1. | Front Matter Page I |
REVIEW | |
2. | Exploring the Efficacy of Probiotics: A Comprehensive Review of Current Evidence and Future Directions Shivam Mishra doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.06078 Pages 153 - 159 Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host, have gained widespread attention in recent years for their potential to treat and prevent a variety of health conditions. In this comprehensive review, we ex-plore the current evidence on the efficacy of probiotics, including their mechanism of action and clinical applications. We also discuss the challenges and limitations facing the field, including the lack of regulation and standardization of probiotic products, and the difficulty in conducting high-quality clinical trials of probiotic therapies. Finally, we outline future directions for probiotic research, including the identification and characterization of novel probiotic strains, the development of engineered probiotics, and the potential applications of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field of probiotics and highlights the potential for future advancements in probiotic therapies. |
RESEARCH ARTICLE | |
3. | Cancer Diagnosis In Tunisian Public Structures: Too Little, Too Late Mohamed Jemaà doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.96158 Pages 160 - 163 Introduction: Cancer is a major public health problem in Tunisia with an increasing incidence that reached 20,000 new cases per year in 2020. Moreover, deaths related to a tumour cause, all tumours combined, is the leading cause of death in Tunisia since 2021. Despite the urgency of this situation, Tunisian patients suffer from delays in diagnosis and a lack of public resources for optimal care. Objectives: In this work, we have tried to show the correlation between the delay in diagnosis and the increasing inci-dence of cancer and related deaths in the Tunisian population. Methods: Our study highlights the metastatic nature of tumours in a cohort of 73 patients consulted in two public services, the Rabta Hospital as a regular service and the Salah Azaiz Institute as the national reference for the treatment of tumour diseases in Tunisia. Results: The majority of patients presented with very advanced and metastatic cancers, although they came for an initial consultation. In addition, patients admitted to self-medicating with herbs, which complicates the disease. Conclusion: This snapshot of the situation is intended to alert the authorities to the delay in cancer diagnosis in Tunisia and it’s impact on public health. |
4. | Development of a QSAR model for BACE-1 inhibitors using genetic algorithm-based multiple linear regression Sumanta Kumar Sahu, Sweta Singh, Krishna Kumar Ojha doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.91300 Pages 164 - 169 Objectives: BACE-1 (β-enzyme) is the main therapeutic target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, as it actively participates in the processing of amyloid precursor protein, resulting in the creation of amyloid-β in the brain. The cur-rent work aims to investigate and build a QSAR model of BACE-1 inhibitors. Methods: Genetic algorithm-based multiple linear regression (GA-MLR) was used to create regression models between the descriptor and pIC50 value of each molecule in the training set based on selected significant molecular descriptors. The most important descriptors chosen are Burden modified eigenvalue descriptors, PaDEL-weighted path descriptors, autocorrelation descriptors, topological distance matrix descriptors, MLFER descriptors, Barysz matrix descriptors, and chi path cluster descriptors. The models were validated using both internal and external validation parameters. Results: The study determines the chemical space that the model may predict by defining an applicability domain. The regression models developed suggest a good predictive model for BACE-1 inhibitors that can predict the IC50 value of newly designed chemical compounds. Conclusion: The information presented here suggests a good predictive model for BACE-1 inhibitors, which can be utilized to predict the IC50 value of newly designed chemical compounds, thereby aiding in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. |
5. | Viral Co-Infection of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus with Epstein–Barr Virus, Human Herpesvirus 8 and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in Malignant Cervical Cancer Soukayna Alaoui Sosse, Kaoutar Anouar Tadlaoui, Mustapha Ben Hassou, Mohamed El Karooumi, Mohamed El Mzibri, Moulay Mustapha Ennaji doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.41736 Pages 170 - 176 Objectives: Cervical cancer (CC) is considered the fourth most common malignancy and the fifth fatal cancer in wom-en, oncogenic Human papillomavirus (HPV) are considered a primary cause of development of cervical cancer. It has also been suggested that viral coexistence may also accelerate the progression of cervical lesions to cervical cancer. This study aims to study the coinfection of Epstein Bar Virus (EBV), Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) and Hepes simplex type 2 (HSV2) infections in women with cervical cancer with the presence of HPV and their correlations with the clinicopathologic characteristics of patients. Methods: In this study, 73 samples that tested positive for Human papillomavirus in previous study were used for the detection of EBV, HHV8 and HSV2 in tumor tissue using Polymerase Chain Reaction techniques, and the clinical rel-evance was analyzed statistically. Results: Of the 73 samples (48%) were infected with EBV, (24.65%) infected with HHV8 However, none of the cases were infected with HSV2. The frequency of co-infections was 22% of cases. No significant association was found between co-infection and other clinicopathologic features. Conclusion: Therefore, these results represent arguments in favor of the role of EBV and HHV8 among HPV positive cases, as potential cofactors in cervical carcinogenesis, which could lead us to develop new therapeutics and preven-tive vaccines. |
6. | Myeloid Toxicity Profile is Related to Treatment Outcome in Trials of Second-Line Hemotherapy of Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Giuseppe Antonio Colloca, Antonella Venturino doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.36035 Pages 177 - 183 Objectives: Although for targeted therapies some toxicities have been shown to predict drug activity, this is unclear for cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, various studies have documented that neutropenia is related to the activity of chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The aim of the study is to evaluate whether a dif-ference in toxicity rate between treatment arms corresponds to a different progression-free survival (PFS). Methods: A systematic review and a selection of the randomized phase III trials of second-line chemotherapy of pa-tients with mCRC were performed. All the studies that reported bone marrow (neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytope-nia) and gastrointestinal (diarrhea, stomatitis, vomiting) toxicities were included. For each trial, the relationship be-tween the difference in the frequency rates of each of the toxicities between study arms with the difference in PFS was evaluated by Pearson's test (rho), in order to detect a possible correlation between toxicity and outcome. Results: Thirteen studies were selected. The difference in neutropenia rates between the study arms correlated with the difference in PFS (rho = 0.817; p-value 0.004; 10 studies). In particular, the correlation was significant for mild neu-tropenia (rho = 0.764; p-value 0.004; 12 studies). Similar data were detectable for thrombocytopenia and anemia, but not for diarrhea and vomiting. Conclusion: Differently than gastrointestinal side effects, a mild to moderate bone marrow toxicity is associated to the activity of second-line cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with mCRC, and therefore it could reflect not only the direct toxicity of the drugs but also some chemotherapy-related response mechanisms. |
CASE REPORT | |
7. | COVID-19 Associated Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis: A Case Series Kai Ping Ong, Zhi Xiang Yeoh, Irfan Mohamad, Ida Sadja’ah Sachlin doi: 10.14744/ejma.2023.43534 Pages 184 - 188 Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis is a unique secondary infection of COVID-19 pneumonia. We reported 2 cases diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, presented with orbital swelling and ptosis without any nasal symptoms. Both patients were immunocompetent, except with a history of prolonged use of oral glucocorticoid as part of COVID-19 pneumonia treatment. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography noted skull base osteomyelitis and temporal subdural empyema. They were diagnosed with mucormycosis by either fungal PCR or tissue histopathology examination that shown to have fungal hyphae. Both cases have resolution of the symptoms after surgical debridement and at least 6 weeks of antimicrobial therapy. We discuss the contributary factors of second-ary fungal infection related to COVID-19 as well as the uniqueness in these cases in term of clinical presentations and the disease progression. |