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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) commonly affect many patient populations. Recurrent UTIs (rUTIs) can be particularly problematic and lead to potential hospitalizations, multiple antibiotic courses, and have a potential negative impact on quality of life. To prevent UTIs, antibiotics are frequently used for prophylaxis; however, antibiotic prophylaxis has notable untoward consequences including but not limited to potential adverse effects and development of antibiotic resistance. Methenamine, an antiseptic agent initially available in 1967, has re‐emerged as a potential option for UTI prophylaxis in various populations, including older adults and renal transplant recipients. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of methenamine for UTI prophylaxis. A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidance was performed. A PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library search was conducted to identify relevant English‐language studies evaluating methenamine for UTI prophylaxis including randomized controlled trials, case–control studies, and meta‐analyses through June 2023. Articles were excluded if the studies did not primarily describe or evaluate methenamine for UTI prophylaxis, were commentaries/viewpoints articles, point prevalence studies, review articles, studies that evaluated methenamine used with another agent, and any duplicate publications from searched databases. A total of 11 articles were identified for inclusion. This systematic review suggests methenamine generally appears to be an effective and well‐tolerated antibiotic‐sparing option for UTI prophylaxis. Furthermore, the pharmacology, dosage and formulation, warnings, precautions, and safety considerations of methenamine that provide potential clinical considerations regarding its use for UTI prophylaxis are described. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical utility of methenamine for UTI prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress plays an important role in aging-related neurodegeneration. This study used littermates of WT and Nox2-knockout (Nox2KO) mice plus endothelial cell-specific human Nox2 overexpression-transgenic (HuNox2Tg) mice to investigate Nox2-derived ROS in brain aging. Compared with young WT mice (3-4 months), aging WT mice (20-22 months) had obvious metabolic disorders and loss of locomotor activity. Aging WT brains had high levels of angiotensin II (Ang II) and ROS production; activation of ERK1/2, p53, and [gamma]H2AX; and losses of capillaries and neurons. However, these abnormalities were markedly reduced in aging Nox2KO brains. HuNox2Tg brains at middle age (11-12 months) already had high levels of ROS production and activation of stress signaling pathways similar to those found in aging WT brains. The mechanism of Ang II-induced endothelial Nox2 activation in capillary damage was examined using primary brain microvascular endothelial cells. The clinical significance of Nox2-derived ROS in aging-related loss of cerebral capillaries and neurons was investigated using postmortem midbrain tissues of young (25-38 years) and elderly (61-85 years) adults. In conclusion, Nox2 activation is an important mechanism in aging-related cerebral capillary rarefaction and reduced brain function, with the possibility of a key role for endothelial cells., Introduction The brain is a highly metabolic organ requiring a consistent supply of oxygen and nutrients for normal function. Ensuring a sufficient oxygen and nutrition supply to the brain is [...]

A pair of new oxindole alkaloids, named macrophyllines C (1) and D (2), together with two known oxindole alkaloids isorhynchophylline (3) and corynoxine (4) were isolated from Uncaria macrophylla. Their structures were elucidated based on detailed spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with literature data. In addition, all the isolates were tested for their anti-HIV activities and cytotoxicities in C8166 cells and compounds 2–4 showed weak anti-HIV activities with EC50 values of 11.31 ± 3.29 μM, 18.77 ± 6.14 μM and 30.02 ± 3.73 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]