Current evidence regarding alternative techniques for enterocystoplasty using regenerative medicine methods: a systematic review.

Enterocystoplasty is the most commonly used treatment for bladder reconstruction. However, it has some major complications. In this study, we systematically reviewed the alternative techniques for enterocystoplasty using different scaffolds. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and a total of 10 studies were included in this study. Five different scaffolds were evaluated, including small intestinal submucosa (SIS), biodegradable scaffolds seeded with autologous bladder muscle and urothelial cells, dura mater, human cadaveric bladder acellular matrix graft, and bovine pericardium. The overall results revealed that bladder reconstruction using regenerative medicine is an excellent alternative method to enterocystoplasty regarding the improvement of bladder capacity, bladder compliance, and maximum detrusor pressure; however, more large-scale studies are required.

Anosmia or Ageusia Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Systematic Review.

Aim: To systematically review the cases of anosmia or ageusia after receiving the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and PubMed, to identify any published study that evaluated the anosmia or ageusia after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, including case reports, case series, letter to editor articles with reported cases regarding our topic, or observational studies with at least 1 eligible patient consisted with our criteria. We excluded the studies that reported anosmia or ageusia due to COVID-19 infection and non-COVID-19 vaccines. Results: Five studies consisting of 11 patients were included in this systematic review. Of the 11 patients, 5 patients had received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and 6 patients received the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, of which 6 patients developed symptoms after the first dose of vaccination and 5 patients were symptomatic after the second vaccine dose. Most of the patients developed symptoms within 1 week after the vaccination. The disorders of the patients included partial or total anosmia, parosmia, phantosmia, hyposmia, ageusia, and dysgeusia. Also, the patients had symptoms other than smell or taste disorders, including arthralgia, fever, chills, rhinorrhea, myalgia, abdominal pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, altered bowel pattern, aural fullness, tinnitus, and headache. Most of the evaluated patients did not receive any treatment as for their disorders. However, in some cases, treatment with oral corticosteroids or dietary supplementation was required. Conclusion: Anosmia and ageusia are important symptoms of COVID-19 vaccination. These symptoms will resolve without any treatment in most cases, although some interventions may be needed in some patients.

The effect of psychedelics on the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recent interest in the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics has led to investigations into their influence on molecular signaling pathways within the brain. AIMS: Integrated review and analysis of different studies in this field. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across international databases including Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed from inception to 9 July 2023. Eligibility criteria encompassed published and peer-reviewed studies evaluating changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels after psychedelic consumption. OUTCOMES: A total of nine studies were included in our study. The meta-analysis demonstrated significantly higher BDNF levels in psychedelic consumers compared to healthy controls, with a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.26 (95% CI: 0.10-0.42, I2 = 38.51%, p < 0.001). Leave-one-out analysis indicated robustness in results upon removal of individual psychedelics. No significant publication bias was observed. The results highlight the potential influence of psychedelics on neuroplasticity by altering BDNF levels. CONCLUSIONS: More precisely, the documented rise in BDNF levels indicates a neurobiological mechanism by which psychedelics could enhance synaptic plasticity and foster the growth of neurons. Given the limited data available on this topic, the conclusions remain uncertain. Consequently, we highly recommend additional research with more extensive sample sizes to yield more reliable evidence in this field.