Hantaviruses are enveloped negative (−) single-stranded RNA viruses belongs to Hantaviridae family, hosted by small rodents and entering into the human body through inhalation, causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) also known as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Hantaviruses infect approximately more than 200 000 people annually all around the world and its mortality rate is about 35%-40%. Hantaviruses play significant role in affecting the target cells as these inhibit the apoptotic factor in these cells. These viruses impair the integrity of endothelial barrier due to an excessive innate immune response that is proposed to be central in the pathogenesis and is a hallmark of hantavirus disease. A wide range of different diagnostic tools including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), focus reduction neutralization test (FRNT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoblot assay (IBA), immunofluorescence assay (IFA), and other molecular techniques are used as detection tools for hantavirus in the human body. Now the availability of therapeutic modalities is the major challenge to control this deadly virus because still no FDA approved drug or vaccine is available. Antiviral agents, DNA-based vaccines, polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies neutralized the viruses so these techniques are considered as the hope for the treatment of hantavirus disease. This review has been compiled to provide a comprehensive overview of hantaviruses disease, its pathophysiology, diagnostic tools and the treatment approaches to control the hantavirus infection.

Shared use of injection equipment (needle/syringes), registering, booting, and backloading are practices among injection drug users (IDUs) that increase the risk for transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The sharing of injection paraphernalia (including cookers and cottons) and washwater for rinsing used needle/syringes and dissolving drugs could be potential sources for secondary transmission of HIV-1. Laboratory rinses were made from needle/syringes, cottons, and cookers obtained from shooting galleries, and washwaters were obtained from shooting galleries in Miami. Three rinses were analyzed and antibodies to HIV-1 proteins were detected by using Western blot and HIV-1 DNA was detected by using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for the gag and envelope genes of HIV-1. Antibodies to HIV-1 proteins were detected in 12 (52%) of 23 rinses from visibly contaminated needle/syringes, in three (18%) of 17 rinses from cottons, in three (14%) of 21 rinses from cookers, and in one (6%) of 17 washwaters. No antibodies were detected in laboratory rinses from visibly clean needles. Using nested PCR followed by Southern blot confirmation of the amplified targets, HIV-1 gag gene DNA was detected in 16 (84%) of 19 and envelope gene DNA in 17 (85%) of 20 laboratory rinses from visibly contaminated needle/syringes. We detected gag and envelope gene DNA, respectively, in three (27%) and four (36%) of 11 cottons, in six (46%) and seven (54%) of 13 cookers, and in five (38%) of 13 and in 10 (67%) of 15 washwaters from shooting galleries. No HIV-1 DNA was detected in laboratory rinses from visibly clean needles. These results indicate that HIV-1 might be present in contaminated cottons, cookers, and washwaters as well as in contaminated needle/syringes at shooting galleries. Reduction of risks of exposure to HIV-1 among IDUs may require modification of behaviors that are ancillary to the act of injection, such as the use of common cookers, cottons, and washwater.

Heavy metals play an important role in the homeostasis of living cells. However, these elements induce several adverse environmental effects and toxicities, and therefore seriously affect living cells and organisms. In recent years, some heavy metal pollutants have been reported to cause harmful effects on crop quality, and thus affect both food security and human health. For example, chromium, cadmium, copper, lead, and mercury were detected in natural foods. Evidence suggests that these elements are environmental contaminants in natural foods. Consequently, this review highlights the risks of heavy metal contamination of the soil and food crops, and their impact on human health. The data were retrieved from different databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Google scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals. Results show that vegetable and fruit crops grown in polluted soil accumulate higher levels of heavy metals than crops grown in unpolluted soil. Moreover, heavy metals in water, air, and soil can reduce the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet requires a rational consumption of foods. Physical, chemical, and biological processes have been developed to reduce heavy metal concentration and bioavailability to reduce heavy metal aggregation in the ecosystem. However, mechanisms by which these heavy metals exhibit their action on human health are not well elucidated. In addition, the positive and negative effects of heavy metals are not very well established, suggesting the need for further investigation.

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Phenylalanine, an amino acid, is a "building block" of protein. Phenylalanine is a component of food sources and also derived through supplementation. In current treatment, phenylalanine is prescribed as anti-depressant agent. The present study reviewed the possible antidepressant potential of phenylalanine. We reviewed data using the major databases, namely, Web of Science, SciFinder, Google Scholar, and PubMed. This manuscript provides a brief overview of the role of phenylalanine in depressive disorders. Phenylalanine possesses anti-depressant potential. Significant anti-depressant activities have been studied both in-vitro and in-vivo models. Based on current data, phenylalanine could be recommended as a potential candidate for clinical anti-depressant trials. Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency results in intolerance to the dietetic consumption of the phenylalanine and a variety of syndromes such as deep and permanent logical disability, impaired cognitive development.

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Predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) may have the potential to eventually improve the nature of health care delivery. However, the tools required for a practical and comprehensive form of PPPM that is capable of handling the vast amounts of medical information that is currently available are currently lacking. This article reviews a rationale and method for combining and integrating diagnostic and therapeutic management with information technology (IT), in a manner that supports patients through their continuum of care. It is imperative that any program devised to explore and develop personalized health care delivery must be firmly rooted in clinically confirmed and accepted principles and technologies. Therefore, a use case, relating to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), was developed. The approach to the management of medical information we have taken is based on model theory and seeks to implement a form of model-guided therapy (MGT) that can be used as a decision support system in the treatment of patients with HCC. The IT structures to be utilized in MGT include a therapy imaging and model management system (TIMMS) and a digital patient model (DPM). The system that we propose will utilize patient modeling techniques to generate valid DPMs (which factor in age, physiologic condition, disease and co-morbidities, genetics, biomarkers and responses to previous treatments). We may, then, be able to develop a statistically valid methodology, on an individual basis, to predict certain diseases or conditions, to predict certain treatment outcomes, to prevent certain diseases or complications and to develop treatment regimens that are personalized for that particular patient. An IT system for predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (ITS-PM) for HCC is presented to provide a comprehensive system to provide unified access to general medical and patient-specific information for medical researchers and health care providers from different disciplines including hepatologists, gastroenterologists, medical and surgical oncologists, liver transplant teams, interventional radiologists and radiation oncologists. The article concludes with a review providing an outlook and recommendations for the application of MGT to enhance the medical management of HCC through PPPM.