The ever-increasing rate of pollution has attracted considerable interest in research. Several anthropogenic activities have diminished soil, air, and water quality and have led to complex chemical pollutants. This review aims to provide a clear idea about the latest and most prevalent pollutants such as heavy metals, PAHs, pesticides, hydrocarbons, and pharmaceuticals—their occurrence in various complex mixtures and how several environmental factors influence their interaction. The mechanism adopted by these contaminants to form the complex mixtures leading to the rise of a new class of contaminants, and thus resulting in severe threats to human health and the environment, has also been exhibited. Additionally, this review provides an in-depth idea of various in vivo, in vitro, and trending biomarkers used for risk assessment and identifies the occurrence of mixed contaminants even at very minute concentrations. Much importance has been given to remediation technologies to understand our current position in handling these contaminants and how the technologies can be improved. This paper aims to create awareness among readers about the most ubiquitous contaminants and how simple ways can be adopted to tackle the same.
As a complex endocrine and metabolic condition, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects women’s reproductive health. These common symptoms include hirsutism, hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, irregular menstruation, and infertility. No one knows what causes it or how to stop it yet. Alterations in gut microbiota composition and disruptions in secondary bile acid production appear to play a causative role in developing PCOS. PCOS pathophysiology and phenotypes are tightly related to both enteric and vaginal bacteria. Patients with PCOS exhibit changed microbiome compositions and decreased microbial diversity. Intestinal microorganisms also alter PCOS patient phenotypes by upregulating or downregulating hormone release, gut-brain mediators, and metabolite synthesis. The human body’s gut microbiota, also known as the “second genome,” can interact with the environment to improve metabolic and immunological function. Inflammation is connected to PCOS and may be caused by dysbiosis in the gut microbiome. This review sheds light on the recently discovered connections between gut microbiota and insulin resistance (IR) and the potential mechanisms of PCOS. This study also describes metabolomic studies to obtain a clear view of PCOS and ways to tackle it.
Lung cancer (LC) is considered as one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortalities. Cancer cells’ reprogrammed metabolism results in changes in metabolite concentrations, which can be utilized to identify a distinct metabolic pattern or fingerprint for cancer detection or diagnosis. By detecting different metabolic variations in the expression levels of LC patients, this will help and enhance early diagnosis methods as well as new treatment strategies. The majority of patients are identified at advanced stages after undergoing a number of surgical procedures or diagnostic testing, including the invasive procedures. This could be overcome by understanding the mechanism and function of differently regulated metabolites. Significant variations in the metabolites present in the different samples can be analyzed and used as early biomarkers. They could also be used to analyze the specific progression and type as well as stages of cancer type making it easier for the treatment process. The main aim of this review article is to focus on rewired metabolic pathways and the associated metabolite alterations that can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in lung cancer diagnosis as well as treatment strategies.
Liver diseases are responsible for global mortality and morbidity and are a significant cause of death worldwide. Consequently, the advancement of new liver disease targets is of great interest. Non-coding RNA (ncRNA), such as microRNA (miRNA) and long ncRNA (lncRNA), has been proven to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of virtually all acute and chronic liver disorders. Recent studies demonstrated the medical applications of miRNA in various phases of hepatic pathology. PPARs play a major role in regulating many signaling pathways involved in various metabolic disorders. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent form of chronic liver disease in the world, encompassing a spectrum spanning from mild steatosis to severe non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). PPARs were found to be one of the major regulators in the progression of NAFLD. There is no recognized treatment for NAFLD, even though numerous clinical trials are now underway. NAFLD is a major risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its frequency increases as obesity and diabetes become more prevalent. Reprogramming anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs is an effective therapy option for NAFLD and NASH. Several studies have also focused on the role of ncRNAs in the pathophysiology of NAFLD. The regulatory effects of these ncRNAs make them a primary target for treatments and as early biomarkers. In this study, the main focus will be to understand the regulation of PPARs through ncRNAs and their role in NAFLD.
The human papillomavirus (HPV), commonly documented as the cause of warts, has gained much interest recently due to its possible links to several types of cancer. HPV infection is discussed in this review from multiple angles, including its virology, epidemiology, etiology, immunology, clinical symptoms, and treatment. Recent breakthroughs in molecular biology have led to the development of new methods for detecting and treating HPV in tissue. There is no cure for HPV, and although vaccines are available to prevent infection with the most common HPV viruses, their utilization is limited. Destruction and excision are the primary treatment modalities. This review sheds light on the epidemiology, molecular pathogenesis, the association of several other pathogens with HPV, the latest treatment strategies available to treat the same, and an overview of the progress made and the obstacles still to be overcome in the fight against HPV infection.
COVID-19 has become a significant public health concern that has catastrophic consequences for society. Some preliminary evidence suggests that the male reproductive system may be an infection target for SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 may be transmitted sexually, according to preliminary research. Testicular cells exhibit a high level of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which enhances the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 into host cells. Some instances of COVID-19 have been documented to exhibit hypogonadism during the acute stage. Furthermore, systemic inflammatory reactions triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection may cause oxidative stress (OS), which has been shown to have profoundly deleterious consequences on testicular functioning. This work gives a clear picture of how COVID-19 may affect male reproductive systems and calls attention to the many unanswered questions about the mechanisms by which this virus can be linked to men’s health and fertility.