Curcumin and Apigenin – novel and promising therapeutics against chronic neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by deposition of amyloid beta, neurofibrillary tangles, astrogliosis and microgliosis, leading to neuronal dysfunction and loss in the brain. Current treatments for Alzheimer’s disease primarily focus on enhancement of cholinergic transmission. However, these treatments are only symptomatic, and no disease-modifying drug is available for Alzheimer’s disease patients. This review will provide an overview of the proven antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-amyloidogenic, neuroprotective, and cognition-enhancing effects of curcumin and apigenin and discuss the potential of these compounds for Alzheimer’s disease prevention and treatment. We suggest that these compounds might delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or slow down its progression, and they should enter clinical trials as soon as possible.

Risk assessment and management of hepatitis B reactivation from direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C

Although hepatitis B virus(HBV)reactivation has been reported in hepatitis C patients who received interferon therapy,rare cases of HBV reactivation occur in the context of direct-acting antiviral(DAA)agent therapy for treatment of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection.Recent studies observed that the reactivations were predominantly in hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg)positive patients,but reactivation can rarely occur in patients who are HBsAg negative and hepatitis B core antibody(HBcAb)positive.The severity of an HBV flare varies.In some cases,severe liver injury or fulminant hepatic failure may occur.HBV reactivation may occur regardless of HCV genotype and type of DAA regimens.The onset of HBV reactivation can range from 4 to 48 weeks after initiating DAA therapy.These patients may have undetectable levels of HBV deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)prior to DAA treatment.Pre-emptive antiviral therapy for HBV should be considered in HBsAg-positive patients with high levels of viremia who are not receiving HBV treatment.If HBV DNA viral load is less than the guideline criteria for HBV treatment,one should consider pre-emptive HBV antiviral versus HBV DNA monitoring during DAA therapy.For patients who are HBsAg negative but HBcAb positive,close monitoring of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels during/post-treatment is highly recommended.The current review summarizes the recommendations of different society guidelines and discusses the appropriate management strategies in various patient profiles.