Special Issue on “Phenolic Compounds: Extraction, Optimization, Identification and Applications in Food Industry”

Interest has grown regarding natural plant extracts in food and beverage applications, their vital role in food quality and technology, and their therapeutic use in inhibiting several diseases [...]

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.

The Noble and Often Nobel Role Played by Insulin-Focused Research in Modern Medicine

Since diabetes was first described over 3,000 years ago, clinicians and scientists alike have sought ever improving treatments en route to a cure. As we approach the 100th anniversary of insulin’s first therapeutic use, this article will recount the glorious history associated with research surrounding insulin’s isolation, purification, cloning, and subsequent modification. The discovery path we will relate tells the story of many relentless and passionate investigators pursuing ground-breaking research. The fruits of their labor include several Nobel Prizes, new technology, and, more importantly, ever improving treatments for one of humankind’s greatest medical scourges.

ESTUDO SOBRE O CANABIDIOL: UMA ALTERNATIVA AO TRATAMENTO DE DOENÇA EPILÉTICA

Objetivo: descrever os efeitos terapêuticos e sobre a utilização do cannabidiol no tratamento da epilepsia. Métodos: O presente estudo se caracteriza como sendo uma revisão de literatura do tipo integrativa, com abordagem qualitativa.Resultados: Foram localizadas 118 produções cientificas. Sendo excluídos produções realizadas em um período maior que dez anos e aquelas que não estavam disponíveis ao acesso gratuito. Os estudos demonstraram melhora na frequência das crises. Não foi encontrada associação entre o percentual de redução das frequências das crises e tempo de tratamento. Os efeitos adversos mais encontrados foram sonolência, hiporexia, diarreia, vômitos alterações comportamentais e tonturas. Considerações finais: It is concluded that the therapeutic use of cannabidiol was associated with a decrease in the frequency of epileptic seizures, as well as an improvement in the quality of life in individuals with refractory epilepsy.

Against Disease, Suffering, and Other Plagues: the Magic-healing Role of Thunderstones in the Middle Ages and Modern Times

Prehistoric stone objects (most often Neolithic) referred to as ‘thunderstones’ in the Middle Ages and modern times have been assigned various meanings – primarily they are supposed to have been used to protect against lightning, fire, and other natural disasters. They have also found application in folk medicine and healing magic (protection against the harmful effects of disease and loss of fertility, and neutralisation of misfortune when it has already occurred). Trust in their magical (apotropaic) properties was probably associated with the belief that these objects originated from outside the sphere of the ‘tame’ world. Folklore and ethnographic data, as well as traces of use preserved in archaeological monuments, support a long tradition of therapeutic use of thunderstones, which is a pan-European phenomenon.