Polyphenols (PPs) are a large group of phytochemicals containing phenolic rings with two or more hydroxyl groups. They possess powerful antioxidant properties, multiple therapeutic effects, and possible health benefits in vivo and in vitro, as well as reported clinical studies. Considering their free-radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties, these substances can be used to treat different kinds of conditions associated with metabolic disorders. Many symptoms of metabolic syndrome (MtS), including obesity, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, elevated blood sugar, accelerating aging, liver intoxication, hypertension, as well as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, are substantially relieved by dietary PPs. The present study explores the bioprotective properties and associated underlying mechanisms of PPs. A detailed understanding of these natural compounds will open up new opportunities for producing unique natural PP-rich dietary and medicinal plans, ultimately affirming their health benefits.

The current review provides an up-to-date analysis of scientific data on astaxanthin (ASX) sources and experimental studies on its health benefits as a potent antioxidant in the aging process. ASX is a liposoluble carotenoid nutrient and reddish-orange pigment, naturally synthesized by numerous microalgae, yeasts, and bacteria as secondary metabolites. Provides a reddish hue to redfish and shellfish flesh that feed on ASX-producing microorganisms. The microalga Haematococcus pluvialis is the most important source for its industrial bioproduction. Due to its strong antioxidant properties, numerous investigations reported that natural ASX is a more significant antioxidant agent than other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene. Furthermore, several data show that ASX possesses important nutraceutical applications and health benefits, especially in healthy aging processes. However, further studies are needed for a deeper understanding of the potential mechanisms through which ASX could lead to its effective role in the healthy aging process, such as supporting brain health and skin homeostasis. This review highlights the current investigations on the effective role of ASX in oxidative stress, aging mechanisms, skin physiology, and central nervous system functioning, and shows the potential clinical implications related to its consumption.

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) compounds leads to its accumulation in the body, with skin lesions and cancer being the most typical outcomes. Treating As-induced diseases continues to be challenging as there is no specific, safe, and efficacious therapeutic management. Therapeutic and preventive measures available to combat As toxicity refer to chelation therapy, antioxidant therapy, and the intake of natural dietary compounds. Although chelation therapy is the most commonly used method for detoxifying As, it has several side effects resulting in various toxicities such as hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and other adverse consequences. Drugs of plant origin and natural dietary compounds show efficient and progressive relief from As-mediated toxicity without any particular side effects. These natural compounds have also been found to aid the elimination of As from the body and, therefore, can be more effective than conventional therapeutic agents in ameliorating As toxicity. This review provides an overview of the recently updated knowledge on treating As poisoning through natural dietary compounds. This updated information may serve as a basis for defining novel prophylactic and therapeutic formulations.

(1) Background: Italy accounts for more than 150,000 deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the top rank in SARS-CoV-2-caused deceases in Europe. A survey on the different ways by which the COVID-19 pandemic emergency was managed in the foreign European countries compared to Italy is the purpose of this paper. (2) Methods: A literature search and various mathematical algorithms to approach a rank scoring scale were used to describe in detail the different approaches used by European countries to manage the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. (3) Results: The study showed that Italy stands at the bottom ranking for COVID-19 management due to its high mortality rate. Possible causes of the observed huge numbers of hospitalization and deaths were (a) the demographic composition of the European country; (b) its decentralized healthcare system organization; (c) the role of correct pharmacology in the early stages before hospitalization. Post-mortem examinations were of paramount importance to elucidate the etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 and to tailor a suitable and proper therapy in the early symptomatic stages of COVID-19, preventing hospitalization. (4) Conclusions: Factors such as the significant impact on elderly people, the public health organization prevalently state-owned and represented mainly by hospitals, and criticism of the home therapy approach toward SARS-CoV-2-infected people, may have concurred in increasing the number of COVID-19 deaths in Italy.

This article focuses on the role pharmaceutical scientists play in achieving social well-being, in particular in the formation of a healthy lifestyle as a value orientation among students and the public in historical retrospect. The following set of research methods was used: a general scientific method, and a historical (chronological, logico-historical, retrospective), personalized, empirical method (including the questioning of pharmaceutical interns and the analytical processing of questionnaires). The territorial boundaries of the study cover Slobozhanshchyna, a historical and geographical region centered in Kharkiv. The educational activities of Slobozhanshchyna’s pharmaceutical scientists during the 19th and early-20th centuries, as well as in the modern period, are presented. Attention is drawn to the fact that the role of pharmaceutical scientists in forming the environment for the development of a harmonious, spiritually and physically developed personality in historical retrospect is important. It is noted that the founders of pharmaceutical education in Ukraine initiated educational activity as a means for promoting the formation of a healthy lifestyle in the educational space and outside of the Imperial Kharkov University. The changes in the public and educational activities recommended for forming a healthy lifestyle among Slobozhanshchyna’s medical scientists and naturalists during the Imperial era have been generalized. The analysis of the research sources and questionnaires of pharmaceutical interns allowed us to assert that, in modern times, Slobozhanshchyna’s pharmaceutical scientists are trying to organize socially useful activities, taking into account the best achievements of the founders of pharmaceutical education in Ukraine. The “orientation to a healthy lifestyle of representatives of the institution of higher pharmaceutical education” has been proposed. This includes the adoption of a set of material, social, and spiritual benefits and ideals considered to be objects of purpose in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle by employees and students (i.e., part of the implementation of the mission of the University), and using these as tools to meet the needs of both university representatives and ordinary citizens. This article contains a number of factors that mediated the formation of a healthy lifestyle as a value orientation of an individual, including: (a) the circumstances of the individual’s life (the conditions of education of the individual); (b) the individual’s consciousness reflecting the general and specific conditions of their personality formation; (c) the motivation of the real behavior mediated by the subject’s activities. The presence of these factors was identified as typical for the health-saving educational environment. This article provides recommendations regarding the following measures for the organization and effective promotion of a healthy lifestyle by modern pharmaceutical scientists: provide an opportunity to study the peculiarities of the organization of educational activities by scientists of the past to students and specialists in the pharmaceutical field; open museum expositions devoted to the problem of healthcare; conduct master class lectures and educational events devoted to the problem of forming a comprehensively developed personality; involve students in joint research on the problem of active longevity; provide informational support to educators and the public through scientific and popular science publications; conduct awareness-raising work with the population in order to create a health-saving environment.