scholarly journals Hormones in international meat production: biological, sociological and consumer issues

2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Free Radical Damage ◽  
Endogenous Production ◽  
Human Pathology

AbstractBeef and its products are an important source of nutrition in many human societies. Methods of production vary and include the use of hormonal compounds (‘hormones’) to increase growth and lean tissue with reduced fat deposition in cattle. The hormonal compounds are naturally occurring in animals or are synthetically produced xenobiotics and have oestrogenic (oestradiol-17β and its esters; zeranol), androgenic (testosterone and esters; trenbolone acetate) or progestogenic (progesterone; melengestrol acetate) activity. The use of hormones as production aids is permitted in North American countries but is no longer allowed in the European Union (EU), which also prohibits the importation of beef and its products derived from hormone-treated cattle. These actions have resulted in a trade dispute between the two trading blocs. The major concern for EU authorities is the possibility of adverse effects on human consumers of residues of hormones and metabolites. Methods used to assess possible adverse effects are typical of those used by international agencies to assess acceptability of chemicals in human food. These include analysis of quantities present in the context of known biological activity and digestive, absorptive, post-absorptive and excretory processes. Particular considerations include the low quantities of hormonal compounds consumed in meat products and their relationships to endogenous production particularly in prepubertal children, enterohepatic inactivation, cellular receptor- and non-receptor-mediated effects and potential for interference with growth, development and physiological function in consumers. There is particular concern about the role of oestradiol-17β as a carcinogen in certain tissues. Now subject to a ‘permanent’ EU ban, current evidence suggests that certain catechol metabolites may induce free-radical damage of DNA in cell and laboratory animal test systems. Classical oestrogen-receptor mediation is considered to stimulate proliferation in cells maintaining receptivity. Mathematical models describing quantitative relationships between consumption of small amounts of oestrogens in meat in addition to greater concentrations from endogenous production, chemical stoichiometry at cellular level and human pathology have not been developed. Such an approach will be necessary to establish ‘molecular materiality’ of the additional hormone intake as a component of relative risk assessment. The other hormones, although generally less well researched, are similarly subject to a range of tests to determine potentially adverse effects. The resulting limited international consensus relates to the application of the ‘precautionary principle’ and non-acceptance by the European Commission of the recommendations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which determined that meat from cattle, hormone-treated according to good practice, was safe for human consumers. The present review considers the hormone issue in the context of current international social methodology and regulation, recent advances in knowledge of biological activity of hormones and current status of science-based evaluation of food safety and risk for human consumers.

COVID-19 in children: Pathogenesis and current status

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Frenkel ◽  
Fernando Gomez ◽  
Joseph A Bellanti
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Initial Description ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Inflammatory Syndrome ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Since its initial description in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly progressed into a worldwide pandemic, which has affected millions of lives. Unlike the disease in adults, the vast majority of children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms and are largely spared from severe respiratory disease. However, thereare children who have significant respiratory disease, and some may develop a hyperinflammatory response similar to thatseen in adults with COVID-19 and in children with Kawasaki disease (KD), which has been termed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).Objective: The purpose of this report was to examine the current evidence that supports the etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 in children and the relationship of COVID-19 with KD and MIS-C as a basis for a better understanding of the clinical course, diagnosis, and management of these clinically perplexing conditions.Results: The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is carried out in two distinct but overlapping phases of COVID-19: the first triggered by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) itself and the second by the host immune response. Children with KD have fewer of the previously described COVID-19–associated KD features with less prominent acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock than children with MIS-C.Conclusion: COVID-19 in adults usually includes severe respiratory symptoms and pathology, with a high mortality. Ithas become apparent that children are infected as easily as adults but are more often asymptomatic and have milder diseasebecause of their immature immune systems. Although children are largely spared from severe respiratory disease, they canpresent with a SARS-CoV-2–associated MIS-C similar to KD.

