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Eatmann AI, Hamouda E, Hamouda H, Farouk HK, Jobran AWM, Omar AA, Madeeh AK, Al-Dardery NM, Elnoamany S, Abd-Elnasser EG, Koraiem AM, Ahmed AA, Abouzid M, Karaźniewicz-Łada M. Potential Use of Thalidomide in Glioblastoma Treatment: An Updated Brief Overview. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13040543. [PMID: 37110201 PMCID: PMC10146416 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13040543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Thalidomide is a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor that demonstrates antiangiogenic activity, and may provide additive or synergistic anti-tumor effects when co-administered with other antiangiogenic medications. This study is a comprehensive review that highlights the potential benefits of using thalidomide, in combination with other medications, to treat glioblastoma and its associated inflammatory conditions. Additionally, the review examines the mechanism of action of thalidomide in different types of tumors, which may be beneficial in treating glioblastoma. To our knowledge, a similar study has not been conducted. We found that thalidomide, when used in combination with other medications, has been shown to produce better outcomes in several conditions or symptoms, such as myelodysplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, Crohn's disease, colorectal cancer, renal failure carcinoma, breast cancer, glioblastoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, challenges may persist for newly diagnosed or previously treated patients, with moderate side effects being reported, particularly with the various mechanisms of action observed for thalidomide. Therefore, thalidomide, used alone, may not receive significant attention for use in treating glioblastoma in the future. Conducting further research by replicating current studies that show improved outcomes when thalidomide is combined with other medications, using larger sample sizes, different demographic groups and ethnicities, and implementing enhanced therapeutic protocol management, may benefit these patients. A meta-analysis of the combinations of thalidomide with other medications in treating glioblastoma is also needed to investigate its potential benefits further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Ismail Eatmann
- Department of Cell Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 31-007 Kraków, Poland
| | - Esraa Hamouda
- Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia P.O. Box 5744, Egypt
| | - Heba Hamouda
- Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia P.O. Box 5744, Egypt
| | | | - Afnan W M Jobran
- Faculty of Medicine, Al Quds University, Jerusalem P.O. Box 51000, Palestine
| | - Abdallah A Omar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Services and Sciences, Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE-57357), Cairo 11617, Egypt
| | | | | | - Salma Elnoamany
- Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia P.O. Box 5744, Egypt
| | | | | | - Alhassan Ali Ahmed
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
- Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
| | - Mohamed Abouzid
- Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-812 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Physical Pharmacy and Pharmacokinetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3 St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Marta Karaźniewicz-Łada
- Department of Physical Pharmacy and Pharmacokinetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3 St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland
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Solomon M, Fuchs I, Glazer Y, Schwartz E. Gender and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Israel. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:tropicalmed7080179. [PMID: 36006271 PMCID: PMC9416259 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7080179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is estimated to be more common in males than in females. Our purpose was to evaluate differences in preponderance in relation to sex and gender across cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Israel. An observational study was performed, including cases of endemic CL (cutaneous leishmaniasis) in Israel, and imported MCL (mucocutaneous leishmaniasis). CL is a notifiable disease and is supposed to be reported to the Ministry of Health (MOH). The MOH database shows that males as more likely to be infected by leishmania, with an incidence of 5/100,000 in males vs. 3.5/100,000 in females. However, while conducting a demographic house-to-house survey in several locations in Israel where CL is highly endemic, among 608 people who were screened only 49% were males in Leishmania major (L. major) endemic regions and 41% were males in Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) endemic regions, while among 165 cases of imported New-World cutaneous leishmaniasis in Israeli travelers freturning from abroad, 142 (86%) were males. It may be postulated that there is no real gender difference in leishmanial infection, but, perhaps, infections are more commonly seen in men because of referral/reported bias, due to more risk-taking behaviors by men or, perhaps, men are less likely to strictly adhere to recommended preventive measures and thus increase their risk of contracting the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Solomon
- Department of Dermatology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 8436322, Israel
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-52-8629799
| | - Inbal Fuchs
- Clalit Health Services-Southern District Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Yael Glazer
- Division of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem 9462401, Israel
| | - Eli Schwartz
- Center for Geographic Medicine and Tropical Diseases, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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Sex-Related Differences in Immune Response and Symptomatic Manifestations to Infection with Leishmania Species. J Immunol Res 2019; 2019:4103819. [PMID: 30756088 PMCID: PMC6348913 DOI: 10.1155/2019/4103819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, an estimated 12 million people are infected with Leishmania spp. and an additional 350 million are at risk of infection. Leishmania are intracellular parasites that cause disease by suppressing macrophage microbicidal responses. Infection can remain asymptomatic or lead to a spectrum of diseases including cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis. Ultimately, the combination of both pathogen and host factors determines the outcome of infection. Leishmaniasis, as well as numerous other infectious diseases, exhibits sex-related differences that cannot be explained solely in terms of environmental exposure or healthcare access. Furthermore, transcriptomic evidence is revealing that biological sex is a variable impacting physiology, immune response, drug metabolism, and consequently, the progression of disease. Herein, we review the distribution, morbidity, and mortality among male and female leishmaniasis patients. Additionally, we discuss experimental findings and new avenues of research concerning sex-specific responses in cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. The limitations of current therapies and the emergence of drug-resistant parasites underscore the need for new treatments that could harness the host immune response. As such, understanding the mechanisms driving the differential immune response and disease outcome of males versus females is a necessary step in the development of safer and more effective treatments against leishmaniasis.
