Neuropharmacological potential of honokiol and its derivatives from Chinese herb Magnolia species: understandings from therapeutic viewpoint.

Honokiol is a neolignan biphenol found in aerial parts of the Magnolia plant species. The Magnolia plant species traditionally belong to China and have been used for centuries to treat many pathological conditions. Honokiol mitigates the severity of several pathological conditions and has the potential to work as an anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anticancer, antioxidant, and neurotherapeutic agent. It has a long history of being employed in the healthcare practices of Southeast Asia, but in recent years, a greater scope of research has been conducted on it. Plenty of experimental evidence suggests it could be beneficial as a neuroprotective bioactive molecule. Honokiol has several pharmacological effects, leading to its exploration as a potential therapy for neurological diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), cerebral ischemia, anxiety, depression, spinal cord injury, and so on. So, based on the previous experimentation reports, our goal is to discuss the neuroprotective properties of honokiol. Besides, honokiol derivatives have been highlighted recently as possible therapeutic options for NDs. So, this review focuses on honokiol's neurotherapeutic actions and toxicological profile to determine their safety and potential use in neurotherapeutics.

Exploring the role of natural bioactive molecules in genitourinary cancers: how far has research progressed?

The primary approaches to treat cancerous diseases include drug treatment, surgical procedures, biotherapy, and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy has been the primary treatment for cancer for a long time, but its main drawback is that it kills cancerous cells along with healthy ones, leading to deadly adverse health effects. However, genitourinary cancer has become a concern in recent years as it is more common in middle-aged people. So, researchers are trying to find possible therapeutic options from natural small molecules due to the many drawbacks associated with chemotherapy and other radiation-based therapies. Plenty of research was conducted regarding genitourinary cancer to determine the promising role of natural small molecules. So, this review focused on natural small molecules along with their potential therapeutic targets in the case of genitourinary cancers such as prostate cancer, renal cancer, bladder cancer, testicular cancer, and so on. Also, this review states some ongoing or completed clinical evidence in this regard.

Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Mechanisms of the Multitargeted Flavonoid Fisetin.

Flavonoids effectively treat cancer, inflammatory disorders (cardiovascular and nervous systems), and oxidative stress. Fisetin, derived from fruits and vegetables, suppresses cancer growth by altering cell cycle parameters that lead to cell death and angiogenesis without affecting healthy cells. Clinical trials are needed in humans to prove the effectiveness of this treatment for a wide range of cancers. According to the results of this study, fisetin can be used to prevent and treat a variety of cancers. Despite early detection and treatment advances, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. We must take proactive steps to reduce the risk of cancer. The natural flavonoid fisetin has pharmacological properties that suppress cancer growth. This review focuses on the potential drug use of fisetin, which has been extensively explored for its cancer-fighting ability and other pharmacological activities such as diabetes, COVID-19, obesity, allergy, neurological, and bone disorders. Researchers have focused on the molecular function of fisetin. In this review, we have highlighted the biological activities against chronic disorders, including cancer, metabolic illnesses, and degenerative illnesses, of the dietary components of fisetin.

Recent Advances in Pyridine Scaffold: Focus on Chemistry, Synthesis, and Antibacterial Activities.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens have created a fatal problem for human health and antimicrobial treatment. Among the currently available antibiotics, many are inactive against MDR pathogens. In this context, heterocyclic compounds/drugs play a vital role. Thus, it is very much essential to explore new research to combat the issue. Of the available nitrogen-bearing heterocyclic compounds/drugs, pyridine derivatives are of special interest due to their solubility. Encouragingly, some of the newly synthesized pyridine compounds/drugs are found to inhibit multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Pyridine scaffold bearing poor basicity generally improves water solubility in pharmaceutically potential molecules and has led to the discovery of numerous broad-spectrum therapeutic agents. Keeping these in mind, we have reviewed the chemistry, recent synthetic techniques, and bacterial preventative activity of pyridine derivatives since 2015. This will facilitate the development of pyridine-based novel antibiotic/drug design in the near future as a versatile scaffold with limited side effects for the next-generation therapeutics.

Pectin: A Bioactive Food Polysaccharide with Cancer Preventive Potential.

