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Topic Review
The Determination of Neuroactive Steroids
Neuroactive steroids are a family of all steroid-based compounds, of both natural and synthetic origin, which can affect the nervous system functions. Their biosynthesis occurs directly in the nervous system (so-called neurosteroids) or in peripheral endocrine tissues (hormonal steroids). Steroid hormone levels may fluctuate due to physiological changes during life and various pathological conditions affecting individuals.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Apr 2021
Topic Review
ERα
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women worldwide. More than 70% of BC cases express estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), a central transcription factor that stimulates the proliferation of breast cancer cells, usually in the presence of estrogen.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Sphingolipid Pathway in IDH1mut Glioma
The presence of the IDH mutation in glioma raises the possibility that these CNS malignancies could be targeted with metabolic-based therapeutics. Exploration of the role that regulatory lipids, such as sphingolipids serve within the IDH1mut gliomas is limited. Our study incorporates LC/MS lipidomic discovery with an aim to identify vulnerabilities within the sphingolipid metabolism that could be exploited therapeutically. We reveal elevation in certain lipids produced along the sphingolipid degradation pathway for IDH1 mutated glioma cells. Our review of TCGA data from clinical patients reveal a parallel trend for enzymes associated with sphingolipid degradation that correlates to increased survivability in glioma patients. We demonstrate the biostatic effects of treatments which target this pathway via inhibiting sphingosine kinase and exacerbating the imbalance between sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate. 
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Effects of Excess Maternal Fructose Intake
Fructose is a 6-carbon polyhydroxy ketone monosaccharide that shares the same chemical formula and is an isomer of glucose. Fructose consumption is now recognised as a major risk factor in the development of metabolic diseases, such as hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity. In addition to environmental, social, and genetic factors, an unfavourable intrauterine environment is now also recognised as an important factor in the progression of, or susceptibility to, metabolic disease during adulthood. Developmental trajectory in the short term, in response to nutrient restriction or excessive nutrient availability, may promote adaptation that serves to maintain organ functionality necessary for immediate survival and foetal development. Consequently, this may lead to decreased function of organ systems when presented with an unfavourable neonatal, adolescent and/or adult nutritional environment. These early events may exacerbate susceptibility to later-life disease since sub-optimal maternal nutrition increases the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in future generations. Earlier dietary interventions, implemented in pregnant mothers or those considering pregnancy, may have added benefit.
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Heart Disease and Metabolic Steatosis
The liver-heart axis is a growing field of interest owing to rising evidence of complex bidirectional interplay between the two organs. Recent data suggest non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a significant, independent association with a wide spectrum of structural and functional cardiac diseases, and seems to worsen cardiovascular disease (CVD) prognosis.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Apr 2021
Topic Review
PPARs and Myocardial Ischemia
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear proteins. They exist in three isoforms - PPARalpha, PPARbeta/delta, and PPARgamma. They exhibit tissue and cell type-specific expression patterns and functions. Besides the established notion of the therapeutic potential of PPAR agonists for the treatment of glucose and lipid disorders, more recent data propose specific PPAR ligands as potential therapies for cardiovascular diseases.
  • 1.0K
  • 16 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Effect of Western Diet on Cognition
Traditional eating habits have been replaced by a more globalized diet, rich in saturated fatty acids and simple sugars. Extensive evidence shows that these dietary factors contribute to cognitive health impairment as well as increase the incidence of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
  • 1.0K
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Thyroid Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. Recent progress in thyroid cancer biology revealed a certain degree of intratumoral heterogeneity, highlighting the coexistence of cellular subpopulations with distinct proliferative capacities and differentiation abilities. Among those subpopulations, cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are hypothesized to drive TC heterogeneity, contributing to its metastatic potential and therapy resistance. CSCs principally exist in tumor areas with specific microenvironmental conditions, the so-called stem cell niches. In particular, in thyroid cancer, CSCs’ survival is enhanced in the hypoxic niche, the immune niche, and some areas with specific extracellular matrix composition.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Congenital Metabolic Bone Disorders's Fragility
Bone fragility is a pathological condition caused by altered homeostasis of the mineralized bone mass with deterioration of the microarchitecture of the bone tissue, which results in a reduction of bone strength and an increased risk of fracture, even in the absence of high-impact trauma. The most common cause of bone fragility is primary osteoporosis in the elderly. However, bone fragility can manifest at any age, within the context of a wide spectrum of congenital rare bone metabolic diseases in which the inherited genetic defect alters correct bone modeling and remodeling at different points and aspects of bone synthesis and/or bone resorption, leading to defective bone tissue highly prone to long bone bowing, stress fractures and pseudofractures, and/or fragility fractures. 
  • 1.0K
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Pre-Diabetic Biomarkers Identification in Progression of Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major global health issue. The development of T2DM is gradual and preceded by the pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM) stage, which often remains undiagnosed.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
CVD and Kidney Disease
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and kidney disease has stimulated research for strategies that could prevent, rather than just treat, both interconnected disorders. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound with pleiotropic biofunctions, has shown health benefits. Emerging epidemiological data supports that early life environmental insults are regarded as increased risks of developing CVDs and kidney disease in adulthood.