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Iddawela D, Vithana SMP, Atapattu D, Wijekoon L. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. BMC Infect Dis 2018; 18:108. [PMID: 29510669 PMCID: PMC5838877 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-2999-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Leishmaniasis, a vector borne tropical/subtropical disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania is transmitted to humans by sandfly vectors Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia. The principal form found in Sri Lanka is cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and is caused by Leishmania donovani. A rising trend in disease prevalence has been observed recently in Sri Lanka and the island is in fact the newest endemic focus in South Asia. Determining the prevalence of smear positivity among clinically suspected CL patients, identifying risk factors and specific clinical presentations of CL in order to implement preventive and early treatment strategies were the objectives of this study. Methods A sample of 509 clinically suspected cases of CL referred to the Department of Parasitology from all across Sri Lanka between 2005 and 2015 was selected consecutively. Diagnosis was confirmed by microscopic visualization of the Leishmania amastigote from the slit skin smear. A structured questionnaire was used to identify exposure related risk factors and a clinical examination was performed to identify lesion characteristics. Results Out of 509 clinical cases, 41.5% (n = 211) were smear positive. The study population ranged from ages 1 to 80 years (mean age = 34.76) and the most affected age group was 40–49. Of the smear positives, 58.85% were males. Majority (47.86%) were from the North Western region (Kurunegala) of the country and were exposed to scrub jungles. Sand fly exposure (p = 0.04) and positive contact history (p = 0.005) were significant risk factors for smear positivity. Erythema (p = 0.02), lack of pruritus (p = 0.02) and scaly appearance (p = 0.003) were significant lesion characteristics in smear positivity. Lesions were commonly found in the exposed areas and the commonest morphological type was papulo-nodular. Conclusions An increasing trend in the spread of cutaneous leishmaniasis from endemic to non-endemic areas has become evident. Positive contact history and sandfly exposure were significant risk factors for smear positivity which may indicate the possibility of human reservoir hosts in infection transmission. Lack of pruritus, scaly appearance and erythema were highly significant lesion characteristics associated with Leishmania positive smears which can be used for the clinical diagnosis of CL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devika Iddawela
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Dhilma Atapattu
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Lanka Wijekoon
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
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Doganay M, Demiraslan H. Refugees of the Syrian Civil War: Impact on Reemerging Infections, Health Services, and Biosecurity in Turkey. Health Secur 2016; 14:220-5. [PMID: 27362427 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2016.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
After the Arab Spring uprising, Syria descended into a civil war in 2011. By March 2016, the United Nations reported that 13.5 million Syrians required humanitarian assistance, including 6.6 million internally displaced persons and more than 4.8 million refugees outside of Syria. Turkey is currently hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees-more than 2.7 million. A limited number of refugees are living in camps settled around the border, and others are spread throughout Turkey. This explosive and unexpected increase in the Syrian population in Turkey has had several negative impacts on health and social determinants. The overload of healthcare facilities has led to shortages in childhood immunization programs, drugs, and access to clean water and food supplies. According to Ministry of Health data, more than 7.5 million Syrians were examined at outpatient clinics, and 299,240 were hospitalized; most of those hospitalized were injured and wounded victims who require and have been occupying intensive care units. The refugees generally live in crowded and unsanitary conditions, which may lead to the spread of respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal, and genital system infections. Currently, measles, poliomyelitis, leishmaniasis, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are the reemerging infections being most frequently recorded. Multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections seem to be an increasing problem in gunshot or surgical wounds. Hepatitis A, malaria, and varicella have been seen with a high incidence among the refugees. There are many problems waiting to be resolved for health and living standards in Turkey.
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