This narrative review explores the potential effects of Propolis and its bioactive compounds on bone health. Propolis, a resinous product collected by bees, is renowned for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Recent research emphasizes its positive role in osteogenesis, primarily through the modulation of osteoclast and osteoblast activity via molecular pathways. Key mechanisms include reducing inflammatory cytokines, protecting against oxidative stress, and upregulating growth factor essential for bone formation. While compounds such as Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester, Apigenin, Quercetin, and Ferulic Acid have been well-documented, emerging evidence points to the significant roles of less-studied compounds like Pinocembrin, Kaempferol, p-Coumaric acid, and Galangin. This review synthesizes the current literature, focusing on the mechanisms by which these bioactive compounds influence osteogenesis. Firstly, it explores the techniques for characterizing bioactive compounds presented in propolis, the chemogeographic variations in its composition, and the effects of both crude extracts and isolated compounds on bone tissue, offering a comprehensive analysis of recent findings across different experimental models. Further, it discusses the effects of Propolis compounds on bone health. In summary, these compounds modulate signaling pathways, including nuclear factor kappa beta, wingless-related integration site, mitogen-activated protein kinase, vascular endothelial growth factor, and reactive oxygen species. These pathways influence the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-β/receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-β ligand/osteoprotegerin system, fostering bone cell differentiation. This regulation mitigates excessive osteoclast formation, stimulates osteoblast activity, and ultimately contributes to the restoration of bone homeostasis by maintaining a balanced bone remodeling process.

This study aimed to characterize the composition of lipids in the red blood cells (RBCs) of adolescent swimmers and correlate this lipidome with the aerobic performance of the athletes. Five experimental assessments were performed by 37 adolescent swimmers. During the first session, the athletes went to the laboratory facility for venous blood sampling. The critical velocity protocol was conducted over the 4 subsequent days to measure aerobic performance (CV), comprising maximal efforts over distances of 100, 200, 400, and 800 m in a swimming pool. RBCs were obtained and extracted for analysis using the liquid chromatography—high resolution mass spectrometry untargeted approach. A total of 2146 ions were detected in the RBCs, of which 119 were identified. The enrichment pathway analysis indicated intermediary lipids in the glycerophospholipid, glycerolipid, sphingolipid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic metabolisms, as well as pentose and glucuronate interconversions. A significant impact of the intermediary lipids was observed for the glycerophospholipid metabolism, including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), 1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, sn-glycerol 3-phosphate, and phosphatidic acid. Inverse and significant associations were observed for PE 18:2/18:3 (r = −0.39; p = 0.015), PC 18:3/20:0 (r = −0.33; p = 0.041), and phosphatidic acid 18:0/0:0 (r = −0.47; p = 0.003) with aerobic performance. Swimmers who exhibited higher levels of aerobic performance also had the lowest abundance of PE, PC, and phosphatidic acid.

Background/Objectives: Tibial diaphysis fractures are common injuries resulting from high-to-low-energy traumas in patients of all age groups, but few reports currently provide complementary parameters for the assessment of bone healing processes in the postoperative period. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and the scores from the Radiographic Union Scale for Tibial Fractures (RUST) can promote new horizons in this context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the behavior of ALP and RUST through within-subject comparisons from immediately post-surgery to 49 days after tibial diaphysis fracture repair. Methods: This article included four case studies where patients underwent the same procedures. Adults of both sexes aged 18 to 60 years with tibial fractures requiring surgery were included. After surgical intervention (T1), the patients were followed for 49 days after surgery, returning for follow-up appointments on the 21st (T2) and 49th (T3) days. At the follow-up appointments, new X-ray images were obtained, and blood samples were collected for ALP measurement. Results: Serum ALP levels increased by T2 following tibial reamed intramedullary nailing surgery. While this increase persisted into T3 for two patients, a decline was observed during the same period for the other two patients. Both events are indicative of the bone consolidation process, and RUST scores at the T3 corroborate this perspective for all patients included in this study. Considering that delta ALP (T3-T1 value) was lower in patients who exhibited the highest RUST score, we suggest that a synchronized analysis between ALP and RUST allows medics to diagnose bone consolidation. Conclusions: Therefore, it can be concluded that the analysis of ALP alongside RUST may be complementary for evaluating bone consolidation following tibial reamed intramedullary nailing surgery, but future studies are needed to confirm this assertion.

Introduction: Obesity aligned with quadriceps muscle weakness contributes to the high incidence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), which is prevalent in women. Although molecular signatures of KOA have been suggested, the association between biopsychosocial responses and the plasma metabolomic profile in overweight/ obese women with KOA remains in its early stages of investigation. This study aims to associate the plasma metabolome with biopsychosocial parameters of overweight/obese women diagnosed with KOA.Methods: Twenty-eight overweight/obese women (Control-n = 14; KOA-n = 14) underwent two visits to the laboratory. Functional tests and questionnaires assessing biopsychosocial parameters were administered during the first visit. After 48 h, the participants returned to the laboratory for blood collection. Specific to the KOA condition, the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were appliedResults: Thirteen molecules were different between groups, and four correlated with KOA’s biopsychosocial parameters. DG 22:4-2OH and gamma-Glutamylvaline were inversely associated with KOSS leisure and TSK score, respectively. LysoPE 18:0 and LysoPE 20:5 were positively associated with KOSS symptoms and TSK score, respectively.Discussion: While the correlations of LysoPE 18:0 and gamma-Glutamylvaline are supported by existing literature, this is not the case for DG 22:4-2OH and LysoPE 20:5. Further studies are recommended to better elucidate these correlations before dismissing their potential involvement in the biopsychosocial factors of the disease.

Background/Objectives: Myocardial revascularization surgery (MR) is routinely performed in hospitals. However, there is a lack of an algorithm in the scientific literature aimed at predicting intraoperative parameters, such as total surgery time (TST) and cardiopulmonary bypass time (CBT), based on preoperative MR parameters. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to apply a complex network model to predict parameters associated with TST and CBT. Methods: Retrospective data from 124 patients who underwent MR, including medical history, vital signs, and laboratory/biochemical tests, were used, with 30 patients contributing to the construction of the network. Three complex networks were created to study the targets (TST and CBT). The Eigenvector metric was employed to investigate the parameters most relevant to these targets. Results: Regardless of the target, parameters derived from the blood gas analysis followed by erythrogram displayed greater relevance according to the eigenvector metric. However, for TST, the most prominent parameter was Red Blood Cells, while, for CBT, Diastolic Blood Pressure emerged as the most important variable. Conclusion: The targeted complex network model revealed that pulmonary, hemodynamic, and perfusion factors are relevant to the intraoperative parameters of MR. The networks also demonstrated that, although the targets show significant correlation with each other (TST and CBT-r = 0.76; p = 0.000), the importance of the parameters in the networks does not follow the same order. This reiterates the strength of the network in revealing specific information when a particular target is selected.