An Overview of the Neurotrophic and Neuroprotective Properties of the Psychoactive Drug Lithium as an Autophagy Modulator in Neurodegenerative Conditions.

For both short-term and long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, lithium is a prototypical mood stabilizer. Lithium's neuroprotective properties were revealed by cumulative translational research, which opened the door to reforming the chemical as a treatment for neurodegenerative illnesses. The control of homeostatic systems such as oxidative stress, autophagy, apoptosis, mitochondrial function, and inflammation underlies lithium's neuroprotective characteristics. The fact that lithium inhibits the enzymes inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 may be the cause of the various intracellular reactions. In this article, we review lithium's neurobiological properties, as demonstrated by its neurotrophic and neuroprotective capabilities, as well as translational studies in cells in culture and in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Prion disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ischemic stroke, and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), discussing the justification for the drug's use in the treatment of these neurodegenerative disorders.

Bulbar onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with more evident symptoms in the left hemibody: a case report.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, degenerative neuromuscular condition. The procedure and difficulties involved in the clinical diagnosis of ALS have been the subject of numerous investigations. The understanding of the genetics and the epigenetics of the disease is still at infancy with several missing links. We present a case report of a 73-year-old woman suffering from bulbar onset ALS with a 4-month history of progressive dysphagia and dyspnea. She displayed tongue fasciculations and muscle atrophy. The bilateral palmomental reflexes, snout reflex, Hoffman, Babinski, diminished gag reflex, bilateral clonus and wild mood swings confirmed the neurodegenerative condition of the patient. The diagnosis of ALS can be challenging; therefore, the data presented may be useful to investigate its characteristics of the onset and to improve the understanding of the aspects of differentiation from other neurodegenerative disorders.

Uncommon, overlooked and underreported causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGB) is a potentially fatal consequence of digestive disorders. There is a wide range of rare causes for UGB that can lead to misdiagnosis and occasionally catastrophic outcomes. The lifestyles of those who are afflicted are mostly responsible for the underlying conditions that result in the hemorrhagic cases. The development of a novel approach targeted at raising public awareness of the issue and educating the public about it could significantly contribute to the elimination of gastrointestinal bleeding with no associated risks and to a nearly zero mortality rate. There are reports of UGB related to Sarcina ventriculi, gastric amyloidosis, jejunal lipoma, gastric schwannoma, hemobilia, esophageal varices, esophageal necrosis, aortoenteric fistula, homosuccus pancreaticus, and gastric trichbezoar in the literature. The common feature of these rare causes of UGB is that the diagnosis is difficult to establish before surgery. Fortunately, UGB with a clear lesion in the stomach itself is a clear sign for surgical intervention, and the diagnosis can only be verified by pathological examination with the help of immunohistochemical detection of a particular antigen for a specific condition. The clinical traits, diagnostic techniques, and the therapeutic, or surgical options of unusual causes of UGB reported in the literature are compiled in this review.