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Topic Review
Bioactive Pentacyclic Triterpenes from Native Mexican Plants
Native Mexican plants are a wide source of bioactive compounds such as pentacyclic triterpenes. Pentacyclic triterpenes biosynthesized through the mevalonate (MVA) and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-phosphate (MEP) metabolic pathways are highlighted by their diverse biological activity. Compounds belonging to the oleanane, ursane, and lupane groups have been identified in about 33 Mexican plants, located mainly in the southwest of Mexico. 45 compounds pentacyclic triterpenes were reported showing antiinflammatory, cytotoxic, anxiolytic, hypoglycemic, and growth-stimulating or allelopathic activities. Extraction is essentially performed by maceration and Soxhlet with organic solvents and consecutive chromatography of silica gel have been used for their whole or partial purification. Nanoparticles and nanoemulsions are the vehicles used in Mexican formulations for drug delivery of the pentacyclic triterpenes until now. Sustainable extraction, formulation, regulation, isolation, characterization, and bioassay facilities are areas of opportunity in pentacyclic triterpenes research in Mexico while the presence of plant and human resources and traditional knowledge are strengths.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Renal Osteodystrophy
Nowadays ROD is a classic term that should be exclusively used to define histological bone lesions related to CKD; this spectrum of abnormalities could be assessed only by BB according to the TMV (turnover, mineralization, volume) classification system, recommended by KDIGO in 2006 to standardize the changes.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) aims to improve patient outcomes by controlling specific aspects of perioperative care.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 May 2021
Topic Review
CXCL1 in Noncancer Diseases of the Cardiovascular System
CXC motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), a cytokine belonging to the CXC sub-family of chemokines with CXC motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) as its main receptor, causes the migration and infiltration of neutrophils to the sites of high expression. This implicates CXCL1 in many adverse conditions associated with inflammation and the accumulation of neutrophils. Herein, the significance of CXCL1 in selected diseases of the cardiovascular system is described.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Therapeutic Potential of Certain Terpenoids as Anticancer Agents
Cancer is a life-threatening disease and is considered to be among the leading causes of death worldwide. Chemoresistance, severe toxicity, relapse and metastasis are the major obstacles in cancer therapy. Therefore, introducing new therapeutic agents for cancer remains a priority to increase the range of effective treatments. Terpenoids, a large group of secondary metabolites, are derived from plant sources and are composed of several isoprene units. The high diversity of terpenoids has drawn attention to their potential anticancer and pharmacological activities. Some terpenoids exhibit an anticancer effect by triggering various stages of cancer progression, for example, suppressing the early stage of tumorigenesis via induction of cell cycle arrest, inhibiting cancer cell differentiation and activating apoptosis. At the late stage of cancer development, certain terpenoids are able to inhibit angiogenesis and metastasis via modulation of different intracellular signaling pathways. Significant progress in the identification of the mechanism of action and signaling pathways through which terpenoids exert their anticancer effects has been highlighted. 
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Adipose Cells and Myocytes in Sarcopenic Obesity
As a result of aging, body composition changes, with a decline in muscle mass and an increase in adipose tissue (AT), which reallocates from subcutaneous to visceral depots and stores ectopically in the liver, heart and muscles. Furthermore, with aging, muscle and AT, both of which have recognized endocrine activity, become dysfunctional and contribute, in the case of positive energy balance, to the development of sarcopenic obesity (SO). SO is defined as the co-existence of excess adiposity and low muscle mass and function, and its prevalence increases with age. SO is strongly associated with greater morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of SO is complex and multifactorial. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Carcinogens in Areca Nut
A large body of literature found that habitual areca nut (AN) chewing was tightly associated with the occurrence and development of oral, esophageal, and pharyngeal cancers. In addition, many studies revealed that long-term AN usage increased the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Dec 2022
Topic Review
The Genus Tulbaghia
Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera Allium, Tulbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Jul 2022
Topic Review
The G-Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor System in Various Malignancies
The G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is receiving attention for its role in disease pathogenesis and treatment outcomes. GPER expression patterns in various cancers are highly complex and now debatable, with some cancers showing upregulated GPER expression patterns and others showing downregulated or even inconclusive GPER expression patterns. GPER, for example, is overexpressed in seminomas, melanomas, some ovarian cancers, lung cancers (NSCLC), insulin-resistant endometrial cancer models, and the vast majority of breast cancer models (particularly triple negative breast cancer, TNBC). 
