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Radiotherapy, which is routinely used to treat a wide range of oncological disorders, primarily affects the malignant tissue in the targeted area, but also have negative effects in the surrounding tissues. Pelvic radiotherapy causes early and late effects on the colon and rectum. Resveratrol (RVT) has been revealed to have a number of pharmacological effects in a variety of experimental models and clinical circumstances, therefore it has piqued the interest of scientists in recent years. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of resveratrol (RVT), a strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic agent, against toxicity of colonic and rectal tissues seen in the early and late stages after pelvic radiation. The treatment durations of the current study were designed as one week and ten weeks interval by following radiation exposure. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (8 animals/group) as the control, radiation-early effects (Rd-E), radiation-late effects (Rd-L), and RVT-treated Rd-E (Rd-E+RVT) and RVT-treated Rd-L (Rd-L+RVT) groups. İonizing radiation was performed to the pelvic area that covers colon and rectum in single fraction of 20 Gy in a linear accelerator using with 6 MV photon energy. RVT was orally administered (10 mg/kg/day) immediately following the radiation exposure and continued daily for 1 and 10 weeks for early and late groups, respectively. Pelvic radiation caused a significant decrease in glutathione level, while malondialdehyde levels, myeloperoxidase activity and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine were increased in both Rd-E and Rd-L groups in the colon and rectum tissues. Additionally, light microscopic evaluations (H&E staining) revealed degeneration of epithelium and inflammatory cell infiltration in the colonic and rectal tissues in radiation groups. RVT treatment reversed all conducted biochemical parameters and ameliorated histomorphological changes following early and late effects of pelvic radiation in tissues. In conclusion, resveratrol may be a candidate as a radioprotector for normal tissues during and after radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality and efficacy of treatment in the healthcare industry have dramatically changed over the last century as a consequence of advancements in medical science, mass manufacturing of chemically synthesized pharmaceuticals, and technologies. However, due to the fact that natural treatments are more accessible but also less expensive than prescribed medicines, significant percentages of the population preferring to use herbal medicine for their primary care. Furthermore, it is believed to be more natural and safer than pharmaceutical medications. Additionally, the demand for herbal treatments has been growing globally in recent years as a result of medicinal plants' gaining popularity and use. Different biological activity could be identified in herbal extracts and for active constituents. Many disorders, including diabetes, autoimmune disorders, cancer, asthma, allergies, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease, are effectively treated with medicinal herbs. It is believed that plants are used to make 25% of conventional medications. Aspirin, artemisinin, ephedrine, and paclitaxel are the examples of first used medicines. In response to rising demand, several well-known pharmaceutical firms are doing research on the development of herbal supplements with varied biological activities. By 2027, the global herbal supplements industry is expected to reach 119.9 billion US dollars. According to the World Health Organization, herbal medications are used by 80% of the world's population. Despite the fact that herbal remedies are generally recognized as safe and effective, many publications about side effects, adverse effects, and adverse reactions are associated with the use of herbal medicines highlighted that "as the use of herbal medicines has increased, so too have the reports of suspected toxicity and adverse events". Adverse effects of herbal drugs might occur via intrinsic or extrinsic effects. The extrinsic effects are not just related to the plant itself, but are also a problem in commercial production as well as from contamination, adulteration, misidentification of plants or interactions with other herbal preparations. To identify and reduce the risk of these problems, effective identification systems and reliable methods for detecting foreign material are required for revealing quality and purity of herbal medicines. On the other hand, the intrinsic effects can be caused by herbal medication side effects, reactions occurring as a result of overdose or over duration, tolerance, dependence-addiction, hypersensitivity, allergic and idiosyncratic reactions, and chronic toxic effects including liver, renal, cardiac and neurotoxicity and even genotoxicity and teratogenicity which can be life-threatening. Many medicines and herbal remedies interact with each other and can harm one's health. There are also numerous publications on this topic. As an example on this subject; the main issue with using St. John's wort supplement has been reported as interaction with a variety of medications. St. John's wort's active ingredient, hyperforin, induces a variety of cytochrome P450 liver isoenzymes, including CYP3A4, CYP2E1, and CYP2C9. P-glycoprotein transport activity was inhibited in a dose- and time-dependent manner by a St. John's wort extract containing hyperforin, hypericin, and quercetin. In contrast to quercetin and hypericin, which alter transporter function through protein kinase C, St. John's wort extract and hyperforin directly reduce P-glycoprotein activity. St. John's wort can therefore interact with medications that are processed by the liver's cytochrome P450 enzymes as well as medications that are substrates for P-glycoprotein but are not metabolized by the liver, leading to treatment