Journal of Local and Global Health Science - Volume 2013, Issue 1

Arsenic compounds have been known and used for centuries but their effects in living organisms still represent a large unknown. Arsenic compounds have paradoxical effects: they are threatening to human health, especially upon long-term exposure that can induce the development of cancer; however, they are used as drugs against cancer. This review focuses on the effects shown by clinically and environmentally relevant arsenic compounds in living organisms with a focus on the calcium–apoptosis link.

Breast cancer represents one of the most common cancers in women and is a major life threatening illness found all over the world. Therapy approaches include irradiation and surgery, with chemotherapy considered an important strategy to treat breast cancer. Platinum based anticancer drugs, such as cisplatin (cis-di-amino-dichloride-platin, CDDP), carboplatin, orthoplatin, etc., have been successfully used in breast cancer therapy because they activate multiple mechanisms to induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Nevertheless, during chemotherapy, drug resistance frequently develops; this impairs the successful treatment of breast cancer and often leads to patients' decease. While combinations of anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy regimens reduced the occurrence of drug resistance (e.g. doxorubicin+docetaxel, doxorubicin+cyclophosphamide, docetaxel+herceptin+carboplatin) the molecular mechanism of those effects are not completely understood. Here we review possible mechanisms related to breast cancer treatment and resistance to current therapies as well as possible new therapeutic targets (e.g. calcium signaling) which could be used in the future.

Incidents of non-communicable diseases (NCD) like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease have increased dramatically and are currently the leading causes of death worldwide. Their rising incidents coincide with the dramatic changes in industrialization and development of societies over the past few hundred years. Therefore, current lifestyle practices should be further explored to uncover novel risk factors for certain cancers (i.e. colon, prostate, and breast cancer), metabolic syndrome (i.e. diabetes and obesity), and cardiovascular disease (i.e. coronary artery disease). This review discusses how a disruption of the “biological clock” or circadian rhythms could be involved in the development of these diseases as circadian rhythms control multiple physiological processes such as wake/sleep cycles, hormonal levels, body temperature, metabolism, and immune system.

Several environmental factors that disrupt circadian rhythms can be identified including exposure to artificial light and electromagnetic (EM) waves, unbalanced diet and night shift work. The mechanisms of how these “chronodisruptors” are associated with NCDs will be discussed. Furthermore, the involvement of genetic factors in the disturbance of circadian rhythms and predisposition to NCDs will be highlighted.

Overall there is strong evidence from animal models and epidemiological studies underlining that circadian disruption is a significant player in several diseases particularly the multifactorial diseases that pose a significant public health challenge in contemporary society. A circadian disruption-based model of cancer, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease etiology can be proposed. But, to fully understand the complex interactions of the different components in the network of disease development due to disruption of circadian rhythms, more investigations are needed to unravel the causal relationship between modern lifestyle, circadian rhythm disruption and complex disease. This summary will help to better understand the mechanisms and aid the development of new methods and policies to lower incidence/death rates.

Lead (Pb²⁺) is ubiquitously distributed in the environment and shows significant health effects in humans, especially in the nervous system. In this review we illustrate how (Pb²⁺) neurotoxicity is associated with its ability to partially mimic the function of Ca²⁺ and modifies synaptic transmission pre- and post-synaptically. As Pb²⁺ binds to calcium-binding sites it alters their functionality, ranging from reduced currents through voltage and receptor gated channels, to modulation of ion-transporters and alterations of calcium-dependent signaling pathways. Overall Pb²⁺ exposure not only reduces pre-synaptically the transmitter release, but also post-synaptically the likelihood to generate a new action potential. This review will highlight the major-interactions with the different targets in schemes and short animated sequences to allow a general understanding of lead neurotoxicity to a wider audience; therefore, not all possible mechanisms will be mentioned or discussed.

Context: Since menopause age is constant, an increase in life expectancy has resulted in an increase of the menopause period in women. Aims: This study was done to assess women's awareness level about symptoms and complications of menopause and methods of their prevention. Settings and design: This cross-sectional research was conducted on 220 women, 40 years of age or older referrals in selected health care centers. Methods and material: The research was conducted using a questionnaire with regular random sampling method. Statistical analysis used: The analysis of obtained findings was done by SPSS statistical software and statistical tests. Results: Based on their total score, 48.6% of women had good awareness, 24.1% of them had average awareness, and 27.3% of them had low awareness. Eighty-five percent of the participants had read or heard some topics about menopause from their relatives (26.8%), friends (25.5%), health care staffs (20%), books and journals (10.5%), and television or radio (8.6%). Women's awareness level had significant correlation with child number, job, education, income, hearing or reading text about menopause and their informational source, but awareness did not have significant correlation with age and being menopausal. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, the rate of participants' correct answers was lower than 50%. Key message: It is suggested to enhance women's awareness level through all sources including television, radio, journals, newspaper and medical staffs, since education is the most important tool in any prevention programs.