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Critical Reviews in Microbiology Feb 2024Healthy state is priority in today's world which can be achieved using effective medicines. But due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, a menace of resistance has... (Review)
Review
Healthy state is priority in today's world which can be achieved using effective medicines. But due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics, a menace of resistance has increased in pathogenic microbes. World Health Organization (WHO) has announced ESKAPE pathogens (, spp.) as the top priority pathogens as these have developed resistance against certain antibiotics. To combat such a global issue, it is utmost important to identify novel therapeutic strategies/agents as an alternate to such antibiotics. To name certain antibiotic adjuvants including: inhibitors of beta-lactamase, efflux pumps and permeabilizers for outer membrane can potentially solve the antibiotic resistance problems. In this regard, inhibitors of lytic domain of lytic transglycosylases provide a novel way to not only act as an alternate to antibiotics but also capable of restoring the efficiency of previously resistant antibiotics. Further, use of bacteriophages is another promising strategy to deal with antibiotic resistant pathogens. Taking in consideration the alternatives of antibiotics, a green synthesis nanoparticle-based therapy exemplifies a good option to combat microbial resistance. As horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria facilitates the evolution of new resistance strains, therefore identifying the mechanism of resistance and development of inhibitors against it can be a novel approach to combat such problems. In our perspective, host-directed therapy (HDT) represents another promising strategy in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This approach involves targeting specific factors within host cells that pathogens rely on for their survival, either through replication or persistence. As many new drugs are under clinical trials it is advisable that more clinical data and antimicrobial stewardship programs should be conducted to fully assess the clinical efficacy and safety of new therapeutic agents.
PubMed: 38381581
DOI: 10.1080/1040841X.2024.2313024 -
Journal of Anthropological Sciences =... Oct 2023Many people and organizations misunderstand the concept behind the name Pygmy. This misunderstanding leads them to misinterpretations and erroneous judgements about its...
Many people and organizations misunderstand the concept behind the name Pygmy. This misunderstanding leads them to misinterpretations and erroneous judgements about its use. This article goes back to the origin of the name in order to clarify the meaning that it has today, especially for the Pygmies themselves. The term 'pygmy' originated in ancient Greece where it was employed for a legendary people who, in Greek mythology, were engaged in an unceasing battle against cranes. Although the morphology of the pygmies described by the ancient Greeks cannot be fully characterized, the term 'pygmy' was used for centuries to refer to a population of small stature living close to the Nile. This led scientists and travellers in modern times to refer to populations of small stature living in equatorial Africa as pygmies. The distinction between Pygmies and non-Pygmies in this region matches the presence of two kinds of populations whose identities are defined in contraposition to one another by socio-cultural aspects. Genetic population studies have suggested that the Pygmies split from non-Pygmy populations around 60,000 years BP. Very importantly, the use of the name Pygmy is gratifying to the Pygmies themselves and it appears in the title of almost all Pygmy rights organizations. The name Pygmy thus covers populations sharing a particular phenotype, having a common origin and thus a biological identity, as well as socio-cultural characteristics which are diverse but nevertheless distinguish them from non-Pygmy populations. Furthermore, the name Pygmy has a dual function for the Pygmies themselves, at once asserting their common identity in contraposition to non-Pygmies ("Big-blacks" as they call them) and conveying their claims against those who despise them, who are the same "Big-blacks".
PubMed: 37543984
DOI: 10.4436/JASS.10020 -
Computational and Structural... 2023Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics tools have revealed a vast array of viral diversity in insects, particularly RNA... (Review)
Review
Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics tools have revealed a vast array of viral diversity in insects, particularly RNA viruses. However, our current understanding of insect RNA viruses has primarily focused on hematophagous insects due to their medical importance, while research on the viromes of agriculturally relevant insects remains limited. This comprehensive review aims to address the gap by providing an overview of the diversity of RNA viruses in agricultural pests and beneficial insects within the agricultural ecosystem. Based on the NCBI Virus Database, over eight hundred RNA viruses belonging to 39 viral families have been reported in more than three hundred agricultural insect species. These viruses are predominantly found in the insect orders of Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. These findings have significantly enriched our understanding of RNA viral diversity in agricultural insects. While further virome investigations are necessary to expand our knowledge to more insect species, it is crucial to explore the biological roles of these identified RNA viruses within insects in future studies. This review also highlights the limitations and challenges for the effective virus discovery through NGS and their potential solutions, which might facilitate for the development of innovative bioinformatic tools in the future.
