Neurodegenerative diseases pose a significant health challenge for the elderly. The escalating presence of toxic metals and chemicals in the environment is a potential contributor to central nervous system dysfunction and the onset of neurodegenerative conditions. Transition metals play a crucial role in various pathophysiological mechanisms associated with prevalent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Given the ubiquitous exposure to metals from diverse sources in everyday life, the workplace, and the environment, most of the population faces regular contact with different forms of these metals. Disturbances in the levels and homeostasis of certain transition metals are closely linked to the manifestation of neurodegenerative disorders. Oxidative damage further exacerbates the progression of neurological consequences. Presently, there exists no curative therapy for individuals afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases, with treatment approaches primarily focusing on alleviating pathological symptoms. Within the realm of biologically active compounds derived from plants, flavonoids and curcuminoids stand out for their extensively documented antioxidant, antiplatelet, and neuroprotective properties. The utilization of these compounds holds the potential to formulate highly effective therapeutic strategies for managing neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of abnormal metal levels, particularly copper, iron, and zinc, on the initiation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, it aims to elucidate the potential of fisetin and curcumin to inhibit or decelerate the
neurodegenerative process.

Background: Berberine is the main active compound of different herbs and is defined as an isoquinoline quaternary botanical alkaloid found in barks and roots of numerous plants. It exhibits a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects. Berberine has antibacterial activity against a variety of microbiota, including many bacterial species, protozoa, plasmodia, fungi, and trypanosomes.
Objective: This review describes the role of berberine and its metabolic effects. It also discusses how it plays a role in glucose metabolism, fat metabolism, weight loss, how it modulates the gut microbiota, and what are its antimicrobial properties along with its potential side effects with maximal tolerable dosage.
Methods: Representative studies were considered and analyzed from different scientific databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, for the years 1982-2022.
Results: Literature analysis shows that berberine affects many biochemical and pharmacological pathways that theoretically yield a positive effect on health and disease. Berberine exhibits neuroprotective properties in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychological ailments. Despite its low bioavailability after oral administration, berberine is a promising tool for several disorders. A possible hypothesis would be the modulation of the gut microbiome. While the evidence concerning the aging process in humans is more limited, preliminary studies have shown positive effects in several models.
Conclusion: Berberine could serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of several diseases. Previous literature has provided a basis for scientists to establish clinical trials in humans. However, for obesity, the evidence appears to be sufficient for handson use.

Because of the rapid development of new types of light sources and price considerations, effective methods to analyze the characteristics and quality of light sources are required. To solve the problem of certification and standardization of light sources, and continuing of the further research, an automated system was developed that analyzes light characteristics based on input data and calculates the quality mark of the light source based on the obtained results. We have developed two versions of the system. The main version is based on the spectral distribution obtained from the spectrometer and provides a precise instrument for research and certification of light sources. The second one is a mobile version that uses a device camera for getting the light data and allows to evaluate the household light sources. In this paper, we present the description of the developed system and the main methods of light analysis that we implemented.

The work is devoted to the problem of developing a portable and easy-to-implement spectral express analyzer prototype for MEMS optical systems. The novelty of this study is new approaches to photodiode signal converting and the technique of spectral express analysis. The signal converter is implemented on the principle of trans-impedance amplification, which ensures high linearity of the conversion of the input photocurrent into the output voltage and a wide frequency band. Model studies with the approximation of spectral characteristics by mathematical Gaussian functions were used for the express analysis. The hardware and software of the express analyzer based on Color Light-to-Digital Converter TCS3400 are presented. The results of the work are used to study the parameters of MEMS mirrors of optical systems and develop optical sensors based on them.