Cortisol: Biosensing and detection strategies.

Cortisol, a crucial steroid hormone synthesized by the adrenal glands, has diverse impacts on multiple physiological processes, such as metabolism, immune function, and stress management. Disruption in cortisol levels can result in conditions like Cushing's syndrome and Addison's disease. This review provides an in-depth exploration of cortisol, covering its structure, various forms in the body, detection methodologies, and emerging trends in cancer treatment and detection. Various techniques for cortisol detection, including electrochemical, chromatographic, and immunoassay methods were discussed and highlighted for their merits and applications. Electrochemical immunosensing emerges as a promising approach, which offered high sensitivity and low detection limits. Moreover, the review delves into the intricate relationship between cortisol and cancer, emphasizing cortisol's role in cancer progression and treatment outcomes. Lastly, the utilization of biomarkers, in-silico modeling, and machine learning for electrochemical cortisol detection were explored, which showcased innovative strategies for stress monitoring and healthcare advancement.

Efficiency of Glucosamine in Treating Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is a chronic disease that is a consequence of undue occlusal forces and is characterized by irreversible damage to the articular surfaces. Symptomatic slow-acting so-called nutraceutical drugs have been proposed as a treatment for osteoarthritis in comparison to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Oral glucosamine and chondroitin, slow-acting drugs, have been found to reduce pain and in- crease mouth opening in patients with TMJ OA. However, there is limited scientific evidence to confirm their clinical effectiveness. AIM: This systematic review was conducted to bolster the evidence supporting the assessment of the efficacy of glucosamine in the context of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA). METHODOLOGY: This review identified four review articles from databases like Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE till September 2023 after screening at the title, abstract, and full-text level. They were assessed for risk of bias with the JBI risk of bias assess- ment tool. RESULT: This review with meta-analysis focused on pooled estimate mean differences, revealing non-significant but discernible effects of glucosamine on maximum mouth opening (SMD = 0.288, p = 0.15) and pain reduction (SMD = 0.217, p = 0.476) in TMJ-related disorders. CONCLUSION: Compared to control groups with ibuprofen and tramadol, glucosamine showed slightly more favourable outcomes. However, the variability in methodology and study characteristics warrants further longitudinal studies to confirm its efficacy.