Medical eponyms: redeeming or not the long-standing tradition

2021 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2021-140420
Author(s):  
Yandy Marx Castillo Aleman
Keyword(s):  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Semantic Classification ◽  
Medical Background

BackgroundHealthcare workers often use terms such as Apgar, Babinski or Glasgow in their routine duties. These terms are used worldwide; they are universal and recognised in various languages. Medical eponyms are immutable by the nature; they save valuable time by streamlining communication among health professionals. However, some of these terms lack accuracy and lead to confusion.Objective and methodsThis perspective article aims to analyse the current status of the divergent trends about redeeming (or not) the long-standing tradition of using medical eponyms. Multiple positions regarding the use of these terms have been expressed in the medical literature, and these are summarised in the manuscript. Although, this compilation is based primarily on the author’s medical background and experience.ResultsThere is an interesting debate in the scientific community about the suitability of certain eponyms. Defenders and detractors argue a broad spectrum of points, but there is still no international consensus. The use of classical, ethical and well-recognised medical eponyms will remain a cornerstone in daily clinical settings, textbooks and medical journals. However, their use can be inconsistent or confused in specific conditions, and they can be influenced by local geography and culture.ConclusionsThere is a need to refrain from using unethical and controversial eponyms throughout the whole of science. Further academic and scientific efforts should be addressed to provide a structural systematisation, semantic classification and etymological categorisation on the use of medical eponyms.

scholarly journals The Role of Bruton’s Kinase Inhibitors in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Current Status and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadeusz Robak ◽  
Magda Witkowska ◽  
Piotr Smolewski
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Covalent Inhibitors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reduced Toxicity ◽  
Btk Inhibitors

The use of the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors has changed the management and clinical history of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). BTK is a critical molecule that interconnects B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling. BTKIs are classified into two categories: irreversible (covalent) inhibitors and reversible (non-covalent) inhibitors. Ibrutinib is the first irreversible BTK inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2013 as a breakthrough therapy in CLL patients. Subsequently, several studies evaluated the efficacy and safety of new agents with reduced toxicity when compared with ibrutinib. Two other irreversible, second-generation BTK inhibitors, acalabrutinib and zanubrutinib, were developed to reduce ibrutinib-mediated adverse effects. Additionally, new reversible BTK inhibitors are currently under development in an early phase studies to improve their activity and to diminish adverse effects. This review summarizes the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, safety, dosing, drug-drug interactions associated with the treatment of CLL with BTK inhibitors, and examines its further implications.

Supervised exercise therapy for intermittent claudication: current status and future perspectives

Vascular ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert-Jan Lauret ◽  
Daniëlle C W van Dalen ◽  
Edith M Willigendael ◽  
Erik J M Hendriks ◽  
Rob A de Bie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intermittent Claudication ◽  
Exercise Therapy ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Vascular Intervention ◽  
Supervised Exercise ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
Health Related

Intermittent claudication (IC) has a high prevalence in the older population and is closely associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. High mortality rates are reported due to ongoing atherosclerotic disease. Because of these serious health risks, treatment of IC should address reduction of cardiovascular events (and related morbidity/mortality) and improvement of the poor health-related quality of life (QoL) and functional capacity. In several randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews, supervised exercise therapy (SET) is compared with non-supervised exercise, usual care, placebo, walking advice or vascular interventions. The current evidence supports SET as the primary treatment for IC. SET improves maximum walking distance and health-related QoL with a marginal risk of co-morbidity or mortality. This is also illustrated in contemporary international guidelines. Community-based SET appears to be at least as efficacious as programs provided in a clinical setting. In the Netherlands, a national integrated care network (ClaudicatioNet) providing specialized care for patients with IC is currently being implemented. Besides providing a standardized form of SET, the specialized physical therapists stimulate medication compliance and perform lifestyle coaching. Future research should focus on the influence of co-morbidities on prognosis and effect of SET outcome and the potential beneficial effects of SET combined with a vascular intervention.

