Sub-chronic effects of Baccharis dracunculifolia treatment on biochemical, oxidative, and histopathological parameters in diabetic rats

Background: Oxidative stress and the mild inflammatory process present in diabetes play a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease and its comorbidities. This understanding has opened new avenues and targets for developing improved treatments since the risk factors associated with diabetes may be reduced through non-pharmacological interventions. In this sense, plant extracts could be efficient in preventing or assisting these pathological conditions treatment. Methods: Diabetes mellitus was induced in 24 rats, which were allocated in 4 groups: Control (CT), Control+Baccharis (CT-B), Diabetes (DB), and Diabetes+Baccharis (DB-B). For 28 days, the animals of CT-B and DB-B groups were treated, via gavage, with B. dracunculifolia extract at 50 mg.kg-1. Results: The DB group presented higher values than the DB-B group on parameters such as creatinine (26.42%), urea (31.42%), and triglycerides (60.80%). Creatinine and triglycerides values of DB-B group (0.39±0.01 e 75.0±8.4, receptively) were equivalent to the values of CT group (0.32±0.01 e 71.7±5.4) and of CT-B group (0.39±0.01, and 58.8±4.5). The treatment with B. dracunculifolia improved the levels of fasting glucose and response of glucose tolerance (32%), insulin (52,17%) and lipid peroxidation (liver 33.33%, kidney 38.77%) when compared to the DB group. Conclusions: The phenolic compounds and the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract of Baccharis dracunculifolia may be responsible for the hypoglycemic effect observed in the study.

Effectiveness of Physiotherapy in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions supervised by a physiotherapist in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis, PROSPERO Protocol number CRD42020209453. Five databases (PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, Web of Science Core, and EMBASE) and reference lists with relevant articles were searched. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions supervised by a physiotherapist were compared with usual care or home-based exercise programmes. Two investigators independently screened eligible studies. A total of 12 RCTs satisfied eligible criteria. The risk of bias ranged between medium and high. The meta-analysis results indicated that between supervised physiotherapy and usual care, the former was significantly associated with improvement in disease activity (standardised mean difference = −0.37, 95% CI, −0.64; −0.11; p < 0.001, I2 = 71.25%, n = 629), and functional capacity (standardised mean difference = −0.36, 95% CI, −0.61; −0.12, p < 0.05; n = 629). No statistically significant differences emerged when interventions were compared with home-based exercise programmes. Supervised physiotherapy is more effective than usual care in improving disease activity, functional capacity, and pain in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. No significant improvements emerged when supervised physiotherapy and home-based exercise programmes were compared. Further investigation and RCTs with larger samples are needed.

Potential and Possible Therapeutic Effects of Melatonin on SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The absence of effective drugs for COVID-19 prevention and treatment requires the search for new candidates among approved medicines. Fundamental studies and clinical observations allow us to approach an understanding of the mechanisms of damage and protection from exposure to SARS-CoV-2, to identify possible points of application for pharmacological interventions. In this review we presented studies on the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunotropic properties of melatonin. We have attempted to present scientifically proven mechanisms of action for the potential therapeutic use of melatonin during SARS-CoV-2 infection. A wide range of pharmacological properties allows its inclusion as an effective addition to the methods of prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

ICTs and other non-pharmacological interventions for ADHD

Numerous researches carried out during the last decade have contributed to the fact that we have now enough data concerning the profile and treatment of ADHD. Too often, children with ADHD face problems in learning and behavior due to difficulties in cognitive and metacognitive functions. It is not uncommon for them to be marginalized either at school or in the family due to inappropriate handling and interventions. In order to improve the quality of life of these children and their relationships to adults and peers, it is essential to develop their emotional intelligence and skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-control. The treatment methods for ADHD usually involve behavior modification, pharmacotherapy, or a combination of both. This paper investigates the use of new technologies for the treatment of ADHD, as well as the effectiveness of behavioral interventions.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Neuroprotectants for Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

BackgroundPaclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is a disabling side effect of paclitaxel with few effective preventive strategies. We aim to determine the efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological neuroprotective interventions in preventing PIPN incidence.MethodsBiomedical literature databases were searched from years 2000 to 2021 for trials comparing neuroprotective interventions and control. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. The primary outcome was the incidence of PIPN.ResultsOf 24 relevant controlled trials, 14 were eligible for meta-analysis. Pooled results from seven non-pharmacological trials were associated with a statistically significant 48% relative reduction of PIPN risk with low heterogeneity. Conversely, pooled results from six pharmacological trials were associated with a significant 20% relative reduction of PIPN risk with moderate heterogeneity. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches appear effective in reducing PIPN incidence in the treatment arm compared to control (pooled RR &lt; 1).ConclusionCurrent evidence suggests that both interventions may reduce PIPN risk. Non-pharmacological interventions appear more effective than pharmacological interventions.

Estimation the state of the Covid-19 epidemic curve in Mayotte

We study in this work some statistical methods to estimate the parameters resulting from the use of an age-structured contact mathematical epidemic model in order to analyze the evolution of the epidemic curve of Covid-19 in the French overseas department Mayotte from march 13, 2020 to february 26,2021. Using several statistic methods based on time dependent method, maximum likelihood, mixture method, we fit the probability distribution which underlines the serial interval distribution and we give an adapted version of the generation time distribution from Package R0. The best-fit model of the serial interval was given by a mixture of Weibull distribution. Furthermore this estimation allows to obtain the evolution of the time varying effective reproduction number and hence the temporal transmission rates. Finally based on others known estimates parameters we incorporate the estimated parameters in the model in order to give an approximation of the epidemic curve in Mayotte under the conditions of the model. We also discuss the limit of our study and the conclusion concerned a probable impact of non pharmacological interventions of the Covid-19 in Mayotte such us the re-infection cases and the introduction of the variants which probably affect the estimates.