Pectin is an acidic heteropolysaccharide found in the cell walls and the primary and middle lamella of land plants. To be authorized as a food additive, industrial pectins must meet strict guidelines set forth by the Food and Agricultural Organization and must contain at least 65% polygalacturonic acid to achieve the E440 level. Fruit pectin derived from oranges or apples is commonly used in the food industry to gel or thicken foods and to stabilize acid-based milk beverages. It is a naturally occurring component and can be ingested by dietary consumption of fruit and vegetables. Preventing long-term chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease is an important role of dietary carbohydrates. Colon and breast cancer are among the diseases for which data suggest that modified pectin (MP), specifically modified citrus pectin (MCP), has beneficial effects on the development and spread of malignancies, in addition to its benefits as a soluble dietary fiber. Cellular and animal studies and human clinical trials have provided corroborating data. Although pectin has many diverse functional qualities, this review focuses on various modifications used to develop MP and its benefits for cancer prevention, bioavailability, clinical trials, and toxicity studies. This review concludes that pectin has anti-cancer characteristics that have been found to inhibit tumor development and proliferation in a wide variety of cancer cells. Nevertheless, further clinical and basic research is required to confirm the chemopreventive or therapeutic role of specific dietary carbohydrate molecules.

Natural Small Molecules in Gastrointestinal Tract and Associated Cancers: Molecular Insights and Targeted Therapies.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Although surgery is the primary treatment, serious maladies that dissipate to other parts of the body may require chemotherapy. As there is no effective procedure to treat stomach cancer, natural small molecules are a current focus of research interest for the development of better therapeutics. Chemotherapy is usually used as a last resort for people with advanced stomach cancer. Anti-colon cancer chemotherapy has become increasingly effective due to drug resistance and sensitivity across a wide spectrum of drugs. Naturally-occurring substances have been widely acknowledged as an important project for discovering innovative medications, and many therapeutic pharmaceuticals are made from natural small molecules. Although the beneficial effects of natural products are as yet unknown, emerging data suggest that several natural small molecules could suppress the progression of stomach cancer. Therefore, the underlying mechanism of natural small molecules for pathways that are directly involved in the pathogenesis of cancerous diseases is reviewed in this article. Chemotherapy and molecularly-targeted drugs can provide hope to colon cancer patients. New discoveries could help in the fight against cancer, and future stomach cancer therapies will probably include molecularly formulated drugs.

Multifunctional roles and pharmacological potential of ß-sitosterol: Emerging evidence toward clinical applications.

Currently, available therapeutic medications are both costly as well as not entirely promising in terms of potency. So, new candidates from natural resources are of research interest to find new alternative therapeutics. A well-known combination is a ß-sitosterol, a plant-derived nutrient with anticancer properties against breast, prostate, colon, lung, stomach, and leukemia. Studies have shown that ß-sitosterol interferes with multiple cell signaling pathways, including cell cycle, apoptosis, proliferation, survival, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, cardioprotective, and antidiabetic effects have been discovered during pharmacological screening without significant toxicity. The pharmacokinetic profile of ß-sitosterol has also been extensively investigated. However, a comprehensive review of the pharmacology, phytochemistry and analytical methods of ß-sitosterol is desired. Because ß-sitosterol is a significant component of most plant materials, humans use it for various reasons, and numerous ß-sitosterol-containing products have been commercialized. To offset the low efficacy of ß-sitosterol, designing ß-sitosterol delivery for "cancer cell-specific" therapy holds great potential. Delivery of ß-sitosterol via liposomes is a demonstration that has shown great promise. But further research has not progressed on the drug delivery of ß-sitosterol or how it can enhance ß-sitosterol mediated anti-inflammatory activity, thus making ß-sitosterol an orphan nutraceutical. Therefore, extensive research on ß-sitosterol as an anticancer nutraceutical is recommended.

