Atherosclerosis is one of the most common disorders among the elderly. Depression may be associated with the development of atherosclerosis. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the effects of escitalopram (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) with atorvastatin (a well known antihyperlipidemic drug) on high fat diet induced atherosclerosis in rats. The results of this study showed that the administration of either escitalopram or atorvastatin for 6 weeks was associated with a significant decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoproteins, very low density lipoproteins, and serum malondialdehyde, and a significant increase in high density lipoproteins when compared with the atherosclerosis model group. Histopathological examination of the aortas from the test rats revealed significant regression of atherosclerotic changes, together with a significant decrease in vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression in the media of both the escitalopram group and the atorvastatin group when compared with the atherosclerosis model group. This study has shown that escitalopram reduced atherosclerotic changes, thus its use as an antidepressant in elderly patients should be considered.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is one of the most common problems encountered in hospitalized critically ill patients. In recent years great effort has been focused on the introduction of herbal medicine as a novel therapeutic agent for prevention of ARF. Hence, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of Açai berry extract (ABE) on glycerol-induced ARF in rats.Results of the present study showed that rat groups that received oral ABE in a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day for 7 days before or 7 days after induction of ARF by a single intramuscular glycerol injection reported a significant improvement in kidney functions tests [decrease in serum urea, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)] when compared to the ARF model groups. Moreover, there was significant amelioration in renal oxidative stress markers [renal catalase (CAT), renal reduced glutathione (GSH)] and renal histopathological changes in the ABE-treated groups when compared to ARF model groups. The most significant improvement was reported in the groups where ABE was administered in a dose 200 mg/kg/ day. These results indicate that ABE has a potential role in ameliorating renal damage involved in ARF.

Resveratrol is a phenolic phytoconstituent found in many plants. This molecule has always caught the attention of scientists because of biological potentials such as inhibition of inflammation, oxidative stress and platelet aggregation as well as to prevent/protect against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease/disorders. Literature search have been conducted over resveratrol in covid-19 and asthma studies published in Pubmed and Google Scholars until 30 September 2020. The criteria used in the literature review were determined and were reviewed works on resveratrol including 368 articles and 47 articles on covid-19 and asthma, respectively. As a result of meta-analysis, TNF-α values of the studies showed a significant difference (heterogeneity) of I2=68.39% from each other in total (Cohran Q:6.33, p<0.0423). This study shows that resveratrol would have a potential to reduce ARDS symptoms, by suppressing the cytokine storm and severe inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2, and by showing strong activity against various types of DNA/RNA viruses.

Gastric ulcer healing is a complex process that is regulated by several promoting factors including COX-2 and iNOS. Diabetes mellitus is usually associated with delayed gastric ulcer healing. Hence, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of sitagliptin (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor) on gastric ulcer healing and expression of iNOS and COX-2 in rat stomach.The study was conducted on 30 rats divided into three equal groups. Group 1 served as normal control group. Gastric ulcer was induced, by serosal application of acetic acid, in group 2 (ulcer model group) and group 3 (sitagliptin-treated group). Sitagliptin was administrated from day 3 to day 10 in group 3. All rats were sacrificed on day 10 and stomachs were removed for pathological examination and immunohistochemical assessment of COX-2 and iNOS expression. Pathological examination revealed that gastric ulcer healing was significantly impaired in the sitagliptin-treated group as evidenced by the significantly larger ulcerated area and ulcer base maturation impairment.COX-2 and iNOS expression as well as mean MVD were significantly diminished in the sitagliptin-treated group as compared to the ulcer model group. A significant positive correlation was found between COX-2 and iNOS implying their synergistic action. We conclude that sitagliptin significantly impairs gastric ulcer healing in rats possibly through inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression. Our results raise the question of whether sitagliptin is advisable in diabetic patients with pre-existing gastric ulcer. Our preliminary experimental findings need to be substantiated by future human studies.