Recent Advances in the Use of Metallic Nanoparticles with Antitumoral Action - Review

The term cancer represents a set of more than 100 diseases that are caused due to an uncontrolled growth of cells; and their subsequent spread to the other tissues and organs of the body by a phenomenon, called ‘metastasis’. According to the estimates provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is expected to account for about 10 million deaths per year by 2020 and 21 million cancer cases, which may lead to 13 million deaths by 2030, making cancer as the cause of highest mortality in contrast to other diseases. The search for potential therapeutics against cancer, which can reduce the side-effects that occur due to the difficulty of recognition between cancerous and normal cells, has ever been increased. In this view, nanotechnology, especially metallic nanoparticles (MNPs), comes to aid in the development of novel therapeutic agents, which may be synthesized or modified with the most diverse functional chemical groups; this property makes the metallic nanoparticles suitable for conjugation with already known drugs or prospective drug candidates. The biocompatibility, relatively simple synthesis, size flexibility and easy chemical modification of its surface, all make the metallic nanoparticles highly advantageous for opportune diagnosis and therapy of cancer. The present article analyzes and reports the anti-tumor activities of 78 papers of various metallic nanoparticles, particularly the ones containing copper, gold, iron, silver and titanium in their composition.

Download Full-text

Secular Trends of Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity in Children and Adolescents from Ukraine

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18063302 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3302

Author(s):

Katarzyna Dereń ◽

Justyna Wyszyńska ◽

Serhiy Nyankovskyy ◽

Olena Nyankovska ◽

Marta Yatsula ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Age Groups ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Health Organization ◽

Obesity In Children

Overweight and obesity, as well as underweight in children and adolescents, pose a significant public health issue. This study aimed to investigate the secular trend of the incidence of underweight, overweight, and obesity in children from Ukraine in 2013/2014 and 2018/2019. The studies were conducted in randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Ukraine. In total, 13,447 children (6468 boys and 6979 girls) participated in the study in 2013/2014 and 18,144 children (8717 boys and 9427 girls) participated in 2018/2019. Measurements of body weight and height were performed in triplicate. Underweight, overweight, and obesity were diagnosed according to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the group of girls, a significant difference between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019 measurements was found only among 7-year-olds. The percentage of girls at this age exceeding the body mass index (BMI) norm was lower in the 2018/2019 study. In boys, a significant difference was also found in 7-year-olds, and, as in girls, a lower share of overweight and obesity was found in 2018/2019. But for the ages of 12, 13, and 15, the significant differences had a different character—more overweight or obese boys were found in the 2018/2019 study. The proportion of underweight children was similar for the majority of age groups in both genders and did not differ in a statistically significant way.

Download Full-text

Prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade entre mulheres eutróficas

Revista de Ciências Médicas e Biológicas ◽

10.9771/cmbio.v11i2.6682 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 184

Author(s):

Marcela Ribeiro da Costa ◽

Durval Sobreiro Júnior ◽

Crésio Alves

Keyword(s):

