Uzoamaka Nwokorie

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly permeated clinical domains, including reproductive medicine, where its applications span from gamete assessment to population-level epidemiology. The convergence of machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision has enabled novel diagnostic, predictive, and decision-support tools that enhance clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. This paper provides a review of current AI technologies in reproductive medicine, encompassing assisted reproductive technologies, prenatal care, maternal health, sexual and contraceptive health, epidemiology, and low-resource settings. Ethical, legal, and social implications, as well as challenges related to data quality, clinical validation, and integration, are explored. Future opportunities in explainable AI, precision medicine integration, real-world evidence generation, and global collaboration are discussed. The analysis underscores AI’s transformative potential and highlights pathways for responsible deployment to advance reproductive medicine.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are defined by their high levels of refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, artificial additives, and preservatives. These foods contribute to biological aging through mechanisms such as chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic dysfunction. Inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions in insulin signaling are key factors in the development of aging-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and epigenetic modifications significantly contribute to the acceleration of aging by disrupting cellular function, promoting tissue damage, and driving disease development. UPF consumption is linked to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, obstetric and gynecological conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, and a range of adverse effects on various body systems. Reducing UPF intake and encouraging healthier dietary patterns are crucial for mitigating the impact of UPFs on aging and related health conditions. For individuals unable to transition to whole food-based diets, pharmaceutical and medical interventions offer alternatives to reduce UPF-related biological aging. A combined approach of pharmacologic therapies and dietary adjustments may optimize outcomes, with ongoing research into novel treatments further enhancing strategies to counteract aging effects. This review examines the impact of UPFs on accelerating biological aging, the mechanisms by which they contribute to aging and associated health conditions, and potential interventions to mitigate their effects.

The review discusses the risks posed by conventional medical imaging methods, including radiation exposure, allergic reactions, and environmental contamination. It explores recent innovations, such as advanced modalities like photon-counting computed tomography (CT) scanners and ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, which provide high-resolution images with reduced radiation doses. Artificial intelligence (AI) further enhances the field by automating tasks, improving image analysis, and personalizing protocols, including real-time and predictive monitoring. Non-invasive techniques, such as elastography and photoacoustic imaging, are highlighted for minimizing reliance on ionizing radiation. AI-driven strategies also address environmental concerns through the use of biodegradable contrast agents and energy-efficient technologies. Economic assessments reveal the cost-effectiveness of imaging technologies and their impact on healthcare budgets while acknowledging persistent disparities in access. The review examines contrast agents and radiation: their long-term and broad-ranging adverse health impacts and how new imaging techniques aim to eliminate or mitigate these effects. It also considers how advancements in AI improve diagnostic accuracy and workflow efficiency. Also, the integration of imaging with genomics and telemedicine is discussed, alongside efforts to address economic and accessibility challenges and promote sustainable practices. Imaging technology and AI innovations are transforming diagnostic practices and addressing existing challenges, with ongoing innovation and collaboration essential for optimizing benefits for patients, medical staff, and the environment.

The placebo effect has notable implications for clinical practice and research, demonstrating its ability to enhance therapeutic outcomes through psychological and physiological mechanisms. Evidence shows that placebos can impact treatment responses by influencing patients’ expectations and mental states, with mechanisms including neurobiological changes such as endogenous opioid release and brain activity alterations. However, their use raises ethical concerns, especially regarding patient trust and autonomy. Psychological factors like belief, expectation, and mindset play a significant role in placebo efficacy, affecting mental and physical health outcomes. In clinical settings, integrating placebo effects requires careful management to enhance patient care without replacing evidence-based treatments. Ethical integration involves boosting placebo responses transparently and maintaining adherence to ethical standards to prevent misuse, such as non-disclosure or substituting proven therapies, which can damage trust and patient autonomy. Future research aims to refine placebo mechanisms, including genetic factors and biomarkers—to personalize medicine and improve therapeutic efficacy—and evaluate the long-term effects of placebo responses on patient care. Placebos are essential in drug development and approval. Placebo-controlled trials help differentiate between active drug effects and psychological influences. However, ethical concerns, especially about withholding effective treatments, remain. Guidelines by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are crucial for upholding ethical standards in these trials. While the placebo effect offers valuable insights, its application must be managed with transparency and rigor to balance its benefits with high ethical standards in medical practice.