  • 1.0K
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Trimethylornithine Membrane Lipids
Trimethylornithine membrane lipids (TMOs) are a class of intact polar membrane lipids that were discovered in northern wetland Planctomycete species. The structure of TMOs is similar to ornithine lipids, but the terminal nitrogen of the ornithine amino acid head group is trimethylated, which gives the lipid a charged polar head group.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Deep Learning for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomics
The potentiality of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique within the field of metabolomics is currently employed for several purposes, including the detection of viable microbes in microbial food safety, the assessment of aquatic living organisms subjected to contaminated water, the identification of novel biomarkers to diagnose cancer diseases and the monitoring of the plant growth status changing environmental parameters in view of smart agriculture. Even before the development of artificial intelligence, statistical analyses were successfully applied in food analysis but with some limitations. For example, traditional methods are usually not very accurate in the classification of similar foods in contrast to modern deep learning approaches that allow enhancing all small differences. However, traditional methods usually constitute the first step, providing the input for neural networks with the aim to achieve a more accurate and automatic output. Furthermore, advanced computational algorithms can be applied not only for statistical analysis, but also to execute simulations whose predictions depend on the considered conditions.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Phloroglucinol Derivatives in Plant-Beneficial Pseudomonas-spp.
Plant-beneficial Pseudomonas spp. aggressively colonize the rhizosphere and produce numerous secondary metabolites, such as 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG). DAPG is a phloroglucinol derivative that contributes to disease suppression, thanks to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. A famous example of this biocontrol activity has been previously described in the context of wheat monoculture where a decline in take-all disease (caused by the ascomycete Gaeumannomyces tritici) has been shown to be associated with rhizosphere colonization by DAPG-producing Pseudomonas spp.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Lipid Metabolic Alterations in ALS–FTD Spectrum of Disorders
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) presentation is within a disorder spectrum with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and many patients present mixed forms of ALS and FTD, thus increasing the variability. Lipid metabolic and other systemic metabolic alterations have not been well studied in FTD, or in ALS–FTD mixed forms, as has been in pure ALS. With the recent development in lipidomics and the integration with other -omics platforms, there is now emerging data that not only facilitates the identification of biomarkers but also enables understanding of the underlying pathological mechanisms. 
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Jan 2023
Topic Review
miRNA and lncRNA Dysregulation in Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the most frequently occurring metabolic disorders, affecting almost one tenth of the global population. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are involved in the regulation of gene expression as well as various disease pathways in humans. Several ncRNAs are dysregulated in diabetes and are responsible for modulating the expression of various genes that contribute to the ‘symptom complex’ in diabetes.
  • 1.0K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles in Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and damage to the bone tissue’s microarchitecture, leading to increased fracture risk. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are intercellular communicators, transfer substances encapsulated in them, modify the phenotype and function of target cells, mediate cell-cell communication, and, therefore, have critical applications in disease progression and clinical diagnosis and therapy.
  • 1.0K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Plasminogen in Cancer
Fibrinolytic factors like plasminogen, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) dissolve clots. Though mere extracellular-matrix-degrading enzymes, fibrinolytic factors interfere with many processes during primary cancer growth and metastasis contributing to the hallmarks of cancer. Their many receptors give them access to cellular functions that tumor cells have widely exploited to promote tumor cell survival, growth, and metastatic abilities. Fibrinolytic factors give cancer cells tools to ensure their own survival by interfering with the signaling pathways involved in senescence, anoikis, and autophagy. Dependent on the cell type, plasminogen was shown to either enhance or suppress cancer cell survival via autophagy. The Kringle 5 of plasminogen after engagement with the glucose-regulated protein 78 induces autophagy in endothelial cells. Plasmin drives cellular extracellular matrix loss that induces programmed cell death or anoikis. Tumor cells by upregulating plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 suppress plasmin production. Now, they can escape anoikis and metastasize. The preparation of the premetastatic niche is prepared by exosomes, small membrane-bound extracellular vesicles. Exosomes carry fibrinolytic factors and thereby might be important for ECM preparation during the metastatic process. Finally, fibrinolytic factors and their receptors including uPAR and LRP1 are upregulated in cancer cells after myelosuppressive treatment and contribute to drug resistance. Targeting receptors of fibrinolytic factors including uPAR and LRP1 can be a strategy to overcome drug resistance.
  • 1.0K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Female Puberty
In recent decades pubertal onset in girls is considered to occur at an earlier age than previously. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been associated with alterations in pubertal timing, several reports suggesting that EDCs may have a role in the secular trend in pubertal maturation, at least in girls. However, relevant studies give inconsistent results. On the other hand, the majority of girls with idiopathic precocious or early puberty present the growth pattern of constitutional advancement of growth (CAG), i.e., growth acceleration soon after birth. CAG is unrelated to exposure to EDCs and is the major determinant of precocious or early puberty. EDCs, at most, have a minor effect on the timing of pubertal onset in girls.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Glycation-Associated Diabetic Nephropathy and Long Noncoding RNAs
The glycation of various biomolecules is the root cause of many pathological conditions associated with diabetic nephropathy and end-stage kidney disease. Glycation imbalances metabolism and increases renal cell injury. Numerous therapeutic measures have narrowed down the adverse effects of endogenous glycation, but efficient and potent measures are miles away. Recent advances in the identification and characterization of noncoding RNAs, especially the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), have opened a mammon of new biology to explore the mitigations for glycation-associated diabetic nephropathy. Furthermore, tissue-specific distribution and condition-specific expression make lncRNA a promising key for second-generation therapeutic interventions.
  • 999
  • 03 Nov 2022
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