PubMed: 37711182
DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.08.036 -
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic... Oct 2023This paper examines the principal ideas from Jacques Lacan's psychoanalytic theory of psychosis. According to Lacan's theory in the 1950s, the central organizing element...
This paper examines the principal ideas from Jacques Lacan's psychoanalytic theory of psychosis. According to Lacan's theory in the 1950s, the central organizing element of symbolically organized mental life, the Name-of-the-Father, is missing in psychosis. That theory changes with later conceptual developments in Lacan's work that focus on the incompleteness of symbolic functioning. This connects with how, in his works from the late 1960s and the 1970s, Lacan embraces the idea of a fundamental non-rapport and symbolic non-existence at the basis of mental life. In a second step, the paper explores what the Lacanian model of psychosis implies with regard to ethical positioning, addressing the unconscious, handling transference, and crisis and stability in psychosis. A clinical case discussion focuses on a yearlong therapeutic trajectory with a young man with Down's syndrome who suffered from psychotic experiences.
Topics: Humans; Psychoanalytic Theory; Psychotic Disorders
PubMed: 38140978
DOI: 10.1177/00030651231204838 -
Proteomics Jun 2024
Topics: Abbreviations as Topic; Humans; Proteomics
PubMed: 38877648
DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202470094 -
PloS One 2024Guidelines and other strategic documents were collated to understand the extent of the global use of terms postpartum and postnatal along with the duration and schedule... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Guidelines and other strategic documents were collated to understand the extent of the global use of terms postpartum and postnatal along with the duration and schedule of maternal care after delivery.
METHODS
Postpartum care guidelines and strategies published in English, by international organisations including the World Health Organization, and countries in either the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or Group of 20 were included in this scoping review. All documents available online with unrestricted access and published before May 31, 2023, were included. The evolution of the World Health Organization's definition of the period after delivery for mothers and the changes in the schedule of routine maternal care following delivery over time were displayed pictorially. A summary table was then developed to present the level of similarities and differences in the latest available documents from the international organisations and countries belonging to either the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or the Group of 20.
RESULTS
Ten documents from the World Health Organization, one from the European Board, and 15 country-level guidelines from six countries met the inclusion criteria. The interchangeable use of 'postpartum' and 'postnatal' is common. While the World Health Organization mentions the definitive length (six weeks) of the postpartum/ postnatal period, it is not stated in documents from other organisations and countries. Additionally, the length and schedule of routine maternal care after delivery vary substantially between organisations/countries, spanning from six weeks to one year with two to six healthcare contacts, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Through this review, we make a case for a universal harmonisation of the term postpartum when referring to mothers after delivery; add clarity to the documents on the rationale for and duration of the postpartum period; and extend the routine maternal care schedule after delivery to support women in this vulnerable period.
Topics: Humans; Postpartum Period; Female; World Health Organization; Postnatal Care; Pregnancy; Terminology as Topic; Time Factors; Practice Guidelines as Topic
PubMed: 38669219
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300118 -
Child's Nervous System : ChNS :... Aug 2023Benedict Stilling (1810-1879), was a prolific, prominent, and ambitious anatomist, who performed works on the organization of the nervous system for many years. He made...
Benedict Stilling (1810-1879), was a prolific, prominent, and ambitious anatomist, who performed works on the organization of the nervous system for many years. He made numerous observations on the anatomy of the nervous system in various animal species. Stilling contributed to the establishment of significant foundations in the anatomy of the spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebellum. Stilling paved the way for future researchers by describing the techniques he used in his diligent studies published in his published books. In his books, which include many drawings and cadaveric images, he revealed the relationships between the structures in the nervous system. He also made significant contributions to neuroanatomy terminology by coining terms in these books. At the same time, some nuclei in the anatomy of the nervous system were later named after him as an eponym by many researchers. Therefore, Stilling's neuroanatomical works, which are still important today, should be appreciated. This article aims to emphasize his pioneering work in neuroanatomy.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Male; Neuroanatomy; Spinal Cord; Brain Stem; Cerebellum; Eponyms
PubMed: 35357551
DOI: 10.1007/s00381-022-05512-9 -
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Aug 2023The objective of this review is to provide an update on the fluorine-containing drugs approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the span of past five years... (Review)
Review
The objective of this review is to provide an update on the fluorine-containing drugs approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the span of past five years (2018-2022). The agency accepted a total of fifty-eight fluorinated entities to diagnose, mitigate and treat a plethora of diseases. Among them, thirty drugs are for therapy of various types of cancers, twelve for infectious diseases, eleven for CNS disorders, and six for some other diseases. These are categorized and briefly discussed based on their therapeutic areas. In addition, this review gives a glimpse about their trade name, date of approval, active ingredients, company developers, indications, and drug mechanisms. We anticipate that this review may inspire the drug discovery and medicinal chemistry community in both industrial and academic settings to explore the fluorinated molecules leading to the discovery of new drugs in the near future.
