Mounting research has been performed and published on natural antioxidants, more so than on synthetic ones, as key molecules that control oxidative damage and its pathway to disease. Since the discovery of vitamins, various fully synthetic or natural-identical compounds have been developed as stable small molecules translated into constantly active and completely controlled products which are widely exploited in the food and pharmaceutical industries. There is currently a debate within the literature about their mechanism of action, bioavailability, safety and real benefit for human health. Using a semiquantitative method and eligible criteria of selection, this review aimed to provide a very useful classification of antioxidants and a comprehensive cross-disciplinary description of 32 approved synthetic/natural-identical antioxidants, in terms of regulatory, antioxidant mechanism of action, safety issues, pharmacological properties, effectiveness in human health, timeline and future trends. Enriched interpretation of the data was obtained from summary bibliometrics, useful to portray the “good antioxidant” within the period 1966–2021 and, hopefully, to encourage further research.
This study aimed to provide a brief historical overview of occupational medicine in Sibiu County combined with epidemiological evidence and trends in occupational diseases useful to design an agenda for future research and development of other components. Methods: to depict a model of circumstances, correlations, and trends, we applied to the local employee population a semi-structured narrative review method combined with the analysis of occupational diseases. The search strategy relied on literature and document review to create a timeline. We used a statistic chart histogram to highlight the most significant factors. Results: since 1950, concerning the industrial profile and the significant health effects on workers, we identified six stages of developing an occupational health network. The coverage was both for medical and hazard surveillance through a centralized system in the communist regime and recovery in the unique Sanatorium for occupational diseases established in the area. Occupational medicine private health services and the Faculty of Medicine from Sibiu appeared in the 1990s. Sibiu’s occupational disease model was a particular one in the 20th century, given the burden of lead poisoning from local industries. Infectious diseases in medical staff related to sporadic epidemics and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as an emergent professional risk pose new current challenges for occupational medicine. Conclusion: unique challenges increase the need for occupational epidemiologic research and the need for advances in other components of occupational health, but lessons from the past and traditional methods are well documented and still valuable.
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