Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors, both synthetic and semisynthetic, have been developed extensively over the past few decades. The increased level of XO is not only the major cause of gout but is also responsible for various conditions associated with hyperuricemia, such as cardiovascular disorders, chronic kidney disorders, diabetes, Alzheimer\'s disease and chronic wounds. Marketed available XO inhibitors (allopurinol, febuxostat, and topiroxostat) are used to treat hyperuricemia but they are associated with fatal side effects, which pose serious problems for the healthcare system, rising the need for new, more potent, safer compounds. This review summarizes recent findings on XO and describes their design, synthesis, biological significance in the development of anti-hyperuricemic drugs with ADME profile, structure activity relationship (SAR) and molecular docking studies. The results might help medicinal chemists to develop more efficacious XO inhibitors.

This study aimed to systematically review objective and subjective success and surgical outcomes of suburethral sling surgery for female patients with stress or mixed urinary incontinence using synthetic vs nonsynthetic material with corresponding surgical approaches (retropubic or transobturator).
We systematically searched Medline, Embase, EBM Reviews, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science Core Collection using standardized Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) without date restrictions (PROSPERO-registered). We double-screened studies and used backward citation chaining.
We included peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials and prospective or retrospective comparative studies examining outcomes of retropubic or transobturator synthetic vs nonsynthetic (autologous, allograft, or xenograft) slings for female stress or mixed urinary incontinence, with available English or French full texts. We excluded minislings (single insertion point). We allowed slings for recurrent stress or mixed urinary incontinence, and slings concomitant with prolapse surgery, with at least 6 weeks of postoperative follow-up. We excluded systematic reviews, meta-analyses, review studies, case-control studies, case reports, studies that did not describe surgical approach or material, and studies of combination slings.
We evaluated study quality using RoB, the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized controlled trials, and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies. We used pooled relative risk with 95% confidence intervals to estimate the effect of sling material type on each outcome through meta-analysis and meta-regression, as appropriate.
We screened 4341 abstracts, assessed 104 full texts, and retained 35 articles (30 separate studies). For retropubic synthetic vs nonsynthetic slings, there was no difference in the number of objectively or subjectively continent patients. The rates of reoperation for stress urinary incontinence and overall were higher with nonautologous retropubic slings than with synthetic slings. Compared with autologous slings, retropubic synthetic slings were associated with higher subjective continence in populations with ≥25% recurrent stress urinary incontinence (relative risk, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.43). There were no differences in continence between transobturator synthetic and nonsynthetic slings. Subjective satisfaction was better in the transobturator synthetic group than in the autologous sling group (relative risk, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.94).
Synthetic and nonsynthetic slings have comparable objective and subjective success, with synthetic materials generally showing better operative outcomes and fewer complications.

Nicotine, minodronic acid, nicotinamide (niacin), zolpidem, zolimidine, and other pyridine-based chemicals play vital roles in medicine and biology. Pyridinecontaining drugs are widely available on the market to treat a wide range of human ailments. As a result of these advances, pyridine research is continually expanding, and there are now higher expectations for how it may aid in the treatment of numerous ailments. This evaluation incorporates data acquired from sources, like PubMed, to provide a thorough summary of the approved drugs and bioactivity data for compounds containing pyridine. Most of the reactions discussed in this article will provide readers with a deeper understanding of various pyridine-related examples, which is necessary for the creation of copper catalysis-based synthetic processes that are more accessible, secure, environmentally friendly, and practical, and that also have higher accuracy and selectivity. This paper also discusses significant innovations in the multi-component copper-catalyzed synthesis of N-heterocycles (pyridine), with the aim of developing precise, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly oxygenation and oxidation synthetic methods for the future synthesis of additional novel pyridine base analogs. Therefore, the review article will serve as a novel platform for researchers investigating copperbased pyridine compounds.

Breast cancer being one of the most frequent cancers in women accounts for almost a quarter of all cancer cases. Early and late-stage breast cancer outcomes have improved dramatically, with considerable gains in overall survival rate and disease-free state. However, the current therapy of breast cancer suffers from drug resistance leading to relapse and recurrence of the disease. Also, the currently used synthetic and natural agents have bioavailability issues which limit their use. Recently, nanocarriers-assisted delivery of synthetic and natural anticancer drugs has been introduced to the breast cancer therapy which alienates the limitations associated with the current therapy to a great extent. Significant progress has lately been made in the realm of nanotechnology, which proved to be vital in the fight against drug resistance. Nanotechnology has been successfully applied in the effective and improved therapy of different forms of breast cancer including invasive, non-invasive as well as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), etc. This review presents a comprehensive overview of various nanoformulations prepared for the improved delivery of synthetic and natural anticancer drugs alone or in combination showing better efficacy and pharmacokinetics. In addition to this, various ongoing and completed clinical studies and patents granted on nanotechnology-based breast cancer drug delivery are also reviewed.

