Cardiovascular illnesses remain the primary cause of death, accounting for at least 17.9 million fatalities per year and posing a significant public health problem because of its extensive predominance and effect on healthcare systems. The etiology of cardiovascular disease is complex and involves several environmental and lifestyle factors. Alcohol use is a highly important determinant because of its dual-edged effect on cardiovascular health. Multiple studies indicate that moderate alcohol consumption may have certain advantages, such as slight enhancements in lipid profiles. Conversely, excessive alcohol intake is associated with serious negative consequences, including cardiomyopathy, hypertension, arrhythmias, and even mortality. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the several effects of alcohol on cardiovascular health and their understanding within the medical field over time. It uses an interpretative narrative review methodology and analyzes studies that focus on genetic risk factors, gender differences, and shifts in paradigms in recent years. This article highlights the need for obtaining a thorough understanding of the effects of alcohol on cardiovascular health to support public health guidelines and clinical practice, and it underscores the significance of including alcohol consumption into the broader context of cardiovascular risk management and identifies important subjects for further study.

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) present a major clinical challenge, often resulting in permanent loss of function and limited treatment options. Traditional approaches, including surgery, drugs, and rehabilitation, have had modest success in restoring neural connectivity due to the complex pathophysiology of SCI. In recent years, bioactive hydrogels have gained attention as a versatile platform for neural repair. Their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix, deliver therapeutic agents, and support cell survival makes them promising tools in regenerative medicine. This narrative review highlights the latest advances in hydrogel-based therapies for SCI, with a focus on innovations such as self-healing, conductive, and anti-inflammatory hydrogels. We also explore hybrid approaches that integrate nanomaterials, stem cells, and bioelectronics to address both primary and secondary injury mechanisms. While various hydrogel systems have been investigated, we place particular emphasis on gelatin-based hydrogels, especially gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), due to their emerging clinical relevance. GelMA stands out for its bioactivity, tunable mechanics, and compatibility with 3D printing, making it a strong candidate for personalized therapies and scalable production. Unlike previous reviews that broadly summarize hydrogel use, this work specifically contextualizes gelatin-based platforms within the wider landscape of SCI repair, underscoring their translational potential. We also address current challenges, such as immune response, long-term integration, and clinical validation, and suggest future directions for bridging the gap from bench to bedside.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a prevalent neuropathic disorder caused by chronic compression of the median nerve, leading to sensory and motor impairments. Conventional treatments, such as corticosteroid injections, wrist splinting, and surgical decompression, often fail to provide adequate outcomes for chronic or recurrent cases, emphasizing the need for innovative therapies. Hydrogels, highly biocompatible three-dimensional biomaterials with customizable properties, hold significant potential for CTS management. Their ability to mimic the extracellular matrix facilitates localized drug delivery, anti-adhesion barrier formation, and tissue regeneration. Advances in hydrogel engineering have introduced stimuli-responsive systems tailored to the biomechanical environment of the carpal tunnel, enabling sustained therapeutic release and improved tissue integration. Despite these promising developments, hydrogel applications for CTS remain underexplored. Key challenges include the absence of CTS-specific preclinical models and the need for rigorous clinical validation. Addressing these gaps could unlock the full potential of hydrogel-based interventions, which offer minimally invasive, customizable solutions that could improve long-term outcomes and reduce recurrence rates. This review highlights hydrogels as a transformative approach to CTS therapy, advocating for continued research to address translational barriers. These innovations have the potential to redefine the treatment landscape, significantly enhancing patient care and quality of life.

