggression, acting out, dissociation, projection, devaluation, and splitting tend to perpetuate dysfunctional behaviors and hinder recovery efforts. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing tailored therapeutic interventions that support long-term sobriety and emotional well-being. This comprehensive approach underscores the importance of integrating psychological insights into clinical practice to enhance treatment outcomes for individuals with alcohol use disorders.

Prenatal exposure to cannabis and tobacco can significantly disrupt critical stages of fetal development, resulting in long-lasting consequences for offspring's health. Prenatal THC exposure has been shown to impair offspring neurodevelopment, alter metabolic and cardiovascular function, and disrupt reproductive health, with sex-specific effects that persist into adulthood. Similarly, nicotine exposure during pregnancy is associated with structural and functional deficits in the offspring's pulmonary, neurological, behavioral, cardiac, and renal systems. Epigenetic modifications are a key mechanism through which both THC and nicotine exert their developmental effects, including widespread changes in DNA methylation that influence gene expression and may mediate long-term health outcomes. The rapidly changing landscape of prenatal cannabis and nicotine use, including rising rates of co-use and novel product formulations, highlights the need for ongoing, mechanistic research. Further studies are required to define how these substances impact fetal development and identify shared and distinct molecular pathways, particularly in the context of polysubstance exposure and contemporary delivery methods. Animal models are pivotal in dissecting these pathways and evaluating the direct effects of exposure, free from confounding variables common in human studies. Importantly, they provide a platform to examine both the individual and synergistic effects of THC and nicotine, as well as to uncover underlying mechanisms that may inform intervention strategies and guide public health policy.

The aim of this study is the investigation of attitudes and perceptions toward surrogacy in general public. More extensively, the degree of acceptance and intention to use surrogacy, the perceived attitude of society toward surrogacy, the attitudes and perceptions of the role of the surrogate mother, and the perceptions of the relationship the child should have with the surrogate mother, as well as the perceptions of the influence of surrogate motherhood on the parents' relationship with the child, are examined. In addition, factors influencing the formation of attitudes and perceptions in each of the aforementioned aspects of surrogacy are examined.Total acceptance of surrogacy found high. Positive attitudes found in all other divisions of surrogacy. Higher knowledge of Artificial Reproduction Technologies contributes to more positive attitudes about surrogacy. Married and infertile people tend to have more positive attitudes on surrogacy. Religiousness tends to shape less positive attitudes on surrogacy. Finally, marital status found to have an effect on disclosure of surrogacy.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely used imaging modality for diagnosing and monitoring macular diseases, including diabetic macular edema (DME) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV), both of which can cause severe visual impairment. Clinicians rely on various OCT biomarkers to identify these conditions. An algorithm was developed in Python to extract biomarker-associated features from OCT images and applied to a pre-labeled dataset containing normal, DME, and CNV images. Distribution analysis confirmed that the extracted features aligned with the existing literature. Using these features, LightGBM classified the OCT images, achieving 91% accuracy and 98% area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Based on these promising results, this algorithm could contribute to the development of more advanced feature extraction methodologies for the diagnosis of macular diseases using traditional machine learning approaches. Such algorithms could potentially be integrated into automated patient screening systems.