Chronic pelvic pain syndrome: Highlighting medicinal plants toward biomolecules discovery for upcoming drugs formulation

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) can be triggered by a various types of gynecological, gastrointestinal, urological, and musculoskeletal disorders. Recently, the role of the central nervous system has proven to be an integral part on the development of any chronic pain syndrome, including CPPS. However, owing to the complex and heterogeneous etiology and pathophysiology of CPPS, the establishment of effective therapeutic interventions remains challenging for both physicians and patients. Nonetheless, recent studies have pointed that medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites can be effectively used in CPPS therapy, besides contributing to restore the patients' quality of life and potentiate the conventional CPPS management. In this sense, this review aims to provide a careful overview on the biomedical data for the use of medicinal plants use and their secondary metabolites on CPPS management.     

Factors associated with gastro-duodenal ulcer in compensated type 2 diabetic patients: a Romanian single-center study

IntroductionHelicobacter pylori infection is accepted as the leading cause of chronic gastritis, ulcer disease and gastric cancer, with an important impact on health care burden, especially in countries with a high prevalence of infection. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of H. pylori infection, medication, associated medical conditions or social habits on endoscopic ulcer occurrence in the compensated type 2 diabetic population.Material and methodsTwo hundred and sixty type 2 diabetic patients investigated on endoscopy (57 patients with peptic ulcer and 203 controls) with a complete set of biopsies, demographic and medical data were enrolled.ResultsOn univariate regression analysis, H. pylori infection (42.1% vs. 35.5%, p = 0.359) or a history of peptic ulcer (61.4% vs. 61.6%, p = 0.981) was not a predictor for ulcer on endoscopy in the diabetic population, and heartburn was more frequent in diabetics without ulcer (21.2% vs. 8.8%, p = 0.033). Anemia was the best predictor for ulcer on endoscopy in both diabetics with (p < 0.001, OR = 4.77, 95% CI: 2.02–11.28) and without (p = 0.027, OR = 2.76, 95% CI: 1.10–6.91) chronic proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. In diabetic patients on PPI more than 1 month anticoagulants – acenocoumarol or low-weight molecular heparin (p = 0.038, OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.04–5.40), low-dose aspirin 75–125 mg/day (p = 0.029, OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.08–6.28) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.015, OR = 2.70, 95% CI: 1.19–6.13) were predictors for ulcer on endoscopy.ConclusionsIn diabetic patients, anemia is the most important predictor for ulcer on endoscopy, but not H. pylori or digestive symptoms, while low-dose aspirin or anticoagulant therapy and alcohol consumption are the most important predictors for ulcer in diabetics on chronic proton pump inhibitor therapy.     

Bacterial Cellulose—A Remarkable Polymer as a Source for Biomaterials Tailoring

Nowadays, the development of new eco-friendly and biocompatible materials using ‘green’ technologies represents a significant challenge for the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields to reduce the destructive actions of scientific research on the human body and the environment. Thus, bacterial cellulose (BC) has a central place among these novel tailored biomaterials. BC is a non-pathogenic bacteria-produced polysaccharide with a 3D nanofibrous structure, chemically identical to plant cellulose, but exhibiting greater purity and crystallinity. Bacterial cellulose possesses excellent physicochemical and mechanical properties, adequate capacity to absorb a large quantity of water, non-toxicity, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, biodegradability, proper capacity to form films and to stabilize emulsions, high porosity, and a large surface area. Due to its suitable characteristics, this ecological material can combine with multiple polymers and diverse bioactive agents to develop new materials and composites. Bacterial cellulose alone, and with its mixtures, exhibits numerous applications, including in the food and electronic industries and in the biotechnological and biomedical areas (such as in wound dressing, tissue engineering, dental implants, drug delivery systems, and cell culture). This review presents an overview of the main properties and uses of bacterial cellulose and the latest promising future applications, such as in biological diagnosis, biosensors, personalized regenerative medicine, and nerve and ocular tissue engineering.     