Two months follow-up of patients with non-critical COVID-19 in Cape Town, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients will experience long COVID. There is no study of long COVID in mild COVID-19 patients in South Africa. This study aimed, firstly, to describe the prevalence of long COVID in mild COVID-19 patients in Cape Town, and, secondly, to document the impact of COVID-19 on patients' well-being, work, and their access to long COVID treatment. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, a random sample of adults diagnosed with mild COVID-19 were called two months post-diagnosis. The participants telephonically completed a standardised survey describing their long COVID symptoms, missed workdays, and health-seeking behaviour. Medical records were reviewed for comorbidities, original COVID-19 symptoms, and treatment. RESULTS: It was found that 60% of patients with mild COVID-19 had ≥ 1 long COVID symptom, while 35% had ≥ 3 ongoing symptoms for two months. Dyspnoea and fatigue were the most common symptoms. The findings revealed that 52% of employed patients missed work and 25% of patients self-reported non-recovery from their COVID-19. Moreover, 24% of patients consulted a clinician for long COVID, but only 7% of patients received long COVID care in the public sector. Of the 17% of patients requiring additional help for long COVID, 56% were interested in assistance by text message or telephonic consultation. CONCLUSION: Over a half of mild COVID-19 patients experienced at least one long COVID symptom for two months and nearly 20% needed additional medical treatment. Very few patients utilised the public sector for long COVID treatment. There is a great need for long COVID treatment in public healthcare services and patients are receptive to remote care.

Naringin and Naringenin Polyphenols in Neurological Diseases: Understandings from a Therapeutic Viewpoint.

The glycosides of two flavonoids, naringin and naringenin, are found in various citrus fruits, bergamots, tomatoes, and other fruits. These phytochemicals are associated with multiple biological functions, including neuroprotective, antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiadipogenic, and cardioprotective effects. The higher glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio in 3-NP-induced rats is attributed to the ability of naringin to reduce hydroxyl radical, hydroperoxide, and nitrite. However, although progress has been made in treating these diseases, there are still global concerns about how to obtain a solution. Thus, natural compounds can provide a promising strategy for treating many neurological conditions. Possible therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders include naringin and naringenin polyphenols. New experimental evidence shows that these polyphenols exert a wide range of pharmacological activity; particular attention was paid to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as other neurological conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and chronic hyperglycemic peripheral neuropathy. Several preliminary investigations have shown promising evidence of neuroprotection. The main objective of this review was to reflect on developments in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of naringin and naringenin as potential neuroprotective medications. Furthermore, the configuration relationships between naringin and naringenin are discussed, as well as their plant sources and extraction methods.

Radiofrequency Procedures for the Treatment of Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of radiofrequency (RF) ablation and neuromodulation modalities for knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: The Pubmed, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to August 2018. All comparative and noncomparative studies that reported clinical outcome measures and adverse events related to RF modalities for knee OA were included. Pain scores, physical function measures, quality of life (QOL), patient satisfaction, and adverse events for three months and beyond of postprocedure follow-up were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies, including 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two nonrandomized comparative studies, and 18 noncomparative cohort studies, were identified, with 1,512 patients (mean age = 64.3 years, 32.5% males). All 33 studies were considered to be of moderate or high methodological quality. All 33/33 (100%) studies reported alleviation of OA-related knee pain from baseline until three to 12 months with RF modalities, with six comparative studies reporting 194/296 (65.5%) and 29/150 (19.3%) RF and control patients achieving >50% pain relief, respectively. Three of the 33 studies reported QOL, with three of three studies (100%) achieving improvements in disease-specific QOL from baseline until three to 12 months. Twenty-eight of the 33 studies reported functional outcomes, with 27/28 (96%) studies obtaining enhanced functionality from baseline up until three to 12 months. Ten of the 33 studies reported patient satisfaction, with eight of 10 studies (80%) indicating that patients were significantly satisfied after RF procedures, and from these eight studies, four were comparative studies that indicated that 86/154 (56%) and 33/104 (32%) RF and control patients were extremely satisfied or satisfied, respectively. Regarding adverse events (AEs), 29 of the 33 studies reported AEs, with 20/29 (69%) studies indicating no AEs related to the RF modalities and the remaining nine studies only indicating minor localized AEs. Twenty-nine of the 33 studies indicated no serious knee-related AEs pertaining to RF modalities. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence substantiates that RF modalities for knee OA potentially improve pain, functionality, and disease-specific QOL for up to three to 12 months with minimal localized complications. This suggests that RF modalities are perhaps an effective adjunct therapy for patients with knee OA who are unresponsive to conservative therapies. Further RCTs with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up that directly compare the three primary RF modalities are warranted to confirm the clinical efficaciousness and superiority of these RF modalities for knee OA.