Weight Loss in Breast Cancer Patient Management

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1128-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rowan T. Chlebowski ◽  
Erin Aiello ◽  
Anne McTiernan
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Dietary Therapy ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Breast Cancer Outcome

PURPOSE: To systematically review and summarize evidence relevant to obesity and breast cancer clinical outcome, potential hormonal mediating mechanisms, and the current status of weight loss interventions for chronic disease management. METHODS: A comprehensive, formal literature review was conducted to identify 5,687 citations with key information from 159 references summarized in text and tables. This process included a search for all breast cancer studies exploring associations among survival or recurrence and obesity at diagnosis or weight gain after diagnosis using prospective criteria. RESULTS: On the basis of observational studies, women with breast cancer who are overweight or gain weight after diagnosis are found to be at greater risk for breast cancer recurrence and death compared with lighter women. Obesity is also associated with hormonal profiles likely to stimulate breast cancer growth. Recently, use of weight loss algorithms proven successful in other clinical settings that incorporate dietary therapy, physical activity, and ongoing behavior therapy have been endorsed by the National Institutes of Health and other health agencies. CONCLUSION: Although definitive weight loss intervention trials in breast cancer patients remain to be conducted, the current evidence relating increased body weight to adverse breast cancer outcome and the documented favorable effects of weight loss on clinical outcome in other comorbid conditions support consideration of programs for weight loss in breast cancer patients. Recommendations for the clinical care of overweight or obese breast cancer patients are offered.

scholarly journals Treatment of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Current Status

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajendra Prasad ◽  
Harsh Saxena ◽  
Nikhil Gupta ◽  
Mohammad Tanzeem ◽  
Ronal Naorem
Keyword(s):  
Total Duration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Second Line ◽  
Drug Resistant Tuberculosis ◽  
Intensive Phase ◽  
Resistant Tuberculosis ◽  
Mdr Tb

AbstractDrug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) has been an area of growing concern and posing threat to human health worldwide. The treatment has been defined for all types of DR-TB with or without newer anti-TB drugs. multi-DR-TB (MDR-TB) patients have now choice of two types of regimen, shorter and longer regimens. Shorter regimen for treatment of subset of MDR-TB patients who have not been previously treated with second line drugs and in whom resistance to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable agents has been excluded is given for 9 to 11 months. A longer regimen of at least five effective anti-TB drugs (ATDs) during the intensive phase is recommended, including pyrazinamide and four core second-line ATDs. Intensive phase, including injectables, should be given for at least 8 months. The total duration of treatment is at least 20 months, which can be prolonged up to 24 months depending on the response of the patient. World Health Organization (WHO) has recently revised the grouping of ATD for use in DR-TB patients in 2018 into three groups based on individual patient data meta-analysis depending on their individual efficacy, risk of relapse, treatment failure, and death. Recently, an all oral longer regimen comprising bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid (BPal regime) for 6 to 9 months for extensive-DR-TB (XDR-TB) patients and those MDR-TB patients who cannot tolerate or do not respond to conventional MDR-TB regimen. These new developments will be a step forward toward establishing universal regimen to treat all types of DR-TB. This article has summarized the current evidence from literature search to date, including prevalence of DR-TB, types of regimen used and the advancement in the regimens for effective treatment of DR-TB patients.

scholarly journals Artificial intelligence in medical imaging: A radiomic guide to precision phenotyping of cardiovascular disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 116 (13) ◽  
pp. 2040-2054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos K Oikonomou ◽  
Musib Siddique ◽  
Charalambos Antoniades
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Cardiac Computed Tomography ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Cardiovascular Imaging ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Scientific Validity ◽  
Non Invasive

Abstract Rapid technological advances in non-invasive imaging, coupled with the availability of large data sets and the expansion of computational models and power, have revolutionized the role of imaging in medicine. Non-invasive imaging is the pillar of modern cardiovascular diagnostics, with modalities such as cardiac computed tomography (CT) now recognized as first-line options for cardiovascular risk stratification and the assessment of stable or even unstable patients. To date, cardiovascular imaging has lagged behind other fields, such as oncology, in the clinical translational of artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches. We hereby review the current status of AI in non-invasive cardiovascular imaging, using cardiac CT as a running example of how novel machine learning (ML)-based radiomic approaches can improve clinical care. The integration of ML, deep learning, and radiomic methods has revealed direct links between tissue imaging phenotyping and tissue biology, with important clinical implications. More specifically, we discuss the current evidence, strengths, limitations, and future directions for AI in cardiac imaging and CT, as well as lessons that can be learned from other areas. Finally, we propose a scientific framework in order to ensure the clinical and scientific validity of future studies in this novel, yet highly promising field. Still in its infancy, AI-based cardiovascular imaging has a lot to offer to both the patients and their doctors as it catalyzes the transition towards a more precise phenotyping of cardiovascular disease.

