Phytochemicals represent a large and diverse group of naturally occurring compounds, bioactive nutrients, or phytonutrients produced by plants, widely found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains products, legumes, beans, herbs, seeds, nuts, tea, and dark chocolate. They are classified according to their chemical structures and functional properties. Flavonoids belong to the phenolic class of phytochemicals with potential solid pharmacological effects as modulators of multiple signal transduction pathways. Their beneficial effect on the human body is associated with their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic properties. Flavonoids are also widely used in various nutritional, pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetic applications. In our review, we discuss the positive effect of flavonoids on chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo, psoriasis, acne, and atopic dermatitis.

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that is widely used and, unfortunately, often abused. In addition to acute effects such as intoxication, it may cause many chronic pathological conditions. Some of the effects are very well described and explained, but there are still gaps in the explanation of empirically co-founded dysfunction in many alcohol-related conditions. This work focuses on reviewing actual knowledge about the toxic effects of ethanol and its degradation products.

Homeostasis is a self-regulatory dynamic process that maintains a stable internal environment in the human body. These regulations are essential for the optimal functioning of enzymes necessary for human health. Homeostasis elucidates disrupted mechanisms leading to the development of various pathological conditions caused by oxidative stress. In our work, we discuss redox homeostasis and salivary antioxidant activity during healthy periods and in periods of disease: dental carries, oral cavity cancer, periodontal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, systemic sclerosis, and pancreatitis. The composition of saliva reflects dynamic changes in the organism, which makes it an excellent tool for determining clinically valuable biomarkers. The oral cavity and saliva may form the first line of defense against oxidative stress. Analysis of salivary antioxidants may be helpful as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic marker of not only oral, but also systemic health.

The aim of the study was to assess the age dependence on some physiological and serum chemistry parameters of male Wistar rats for the estimation of reference values in controlled environment. We are presenting values obtained from a large number of animals such as survival, average life span, body mass, food and water intake, serum chemistry parameters as total protein, albumin, transferrin and ferritin in serum. One part of this work compares the relationship between rat and human age. The maximal life span of our rats was determined to be about 4.4 years. The average life span was 3.75 years. The body weight quickly rose to the 85th week of life and then remained in the range of about 640–660 g up to the 163rd week when it began to decline. Food intake rose from the beginning to the maximum of about 39 g in the 33rd week and then decreased to about 20 g in the 163rd week. The water intake had a similar dynamics (about 43 mL in the 33rd week and 33 mL in the 163rd week). Levels of total protein in serum increased with age, in contrast, albumin levels decreased. Transferrin and ferritin decreased to approximately the 160th week of life and then increased.

(1) Background: Tryptophan metabolism is known to be one of the important mechanisms used by cancer to evade immune surveillance. Altered tryptophan metabolism was studied in patients with pigmented malignant melanoma confirmed histologically by the anatomic stage grouping for cutaneous melanoma using clinical staging on the basis of the Breslow thickness of the melanoma, the degree of spread to regional lymph nodes, and by the presence of distant metastasis. (2) Methods: Urinary tryptophan metabolites were detected by RP-HPLC method. (3) Results: In the present work, we provided evidence of altered metabolism of all tryptophan pathways in melanoma patients. (4) Conclusions: Knowledge of the shifted serotonin pathway toward DHICA formation and kynurenine pathway shifted toward NAD⁺ production could serve in the early detection of the disease and the initiation of early treatment of malignant melanoma.