Dr. Alaa Safia, born on March 19, 1989, in Israel, embarked on his journey in the field of medicine with an unwavering commitment to excellence. He earned his Degree in General Medicine from the esteemed National University of Moldova, named after Nicolae Testemitanu, on June 15, 2016, marking the beginning of his illustrious medical career.
Currently serving as an ENT Resident at Ziv Medical Hospital in Safed, Israel, Dr. Safia has proven himself to be a dedicated and accomplished medical professional. His contributions to the medical community are diverse and impactful, encompassing clinical research, detailed case reports, engaging presentations, and invaluable work experiences. Dr. Safia’s commitment to advancing healthcare and his passion for research make him a respected and influential figure in the field of medicine.

Abstract

Anxiety and Depression disorders are prevalent and severe diseases with deleterious impacts on patients and society. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were shown to be effective in treating a broad spectrum of anxiety and depression disorders. Despite their therapeutic actions, SSRIs are associated with a wide variety of side effects, such as weight changes, insomnia, gastrointestinal disturbances, and sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, recent studies show that their success rates are not high, reaching 50%. Therefore, there is a clear need to explore alternative treatments for anxiety and depression disorders. We have recently produced a novel herbal mixture to treat anxiety disorder. The novel treatment displayed anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in treated mice previously exposed to stress. The present study aimed to examine whether the novel treatment induces two common side effects normally induced by the conventional treatment with the SSRI escitalopram, namely, sexual dysfunction and weight gain. Mice were treated with either (a) herbal treatment, (b) one of the four herbal components, (c) escitalopram, or (d) control group. Following treatment, sexual behavior and weight gain were evaluated in the different groups, as well as changes in prefrontal cortex serotonin transporter levels. We have found that the novel treatment has not altered sexual behavior and did not cause weight gain, while escitalopram did lead to these two side effects. Recently, we discovered that NHT has one dominant herb component (Crataegus Pinnatifada ), which has the same antidepressant and anxiolytic effects with minimal side effects.

These results suggest that the novel treatment may have the same behavioral anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy as SSRIs while causing fewer side effects, possibly due to different biological mechanisms. Further studies are now conducted to explore the underlying biological mechanisms through which the novel treatment leads to the behavioral anxiolytic and antidepressant effects.

Mr Wubishet Gezimu has completed his MSc at the age of 26 years from College of Graduate Studies, Debre Markos University with Master of Science in Maternity and Reproductive Health Nursing. Currently, I am studying my PhD at Jimma University in the field of Evidence-based Healthcare. I am lecturer and researcher at college of Health Science, Mattu University. I have published more than 34 papers in international reputed journals and been reviewering articles for various journals.

Dr. Jorge Navarrete has completed his dermatology residency at Universidad de la República of Montevideo at the age of 28. He is currently an Associate Proffesor of Dermatology at the Faculty of Medicine Clínica Alemana – Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile. He has published 19 papers indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE.