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Forecasts, Rotates, plus a Crisis: an assessment 2020's Best Translational Bioinformatics Magazines.
Tuberculosis (TB) and humans have coexisted for more than 40,000 years. The word "tuberculosis" derives from "tubercle", the histological lesion which appears in the organs, described by Pott in the late Eighteenth century and found, by molecular biology, in human skeletons dating back to 5000 BC. SAR7334 Early description of TB can be found in the writings of ancient India and China and in the Bible. In ancient Greece tuberculosis was not considered contagious, but Aristotle recognized the contagious nature of the pig's and ox's scrofula. The suspicion that phthisis is a contagious disease and that isolation can reduce the risk of transmission was expressed for the first time by the Arabian Avicenna, in his work "The canon of medicine". In 1699, the Health Council of the Republic of Lucca founded the "sanatorium" concept as place of care and isolation. In 1865 Villemain inoculated tubercular material from a human lymph node into a rabbit, obtaining for the first time the typical tubercular lesions. Some years later, on March 24, 1882, Robert Koch announced to the Berlin Society of Physiology the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the same period Virchow improved awareness of risk factors and correct behaviours among the general population. In 1952 Waksman won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the first active drug against TB streptomycin. Nevertheless, drug resistance appeared rapidly some years later and it is still a great challenge in TB fight nowadays.Tuberculosis (TB) has been one of the most important infectious diseases affecting mankind and still represents a plague on a global scale. In this narrative review the origins of tuberculosis are outlined, according to the evidence of paleopathology. In particular the first cases of human TB in ancient skeletal remains are presented, together with the most recent discoveries resulting from the paleomicrobiology of the tubercle bacillus, which provide innovative information on the history of TB. The paleopathological evidence of TB attests the presence of the disease starting from Neolithic times. Traditionally, it was thought that TB has a zoonotic origin, being acquired by humans from cattle during the Neolithic revolution. However, the biomolecular studies proposed a new evolutionary scenario demonstrating that human TB has a human origin. The researches show that the disease was present in the early human populations of Africa at least 70000 years ago and that it expanded following the migrations of Homo sapiens out of Africa, adapting to the different human groups. The demographic success of TB during the Neolithic period was due to the growth of density and size of the human host population, and not the zoonotic transfer from cattle, as previously hypothesized. These data demonstrate a long coevolution of the disease and its human host. Understanding the changes of TB through time thanks to the advances in the field of paleopathology can help to solve the present problems and understand the future evolution of TB.During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 60 million of Italians stayed at home. These circumstances may generate exceptional challenges and stress for people who regularly use cigarettes, ecigarettes, heated tobacco products, dual users, former smokers and never smokers. Here, we present results from a study that was aimed at surveying smoking behaviour and psychological dynamics during the Italian COVID-19 social distancing and stay-at-home policies. Participants living in Italy were invited to complete an online brief questionnaire. A questionnaire was prepared and uploaded in an online survey tool. They were asked to participate regardless of their current smoking status and were divided in seven subgroups. In total, 1825 participants were included in the analysis. Exclusive cigarette smokers; Dual users of cigarette and ecigarettes; Dual users of cigarette and heated tobacco products; Former smokers; Exclusive users of e-cigarette; Exclusive users of heated tobacco products; never smoker. Dual users of cigarette and e-cigarette and exclusive cigarette smokers perceived that their daily consumption has slightly decreased. Exclusive cigarette smokers and exclusive e-cigarette users changed the way of purchasing products. Most exclusive cigarette smokers have considered quitting but most exclusive e-cigarette users have not considered stopping the use of e-cigarettes. In former smokers' group, about one third of participants declared thoughts about starting to smoke again and in never smokers' group few participants declared intention to start smoking. The COVID-19 era could be considered a "transition" phase and as such requires a search for a new balance. These changes in everyday habits can be a significant moment to use established and emerging strategies to create a definitive smoke-free world.Recent studies estimate that between 30% to 50% of the population does not adhere to their prescribed therapies, and one of the reasons is pharmacophobia. Pharmacophobia is a fear of medication and a negative attitude toward drugs in general. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of pharmacophobia. 700 participants participated in the study, of which 80.9% were female. The age of the participants ranged from 19 to 62 years (M=26.5, SD=7.41). The instrument consisted of several questionnaires measuring attitudes toward drugs, beliefs about medicine, emotional disgust, medication form preference, tendency for alternative medical habits and the likelihood of believing in conspiracy theories. Also, the demographic data was collected. The research was conducted through an online survey. The results showed that out of the total number of participants, 20.3% evaluated themselves as pharmacophobic, and 79.7% as pharmacophilics. Given the goal of the study, the results obtained suggest that one of the predictors of pharmacophobia is the tendency to believe in conspiracy theories, where the higher inclination to believe in conspiracy theories leads to greater pharmacophobia. Furthermore, the preference for solid drug forms and drugs that are intended for usage through the body cavity also contribute to an explanation of pharmacophobia in a way that pharmacophobic persons do not have a preference toward said medication forms. The predictor that contributes the most in the explanation of pharmacophobia is a negative belief in drugs, suggesting that a person with an expressed negative attitude to medication will probably not adhere to prescribed therapies by doctors.
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