Immobilization material has slowly revolutionized since 3000 BCE from traditional plaster to modern day synthetic casting tape, including other sustainable immobilization material. This revolution is driven by the search for superior casting material that possesses excellent mechanical and load-bearing properties, non-toxicity, excellent healing rates, patient satisfaction and eco friendliness. Even though the new materials have been evolved, the traditional plaster still remains a material of choice owing to its excellent skin conformability, low cost and availability. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review on the technique of immobilization, existing orthopedic immobilization (casting and splinting) materials and complications associated with immobilization (mainly casting) which aimed to assist the medical practitioners and researchers in casting material improvements and selection. Nine immobilization materials are comprehensively discussed for their desirable properties, drawbacks and the required improvements to the composition, along with the most common cast complications ranging from superficial pressure sores to compartment syndrome and Deep Vein Thrombosis. . This paper identifies that among the existing material, plaster casts are still highly used due to their cost benefit and the ability to fit patients into full body casts, while synthetic material is too rigid and has a higher probability of causing complications such as compartment syndrome and deep vein thrombosis. Patients show a higher preference in using synthetic casts for short term and body extremity casting as they are comparatively more comfortable. New materials such as Woodcast shows good promise but their mechanical characteristics and comfort are yet to be critically analyzed. However, there exists an imminent requirement to upgrade existing material as well as to introduce novel promising sustainable material for long term immobilization.

Synthetic microfibers (SMFs), tiny particles which gets fragmented from large fragments of large synthetic fibers having less than 10 µm in diameter, have gathered ubiquitously in each and every corner of the earth. After their release into the aquatic environment, they remain there without natural degradation. Furthermore, it can be anticipated that floating units are transported along the food chain leading to bioaccumulation. It has been estimated that approximately 10-20 Mt of large fabric products as garbage enter into aquatic system per annum. Recently, these synthetic fragments have been investigated as transporters of heavy metal ions (HMs) showing different types of interactions. Yet, the underlying mechanism of these types of interaction is not known, especially the factors stimulating this process and how badly they affect biotic communities. Through this article, a detailed survey was carried out on the sources of microfibers and HMs into the aquatic environment, adsorption of different types of HMs on the SMF surface, mechanics favors these HM-MF interactions, particularly highlighting the significant roles of interaction on microbial biofilm formation. Their collaborative effects which possess harmful effects on aquatic as well as terrestrial organisms was also discussed. Lastly, the future investigations should focus on rigorous research in this field. This article to the best of our knowledge briefly describes the current research developments and emphasizes the vital function of the microorganisms on MFs-HMs interactions with the encouragement for rigorous research in this field to reveal accurate mechanisms and decrease the hazards related with MF presence.

Polymers, due to their high molecular weight, tunable architecture, functionality, and buffering effect for endosomal escape, possess unique properties as a carrier or prophylactic agent in preventing pandemic outbreak of new viruses. Polymers are used as a carrier to reduce the minimum required dose, bioavailability, and therapeutic effectiveness of antiviral agents. Polymers are also used as multifunctional nanomaterials to, directly or indirectly, inhibit viral infections. Multifunctional polymers can interact directly with envelope glycoproteins on the viral surface to block fusion and entry of the virus in the host cell. Polymers can indirectly mobilize the immune system by activating macrophages and natural killer cells against the invading virus. This review covers natural and synthetic polymers that possess antiviral activity, their mechanism of action, and the effect of material properties like chemical composition, molecular weight, functional groups, and charge density on antiviral activity. Natural polymers like carrageenan, chitosan, fucoidan, and phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, and synthetic polymers like dendrimers and sialylated polymers are reviewed. This review discusses the steps in the viral replication cycle from binding to cell surface receptors to viral-cell fusion, replication, assembly, and release of the virus from the host cell that antiviral polymers interfere with to block viral infections.