Topics: United States; Humans; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Drug Approval; Neoplasms; United States Food and Drug Administration; Drug Discovery
PubMed: 37207534
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115476 -
Bulletin of the World Health... Oct 2023To consolidate recent information on elimination and eradication goals for infectious diseases and clarify the definitions and associated terminology for different goals. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To consolidate recent information on elimination and eradication goals for infectious diseases and clarify the definitions and associated terminology for different goals.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic search of the World Health Organization's Institutional Repository for Information Sharing (WHO IRIS) and a customized systematic Google advanced search for documents published between 2008 and 2022 on elimination or eradication strategies for infectious conditions authored by WHO or other leading health organizations. We extracted information on names of infectious conditions, the elimination and eradication goals and timelines, definitions of goals, non-standardized terminology, targets and assessment processes.
FINDINGS
We identified nine goals for 27 infectious conditions, ranging from disease control to eradication. In comparison with the hierarchy of disease control, as defined at the Dahlem Workshop in 1997, six goals related to disease control with varying levels of advancement, two related to elimination and one to eradication. Goals progressed along a disease-control continuum, such as end of disease epidemic to pre-elimination to elimination as a public health problem or threat. We identified the use of non-standardized terminology with certain goals, including elimination, of disease epidemics, public health and public health
CONCLUSION
As we approach the 2030 target date to achieve many of the goals related to disease control and for other infections to become candidates for elimination in the future, clarity of definitions and objectives is important for public health professionals and policy-makers to avoid misperceptions and miscommunication.
Topics: Humans; Goals; Disease Eradication; Public Health; Global Health; Communicable Diseases
PubMed: 37772196
DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.289676 -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Jun 2024Members of the plant family Amaryllidaceae are widely recorded in traditional systems of medicine. Their usage for inflammatory conditions is most prominent, with... (Review)
Review
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Members of the plant family Amaryllidaceae are widely recorded in traditional systems of medicine. Their usage for inflammatory conditions is most prominent, with substantive evidence emerging from several locations around the world.
AIM OF THE STUDY
This survey was undertaken to identify such plant taxa, highlight the countries from which they originate and afford details of the ailments against which they are utilized. The undertaking also sought to establish the in vitro and in vivo activities of Amaryllidaceae plant extracts in inflammation-based assays. Furthermore, it set out to unravel the molecular mechanisms used to explain these effects.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Over six-hundred articles were identified in searches carried out on SciFinder, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Google Scholar. These were condensed to around 170 that formulated the basis of the text. The keyword engaged was 'Amaryllidaceae' in conjunction with 'inflammation' or 'anti-inflammatory', as well as the names of individual genera combined with the latter two.
RESULTS
Fifty-one species from thirty-five countries were identified for their uses against inflammation. Twenty-four of such conditions were discernible, of which their applicability in wound healing and pain management was most conspicuous. The utilization of all plant parts was apparent, preparations of which were used primarily via topical application. Extracts of seventy-three species (from twenty-three genera) were examined in nearly thirty inflammation-based assays where their activities in vitro and in vivo were shown to be significant. They were effective in vivo against pain and swelling as well as wound healing, without detriment towards test subjects. The in vitro studies were carried out mainly in mononuclear cells such as macrophages, leukocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils against which their cytotoxic effects were seen to be minimal. The modes of operation were shown to involve modulation of both pro-inflammatory (such as NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ, COX and NO) and anti-inflammatory (such as IL-10) factors.
CONCLUSIONS
The Amaryllidaceae is showcased as a platform highly conducive towards studies in the inflammation arena. Potent activities in instances were observed via in vitro and in vivo models of study, bolstered by the significant amounts of information emerging from traditional forms of medicine. It is conceivable that the family may yield future anti-inflammatory chemotherapeutics, particularly those related to its alkaloid principles.
Topics: Humans; Amaryllidaceae; Plant Extracts; Alkaloids; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Inflammation
PubMed: 38387683
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117943