Zebrafish as a robust preclinical platform for screening plant-derived drugs with anticonvulsant properties-a review.

Traditionally, selected plant sources have been explored for medicines to treat convulsions. This continues today, especially in countries with low-income rates and poor medical systems. However, in the low-income countries, plant extracts and isolated drugs are in high demand due to their good safety profiles. Preclinical studies on animal models of seizures/epilepsy have revealed the anticonvulsant and/or antiepileptogenic properties of, at least some, herb preparations or plant metabolites. Still, there is a significant number of plants known in traditional medicine that exert anticonvulsant activity but have not been evaluated on animal models. Zebrafish is recognized as a suitable in vivo model of epilepsy research and is increasingly used as a screening platform. In this review, the results of selected preclinical studies are summarized to provide credible information for the future development of effective screening methods for plant-derived antiseizure/antiepileptic therapeutics using zebrafish models. We compared zebrafish vs. rodent data to show the translational value of the former in epilepsy research. We also surveyed caveats in methodology. Finally, we proposed a pipeline for screening new anticonvulsant plant-derived drugs in zebrafish ("from tank to bedside and back again").

Safety climate perceived by pre-hospital emergency care personnel-an international cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Improving patient safety is one of the most critical components of modern healthcare. Emergency medical services (EMS) are, by nature, a challenging environment for ensuring patient safety. It is fast-paced, physically dangerous, and highly stressful, requiring rapid decision-making and action. This can create risks not only for patients but also for employees. We assessed variations in perceptions of safety culture in prehospital emergency care among an international sample of paramedics and nurses. Methods: The Emergency Medical Services Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ) was used for the study. The instrument measures six domains of safety culture in the workplace: teamwork climate, job satisfaction, safety climate, working conditions, stress recognition, and perceptions of management. A total of 1,128 EMS from 9 countries participated in this study. Results: Safety Climate was 81.32/100 (SD 6.90), Teamwork Climate 84.14/100 (SD 8.74), Perceptions of Management 76.30/100 (SD 10.54), Stress Recognition 89.86/100 (SD 5.70), Working Conditions 81.07/100 (SD 9.75), and Job Satisfaction 70.71/100 (SD 7.21). There was significant variation in safety culture scores across countries for teamwork climate (TWC), working conditions (WC), and job satisfaction (JS). Among the individual variables (age, gender, level of education, and work experience), variations in safety culture scores were unaffected by age, gender, or work experience. Organizational characteristics: employment status and position type were linked to significant variations in safety culture domain scores. Conclusion: Participants' perceptions of the patient safety climate were not particularly satisfactory, confirming that there is still a need to develop a culture of patient safety in prehospital emergency care.

Pharmacological Treatment of Perianal Gland Tumors in Male Dogs.

The presence of androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptors has been demonstrated both in normal perianal (hepatoid) glands and in perianal tumors. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between the expression of AR and ER in perianal gland tumors and the effectiveness of antihormonal treatment. The study was performed on 41 male dogs with neoplastic lesions of the anal region. Histopathological evaluation of the lesions revealed 24 adenomas, 12 epitheliomas, and five carcinomas. Treatment was administered orally with tamoxifen at a dose of 1 mg/kg BW and cyproterone acetate at a dose of 5 mg/kg. Tumor diameters were measured regularly with calipers and recorded in millimeters starting with the measurement before treatment, and then after 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of therapy. The results show that hepatoid adenomas that are characterized by high expression of AR and ER receptors respond positively to antihormonal therapy, resulting in complete tumor regression. For locally malignant hepatoid epitheliomas and carcinomas with low expression of AR and ER receptors, antihormonal therapy makes it possible to reduce the size of the tumor, but does not make it possible to cure it completely.

Sleep Disturbances and Health Consequences Induced by the Specificity of Nurses' Work.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing staff working in a shift or night system are exposed to sleep disorders, which has a direct impact on the emergence of dangerous health consequences for them. Melatonin secretion is abnormal at night and the circadian rhythm is disturbed. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of sleep disorders and their consequences for the body in a group of representative nursing staff working in a shift and night system. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted among 126 nurses who are generally healthy, employed in health care facilities in the Malopolskie voivodship. METHODS: The Athens Insomnia Scale consisting of 8 test items was used to obtain research material: falling asleep, waking up at night, waking up in the morning, total sleep time, sleep quality, well-being the next day, mental and physical fitness the next day, and sleepiness during the next day. As well as an original questionnaire. RESULTS: The research showed significant negative consequences of shift work on the health of health-care workers. The subjects noticed symptoms related to the nervous system, such as increased nervous tension 53%, lack of patience in 62% of all respondents. As many as 85% pointed to the negative impact of shift work on their family life, 82% of all respondents on social life and 56% of all respondents on sex life. The other variables were not confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of insomnia are common among night-work nurses.

New arylpiperazine derivatives with antidepressant-like activity containing isonicotinic and picolinic nuclei: evidence for serotonergic system involvement.

Therapy of depression is difficult and still insufficient despite the presence of many antidepressants on the market. Therefore, there is a constant need to search for new, safer, and more effective drugs that could be used in the treatment of depression. Among many methods, chemical modification is an important strategy for new drug development. This study evaluates antidepressant-like effects and possible mechanism of action of two new arylpiperazine derivatives with isonicotinic and picolinic nuclei, compounds 4pN-(3-(4-(piperonyl)piperazin-1-yl)propyl) isonicotinamide and 3oN-(2-(4-(pyrimidin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl)ethyl) picolinamide. The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST), as two predictive tests for antidepressant effect in mice, were used. The possible involvement of serotonergic system in the effects of the new compounds in the FST through pharmacological antagonists/modulators of serotonergic transmission was also investigated. Compounds 4p and 3o were shown to possess antidepressant activity in both tests, FST and TST. The antidepressant-like effects of the new compounds in the FST were prevented by pretreatment of mice with pCPA (serotonin depletor), (-)pindolol (mixed 5-HT1A/1B and ß-adrenergic antagonist), and WAY 100635 (selective 5-HT1A antagonist). Additionally, in drug interaction studies, the 5-HT2A/2C antagonist, ketanserin, and the classic antidepressant, imipramine, potentiated antidepressant-like effect of both new compounds. The obtained results demonstrate that the new compounds 4p and 3o produce an antidepressant-like effect in mice which seems to be mediated by interaction with the serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and in the case of 4p, also with the 5-HT2C receptors.

Photodynamic therapy - mechanisms, photosensitizers and combinations.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a modern and non-invasive form of therapy, used in the treatment of non-oncological diseases as well as cancers of various types and locations. It is based on the local or systemic application of a photosensitive compound - the photosensitizer, which is accumulated in pathological tissues. The photosensitizer molecules absorb the light of the appropriate wavelength, initiating the activation processes leading to the selective destruction of the inappropriate cells. The photocytotoxic reactions occur only within the pathological tissues, in the area of photosensitizer distribution, enabling selective destruction. Over the last decade, a significant acceleration in the development of nanotechnology has been observed. The combination of photosensitizers with nanomaterials can improve the photodynamic therapy efficiency and eliminate its side effects as well. The use of nanoparticles enables achievement a targeted method which is focused on specific receptors, and, as a result, increases the selectivity of the photodynamic therapy. The object of this review is the anticancer application of PDT, its advantages and possible modifications to potentiate its effects.