Calcium,Magnesium, and Zinc Supplementation during Pregnancy: The Additive Value of Micronutrients on Maternal Immune Response after SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Magnesium may contribute to the immune response during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection by acting as a cofactor for immunoglobulin production and other processes required for T and B cell activity. Considering magnesium as a recommended dietary supplement during pregnancy and the possible role of magnesium deficiency in COVID-19 and its complications, the current study sought to determine the effect of magnesium and magnesium-containing nutritional supplements on the immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women, as well as to observe differences in pregnancy outcomes based on the supplements taken during pregnancy. The study followed a cross-sectional design, where patients with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection during their pregnancy were surveyed for their preferences in nutritional supplementation and their profile compared with existing records from the institutional database. A cohort of 448 pregnant women with COVID-19 during 22 months of the pandemic was assembled, out of which 13.6% took a magnesium-only supplement, and 16.5% supplemented their diet with a combination of calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Around 60% of patients in the no-supplementation group had the SARS-CoV-2 anti-RBD lower than 500 U/mL, compared with 50% in those who took magnesium-based supplements. A quantity of magnesium >450 mg in the taken supplements determined higher levels of antibody titers after COVID-19. Low magnesium dosage (<450 mg) was an independent risk factor for a weak immune response (OR-1.25, p-value = 0.003). The observed findings suggest supplementing the nutritional intake of pregnant women with magnesium-based supplements to determine higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 anti-RBD antibodies, although causality remains unclear.     

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Plant Extracts Films: Preparation,Surface Characterization and Antibacterial Studies against Gram Positive and Gram Negative Bacteria

In this study, we aim to obtain biomaterials with antibacterial properties by combining poly(vinyl alcohol) with the extracts obtained from various selected plants from Romania. Natural herbal extracts of freshly picked flowers of the lavender plant (Lavandula angustifolia) and leaves of the peppermint plant (Mentha piperita), hemp plant (Cannabis sativa L.), verbena plant (Verbena officinalis) and sage plant (Salvia officinalis folium) were selected after an intensive analyzing of diverse medicinal plants often used as antibacterial and healing agents from the country flora. The plant extracts were characterized by different methods such as totals of phenols and flavonoids content and UV-is spectroscopy. The highest amounts of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, respectively, were recorded for Salvia officinalis. Moreover, the obtained films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) loaded with plant extracts were studied concerning the surface properties and their antibacterial or cytotoxicity activity. The Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared analysis described the successfully incorporation of each plant extract in the poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix, while the profilometry demonstrated the enhanced surface properties. The results showed that the plant extracts conferred significant antibacterial effects to films toward Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and are not toxic against fibroblastic cells from the rabbit.     

Matchmaking facilitates the diagnosis of an autosomal‐recessive mitochondrial disease caused by biallelic mutation of the tRNA isopentenyltransferase (TRIT1) gene

Deleterious variants in the same gene present in two or more families with overlapping clinical features provide convincing evidence of a disease–gene association; this can be a challenge in the study of ultrarare diseases. To facilitate the identification of additional families, several groups have created “matching” platforms. We describe four individuals from three unrelated families “matched” by GeneMatcher and MatchMakerExchange. Individuals had microcephaly, developmental delay, epilepsy, and recessive mutations in TRIT1. A single homozygous mutation in TRIT1 associated with similar features had previously been reported in one family. The identification of these individuals provides additional evidence to support TRIT1 as the disease‐causing gene and interprets the variants as “pathogenic.” TRIT1 functions to modify mitochondrial tRNAs and is necessary for protein translation. We show that dysfunctional TRIT1 results in decreased levels of select mitochondrial proteins. Our findings confirm the TRIT1 disease association and advance the phenotypic and molecular understanding of this disorder.     

Acute myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19: Possible mechanisms and clinical implications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection affects not only the lungs, but also the cardiovascular system, having a major impact on patients’ outcomes. Myocardial injury (MI) occurs in the context of coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is associated with a higher risk of severe clinical outcome and mortality. COVID-19-related MI can have various clinical manifestations, of which the main ones are myocarditis, stress cardiomyopathy, acute coronary syndrome, and pulmonary embolism. The exact mechanisms of how MI occurs in these patients are not yet fully known. Direct injury, through direct viral myocardial invasion, and indirect injury, through interaction with angiotensin I converting enzyme 2, increased inflammation, and thrombocyte and endothelial dysfunction, could be involved in acute MI in patients with COVID-19. A better understanding of these multiple potential mechanisms may help to develop new targeted therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this review is to provide the current understanding of the potential mechanisms involved in MI induced by COVID-19 and to discuss the current progress in the therapeutic strategies.     

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering: Production,Isolation, Characterization

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers. These biomaterials have grown in importance in the fields of tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction for structural applications where tissue morphology is critical, such as bone, cartilage, blood vessels, and skin, among others. Furthermore, they can be used to accelerate the regeneration in combination with drugs, as drug delivery systems, thus reducing microbial infections. When cells are cultured under stress conditions, a wide variety of microorganisms produce them as a store of intracellular energy in the form of homo- and copolymers of [R]—hydroxyalkanoic acids, depending on the carbon source used for microorganism growth. This paper gives an overview of PHAs, their biosynthetic pathways, producing microorganisms, cultivation bioprocess, isolation, purification and characterization to obtain biomaterials with medical applications such as tissue engineering.