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Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the population and is characterized by non-specific symptoms that delay the diagnosis and reduce the effectiveness of oncological treatment. Due to the difficult placement of the tumor, one of the main methods of lung cancer treatment is radiotherapy, which damages the DNA of cancer cells, inducing their apoptosis. However, resistance to ionizing radiation may develop during radiotherapy cycles, leading to an increase in the number of DNA points of control that protect cells from apoptosis. Cancer stem cells are essential for radioresistance, and due to their ability to undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition, they modify the phenotype, bypassing the genotoxic effect of radiotherapy. It is therefore necessary to search for new methods that could improve the cytotoxic effect of cells through new mechanisms of action. Chinese medicine, with several thousand years of tradition, offers a wide range of possibilities in the search for compounds that could be used in conventional medicine. This review introduces the potential candidates that may present a radiosensitizing effect on lung cancer cells, breaking their radioresistance. Additionally, it includes candidates taken from conventional medicine—drugs commonly available in pharmacies, which may also be significant candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with a low overall survival rate. Anaemia is one of the most common cancer side effects, reducing the patient's survival time among other things. Lung cancer patients have the highest incidence of anaemia, with 50–70% of patients experiencing anaemia during the course of their disease. In clinical practice, however, anaemia is not a problem in cancer patients until it becomes severe or life-threatening, at which point therapeutic actions are taken. We choose to change this perception by first investigating the characteristics of proteins involved in the pathogenesis of anaemia, as well as their diagnostic capabilities. We assume that predicting anaemia using diagnostic biomarkers, and thus preventing and treating anaemia in lung cancer patients, is beneficial to both the patient and the economy. We aim to describe the characteristics of hepcidin, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in anaemia of lung cancer patients with operative tumour as well as to investigate the potential diagnostic capabilities of hepcidin in combination with IL-6, TNF-α, and acute phase proteins. We present a retrospective study of 112 lung cancer patients (41 women and 71 men) who were surgically treated at the Lower Silesian Centre for Lung Diseases in Wroclaw, Poland. Serum blood samples were collected from all these patients prior to any surgical treatment and used to determine hepcidin, IL-6, TNF-α, SAA1, and CRP concentrations. Patients were also examined with a complete blood count several times during their hospitalization. The female and male groups were divided based on the occurrence of anaemia during their hospitalization. Patients who developed anaemia post-operatively had significantly lower hepcidin concentrations than non-anaemic patients (p = 0.000694 in females with ≥3 complete blood count examinations and p = 0.007905 in males with 2 complete blood count examinations), whereas patients with anaemia since hospital admission had higher hepcidin concentrations. We observed two hepcidin roles related to two cancer anaemia pathogeneses: (1) higher hepcidin concentrations in patients with anaemia since hospital admission (anaemia of inflammation) and (2) lower hepcidin concentrations in patients who developed anaemia after surgery (anaemia of iron deficiency). Our data support the role of hepcidin, IL-6, and TNF-α in cancer-related anaemia and provide diagnostic values for predicting post-operative anaemia in lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that chronic use of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol is correlated with the occurrence of renal dysfunction. Objective: Aim of this study was to review the literature on the mechanisms of interaction N-acetyl-p-aminophenol metabolites in terms of nephrotoxicity. Methods: We present a literature review of studies published in English language on the damage effects of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol on the kidneys, accessed through PubMed database. Results: The pathogenesis of drug-induced nephrotoxicity attributed to the action of cytochrome P450 enzymes, prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGES) and N-deacetylase. The metabolism of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol with the participation of PGES more explicit is in the core of kidney, whereas cytochrome P450 enzymes play role in the renal cortex. Due to the action of cytochrome P450 and N-deacetylase, a very reactive N-acetyl-p-benzochinoimine (NAPQI) is formed. The result of the catalytic activity of PGES is p-benzoquinone (PBQI) production. The formation of NAPQI and PBQI is accompanied by the production of free radicals. Metabolites can connect covalently with sulfhydryl groups of renal proteins, what can cause the injury of proximal tubules. N-acetyl-p-aminophenol may initiate the apoptosis process involving activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, but also caspase-12 as a result of generation of free radicals. Conclusions: The process of NAPQI and PBQI formation can increase oxidative stress that promotes the kidneys damage. The ability of metabolites to produce covalent bonds with sulfhydryl groups of proteins can increase the nephrotoxicity. It was assumed that the induction of apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells, and not necrosis underlies the nephrotoxic potential of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substances of plant origin have been used to induce hallucinations for a long time, in religious ceremonies and rituals as well as in pain relief. Psilocybin and psilocin naturally occur in the fungal genus Psilocybe. Due to the psychedelic effects and relative harmlessness of these sub¬stances and the fact that they do not cause physical addiction, psilocybin and psilocin recently have been increasingly replacing synthetic psychodysleptics, such as diethylamide D-lysergic acid. Both compounds as psychoactive substances are illegal, but psilocybin, in addition to psychotropic action, also shows positive effects, which from a medical point of view indicate its therapeutic potential and capacity for use in therapy. However, poisoning by psilocin and its derivatives is still a major clinical and social problem, mainly among young people, which is why quick and reliable identification of these substances is very important. Traditional ways of assigning the sample to a particular taxon, such as morphological and biochemical analysis or palynological and sporological studies, are not very universal and often do not provide clear results. Credibility, high speed and lower cost of DNA analysis make genetic methods more often used to determine the species of fungi. These methods are random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and high resolution melting (HRM). Moreover, analysis of the regions ITS1 and nLSU was suggested as a valid method for application