Minerva medica
-
A meta-analysis was carried out to systematically evaluate the effects of liraglutide on waist circumference, BMI, weight, insulin resistance (IR), Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in obese women with polycystic ovarian syndromes (PCOS). ⋯ For women with PCOS, BMI, weight, and waist circumference were significantly decreased after 12~24 weeks of treatment with liraglutide monotherapy and add-on therapy. Insulin resistance might be improved with the use of liraglutide. Nevertheless, large scale randomized control trials should be carried out to elucidate the long-term outcome in improving the insulin sensitivity of liraglutide treatment.
-
Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is a critical problem with an impact on both oncological and cardiovascular prognosis, especially when it prevents patients from receiving cancer treatment. However, there are very limited data on the efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan in the prevention and treatment of cardiotoxicity. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the potential benefit of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with CTRCD. ⋯ All clinical studies have demonstrated that used Sac/Val in human showed a significant increase in LVEF, and when reported, a reduction in left ventricular volume and NT-proBNP (or BNP). Randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
-
Review Case Reports
Beyond the lung involvement in COVID-19 patients. A review.
Since COVID-19 spread all over the world becoming a pandemic illness, researchers have better characterized route of virus transmissibility and clinical signs and symptoms of the disease. Since viral transmission occurs through the droplets emitted during coughing or sneezing, the lungs are primarily affected. ⋯ This review focuses on extra pulmonary involvement underlying atypical presentation of COVID-19. There is a great body of evidence concerning several human organ abnormalities associated to the SARS-CoV-2, enough to consider COVID-19 as a multisystemic and polyhedral disease.
-
Lung cancer (LC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represent leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Common risk factors lead to an increased inflammatory response, enhances oxidative stress, and changes in lung microenvironment contributing to fine-tuned interaction between these respiratory disorders. ⋯ Better understanding LC and COPD coexistence may impact on clinical scenario influencing therapeutic approach. In this review, we describe the basis of this network and how the complex interplay between these respiratory disorders affects the clinical decision-making process.
-
The characteristic features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) include inflammation and remodeling of the lower airways and lung parenchyma together with activation of inflammatory and immune processes. Due to the increasing habit of cigarette smoking worldwide COPD prevalence is increasing globally. Current therapies are unable to prevent COPD progression in many patients or target many of its hallmark characteristics which may reflect the lack of adequate biomarkers to detect the heterogeneous clinical and molecular nature of COPD. ⋯ We also highlight the evidence for new drugs or approaches to treat COPD identified using molecular and other approaches including kinase inhibitors, cytokine- and chemokine-directed biologicals and small molecules, anti-oxidants and redox signaling pathway inhibitors, inhaled anti-infectious agents and senolytics. It is important to consider the phenotypes/molecular endotypes of COPD patients together with specific outcome measures to target new therapies to particular COPD subtypes. This will require greater understanding of COPD molecular pathologies and a focus on biomarkers of predicting disease subsets and responder/non-responder populations.