failure because of subtherapeutic levels of these medications. Immunosuppressants, anticoagulants, statins, calcium channel blockers, b-blockers, cardiac inotropic drugs, antiretroviral drugs, anticancer drugs, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and oral contraceptives have all been related to clinically significant interactions with St. John's wort. While the majority of drug interactions involving St. John's wort are pharmacokinetic interactions that could lead to treatment failure, there have also been reports of pharmacodynamic interactions between St. John's wort and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, and nefazodone that result in central serotonin syndrome. Estimations are around 1 billion $ for a single novel drug, moreover drug development is a timeconsuming process, with 12-15 years from finding a hit to the clinical application. Preclinical and clinical trials must be completed before a drug marketed to the public, and the studies must confirm that the drug is safe. On the other hand, until they are demonstrated to be hazardous, supplements are generally regarded as safe. European Union Directive 2001/83/EC states that if there is adequate human experience, toxicology tests for herbal medicines are not necessary. Products that have demonstrated a medical use for at least 30 years and those that have a traditional usage for at least 15 years in Europe may be registered as herbal medicinal products under (Directive 2001/83/EC) and Health Autority Regulations. Take into consideration that supplements, unlike medicines, are not required to be tested for QSEM. Drug interactions' effects on patient safety are a major concern for public health systems around the world. Preclinical, clinical, and post-marketing research should be conducted in collaboration with one another to educate and practice and set regulations in order to reduce this impact. Adverse event information is also needed to be collected for herbal drugs. Pharmacovigilance system needs spontaneous reports against uncertainties of herbal drugs to manage the risk for public health. It is necessary to report adverse reactions accurately in order to identify serious adverse events and provide practitioners and patients with the proper cautions and instructions. Pharmacovigilance of herbal medications is critical to ensure their safety, purity, and efficacy throughout their use in healthcare practice. Furthermore, Health Autority Regulations need to provide global management and quality standards for radical herb sources, seed and seedling breeding, planting, harvesting, and storage, logical procedures, manufacture, and quality requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating clinical pharmacists in a multidisciplinary patient care team improves the treatment process by identifying and resolving drug-related problems (DRPs). The aim of the study was to determine the effect of clinical pharmacist intervention for DRPs in the gastroenterology service. The first period of the study was conducted between 15.06.2018 and 15.02.2019. Eighty patients admitted to the gastroenterology ward, who used at least one medication, were included in 'the study group'. The clinical pharmacist participated in ward rounds and made interventions to solve identified DRPs. In the second period of the study, the control group consisted of 80 patients admitted to the same ward between 01.03.2019 and 06.06.2019. DRPs were determined only from the data obtained from the hospital system in the control group. DRPs were classified according to the European Pharmaceutical Care Network (PCNE V9.1). A total of 136 and 46 with an average of 1.7 and 0.57 DRPs per patient (p≤0.01) were identified in the study and control groups, respectively. Of the DRPs in the study group, 59 were related to treatment effectiveness, while 61 were related to treatment safety. Likewise, 21 DRPs were related to treatment effectiveness in the control group, while 12 were related to treatment (p≤0.01). 65% of the interventions were made at the physician level and 49% at the drug level. 97% (n=133) of the total interventions were accepted. The number of DRPs was significantly reduced in the control group within the time frame after the clinical pharmacist intervention period. In conclusion, clinical pharmacists' importance in detecting and preventing DRPs in the gastroenterology ward has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidant activities of the different extracts (n-heptane, chloroform, methanol) from the roots and aerial parts of Scorzonera veratrifolia by maceration method, as well as total phenolic and flavonoid content were examined first time in this study. The findings revealed that the methanol extract from S. veratrifolia aerial parts exhibited greater DPPH radical scavenging (IC50: 0.62±0.60 mg/mL) and iron (III) reduction capacity (1.56±0.03 mM Fe2+/mg extract). Furthermore, aerial parts methanol extract has the highest concentration of total phenolic (46.3±1.1 mgGAE/g extract) and flavonoid (0.013±0.002 mg QE/mg extract) compounds. Based on these findings, the main phenolic content of aerial parts methanol extract was analyzed by LC-ESI-QTOF/MS, as this extract was found to contain the strongest antioxidant as well as the highest amount of phenolics and flavonoids as compared to the others. Quinic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, liquiritin, quercetin hexoside, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, and di-O-caffeoylquinic acid compounds were identified as major compounds in methanol extract. The findings showed that aerial parts of S. veratrifolia, rather than its roots, could be used as a source of antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, several test systems have been developed in order to observe the mutagenic effects of chemical agents which play crucial roles in human health. The Ames Test is one of these test systems. With the Ames Test, some bacterial mutants