Normal Weight ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Font Size ◽

Percentage Body Fat ◽

Obesity And Overweight ◽

Skin Fold ◽

Methods Of Evaluation ◽

Health Organization ◽

Body Compositions

Introdução - Apesar da ampla utilização e significativa correlação do IMC (Índice de Massa Corporal) com o diagnóstico de sobrepeso e obesidade, estudos recentes sugerem pouca associação dos valores intermediários de sobrepeso com o percentual de gordura corporal, o que pode subestimar a prevalência de elevada adiposidade e seus riscos à saúde. Métodos - Este estudo comparou o diagnóstico de mulheres consideradas eutróficas pelo critério de IMC preconizado pela OMS (Organização Mundial de Saúde) com a avaliação segundo o cálculo do percentual de gordura corporal aferido por pregas cutâneas. Foram analisadas as fichas de avaliação física de duzentas e quatro alunas matriculadas em uma academia exclusiva para mulheres de Salvador, Bahia, em 2010. Foram analisados peso, altura, prega cutânea tricipital, supra-ilíaca e coxa, além dos cálculos de IMC e percentual de gordura corporal através do programa EVO®. Resultados - Foi observado que apenas 25,95% das mulheres eutróficas pelo valor do IMC permaneceram com mesmo diagnóstico nutricional após avaliação do percentual de gordura corporal. A prevalência de obesidade, segundo o IMC, foi de 6,37% da amostra total, enquanto essa prevalência entre mulheres eutróficas pelo IMC, após avaliação da composição corporal, foi de 38,17%, 6 vezes maior. Observou-se, também, influência da idade na adequação do IMC e percentual de gordura corporal. Discussão - Os achados deste estudo foram compatíveis com outros resultados encontrados na literatura, sugerindo subdiagnóstico do sobrepeso e da obesidade através da classificação do IMC e a necessidade da associação de métodos para uma avaliação clínica mais adequada e um diagnóstico do estado nutricional mais preciso. Abstract Introduction: The BMI (Body Mass Index) is the major parameter currently recommended by the WHO (world health organization) to determine the diagnosis and the treatment to obesity and overweight. The intermediate BMI classification could underestimate the diagnosis when is compared with other evaluation methods. Methods: the aim of this paper is show the relationship between normal BMI and the high percentage body fat evaluated by skin fold thicknesses protocol (Pollock, 1984) in woman from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil in 2010. We compared the classification diagnosis based in BMI and skin fold thicknesses in 204 women age between 20 to 59 years. Results: in our sample, according with the classification based in BMI 74% of subjects was considered normal weight. When we analyzed the skin fold classification only 26% remain with the same diagnosis. Conclusions: Our outcome shows the role of the BMI in the diagnosis of the obesity and overweight must to be considerated and added to other methods of evaluation of the body compositions a skin fold protocols.

Download Full-text

Developing WHO guidelines: Time to formally include evidence from mathematical modelling studies

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.12367.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 1584 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Matthias Egger ◽

Leigh Johnson ◽

Christian Althaus ◽

Anna Schöni ◽

Georgia Salanti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Modelling ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Who Guidelines ◽

Problem Model ◽

Assessment Development ◽

Modelling Studies ◽

Health Organization

In recent years, the number of mathematical modelling studies has increased steeply. Many of the questions addressed in these studies are relevant to the development of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, but modelling studies are rarely formally included as part of the body of evidence. An expert consultation hosted by WHO, a survey of modellers and users of modelling studies, and literature reviews informed the development of recommendations on when and how to incorporate the results of modelling studies into WHO guidelines. In this article, we argue that modelling studies should routinely be considered in the process of developing WHO guidelines, but particularly in the evaluation of public health programmes, long-term effectiveness or comparative effectiveness. There should be a systematic and transparent approach to identifying relevant published models, and to commissioning new models. We believe that the inclusion of evidence from modelling studies into the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) process is possible and desirable, with relatively few adaptations. No single “one-size-fits-all” approach is appropriate to assess the quality of modelling studies. The concept of the ‘credibility’ of the model, which takes the conceptualization of the problem, model structure, input data, different dimensions of uncertainty, as well as transparency and validation into account, is more appropriate than ‘risk of bias’.

Download Full-text

Physical development of children in St. Petersburg: to the discussion about methods of evaluation

Pediatrician (St Petersburg) ◽

10.17816/ped10233-36 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 33-36

Author(s):

Vera L. Gritsinskaya ◽

Valeria P. Novikova

Keyword(s):

Essential Feature ◽

The Body ◽

International Standards ◽

World Health ◽

School Age Children ◽

Growth Spurt ◽

School Age ◽

Modern School ◽

Health Organization ◽

Growth Assessment

Anthropometric evaluation is an essential feature of pediatric evaluation. Different countries use different approaches in pediatric growth assessment. The article presents a comparative analysis of the body length (BL) indicators of modern school-age children in St. Petersburg with regional standards (1991) and international standards (WHO Growth Reference 2007). Anthropometric evaluation was conducted among 6207 children aged 7 to 17 years; the median, standard deviation and centile distribution of the BL values of school-age children were determined. We found that the values of BL of modern school-age children are higher than that their peers had thirty years ago; in boys, the maximum difference is found during the pubertal growth spurt; Non-parametric and parametric indicators of BL in senior pupils of St. Petersburg are higher than in the standards of the World Health Organization; in junior schoolchildren no difference was found. The data we obtained create the prerequisites for the development of modern regional standards for growth assessment of children and school-age children in St. Petersburg and their practical use for pediatric examinations.