Electrical excitability of cells, tissues and organs is a fundamental phenomenon in biology and physiology. Signatures of excitability include transient currents resulting from a constant or varying voltage gradient across compartments. Interestingly, such signatures can be observed with non-biologically-derived, macromolecular systems. Initial key literature, dating to roughly the late 1960\'s into the early 1990\'s, is reviewed here. We suggest that excitability in response to electrical stimulation is a material phenomenon that is exploited by living organisms, but that is not exclusive to living systems. Furthermore, given the ubiquity of biological hydrogels, we also speculate that excitability in protocells of primordial organisms might have shared some of the same molecular mechanisms seen in non-biological macromolecular systems, and that vestigial traces of such mechanisms may still play important roles in modern organisms\' biological hydrogels. Finally, we also speculate that bio-mimicking excitability of synthetic macromolecular systems might have practical biomedical applications.

Considering its marked life-threatening and (not seldom: severe and/or permanent) disabling, potential, plus the overall medico-psycho-socio-economic tough burden it represents for the affected persons, their families and the community, the cerebrovascular accident (CVA)-including with the, by far more frequent, ischemic type-is subject to considerable scientific research efforts that aim (if possible) at eliminating the stroke induced lesions, and consist, as well, in ambitious-but still poorly transferable into medical practice-goals such as brain neuroregeneration and/or repair, within related corollary/upshot of neurorestoration. We have conducted, in this respect, a systematic and synthetic literature review, following the \"Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)\" concept. Accordingly, we have interrogated five internationally renowned medical data bases: Elsevier, NCBI/PubMed, NCBI/PMC, PEDro, and ISI Web of Knowledge/Science (the last one to check whether the initially identified articles are published in ISI indexed journals), based on a large (details in the body text) number of most appropriate, to our knowledge, key word combinations/\"syntaxes\"-used contextually-and subsequently fulfilling the related, on five steps, filtering/selection methodology. We have thereby selected 114 fully eligible (of which contributive: 83-see further) papers; at the same time, additionally, we have enhanced our documentation-basically, but not exclusively, for the introductive part of this work (see further)-with bibliographic resources, overall connected to our subject, identified in the literature within a non-standardized search. It appears that the opportunity window for morph-functional recovery after stroke is larger than previously thought, actually being considered that brain neurorestoration/repair could occur, and therefore be expected, in later stages than in earlier ones, although, in this context, the number of cases possibly benefitting (for instance after physical and/or cognitive rehabilitation-including with magnetic or direct current transcranial stimulation) is quite small and with more or less conflicting, related outcomes, in the literature. Moreover, applying especially high intense, solicitating, rehabilitation interventions, in early stages post (including ischemic) stroke could even worsen the functional evolution. Accordingly, for clarifications and validation of more unitary points of view, continuing and boosting research efforts in this complex, interdisciplinary domain, is necessary. Until finding (if ever) effective modalities to cure the lesions of the central nervous system (CNS)-including post ischemic stroke-it is reasonable and recommendable-based on rigorous methodologies-the avail of combined ways: physiatric, pharmacologic, possibly also bio-technologic. On a different note, but however connected to our subject: periodic related systematic, synthetic literature reviews reappraisals are warranted and welcome.

Background and Objectives: Porcine xenografts have been used successfully in partial thickness burn treatment for many years. Their disappearance from the market led to the search for effective and efficient alternatives. In this article, we examine the synthetic epidermal skin substitute Suprathel® as a substitute in the treatment of partial thickness burns. Materials and Methods: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines has been performed. Sixteen Suprathel® and 12 porcine xenograft studies could be included. Advantages and disadvantages between the treatments and the studies\' primary endpoints have been investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: Although Suprathel had a nearly six times larger TBSA in their studies (p < 0.001), it showed a significantly lower necessity for skin grafts (p < 0.001), and we found a significantly lower infection rate (p < 0.001) than in Porcine Xenografts. Nonetheless, no significant differences in the healing time (p = 0.67) and the number of dressing changes until complete wound healing (p = 0.139) could be found. Both products reduced pain to various degrees with the impression of a better performance of Suprathel® on a qualitative level. Porcine xenograft was not recommended for donor sites or coverage of sheet-transplanted keratinocytes, while Suprathel® was used successfully in both indications. Conclusion: The investigated parameters indicate that Suprathel® to be an effective replacement for porcine xenografts with even lower subsequent treatment rates. Suprathel® appears to be usable in an extended range of indications compared to porcine xenograft. Data heterogeneity limited conclusions from the results.