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Topic Review
Vascular Inflammation and Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic metabolic disorder and the primary cause of cardiovascular diseases, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Initiated by endothelial cell stimulation, AS is characterized by arterial inflammation, lipid deposition, foam cell formation, and plaque development. Certain nutrients such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and vitamins can prevent the atherosclerotic process by modulating inflammation and metabolic disorders through the regulation of gene acetylation states, mediated with histone deacetylases (HDACs).
  • 1.4K
  • 06 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Electrospun Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Electrospun fiber scaffolds offer distinct characteristics, including a high surface area-to-volume ratio, excellent porosity, fiber uniformity, compositional diversity, flexibility, and the ease of functionalization with bioactive molecules. These scaffolds can effectively control the release rate of bioactive molecules, making them promising candidates for delivering antibiotics, proteins, and growth factors.
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Fibronectin in Osteoarthritis
Fibronectin is a component of the extracellular matrix essential to its assembly, which also regulates some cellular functions. However, cleavage of fibronectin in pathological conditions releases fibronectin fragments with pro-inflammatory and degradative properties. During the development of osteoarthritis, tissue proteolysis and injury induce extracellular matrix degradation, generating fibronectin fragments that promote inflammation and degradation by the induction of cytokine and proteinase expressions.
  • 1.4K
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Hepatic Lipotoxicity in Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), a catastrophic illness for both the mother and the unborn offspring, develops in the last trimester of pregnancy with significant maternal and perinatal mortality. AFLP is also recognized as an obstetric and medical emergency. Maternal AFLP is highly associated with a fetal homozygous mutation (1528G>C) in the gene that encodes for mitochondrial long-chain hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD). The mutation in LCHAD results in the accumulation of 3-hydroxy fatty acids, such as 3-hydroxy myristic acid, 3-hydroxy palmitic acid and 3-hydroxy dicarboxylic acid in the placenta, which are then shunted to the maternal circulation leading to the development of acute liver injury observed in patients with AFLP. 
  • 1.4K
  • 17 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Novel Pooling Methods for Convolutional Neural Networks
Neural network computational methods have evolved over the past half-century. In 1943, McCulloch and Pitts designed the first model, recognized as the linear threshold gate. Hebbian developed the Hebbian learning rule approach for training the neural network. However, would the Hebbian rule remain productive when all the input patterns became orthogonal? The existence of orthogonality in input vectors is a crucial component for this rule to execute effectively. To meet this requirement, a much more productive learning rule, known as the Delta rule, was established. Whereas the delta rule poses issues with the learning principles outlined above, backpropagation has developed as a more complicated learning approach. Backpropagation could learn an infinite layered structure and estimate any commutative function. A feed-forward neural network is most often trained using backpropagation (FFNN).
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Sep 2022
Topic Review
The Bone Regeneration
Bone regeneration is a complex process that is influenced by tissue interactions, inflammatory responses, and progenitor cells.
  • 1.4K
  • 13 May 2021
Topic Review
Six Papaya Cultivars Grown
Six papaya (Carica papaya L.) cultivars, grown in a Mediterranean climate under greenhouse conditions, were screened for physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, nutritional and sensory characteristics. The fruits, harvested with more than 50% of yellow surface (between 60% and 77%) were tested for carotenoids content, phenolic content, reducing activity (ABTS), and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA50). The physicochemical traits were measured in terms of the titratable acidity and soluble content whereas proximal composition along with moisture, fats, total sugar, ash, vitamin A, C, and E content. Moreover, the sensory profile was analyzed by a semi-trained panel. Although the six analyzed cultivars reached qualitative characteristics to satisfy market needs, significant differences among them were found in a genotype-dependent manner. In particular, Cartagena and Maradol cultivars evidenced the highest values of minerals and vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols, ABTS and CAA50 and reached the best commercial requisites (size, total soluble solids content/titratable acidity ratio). As for sensory analysis, we observed significate differences only for sweetness, juiciness, odor, and flavor of peach and exotic fruits whereas descriptors related to unpleasant defects or sensations always have very low scores in all the observed cultivars. These results highlight the possibility of obtaining quality papaya fruits in a Mediterranean climate using greenhouse growing.