Download Full-text

Therapeutic Effectiveness and Safety of Repurposing Drugs for the Treatment of COVID-19: Position Standing in 2021

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.659577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Safaet Alam ◽

Taslima Binte Kamal ◽

Md. Moklesur Rahman Sarker ◽

Jin-Rong Zhou ◽

S. M. Abdur Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Case Series ◽

Basic Knowledge ◽

World Health ◽

Current Status ◽

Drug Candidates ◽

Health Organization ◽

Meta Analyses

COVID-19, transmitted by SARS-CoV-2, is one of the most serious pandemic situations in the history of mankind, and has already infected a huge population across the globe. This horrendously contagious viral outbreak was first identified in China and within a very short time it affected the world's health, transport, economic, and academic sectors. Despite the recent approval of a few anti-COVID-19 vaccines, their unavailability and insufficiency along with the lack of other potential therapeutic options are continuing to worsen the situation, with valuable lives continuing to be lost. In this situation, researchers across the globe are focusing on repurposing prospective drugs and prophylaxis such as favipiravir, remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, lopinavir-ritonavir, azithromycin, doxycycline, ACEIs/ARBs, rivaroxaban, and protease inhibitors, which were preliminarily based on in vitro and in vivo pharmacological and toxicological study reports followed by clinical applications. Based on available preliminary data derived from limited clinical trials, the US National Institute of Health (NIH) and USFDA also recommended a few drugs to be repurposed i.e., hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir. However, World Health Organization later recommended against the use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of COVID-19 infections. Combining basic knowledge of viral pathogenesis and pharmacodynamics of drug molecules as well as in silico approaches, many drug candidates have been investigated in clinical trials, some of which have been proven to be partially effective against COVID-19, and many of the other drugs are currently under extensive screening. The repurposing of prospective drug candidates from different stages of evaluation can be a handy wellspring in COVID-19 management and treatment along with approved anti-COVID-19 vaccines. This review article combined the information from completed clinical trials, case series, cohort studies, meta-analyses, and retrospective studies to focus on the current status of repurposing drugs in 2021.

Download Full-text

NEW CORONOVIRUS INFECTION: CLINICAL AND PATHOGENETIC ASPECTS OF COVID-19 IN PREGNANT WOMEN

"Medical & pharmaceutical journal "Pulse" ◽

10.26787/nydha-2686-6838-2021-23-8-57-62 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 57-62

Author(s):

Allakhyarov D.Z. ◽

Petrov Yu.A. ◽

Chernavsky V.V.

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Coronavirus Infection ◽

The Moment ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

This article presents reviews of literature sources on the clinical and pathogenetic aspects of the course of a new coronovirus infection in pregnant women, in order to analyze the features of the course of COVID-19 in pregnant women and to assess the impact of infection on the body of a woman and a fetus. Pregnancy is a special physiological condition, during which a number of changes occur in the body, not only in the hormonal status, but also in the immune system. The urgency of this problem is due to the high prevalence of new coronavirus infection among the population. On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), as a result of the dynamic development of the epidemic in many countries and continents, declared a global pandemic of the contagious disease COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to available studies, pregnant women are more susceptible to a more severe course of infectious diseases affecting the upper respiratory tract. According to various studies, a new coronavirus infection can lead to premature birth, miscarriage, and preeclampsia. Separate studies show increased mortality in pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 virus does not have a direct teratogenic effect on the fetus, but it can indirectly lead to harmful effects on the developing organism. Special attention should be paid to the issue of vaccination of pregnant women against a new coronavirus infection, at the moment there is no accurate data on the effect of the vaccine on the body of the pregnant woman and the fetus. In this regard, the question of the impact of a new coronavirus infection on the course of pregnancy has become relevant.

Download Full-text

Introduction

Leprosy ◽

10.5744/florida/9781683401841.003.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Charlotte A. Roberts

Keyword(s):

World Health Organization ◽

Mycobacterium Leprae ◽

Relative Strength ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Neglected Tropical Disease ◽

The World ◽

Mycobacterium Lepromatosis ◽

History Of ◽

Health Organization

This chapter introduces leprosy, an infection that is still misunderstood and considered a neglected tropical disease but declining in frequency, according to the World Health Organization. The bacteria that cause leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, are outlined, as well as how a relative strength of a person’s immune system determines how leprosy affects the body. Although leprosy is curable, associated stigma and disability remain common challenges for people with the disease in parts of the world. The goals and structure of the book are outlined, ten myths that still pervade society at large are listed, and the use of the word “leper” discussed. Based on World Health Organization data, the chapter also explores the frequency of leprosy today, where the infection remains a challenge, and the history of detecting and reporting evidence for leprosy in living populations. Finally, the reasons why bioarchaeologists have an interest in this infection are explored.