This review highlights the significant impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the hematological system, revealing complications such as thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and hemolytic anemia, which contribute notably to morbidity and mortality, especially in critically ill patients. The underlying mechanisms involve direct viral effects, inflammation, cytokine storms, and hypercoagulability. The exacerbation of pre-existing hematological malignancies and the common occurrence of lymphopenia further illustrate the complex interaction between COVID-19 and the immune system. The review emphasizes the importance of early recognition and management of hematological complications for clinical practice. It discusses the necessity of monitoring biomarkers like D-dimer and platelet counts, utilizing imaging techniques for detecting thromboembolic events, and employing timely interventions with anticoagulants and immunomodulators. Tailoring treatment to individual patient needs and involving a multidisciplinary team are essential for improving outcomes, particularly in critically ill patients. The review also focuses on the need for ongoing research to understand the precise mechanisms of these complications, explore genetic and environmental factors, and assess the long-term outcomes of affected patients. It examines the impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and the importance of developing innovative therapeutic approaches, including personalized medicine and advanced therapies, to address the ongoing challenges in medical practice.

The review discusses pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) as a multisystem disorder with diverse manifestations across dermatological, ophthalmological, and cardiovascular systems. It covers the primary dermatological signs, such as yellowish papular lesions and altered skin texture, typically in flexural areas. The review also addresses ophthalmological issues, like angioid streaks and progressive vision loss, and cardiovascular effects, including arterial calcification, hypertension, increased risk of aneurysms, and peripheral arterial disease. Also, the review mentions less common symptoms involving the gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and urological systems. It examines how systemic calcification leads to gastrointestinal problems, impacts lung function, and potentially affects the urinary tract. The diagnostic approach is outlined, encompassing patient history, imaging, blood tests, genetic analysis, and skin biopsies, with supplementary diagnostic tools for gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and urological assessments. The review emphasizes the benefits of a multidisciplinary management strategy, noting how various specialties address skin, eye, cardiovascular issues, and other specific complications. It presents emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and health informatics for improved diagnosis and personalized treatment. The review also covers advances in toxicology, environmental medicine, and gene therapy, focusing on how these fields contribute to targeted and individualized treatment strategy development.

This review discusses the significant health risks posed by exposure to environmentally toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, and nickel. These metals can cause severe and sometimes irreversible damage to various organs and systems in the human body. Each metal has specific health impacts, including neurological disorders, renal and cardiovascular diseases, developmental delays, and cancers. The paper highlights the ability of these metals to cross the placental barrier, affecting fetal development and resulting in adverse pregnancy outcomes like preterm birth, low birth weight, and developmental issues. Heavy metals disrupt placental function by inducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired nutrient and oxygen transport, leading to long-term health consequences for the offspring. The paper also explores how heavy metal exposure can cause epigenetic changes, altering gene expression and contributing to chronic diseases. Some of these effects can be transmitted across generations. The contamination of pharmaceuticals and natural remedies with heavy metals is also a concern, emphasizing the need for rigorous quality control and regulatory oversight to protect public health. Diagnostic procedures for detecting heavy metal exposure involve comprehensive history-taking, physical examinations, laboratory tests, neuroimaging, and assessments of neurological and motor functions. The paper underscores the importance of addressing environmental exposure to toxic heavy metals to mitigate their harmful impacts and safeguard public health.

