In this review, we discuss the strategies used for developing drugs from natural resources and mainly describe the causative pathogens, epidemiology and current treatment of parasitic diseases.

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) can secrete bioactive amines in the bloodstream, resulting in the carcinoid syndrome characterized by diarrhea and flushing. The frequency of occurrence of primary cardiac neuroendocrine neoplasms is lesser than that of metastases, and hence, metastases must be adequately ruled out before diagnosis. Cardiac tumors, both primary and metastatic, mainly result in heart-related symptoms, such as heart failure and acquired valvular dysfunction. Here, we report a unique case of a primary left ventricular neuroendocrine tumor presenting with diarrhea. Case presentation: A 51-year-old female complaining of intermittent diarrhea for 2 years was admitted to our hospital. Enhancement of total abdominal computed tomography scan, echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging indicated a mass in the left ventricle. The indexes of myocardial enzymes were normal. Histologically, round cells with well-differentiated neuroendocrine morphology were arranged in typical pseudo-glandular, trabecular, ribbon-like, and solid nest patterns. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin, chromogranin, synaptophysin, and CD56. However, they were negative for caudal type homeobox 2, S100, paired box gene 8, thyroid transcription factor 1, and CD20, which ruled out the origin of gastrointestinal, pancreatic, lung, and Merkel cell carcinomas. The symptoms of diarrhea disappeared after the operation. The patient was asymptomatic at the 9-month follow-up. Conclusion: Cardiac neuroendocrine tumors with diarrhea are considerably rare and related clinical research is limited. We presented a case and reviewed related articles to improve the identification, diagnosis, and management of patients with cardiac neuroendocrine tumors. The site of origin of a neuroendocrine tumor is clinically vital, and identification of an occult primary tumor using imaging modalities is necessary. Immunohistochemistry is well-suited to indicate the origin of the tumor. Regular follow-up is necessary for both poorly differentiated and well-differentiated cardiac neuroendocrine tumors. It is suggested to detect some neuroendocrinal markers for patients with unexplained reasons of diarrhea.

The clinical persistence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reflects a synergistic interplay between antimicrobial resistance and virulence programs that promote immune evasion, ...

The persistent threat of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) underscores the critical need for antimicrobials with novel mechanisms of action. Herein, we describe the discovery of Py‐27, a pyrazole‐derived compound exhibiting potent bactericidal activity against MRSA. A chemoproteomic approach identified aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase), a key enzyme in de novo pyrimidine synthesis, as the specific target of Py‐27. Biophysical and enzymatic assays confirmed its high‐affinity binding and inhibition of ATCase, while genetic knockout established ATCase as a druggable metabolic vulnerability in MRSA. Mechanistically, Py‐27 disrupts pyrimidine synthesis, thereby impairing DNA replication, perturbing metabolic homeostasis, and ultimately inducing lethal oxidative damage. Notably, Py‐27 eradicates mature biofilms while exhibiting a low resistance propensity and favorable toxicological profiles. In animal infection models, Py‐27 demonstrated superior in vivo efficacy compared to vancomycin and promoted infection resolution and tissue repair. This study demonstrates the potential of pyrazole‐amide compounds targeting ATCase for the treatment of MRSA infections.

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease for which the development of structurally novel and accessible small-molecule candidates remains of considerable interest. In this study, a series of juglone-derived naphthoquinone analogs was synthesized to explore the influence of substitution pattern on anti-inflammatory activity and cytotoxicity. Their biological profiles were first evaluated in LPS-stimulated HaCaT cells by combining cytotoxicity assessment with nitric oxide (NO) screening. Most derivatives showed reduced cytotoxicity compared with juglone, and preliminary structure–activity relationship analysis indicated that retention of a free hydroxyl group at the C-2 position was generally favorable for both reduction in NO release and cellular safety, whereas C-3 alkyl substitution tended to weaken activity and increase cytotoxicity. Among the tested compounds, compound 11 showed the most favorable balance between reduction in NO release and low cytotoxicity. Further evaluation showed that compound 11 reduced the protein levels of several inflammatory mediators in the culture supernatants of LPS-stimulated HaCaT cells, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-17A, and IL-23, under the tested conditions. In an imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model, topical administration of compound 11 partially alleviated IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin lesions, improved histopathological changes to some extent, and reduced selected inflammatory cytokine levels in serum and skin tissues under the tested conditions. Exploratory target prediction, molecular docking, and in silico ADMET analyses provided supportive computational insight into the biological profile of compound 11. Overall, these findings suggest that juglone-derived naphthoquinones may serve as useful natural-product-inspired scaffolds for further anti-inflammatory optimization, and compound 11 warrants further investigation in psoriasis-related experimental models.