Chronic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure injuries affect millions of patients worldwide and cost healthcare systems in the order of $150 billion annually, yet treatment options have changed less than the scale of the problem would suggest. Biofilm formation, documented in up to 78% of chronic wounds, is a central cause: bacteria embedded in extracellular polymeric matrices tolerate antimicrobial concentrations up to 1000-fold higher than planktonic cells and sustain a chronic inflammatory state that actively prevents tissue repair. Hydrogels, crosslinked polymer networks with high water content and tunable physicochemical properties, have been widely studied as platforms for addressing these challenges, though the distance between laboratory results and clinical practice remains considerable. While recent reviews have summarized hydrogel materials or antimicrobial strategies in isolation, this review takes a different approach: we treat infection, biofilm persistence, and impaired regeneration as interconnected processes that must be addressed simultaneously, and we examine biofilm management as a distinct therapeutic target rather than merely a subset of antimicrobial delivery. We analyze hydrogel-based wound care across three integrated domains: design principles (natural, synthetic, and hybrid polymer systems; crosslinking strategies; and stimuli-responsive architectures), antimicrobial delivery (silver, antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, natural agents, and controlled-release systems), and biofilm management (nanoparticle-mediated disruption, enzymatic EPS degradation, photodynamic approaches, quorum-sensing inhibition, and anti-adhesive surface engineering). For each area, we critically evaluate what the preclinical evidence supports, where it falls short, and what would be needed to bridge the gap to clinical application. Translation remains uneven. Among the many FDA- and EMA-cleared hydrogel dressings currently in clinical use, most are simple moisture-retaining or silver-containing formulations, while the multifunctional systems that dominate the research literature are at earlier stages of development. We discuss the main translational priorities, including more predictive preclinical models, long-term nanomaterial safety, harmonized outcome reporting, manufacturing scalability, and health economic evidence, as areas where further work can meaningfully accelerate clinical adoption.

Background: Stroke represents a leading cause of disability worldwide and is frequently associated with cognitive impairment, anxiety, and post-stroke depression (PSD), all of which can hinder rehabilitation and reduce quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the correlations between cognitive function, depression, and anxiety in stroke survivors. Methods: A total of 71 patients (41 female, 30 male; mean age 68.1 years, range 42–88) were assessed during rehabilitation using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Stroke type and comorbidities, including hypertension, chronic ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and type II diabetes, were also recorded. Results: As expected, most patients experienced ischemic strokes (73.1%), while 16.9% had hemorrhagic strokes. Comorbidities were highly prevalent, particularly hypertension (63 patients) and chronic ischemic heart disease (60 patients). Cognitive impairment (MMSE < 24) was observed in 28.2% of participants. Emotional assessment showed a mean HADS score of 11.55, with 36.6% of patients classified as having moderate to severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10). Hemorrhagic stroke patients reported slightly higher PHQ-9 scores (8.4 compared to 8.2), while ischemic patients had higher HADS scores (11.8 compared to 9.8). A strong correlation was found between PHQ-9 and HADS (r = 0.90), while MMSE scores showed weak associations with emotional outcomes. Conclusions: Cognitive and affective disturbances are common during stroke rehabilitation, with depression and anxiety strongly interrelated but only weakly linked to cognitive decline. These findings emphasize the need for integrated screening and mental health support in rehabilitation programs. Future studies may explore technology-assisted tools, including virtual reality, to enhance patient engagement and recovery.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common peripheral neuropathy, often assessed using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ). The BCTQ evaluates symptom severity (SSS) and functional status (FSS) but has limitations in stratifying CTS severity, particularly in severe cases. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the BCTQ in a homogeneous cohort of female workers engaged in repetitive manual tasks, exploring its correlation with objective clinical measures and its performance in detecting CTS severity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 24 right-hand-dominant female workers with repetitive occupational tasks. CTS diagnosis was confirmed via clinical and electrodiagnostic criteria. Subjects completed the BCTQ, and correlations between BCTQ scores and objective measures such as median nerve cross-sectional area and nerve conduction studies were analyzed. Statistical analyses included comparisons across CTS severity groups and subgroup evaluations based on age and tenure. Results: The BCTQ demonstrated moderate correlations with objective measures, with a strong correlation between SSS and FSS scores (r = 0.86, p < 0.001). However, the sensitivity of the SSS and FSS was limited, particularly for severe CTS cases. Paradoxically lower scores in severe cases may reflect questionnaire limitations or adaptive responses. Targeted questions addressing pain and sensory symptoms showed better sensitivity (>80%) and may guide clinicians in identifying slight CTS cases. Conclusions: While the BCTQ remains a valuable tool for assessing CTS, its limitations necessitate complementary use of objective diagnostic tools, particularly for severe cases. Future refinements, such as tailored scoring systems and integration with clinical measures, could enhance its diagnostic utility and ensure comprehensive assessment of CTS severity.