in the molecular taxonomy of fungi for forensic purposes. Modern methods of identifying psilocybin and psilocin in fungi and biological material are: zone capillary electrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatogra¬phy and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The mentioned methods are successfully used for the identification of psychoactive substances in fungi as well as in blood and urine samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropeptides are protein molecules belonging to the class informants both central and peripheral nervous system. Considering the structure and evolutionary origin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a peptide of the same family as peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). These proteins were discovered relatively recently, however, knowledge about them is deepened. They are 36-amino acid peptide acting through G-protein coupled receptors, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6. The diverse structure C-terminus of the peptide and protein binding to receptors affect the biological activity and the physiological effects on the digestive system, blood vessels, and the center of hunger and satiety in the hypothalamus. Peptides have anorexic properties, they regulate appetite and food intake mainly through the intestinal cerebrospinal axis and the hypothalamus. These substances represent an important potential target of new drugs in the long-term treatment and prevention of obesity. Furthermore, neuropeptide Y affects many processes depending on the central nervous system modifies ethanol consumption, affect circadian rhythms, memory processes, anxiety behavior. Peripherally NPY affects smooth muscle contraction of the blood vessels, blood pressure, and atherogenic processes. Conducted more thorough research trying to define the role and participation of various neuropeptides in the development of diseases of the pancreas and the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system and use it for diagnosis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the most often diagnosed cancer in the world and the most frequent cause of cancer death. The prognosis for lung cancer is relatively poor and 75% of patients are diagnosed at its advanced stage. The currently used diagnostic tools are not sensitive enough and do not enable diagnosis at the early stage of the disease. Therefore, searching for new methods of early and accurate diagnosis of lung cancer is crucial for its effective treatment. Lung cancer is the result of multistage carcinogenesis with gradually increasing genetic and epigenetic changes. Screening for the characteristic genetic markers could enable the diagnosis of lung cancer at its early stage. The aim of this review was the summarization of both the preclinical and clinical approaches in the genetic diagnostics of lung cancer. The advancement of molecular strategies and analytic platforms makes it possible to analyze the genome changes leading to cancer development—i.e., the potential biomarkers of lung cancer. In the reviewed studies, the diagnostic values of microsatellite changes, DNA hypermethylation, and p53 and KRAS gene mutations, as well as microRNAs expression, have been analyzed as potential genetic markers. It seems that microRNAs and their expression profiles have the greatest diagnostic potential value in lung cancer diagnosis, but their quantification requires standardization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substances of plant origin have been used to induce hallucinations for a long time, in religious ceremonies and rituals as well as in pain relief. Psilocybin and psilocin naturally occur in the fungal genus Psilocybe. Due to the psychedelic effects and relative harmlessness of these substances and the fact that they do not cause physical addiction, psilocybin and psilocin recently have been increasingly replacing synthetic psychodysleptics, such as diethylamide D-lysergic acid. Both compounds as psychoactive substances are illegal, but psilocybin, in addition to psychotropic action, also shows positive effects, which from a medical point of view indicate its therapeutic potential and capacity for use in therapy. However, poisoning by psilocin and its derivatives is still a major clinical and social problem, mainly among young people, which is why quick and reliable identification of these substances is very important. Traditional ways of assigning the sample to a particular taxon, such as morphological and biochemical analysis or palynological and sporological studies, are not very universal and often do not provide clear results. Credibility, high speed and lower cost of DNA analysis make genetic methods more often used to determine the species of fungi. These methods are random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and high resolution melting (HRM). Moreover, analysis of the regions ITS1 and nLSU was suggested as a valid method for application in the molecular taxonomy of fungi for forensic purposes. Modern methods of identifying psilocybin and psilocin in fungi and biological material are: zone capillary electrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The mentioned methods are successfully used for the identification of psychoactive substances in fungi as well as in blood and urine samples.

The coexistence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia constitutes combination of factors, which in adulthood and old can generate atherosclerotic-dependent disease entities. Cigarette smoking, which is considered a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, may lead to changes in normal plasma lipid profile. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking on lipid parameters and the concentration of lipid peroxidation products in young healthy persons. The study population consisted of 57 healthy volunteers aged 19-26 years. They were qualified to planned analyzes based on research conducted by primary care clinicians. The study population was divided into smokers and non-smokers on the basis of determining the concentration of cotinine (ELISA method). It has been shown that concentrations of lipid profile parameters in the study groups remained within the reference ranges, however, in the group of smoking healthy persons were higher as compared with non-smoking healthy persons, except HDL cholesterol. It has been demonstrated 1.5 times higher concentration of LDL cholesterol in the serum of smokers (112.8 ± 37.9 mg/dl) when compared to non-smoking subjects (77.6 ± 43.7 mg/dl, p=0.006). There was a significant difference between the mean value in the group of triglycerides of healthy non-smokers (72.9 ± 24.1 mg/dl) and the average value of those in smokers (93.9 ± 40.3 mg/dl, p=0.034). There was a significant difference between the mean value of the concentration of lipid peroxidation products reacting with thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) in the non-smoking healthy persons (0.5 ± 0.3 mmol/l), and the mean value of TBARS in the group of smoking persons (0.8 ± 0.6 mmol/l, p=0.019). The results show that cigarette smoking may be an important factor in potential changes in lipid profile already in young healthy people, which in the future may result in the onset of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.