Communication in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and role of immunomodulatory nutraceuticals in their management

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to summarize the clinicopathological characteristics, treatment methods, and prognosis of these patients. The goal is to enhance our understanding of the disease and provide insights for the standardized diagnosis and treatment of abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors(IMT).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included clinical data of 26 patients with abdominal IMT admitted to the First Hospital of Jilin University between January 2015 and December 2023. The clinical manifestations, pathological features, treatment methods, and prognoses were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 26 patients, 6 had hepatic IMT, 2 splenic IMT, and 1 abdominal wall IMT, all detected incidentally as painless masses during routine exams. Six patients with mesenteric IMT reported abdominal distension, pain, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever. Of five patients with gastric IMT, three had gastrointestinal bleeding, one had distension and fever, and one had dysphagia. Four small intestine cases included one asymptomatic and three with obstruction symptoms. The colon and rectal cases presented with intermittent hematochezia. Surgery was performed in 24 patients, and 2 with metastases received palliative therapy. During follow-up, five patients relapsed; three received palliative therapy, and two had surgery. At last follow-up, 20 patients were disease-free, 3 were living with tumors, and 3 had died.

CONCLUSIONS

Abdominal IMTs are rare, low-grade tumors with favorable prognoses. Pathological examination is essential for diagnosis, and surgery is the primary treatment. Adjuvant therapy depends on tumor location and risk factors. Close follow-up is necessary due to the potential for recurrence and metastasis.

Tackling transmission of infectious diseases: A probiotic-based system as a remedy for the spread of pathogenic and resistant microbes

Built environments (BEs) currently represent the areas in which human beings spend most of their life. Consistently, microbes populating BEs mostly derive from human occupants and can be easily transferred from BE to occupants. The hospital microbiome is a paradigmatic example, representing a reservoir for harmful pathogens that can be transmitted to susceptible patients, causing the healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Environmental cleaning is a crucial pillar in controlling BE pathogens and preventing related infections, and chemical disinfectants have been largely used so far towards this aim. However, despite their immediate effect, chemical-based disinfection is unable to prevent recontamination, has a high environmental impact, and can select/increase antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in treated microbes. To overcome these limitations, probiotic-based sanitation (PBS) strategies were recently proposed, built on the use of detergents added with selected probiotics able to displace surrounding pathogens by competitive exclusion. PBS was reported as an effective and low-impact alternative to chemical disinfection, providing stable rebalance of the BE microbiome and significantly reducing pathogens and HAIs compared to disinfectants, without exacerbating AMR and pollution concerns. This minireview summarizes the most significant results obtained by applying PBS in sanitary and non-sanitary settings, which overall suggest that PBS may effectively tackle the infectious risk meanwhile preventing the further spread of pathogenic and resistant microbes.

The Ocean's Pharmacy: Health Discoveries in Marine Algae

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a global health challenge, constituting a major cause of mortality and disease burden in the 21st century. Addressing the prevention and management of NCDs is crucial for improving global public health, emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies, early interventions, and innovative therapeutic approaches to mitigate their far-reaching consequences. Marine organisms, mainly algae, produce diverse marine natural products with significant therapeutic potential. Harnessing the largely untapped potential of algae could revolutionize drug development and contribute to combating NCDs, marking a crucial step toward natural and targeted therapeutic approaches. This review examines bioactive extracts, compounds, and commercial products derived from macro- and microalgae, exploring their protective properties against oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, metabolic diseases, and cancer across in vitro, cell-based, in vivo, and clinical studies. Most research focuses on macroalgae, demonstrating antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, gut health modulation, metabolic health promotion, and anti-cancer effects. Microalgae products also exhibit anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and anti-cancer properties. Although studies mainly investigated extracts and fractions, isolated compounds from algae have also been explored. Notably, polysaccharides, phlorotannins, carotenoids, and terpenes emerge as prominent compounds, collectively representing 42.4% of the investigated compounds.