  • 1.4K
  • 03 May 2021
Topic Review
Animal to Human Efficacy Data
Reports of a reproducibility crisis combined with a high attrition rate in the pharmaceutical industry have put animal research increasingly under scrutiny in the past decade. Many researchers and the general public now question whether there is still a justification for conducting animal studies. While criticism of the current modus operandi in preclinical research is certainly warranted, the data on which these discussions are based are often unreliable. Several initiatives to address the internal validity and reporting quality of animal studies (e.g., Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) and Planning Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence (PREPARE) guidelines) have been introduced but seldom implemented. As for external validity, progress has been virtually absent. Nonetheless, the selection of optimal animal models of disease may prevent the conducting of clinical trials, based on unreliable preclinical data. Here, we discuss three contributions to tackle the evaluation of the predictive value of animal models of disease themselves. First, we developed the Framework to Identify Models of Disease (FIMD), the first step to standardise the assessment, validation and comparison of disease models. FIMD allows the identification of which aspects of the human disease are replicated in the animals, facilitating the selection of disease models more likely to predict human response. Second, we show an example of how systematic reviews and meta-analyses can provide another strategy to discriminate between disease models quantitatively. Third, we explore whether external validity is a factor in animal model selection in the Investigator’s Brochure (IB), and we use the IB-derisk tool to integrate preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data in early clinical development. Through these contributions, we show how we can address external validity to evaluate the translatability and scientific value of animal models in drug development. However, while these methods have potential, it is the extent of their adoption by the scientific community that will define their impact. By promoting and adopting high-quality study design and reporting, as well as a thorough assessment of the translatability of drug efficacy of animal models of disease, we will have robust data to challenge and improve the current animal research paradigm.
  • 1.4K
  • 31 Jul 2020
Topic Review
DprE1 and MmpL3
DprE1 is an enzyme that works in concert with DprE2 to synthesize the unique arabinose precursor for lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan, essential building blocks of the mycobacterial cell-wall [1]. To date, more than 15 pharmacophores were found to inhibit DprE1 activity. MmpL3 is the only Mtb transporter of trehalose monomycolate, required for the formation of the mycolic acid layer of the cell wall [2], and has been found to be affected by several molecules. Recently, direct inhibition of MmpL3 by BM212, the first compound found to hit MmpL3, was shown using spheroplasts [2], while the dissipation of proton motive force is the proposed mechanism for the other molecules [3].
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
CCL-11 or Eotaxin-1
CCL-11 (eotaxin) is a chemokine with an important role in allergic conditions. Recent evidence indicates that CCL-11 plays a role in brain disorders as well. CCL-11 is rapidly transported from the blood to the brain through the blood-brain barrier. Age-related increases in CCL-11 are associated with cognitive impairments in executive functions and episodic and semantic memory, and therefore, this chemokine has been described as an “Endogenous Cognition Deteriorating Chemokine” (ECDC) or “Accelerated Brain-Aging Chemokine” (ABAC).
  • 1.4K
  • 16 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Individual Exercise during Home-based Rehabilitation
Over the last decade, many regular physical activity studies with large prospective cohorts have been conducted. Taken together, more than a million subjects have been included in these exercise studies. The risk of morbidity and mortality has been reduced by 30% to 40% as a result of exercise. These risk reductions hold true for many diseases, as well as for prevention and rehabilitation. Physical activity has also been in the treatment of many diseases, such as cardiopulmonary, metabolic or neurologic/psychiatric diseases, all with positive results.
  • 1.4K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Resveratrol
Resveratrol (3,4′,5-trihy- droxystilbene), a natural phytoalexin polyphenol, exhibits anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. This phytoalexin is well-absorbed， rapidly and extensively metabolized in the body. 
