Treatment of brain diseases is always limited by the physiological nature of the highly selective blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the electrostatic charge of the nanoporous extracellular matrix. Nanomedical application provides a promising drug delivery revolution for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). It depends on improving the pharmacokinetic distribution of drugs through the central nervous system. Nanotechnology offers various forms of nanoparticles, and these nanoparticles have brain-targeted and long-acting properties with minimal systemic adverse effects and motor complications. Gene delivery vehicles and nanocarriers including neurotrophic factors are promising therapeutics for many NDDs, and they can modulate neuronal survival and synaptic connectivity. Neurotrophic factors when integrated with the nanotechnological approaches can pass the BBB merely, representing a significant challenging track. Clinical trials proved that levodopa nanoparticles cause little motor complications which is a considerable drawback in treating Parkinson’s disease with levodopa. Recently, nanotechnology had patented new formulations and achieved various advanced procedures for management, and even prevention, of NDDs. Nanotechnology can be integrated into neuroscience to fight against neurodegenerative diseases. Primary research studies in using nanoparticles to cure Alzheimer disease (AD) are promising but are still in need for more investigations. The present paper aims to review, outline, and summarize various efforts done in the field of using nanoparticles in the management of Alzheimer.

Background Little is known regarding the post-dispensing storage conditions for pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia (SA). Most parts of the region are usually hot and humid, which could result in the decline of crucial performance parameters. Objective To determine the prevalence of household drug storage habits in the population of Qassim, and to investigate their storage behaviors as well as knowledge and awareness of factors that may affect drug stability. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a simple random sampling technique in the Qassim region. Data were collected over a period of 3 months using a well-structured self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results More than six hundred households from all regions of Qassim in SA participated in this study. Approximately 95% of the participants stored 1–5 drugs at home. Analgesics and antipyretics were the highest household reported drugs (71.9%), with tablets and capsules dosage forms (72.3%). More than half of the participants (54.6%) stored drugs in their home refrigerators. Approximately 45% of the participants regularly checked the expiry dates of household drugs and immediately discarded them once their color changed. Only 11% of the participants shared drugs with others. We found that the number of drugs stored at home is heavily influenced by the number of family members in general and the number of members with medical issues in particular. Moreover, Saudi female participants with higher levels of education demonstrated better behaviors in terms of ensuring appropriate conditions for household drug storage. Conclusion The majority of participants stored drugs in the home refrigerator or other easily accessible places, which may lead to toxicity or health risks, particularly for children. Therefore, population education and awareness programs should be implemented to raise awareness about the consequences of drug storage conditions in terms of the stability, efficacy, and safety of medications.

Purpose Self-medication (SM) using non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is contentious and increasingly recognized as a major public health concern with severe consequences, including masking of malignant and fatal diseases, risk of misdiagnosis, problems relating to over- and under-dosing, drug interactions, incorrect dosage, and choice of therapy. Herein, we aim to determine the prevalence of SM with NOA among pharmacy and medical students at Unaizah College, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional study using a validated self-administered questionnaire was conducted on 709 pharmacy and medicine students belonging to an age group of 21–24 years from Unaizah Colleges. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results Of 709 participants, 635 responded to the questionnaire. Our results showed a prevalence percentage of 89.6% using self-medicated NOA for pain management. The most common factor leading to SM in NOA was the mild nature of the illness (50.6%), and headache/migraine (66.8%) was the dominant health problem. Paracetamol (acetaminophen, 73.7%) was the most commonly used analgesic, followed by ibuprofen (16.5%). The most common and reliable sources of drug information were pharmacists (51.5%). Conclusion We observed a high rate of SM for NOA among undergraduate students. We believe that the adverse consequences of SM could be controlled through educational, regulatory, and administrative strategies by providing appropriate awareness sessions, and the role of pharmacists should be highlighted in preventing SM from NOA.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype. However, the prognostic and predictive outcomes differ because of the heterogeneity of programmed cell death. The purpose of this work is to investigate and develop a cuproptosis-associated lncRNA-based LUAD prediction marker. We firstly performed bioinformatic analysis of the Cuprotosis database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to obtain 19 cuprotosis-related gene datasets and transcriptional data for LUAD. Univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to construct cuproptosis-associated lncRNA modes. LUAD patients were thus classified into high-risk and low-risk categories based on prognostic risk values, with a median of It acted as a boundary. Risk models were evaluated and validated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and nomograms. Utilizing the TCGA-LUAD dataset, we identified seven predicted cuproptosis-associated lncRNAs in tumor microenvironment to create the risk model. 95.54% (214/224) of high-risk category tumor samples included cuproptosis-associated gene alterations, compared to 85.65% (203/237) of low-risk category tumor samples, with TP53 accounting for the bulk of occurrences. According to these findings, risk value was superior to other clinical variables and tumor mutation burden as a predictor of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS). The predictive validity of the cuproptosis-associated lncRNA-based risk model for LUAD is high, and this may have implications for how lung cancer patients are treated individually.

Introduction Despite the paucity of scientific evidence, CAM is widely used for the prevention and treatment of illness among patients with chronic kidney disease, including end-stage renal disease and kidney transplant recipients. It is evident that the irrational use of CAM among CKD patients and its non-disclosure to healthcare providers could lead to adverse drug events. Hence, the current study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence, types, and non-disclosure of CAM use among CKD patients and kidney transplant recipients in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 CKD patients (121 with stages 3 and 4, two with stage 5 and on hemodialysis, and 47 kidney transplant recipients). Face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews were conducted employing a convenience sampling technique. The study outcomes were the prevalence of CAM, types of CAM use, monthly expenditure on CAM, the source of information about CAM, and CAM disclosure to healthcare providers. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results The study found that out of 170, 60 (35.3%) CKD patients use CAM. The most used CAM was Acacia gum (49, 81.6%) followed by spiritual therapies (34, 56.6%). Female CKD patients had higher use of CAM compared to the male gender (p = 0.015). The monthly expenditures that most users (47, 78.3%) spent on CAM were less than 50 Saudi Riyals (SR). The study results also showed that 55% of CKD patients did not report their CAM use to their physicians. Furthermore, 46.6% of CAM users discontinue their use of CAM after observing no benefit. Conclusion This study reported relatively high use of CAM among CKD patients in Saudi Arabia. The study found that most CKD patients use Acacia gum and spiritual therapies and do not disclose the use of CAM to healthcare professionals, which could lead to adverse drug events. Therefore, the study recommends that healthcare providers should inquire and provide evidence-based counselling about the use of CAM to CKD patients to prevent any adverse drug event or unwanted effect on the renal function of the patients.