scholarly journals The Current Status of Clinical Research Involving Microneedles: A Systematic Review

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1113
Author(s):  
Seung-Yeon Jeong ◽  
Jung-Hwan Park ◽  
Ye-Seul Lee ◽  
Youn-Sub Kim ◽  
Ji-Yeun Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Effect ◽  
Osteoporosis Treatment ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
And Control

In recent years, a number of clinical trials have been published on the efficacy and safety of drug delivery using microneedles (MNs). This review aims to systematically summarize and analyze the current evidence including the clinical effect and safety of MNs. Three electronic databases, including PubMed, were used to search the literature for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical controlled trials (CCTs) that evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of MNs from their inception to 28 June 2018. Data were extracted according to the characteristics of study subjects; disorder, types, and details of the intervention (MNs) and control groups; outcome measurements; effectiveness; and incidence of adverse events (AEs). Overall, 31 RCTs and seven CCTs met the inclusion criteria. Although MNs were commonly used in skin-related studies, evaluating the effects of MNs was difficult because many studies did not provide adequate comparison values between groups. For osteoporosis treatment, vaccine, and insulin delivery studies, MNs were comparable to or more effective than the gold standard. Regarding the safety of MNs, most AEs reported in each study were minor (grade 1 or 2). A well-designed RCT is necessary to clearly evaluate the effectiveness of MNs in the future.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing Support for the Gain-Loss Approach for Greenhouse Gas Inventories

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. McRoberts ◽  
Erik Næsset ◽  
Christophe Sannier ◽  
Stephen V. Stehman ◽  
Erkki O. Tomppo
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Inventories ◽  
Gain Loss

For tropical countries that do not have extensive ground sampling programs such as national forest inventories, the gain-loss approach for greenhouse gas inventories is often used. With the gain-loss approach, emissions and removals are estimated as the product of activity data defined as the areas of human-caused emissions and removals and emissions factors defined as the per unit area responses of carbon stocks for those activities. Remotely sensed imagery and remote sensing-based land use and land use change maps have emerged as crucial information sources for facilitating the statistically rigorous estimation of activity data. Similarly, remote sensing-based biomass maps have been used as sources of auxiliary data for enhancing estimates of emissions and removals factors and as sources of biomass data for remote and inaccessible regions. The current status of statistically rigorous methods for combining ground and remotely sensed data that comply with the good practice guidelines for greenhouse gas inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is reviewed.

Saussurea lappa: A Comprehensive Review on its Pharmacological Activity and Phytochemistry

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Reyaz Hassan ◽  
Mubashir Hussain Masoodi
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Perennial Herb ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Saussurea Lappa ◽  
Therapeutic Uses ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Around 3000 species of Saussurea are known, however Saussurea lappa Clarke which is perennial herb and has been traditionally used as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, medicine without many adverse effects. Phytochemistry of Saussurea lappa after thorough literature survey revealed various varied and copious metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, phytosterols, lignans, terpenes. Many of these compounds have been found to possess a wide range of biological activity such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-viral, etc. Among sesquiterpenes particularly Dehydrocostuslactone, dihydrocostunolide, costunolide Lappadilactone, have been isolated as the main chemical constituents. This review aims to cover published work from public databases (e.g. PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate) and Non-English, Ph.D./MS thesis databases (e.g. CKNIChina, Jairo-Japan, Myto-Malaysia, Shodhganga-India) with a particular focus on phytochemistry and therapeutic uses of different fractions as well as isolated compounds from Saussurea lappa.

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