  • 1.4K
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Albumin Conjugates as MRI Agents
Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant protein in plasma. It is found at a concentration of roughly 0.7 mM in the vasculature. HSA is a monomeric multidomain biomolecule, representing the main determinant of plasma oncotic pressure and displays an extraordinary ligand binding capacity. HSA represents the main carrier for fatty acids, affects the pharmacokinetics of many drugs, can be a platform for drug discovery, suitable transport for therapy and diagnostics. Here we develop a class of macromolecular constructs from nitroxides conjugated to a human carrier protein as potential Organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is a powerful non-invasive tool for clinics. The MRI specificity can be improved by enhancing by the addition of a contrast agent. The most efficient of the currently-used contrast agents are paramagnetic gadolinium chelates. However, the low stability of some chelates and therefore release toxic metal ions from the chelates provide harmful oxidative stress, mitochondrial membrane dysfunction, changes in gene expression, DNA damage, mutagenicity, etc. Therefore, there is sufficient interest in the production of “metal-free” MRI contrast agents.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Ligands of Adrenergic Receptors
Adrenergic receptors are G protein-coupled receptors for epinephrine and norepinephrine. They are targets of many drugs for various conditions, including treatment of hypertension, hypotension, and asthma. Adrenergic receptors are intensively studied in structural biology, displayed for binding poses of different types of ligands.
  • 1.4K
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Sex Maintenance in Mammals
Sex maintenance in mammals is important in sexual differentiation. The crucial event in mammalian sexual differentiation occurs at the embryonic stage of sex determination, when the bipotential gonads differentiate as either testes or ovaries, according to the sex chromosome constitution of the embryo, XY or XX, respectively. Once differentiated, testes produce sexual hormones that induce the subsequent differentiation of the male reproductive tract. On the other hand, the lack of masculinizing hormones in XX embryos permits the formation of the female reproductive tract. It was long assumed that once the gonad is differentiated, this developmental decision is irreversible. However, several findings in the last decade have shown that this is not the case and that a continuous sex maintenance is needed. Deletion of Foxl2 in the adult ovary lead to ovary-to-testis transdifferentiation and deletion of either Dmrt1 or Sox9/Sox8 in the adult testis induces the opposite process. In both cases, mutant gonads were genetically reprogrammed, showing that both the male program in ovaries and the female program in testes must be actively repressed throughout the individual’s life. In addition to these transcription factors, other genes and molecular pathways have also been shown to be involved in this antagonism. 
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Nanocarbon-Based Flame Retardant Polymer Nanocomposites
Nanocarbon materials have attracted the interest of researchers due to their excellent properties. Nanocarbon-based flame retardant polymer composites have enhanced thermal stability and mechanical properties compared with traditional flame retardant composites. 
  • 1.4K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Incorporation of Biochar
Biochar can be used as a reinforcing filler improving the mechanical, thermal and even electrical properties of polymer composites. The incorporation of this cost effective sustainable filler not only improves the applicability of the resulting composite but also makes the process and end product sustainable. 
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Nutritional Approach to Chronic Constipation1
Chronic constipation (CC) is one of the most common gastroenterological diagnoses in clinical practice. Treatment includes several steps, depending on the severity of symptoms. Lifestyle modifications and increased intake of fiber and water are suggested by most health professionals. Unfortunately, the recommendations in this regard are the most varied, often conflicting with each other and not always based on solid scientific arguments. 
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Comprehensive Brain Mind Health History
In the outpatient general practice setting, most practitioners do not have the time or resources to acquire a comprehensive history pertaining to patients' brain and mental health. This comprehensive brain-mind health history gives health care providers a simple and easy-to-use checklist, which can be filled out by patients before their appointment and/or while sitting in the waiting room. This will allow practitioners to have a more thorough and detailed history of their patients on hand, which they can quickly skim through as needed. In addition, it will help practitioners introduce and subsequently discuss more sensitive topics with their patients that are often associated with stigmas, such as substance use, mental health issues, etc. Ultimately, this comprehensive history will allow health care practitioners to make better decisions on behalf of their patients.
  • 1.4K
  • 15 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Mental Load and Fatigue Assessment Instruments
Mental load and fatigue are important causes of performance decreases and accidents in different activities. Most of the existing instruments to analyze mental load and fatigue are subjective questionnaires and scales. 
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Feb 2022
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