Tinnitus, characterized by phantom auditory perceptions like ringing or buzzing, represents a complex interaction between auditory and neurological pathways. This review explores the significant role of environmental toxins—specifically organic solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals—in the pathogenesis of tinnitus. Organic solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals—prevalent environmental toxins—exhibit pervasive hazards contributing to a spectrum of health conditions, including tinnitus. These toxins exert neurotoxic effects through multifaceted mechanisms that disrupt cellular, biochemical, and systemic neural function. Organic solvents, prevalent in industrial settings and household products, compromise neuronal membrane integrity and synaptic transmission, altering neurotransmitter dynamics critical for auditory signal processing. They induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, further exacerbating neuronal damage and contributing to tinnitus onset and persistence. Similarly, pesticides, extensively used in agriculture, interfere with neurotransmitter synthesis and receptor activation, disrupting neural communication within auditory pathways. Pesticides provoke oxidative stress and inflammation, compounding neurotoxicity and impacting cochlear function and central auditory processing—manifesting as tinnitus. Heavy metals, prevalent in industrial pollutants and e-waste, disrupt neuronal ion channels and induce oxidative stress, triggering inflammatory cascades that compromise auditory nerve integrity and synaptic function. These metals impair mitochondrial function, exacerbating neuronal dysfunction and contributing to the pathophysiology of tinnitus. The diagnostic approach for toxin-induced tinnitus integrates comprehensive patient history, physical examination, neuroimaging, and laboratory tests to identify specific toxin exposure and neurotoxic effects. Audiological assessments, including pure-tone audiometry and auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, further delineate the extent of auditory system involvement. Treatment strategies emphasize eliminating toxin exposure, pharmacological interventions targeting oxidative stress and neurotransmitter imbalance, and adjunctive therapies such as sound therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques to manage tinnitus symptoms effectively. Effective management involves a multidisciplinary approach integrating toxicology, neurology, and audiology to mitigate exposure risks, alleviate symptoms, and enhance patient outcomes and quality of life (QoL).

Orthopoxviruses (OPXVs), belonging to the Poxviridae family, are large, double-stranded DNA viruses known for their zoonotic potential and impact on human and animal health. This review explores the transmission dynamics of OPXVs from animal hosts to humans and the underlying cellular pathophysiological mechanisms. Animal hosts such as rodents, primates, and livestock are central in the ecology of OPXVs, with transmission typically occurring through direct contact or exposure to contaminated materials. Clinical manifestations in animals range from skin lesions and fever to respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, reflecting the diverse tissue tropism of these viruses. Humans primarily acquire OPXVs through contact with infected animals or their products, highlighting the zoonotic risk posed by these viruses. At the cellular level, OPXV infections involve complex interactions between viral proteins and host cell receptors, triggering robust immune responses characterized by cytokine release and inflammation. The viruses replicate within the cytoplasm without accessing the host cell nucleus, evading detection by nuclear sensors and exploiting cellular machinery for viral assembly. A comprehensive grasp of OPXV transmission dynamics and cellular pathophysiology is requisite to devise effective prevention and control strategies. Insights into host immune responses and viral replication mechanisms provide a foundation for antiviral drug development and vaccine strategies. This review synthesizes current knowledge on OPXV ecology, transmission, and cellular interactions, emphasizing their significance in veterinary, medical, and public health contexts.

Entheogens, a class of psychoactive substances with profound cultural and religious significance, have been utilized for centuries across diverse traditions for healing, spiritual exploration, and communication with the divine. Their historical usage spans continents, from the pre-Columbian Americas to traditional African practices and Ayurvedic medicine in India. While entheogens offer potential therapeutic benefits, their use entails inherent risks, including physiological and psychological adverse effects. Recent research has increasingly focused on elucidating the mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential of entheogens such as psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ayahuasca, ibogaine, and Salvia divinorum. These substances exhibit diverse pharmacological profiles, acting primarily on serotonin receptors and other neurotransmitter systems, resulting in alterations in perception, mood, and cognition. Clinical studies have demonstrated promising results for entheogens in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and, to a lesser extent, pain management and cluster headaches. However, regulatory constraints, limited participant numbers, and ethical considerations hinder comprehensive research. Safety considerations are paramount in administering entheogens, necessitating proper dosing, individual risk assessment, supportive set and setting, and medical supervision. Adherence to rigorous clinical trial standards and transparent methodologies is essential for advancing research and harnessing the therapeutic potential of entheogens. Despite obstacles, continued investigation into entheogens is imperative for unlocking their therapeutic potential and developing safe and effective mental health treatments. Key research avenues include elucidating mechanisms of action, standardizing administration protocols, determining optimal dosages, and assessing long-term effects and associated risks. While cannabis is commonly recognized as an entheogen, it was not encompassed in this review. The authors omitted it due to its unique status, ongoing discourse, and the need for a separate dedicated analysis.