1,721,336 research outputs found
Effects of drugs of abuse on the sexual response
No full textDrugs of abuse, like alcohol, opiates, cocaine and cannabis, are used by many
young people for their presumed aphrodisiac properties. It is well known,
instead, that, apart from the subjective effects, they negatively affect the
sexual response. Alcohol has direct toxic effects on the gonads (testes and
ovaries) and the liver (it increases the catabolism of testosterone and its
transformation in estrogens). Besides, it inhibits the
hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads axis (HPG). The opioids inhibit the HPG axis and
increase the prolactin levels which, in turn, interferes with the male and female
sexual response. The acute effects of cocaine are stimulants mainly for its
dopaminergic properties but in the long run it causes sexual dysfunctions
(erectile, etc.) mainly due to hyperprolactinemia. Cannabis, at high doses, could
inhibit the HPG axis and reduce fertility. The knowledge of these effects should
be better disseminated among subjects at risk for deterrent purposes
[Evaluation of the adherence to the asthma guidelines by the administration of a questionnaire in community pharmacies].
No full textBACKGROUND: Several studies demonstrate that the adherence to asthma guidelines (GL) is poor, but only a few of them were performed in community pharmacies. Thus, we decided to study this phenomenon by administering a questionnaire (Q) in two pharmacies. METHODS: A Q was developed and administered to 138 patients-customers of two community pharmacies in Rome. RESULTS: The severity of the disease was established based on the frequency of daytime and nocturnal symptoms before therapy, following the stepwise approach recommended by the current GL. We observed up to 90 different treatments, while those listed by the GL, long-term preventive or quick-relief for the four categories of asthma, are only 19. In particular, many of them included antihistaminic drugs and mucoactive agents, pharmacological classes not recommended by the GL, while certain long-term preventive therapeutic schemes did not include glucocorticoids. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the effects on daytime and nocturnal symptoms and the interferences of the disease with school and work, showed that the control of asthma was inadequate, probably due to the low adherence to the GL. In conclusion, this small pilot study, which does have several methodological limitations (small population and geographic area, small number of pharmacies involved, the use of a Q to obtain information not easily reported by the patient) confirms the important role played by pharmacists in the analysis of the adherence of pharmacological treatments to official GL
Pharmacological Applications of Antioxidants: Lights and Shadows.
No full textOxidative stress is linked with many pathologies ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases and antioxidants are presumably of therapeutic value in such diseases. In this review, we categorize different direct and indirect mechanisms by which antioxidants exert their action, including scavenging and metal chelating effects, mimicking the antioxidant enzymes or upregulation of their expression, activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), increasing the activity of sirtuins and inhibition of pro-oxidant enzymes among others. Recent findings on the most frequently investigated antioxidants including polyphenolics, thiolics, spin trapping agents, SOD mimetics, inducers of heme oxygenase-1 and nitric oxide synthase, activators of Nrf2, NADPH oxidase inhibitors and herbal supplements are also summarized. Furthermore, the antioxidant effects of drugs that are clinically used for other pharmacological purposes including ACE inhibitors and statins are discussed. Cost-effectiveness and adverse effects of antioxidants are also evaluated. Since antioxidant therapy has failed in many instances, we have classified the reasons that may explain these shortcomings in different categories. Novel approaches to antioxidant therapy that include mitochondria-targeting drugs, antioxidant gene therapy and approaches for improvement of cell uptake and alteration of subcellular compartment localization are also described. In the end, "shadows" that are shortcomings of antioxidant therapy as well as "lights" that include positive outcomes are addressed. It is concluded that if we learn from failures, invest on agents with higher potential and take advantage of novel emerging approaches, antioxidants could be an asset for the management of some of the carefully chosen oxidative stress-related diseases
Advances in research of Schiff-base metal complexes as potent antioxidants.