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Lipoxygenases and Arachidonic Acid in Glioblastoma Multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme is a brain tumor with a very unfavorable prognosis, where the vast majority of patients do not survive a year after diagnosis. Arachidonic acid ARA C20:4n-6 in humans is not synthesized de novo but from linoleic acid C18:2n-6 in the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) biosynthesis pathway. In addition to the cyclooxygenases (COX) pathway, PUFA can be transformed with lipoxygenases (LOX). These enzymes exhibit dioxygenase activity, catalyzing the insertion of a hydroperoxyl group into a PUFA, most commonly ARA 20:4n-6.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Macrocyclic Receptors
An important direction in the design of tetrapyrrole macrocyclic receptors for a certain substrate type is modification of the macrocycle periphery with bulky substituents or molecular fragments of different natures. Bulky highly-branched lateral substituents are capable of forming additional complexing cavities that can be used for identification and selective binding of substrates of a certain type.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Obesity and Wound Healing
Chronic wounds represent nowadays a major challenge for both clinicians and researchers in the regenerative setting. Obesity represents one of the major comorbidities in patients affected by chronic ulcers and therefore diverse studies aimed at assessing possible links between these two morbid conditions are currently ongoing. In particular, adipose tissue has recently been described as having metabolic and endocrine functions rather than serving as a mere fat storage deposit. In this setting, adipose-derived stem cells, a peculiar subset of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) located in adipose tissue, have been demonstrated to possess regenerative and immunological functions with a key role in regulating both adipocyte function and skin regeneration.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Nanoparticle Features That Impact Liver-Targeting and Tolerogenic Effects
Liver-targeting nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform for the induction of immune tolerance by taking advantage of the liver’s unique tolerogenic properties and nanoparticles’ physicochemical flexibility. Such an approach provides a versatile solution to the treatment of a diversity of immunologic diseases.
  • 1.2K
  • 05 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Biological and Physiological Role of Oxidative Stress
Antioxidants are a class of molecules with an innate affinity to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are known to cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been associated with a wide range of diseases mediated by physiological damage to the cells.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Stem Cell Niche Microenvironment
Limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs), which live in a specialized stem cell niche (SCN), are crucial for the survival of the human corneal epithelium. They live at the bottom of the limbal crypts, in a physically enclosed microenvironment with a number of neighboring niche cells. Scientists also simplified features of these diverse microenvironments for more analysis in situ by designing and recreating features of different SCNs. 
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Ginger Polysaccharides
Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (ginger) is a widely distributed plant with a long history of cultivation and consumption. Ginger can be used as a spice, condiment, food, nutrition, and as an herb. Significantly, the polysaccharides extracted from ginger show surprising and satisfactory biological activity, which explains the various benefits of ginger on human health, including anti-influenza, anti-colitis, anti-tussive, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor effects. 
  • 1.2K
  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Intercellular Communication with Endothelial cells
As a cellular interface between the blood and tissues, the endothelial cell (EC) monolayer is involved in the control of key functions including vascular tone, permeability and homeostasis, leucocyte trafficking and hemostasis. EC regulatory functions require long-distance communications between ECs, circulating hematopoietic cells and other vascular cells for efficient adjusting thrombosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, infection and immunity. This intercellular crosstalk operates through the extracellular space and is orchestrated in part by the secretory pathway and the exocytosis of Weibel Palade Bodies (WPBs), secretory granules and extracellular vesicles (EVs).
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation
Over the past two decades, virtual reality technology (VRT)-based rehabilitation has been increasingly examined and applied to assist patient recovery in the physical and cognitive domains. The advantages of the use of VRT in the neurorehabilitation field consist of the possibility of training an impaired function as a way to stimulate neuron reorganization (to maximize motor learning and neuroplasticity) and restoring and regaining functions and abilities by interacting with a safe and nonthreatening yet realistic virtual reality environment (VRE). Furthermore, VREs can be tailored to patient needs and provide personalized feedback on performance. VREs may also support cognitive training and increases patient motivation and enjoyment. Despite these potential advantages, there are inconclusive data about the usefulness of VRT in neurorehabilitation settings, and some issues on feasibility and safety remain to be ascertained for some neurological populations.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Nucleic Acid Vaccines for COVID-19
Nucleic acid vaccines employ genetic material from a pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria, to induce an immune response against it. Based on the vaccination, the genetic material might be DNA or RNA; as such, it offers instructions for producing a specific pathogen protein that the immune system will perceive as foreign and mount an immune response. Nucleic acid vaccines for multiple antigens might be made in the same facility, lowering costs even more. Most traditional vaccine regimens do not allow for this.  Nucleic acid vaccines could also be applied to COVID-19.
  • 1.2K
  • 05 Nov 2021
Topic Review
miRNA Dysregulation in Cancer
miRNAs are a subset of non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of a multitude of genes post-transcriptionally and thus are potential diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers and have also emerged as potential therapeutics. Because miRNAs are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of their target mRNAs via repressing gene expression, defects in miRNA biogenesis pathway and miRNA expression perturb the expression of a multitude of oncogenic or tumor-suppressive genes that are involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. As such, numerous miRNAs have been identified to be downregulated or upregulated in many cancers, functioning as either oncomes or oncosuppressor miRs. Moreover, dysregulation of miRNA biogenesis pathways can also change miRNA expression and function in cancer.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Sep 2023
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