have been discovered to investigate the mutagenic effects of the chemicals. Various strains of Salmonella typhimurium are one of the groups of the bacterial mutants in question. The aim of this study is to investigate possible antimutagenic effect of Pelargonium sidoides which have an antioxidant effect towards carcinogenic substance called 2-aminofluorene by Ames/Salmonella/Microsome test kit in the absence and presence of metabolic activation. TA 98 and TA 100 strains were used in these experiments. TA 98 is designed for frame-shift mutagens and TA 100 is designed for base-pair mutagens. The antimutagenic activity was screened in two groups with or without S9 metabolic activation. The results were evaluated the mean average values and compared with positive and negative controls. In conclusion, it was shown that Pelargonium sidoides have antimutagenic effect towards TA 98 and TA 100 without S9 metabolic activation (p≥0.05) but have no antimutagenic effect towards TA 98 and TA 100 with S9 metabolic activation (p≤0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide (ACR), is a widely used industrial chemical which induces oxidative stress in the body. In this study we aimed to investigate the possible protective effect of melatonin (MEL), as an antioxidant agent, against experimental ACR toxicity in the liver and kidney of the rats. Wistar albino rats of either sex 200-250 g were divided into four groups each consisting of 6 animals. Rats received for 10 days; 1) 0.9% NaCl i.p.; control (C) group; 2) MEL in a dose of 10 mg/kg i.p., 3) ACR in a dose of 40 mg/kg i.p. (dissolved in 0.9% NaCl) (ACR group) and 4) MEL (in a dose of 10 mg/kg i.p.) and ACR (in a dose of 40 mg/kg i.p.). After decapitation, liver and kidney tissues were excised. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, collagen contents and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) were determined in the tissues, while enzyme activities and cytokine levels were assayed in blood samples. In the ACR treated group, GSH levels decreased significantly while the MDA levels, MPO activity and collagen content increased in the tissues suggesting oxidative organ damage. In the MEL treated ACR group, all of these oxidant responses were reversed significantly. Serum enzyme activities, cytokine levels and leukocyte apoptosis which increased significantly following ACR administration, decreased with MEL treatment. The results demonstrate the role of oxidative mechanisms in ACR-induced tissue damage, and melatonin, by its antioxidant properties, ameliorates oxidative organ injury due to acrylamide toxicity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide (AA), used in many fields, from industrial manufacturing to laboratory work, is also formed during the heating process through the interactions of amino acids. Therefore, AA poses a significant risk for both human and animal health. This study aimed to elucidate whether N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) treatment could modulate AA-induced oxidative changes in the brain, lung, liver, kidney, and testes tissues of the rat. Rats were divided into 4 groups, as the control (C), NAC [150 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)], AA (40 mg/kg i.p.), and NAC + AA groups. After 10 days, the rats were decapitated and the tissues were excised. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) were determined in the tissues, while oxidant-induced tissue fibrosis was determined using the collagen contents. Serum enzyme activities, cytokine levels, and leukocyte apoptosis were assayed in the plasma. In the AA group, GSH levels decreased significantly, while the MDA levels, MPO activity, and collagen content increased in the tissues suggesting oxidative organ damage. In the NAC + AA group, oxidant responses reversed significantly. Serum enzyme activities, cytokine levels, and leukocyte apoptosis, which increased following AA administration, decreased with NAC treatment. Therefore, supplementing with NAC can be useful when there is a risk of AA toxicity, as NAC inhibits neutrophil infiltration, balances the oxidant-antioxidant status, and regulates the generation of inflammatory mediators to protect tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobials have been known for millennia, but innovative antibiotics are currently in short supply. New antimicrobial discoveries are being threatened by planetary scale loss of biodiversity that has important impacts on species and ecosystems. This expert review underscores that microorganisms in nature and their diversity are essential cornerstones to revitalize the antibiotic innovation and discovery pipeline. The recent rise of systems ecology and planetary health offers new and actionable potentials in this regard. Without a systems scale focus and appreciation of systems ecology, the global threats to human and planetary health from inappropriate use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance will continue to escalate with serious consequences to all life on the planet. With acutely pressing research and development needs to revitalize antibiotic treatment and novel diagnostic tools for personalized medicine, national health systems ought to work across knowledge silos not only within but also across the ministries, for example, health, agriculture, environment, economy, trade, and social services ministries that collectively impact on systems ecology and by extension on health innovations including the antibiotic discovery pipeline. Such systems vision can also help to revitalize antibiotic discovery pipeline as most antibiotics have natural origins or have designs inspired or based on molecules in the environment and microorganisms that produce antibiotics. Above all, our audience and responsibility include every person who has an interest in his or her own health, in the health of his or her fellow human beings and all life on the planet, and in the health of future generations.