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.

This study aims to investigate CAM use among CD patients from Qassim, Saudi Arabia and to compare CAM practice with different demographic and disease characteristics of the participants. A cross-sectional study was conducted among CD patients. During the three-months of data collection period, a total of 377 patients were approached and 208 patients participated in the study, giving a response rate of 55.17%. A p value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Among the study population, 94 (45.2%) patients were CAM users. Diabetes mellitus patients were the majority (48 (51.06%)) followed by hypertensive patients (34 (36.17%)). Spiritual therapies were the most common CAM followed by herbal products. Among CAM users, 41 (19.7%) patients reported disclosing CAM use to their health care providers. Among all the sociodemographic variables, gender (p = 0.029), marital status (p = 0.034) and education level (p = 0.047) were significantly associated with CAM use. In conclusion, the use of CAM among CD patients was relatively high in Qassim. Patients reported using CAM without disclosing to their health care providers which is a major health risk. It is critical to counsel CD patients regarding rational and informed CAM use in order to prevent harmful and unwanted effects.

Background: A pragmatic shift in the healthcare sector characterized by moving from curative to preventive approaches highlights the role of pharmacovigilance in patient safety. There have been few published studies on patient reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Saudi Arabia. This qualitative study aims to explore the community opinions and the need for patient-friendly smartphone applications (SPAs) to enhance their participation in ADR reporting. Methods: Purposeful sampling was followed to recruit study participants, a semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct interviews, and the saturation was reached after the 13th interviewer; no new information was obtained after two subsequent interviews. All the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by means of a standard content analysis framework. Results: As per the WHO guidelines, eleven participants were aware of the term “ADR.” All the participants denied receiving any prior education and attending events about ADRs and were unaware of the Saudi FDA-ADR reporting systems. The use of technologies such as SPAs has been widely accepted with a high level of concern for data confidentiality and privacy. Conclusions: These findings point out the need to build patient-oriented educational programs to increase their awareness of ADR reporting and to prioritize the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to be integrated in the Saudi healthcare system to develop future SPAs for improving both patient safety and signal detection of ADRs.

Researchers worldwide have been looking forward to using novel ways to purify fresh water containing pollutants and disease vectors.

Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia (UCB) is one of the most common conditions in neonates.