Download Full-text

Adipokines and Obesity. Potential Link to Metabolic Disorders and Chronic Complications

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21103570 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (10) ◽

pp. 3570 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Katarzyna Zorena ◽

Olga Jachimowicz-Duda ◽

Daniel Ślęzak ◽

Marlena Robakowska ◽

Małgorzata Mrugacz

Keyword(s):

The Body ◽

Biologically Active ◽

World Health ◽

Target Cells ◽

Fatty Tissue ◽

Chronic Complications ◽

Overweight People ◽

Cochrane Database ◽

Potential Link ◽

Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as one of the top ten threats to human health. It is estimated that the number of obese and overweight people worldwide exceeds the number of those who are undernourished. Obesity is not only a state of abnormally increased adipose tissue in the body, but also of increased release of biologically active adipokines. Adipokines released into the circulating blood, due to their specific receptors on the surface of target cells, act as classic hormones affecting the metabolism of tissues and organs. What is more, adipokines and cytokines may decrease the insulin sensitivity of tissues and induce inflammation and development of chronic complications. Certainly, it can be stated that in an era of a global obesity pandemic, adipokines may gain more and more importance as regards their use in the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of diseases. An extensive search for materials on the role of white, brown and perivascular fatty tissue and obesity-related metabolic and chronic complications was conducted online using PubMed, the Cochrane database and Embase.

Download Full-text

Development of the Troponin Detection System Based on the Nanostructure

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi10030203 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 203 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Taek Lee ◽

Jae-Hyuk Ahn ◽

Jinha Choi ◽

Yeonju Lee ◽

Jin-Myung Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Detection System ◽

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Detection Techniques ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Creatine Kinase Mb ◽

High Death ◽

Surface Enhanced Raman ◽

Health Organization

During the last 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a gradual increase in the number of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), not only in developed but also in developing countries. In particular, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the severe CVDs because of the high death rate, damage to the body, and various complications. During these harmful effects, rapid diagnosis of AMI is key for saving patients with CVD in an emergency. The prompt diagnosis and proper treatment of patients with AMI are important to increase the survival rate of these patients. To treat patients with AMI quickly, detection of a CVD biomarker at an ultra-low concentration is essential. Cardiac troponins (cTNs), cardiac myoglobin (cMB), and creatine kinase MB are typical biomarkers for AMI detection. An increase in the levels of those biomarkers in blood implies damage to cardiomyocytes and thus is related to AMI progression. In particular, cTNs are regarded as a gold standard biomarker for AMI diagnosis. The conventional TN detection system for detection of AMI requires long measurement time and is labor-intensive and tedious. Therefore, the demand for sensitive and selective TN detection techniques is increasing at present. To meet this demand, several approaches and methods have been applied to develop a TN detection system based on a nanostructure. In the present review, the authors reviewed recent advances in TN biosensors with a focus on four detection systems: (1) An electrochemical (EC) TN nanobiosensor, (2) field effect transistor (FET)-based TN nanobiosensor, (3) surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based TN nanobiosensor and (4) surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based TN nanobiosensor.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 Drug Discovery Using Intensive Approaches

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21082839 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (8) ◽

pp. 2839 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Ayumu Asai ◽

Masamitsu Konno ◽

Miyuki Ozaki ◽

Chihiro Otsuka ◽

Andrea Vecchione ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Rna Viruses ◽

Drug Repurposing ◽

Global Scale ◽

Therapeutic Agents ◽

Clinical Development ◽

World Health ◽

Antiviral Therapies ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

Since the infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in China during December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread on a global scale, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue a warning. While novel vaccines and drugs that target SARS-CoV-2 are under development, this review provides information on therapeutics which are under clinical trials or are proposed to antagonize SARS-CoV-2. Based on the information gained from the responses to other RNA coronaviruses, including the strains that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronaviruses and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), drug repurposing might be a viable strategy. Since several antiviral therapies can inhibit viral replication cycles or relieve symptoms, mechanisms unique to RNA viruses will be important for the clinical development of antivirals against SARS-CoV-2. Given that several currently marketed drugs may be efficient therapeutic agents for severe COVID-19 cases, they may be beneficial for future viral pandemics and other infections caused by RNA viruses when standard treatments are unavailable.

Download Full-text