No full textThe search for metal-derived antioxidants has received much attention and effort in order to identify the compounds having high capacity in scavenging free radicals related to various disorders and diseases associated with oxidative damage, caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Presently, synthetic antioxidants are widely used because they are effective and cheaper than natural antioxidants. Currently a number of Schiff-base metal complexes have been investigated as effective scavengers of ROS, acting as antioxidants. The aim of this review is to highlight specific characteristics of Schiff-based compounds capable of chelating metal ions and their antioxidant activity. Schiff bases form an important class of organic compounds with a wide variety of biological properties. Schiff bases have often been used as chelating ligands in the field of coordination chemistry, and their metal complexes have been of great interest to researchers for many years. The activity is usually increased by complexation therefore to understand the properties of both ligands and metal can lead to the synthesis of highly active compounds. The influence of certain metals on the biological activity of these compounds and their intrinsic chemical interest as multidentate ligands has prompted a considerable increase in the study of their coordination behavior. Development of a new chemotherapeutic Schiff bases and their metal complexes is now attracting the attention of medicinal chemists
Editorial: antioxidant heterocyclic compounds in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry.
No full textINHIBITION OF THE NRF2/KEAP1 AXIS: A PROMISING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY TO ALTER REDOX BALANCE OF CANCER CELLS
No full textThe NRF2/KEAP1 pathway is a crucial and highly conserved defensive system required to maintain or restore the intracellular homeostasis in response to oxidative, electrophilic and other types of stress conditions. The tight control of NRF2 function is maintained by a complex network of biological interactions between positive and negative regulators that ultimately ensure context specific activation, culminating in the NRF2-driven transcription of cytoprotective genes. Recent studies indicate that deregulated NRF2 activation is a frequent event in malignant tumors wherein it is associated with metabolic reprogramming, increased antioxidant capacity, chemoresistance and poor clinical outcome. On the other hand, the growing interest in the modulation of the cancer cells redox balance, identified NRF2 as an ideal therapeutic target. For this reason, many efforts have been made to identify potent and selective NRF2 inhibitors that might be used as single agents or adjuvants of anticancer drugs with redox disrupting properties. In this review we will briefly describe the structure and function of the NRF2/KEAP1 system and some of the most promising NRF2 inhibitors, with a particular emphasis on natural compounds and drug repurposing
[Ethical issues of human experimentation with special reference to informed consent].
No full textHuman experimentation in order to develop new medical therapies creates very complex ethical problems: when is it possible to test a new therapy on a human subject? Is it always necessary his/her consent? Which information should be given to the subject before requesting his/her consent? How to behave in the case of minors, psychiatric patients and other subjects not perfectly free or able to understand the information provided? Is it right to subject a person to an experimentation from which he/she will not get any direct advantage? Which results can be published? In other words, which are the ethical limits of human experimentation? These are difficult questions, to which the authors tried to answer referring to some ethically significant human experimentations, such as those performed by Lind and Jenner in the XVIII century, and those carried out by the nazi doctors, from whose trial derived the Nuremberg Code, which introduced for the first time, at an international level, the principle of the informed consent. Some of the limits of this document, including the impossibility of doing research on subjects not able to give their informed consent, such as minors and psychiatric patients, were overcome by the Declaration of Helsinki, whose current version resulted from several subsequent revisions. According to this document, a major role is played by the Institutional Review Boards or Institutional Ethical Committees that have the heavy responsibility of evaluating the ethical connotations of human experimentations
Refugee mental health
No full textAccording to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are currently about 65 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including about 21 million refugees (over half of whom are under the age of 18) and 10 million stateless people. The vast majority of
these forced migrations are towards low and middle-income countries and “only” about 1.2 million towards the EU. But the impact has nonetheless been dramatic. Several studies indicate that refugees have higher morbidity from several mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression compared to the native population or family reunification immigrants.
That could be due to different type of stressors: pre-migration stressors, during migration stressors and post-migration stressors. Universities and other higher education institutions can play an important role in improving the integration of refugees, thus reducing the post-migration living difficulties and possible mental disorders. Facing the recent “refugee crisis” and enabling their integration into the EU in good mental condition is a serious challenge. It is also an opportunity to remember our history and behave according to our values
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