Beyond hot flashes: Exploring the role of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women for myocardial infarction prevention and recovery.

Myocardial infarction (MI) commonly known as "heart attack" results from the blockage of blood flow to the heart. Postmenopausal women face an elevated risk of MI due to declining estrogen levels, a hormone pivotal in maintaining cardiovascular health. It promotes vasodilation, reduce inflammation, and improves lipid profiles. While estrogen therapy shows promise in mitigating MI risk for postmenopausal woman, its efficacy in prevention and recovery remains a subject of debate. This review provides a critical assessment of existing evidence on estrogen therapy's cardioprotective effects for postmenopausal women. It delves into estrogen's role in vascular function enhancement, inflammation reduction, and lipid metabolism modulation. Additionally, it addresses the various forms of estrogen therapy, administration methods, dosage considerations, safety implications, and associated risks. The review highlights the existing controversies and knowledge gaps related to estrogen therapy for MI prevention. It underscores the urgency for in-depth research to decipher the nexus between estrogen therapy and MI risk, especially concerning primary prevention and specific postmenopausal subgroups. Future studies should investigate optimal formulations, doses, and administration routes of estrogen therapy as well as assess treatment timing and duration. Comparative studies and long-term follow-up are necessary to inform clinical decision-making and improve patient care. Addressing these research gaps will empower clinicians to make more judicious choices about estrogen therapy for MI prevention and recovery in postmenopausal women, aiming for enhanced patient outcomes.

Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika: The Causes and Threats of Emerging and Re-emerging Arboviral Diseases.

The recent emergence and re-emergence of viral infections transmitted by vectors, Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and others, is a cause for international concern. Here, we provide a summary of the current understanding of the transmission, clinical features, diagnosis, global burden, and the likelihood of future epidemics by these viruses. Arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes are challenging to diagnose and can have surprising clinical complications. Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are the most important diseases caused by arboviruses worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. These are transmitted to humans by day-biting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. In India, the increase in the incidence of dengue and chikungunya cases is primarily linked to the dissemination of Aedes aegypti. A rapid and accurate diagnosis is paramount for effectively controlling dengue outbreaks. As there is no vaccination or specific treatment available for these viruses, vector control is the only comprehensive solution available.

Gut Microbiota Interventions for the Management of Obesity: A Literature Review.

The gut microbiota (GM) has been recognized as an important factor in the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity; it has been reported that the composition of the GM differs in obese and lean subjects, suggesting that microbiota dysbiosis can contribute to changes in body weight. Dysbiosis occurs due to an imbalance in the composition of gut bacteria, changes in the metabolic process, or changes in the distribution of microbiota within the gut. Dysbiosis can change the functioning of the intestinal barrier and the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT). Microbial manipulation may help with preventing or treating weight gain and associated comorbidities. Approaches to this may range from dietary manipulation, which is suitable to treat the individual's microflora, to probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplant (FMT).