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Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Syndemic: A Synergistic Anthropological Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic
This review describes the relationship between the coronavirus-related pandemic and health inequities. The latter are linked to pre-existing social and economic discriminations in terms of access to healthcare for people affected by chronic diseases. We believe that we are living in a “syndemic pandemic”. The term “syndemic” was originally developed by the medical anthropologist Merrill Singer in the 1990s in order to recognize the correlation between HIV/AIDS, illicit drug use, and violence in the United States. This complex interplay exacerbated the burden of the disease and the prognosis of the patient. Similarly, in COVID-19 infection, socio-economic, ethnic, and racial inequities result in higher morbidity and mortality in certain sections of society. Unfortunately, such differences are becoming too common during the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of the incidence and prevalence of the disease, as well as inequal access to new medical advances and life-saving therapeutics for those with COVID-19, such as vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatment. Lockdown measures, imposed internationally as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are causing economic inequities, which complicate the issue even further. An appropriate syndemic anthropological approach is necessary to ensure that this pandemic does not increase health inequities in access to appropriate treatments.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Apr 2023
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
Formulation of Nanocarrier-based Viral Vaccines
Vaccination, employing peptides, nucleic acids, and other molecules, or using pathogen-based strategies, in fact, is one of the most potent approaches in the management of viral diseases. However, the vaccine candidate requires protection from degradation and precise delivery to the target cells. This can be achieved by employing different types of drug and vaccine delivery strategies, among which, nanotechnology-based systems seem to be more promising. 
  • 1.2K
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Thrombospondin-1 CD47 Signalling
Recent advances provide evidence that the cellular signalling pathway comprising the ligand-receptor duo of thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) and CD47 is involved in mediating a range of diseases affecting renal, vascular, and metabolic function, as well as cancer. In several instances, research has barely progressed past pre-clinical animal models of disease and early phase 1 clinical trials, while for cancers, anti-CD47 therapy has emerged from phase 2 clinical trials in humans as a crucial adjuvant therapeutic agent. This has important implications for interventions that seek to capitalize on targeting this pathway in diseases where TSP1 and/or CD47 play a role. Despite substantial progress made in our understanding of this pathway in malignant and cardiovascular disease, knowledge and translational gaps remain regarding the role of this pathway in kidney and metabolic diseases, limiting identification of putative drug targets and development of effective treatments. This review considers recent advances reported in the field of TSP1-CD47 signalling, focusing on several aspects including enzymatic production, receptor function, interacting partners, localization of signalling, matrix-cellular and cell-to-cell cross talk. The potential impact that these newly described mechanisms have on health, with a particular focus on renal and metabolic disease, is also discussed.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
CXCL1 in Noncancerous Diseases of Bone and Muscle
CXCL1 is a chemokine crucial in inflammation as a chemoattractant for neutrophils in physiology and in selected major non-cancer diseases. 
  • 1.2K
  • 31 May 2022
Biography
Jean Cruveilhier
J. Cruveilhier was born on 9 February 1791 in Limoges, France [1]. For two centuries, the members of the Cruveilhier family were born and buried in Limoges. His grandfather Joseph (1726–1762) was a master surgeon and his father Léonard (1760–1836) was an important military surgeon, an attending surgeon at l’Hôpital Saint-Alexis in Limoges, and also a revolutionary Jacobin fanatic [2]. Hi
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Jul 2023
Topic Review
The Role of Tachykinins in Human Disease
Since the identification of substance P in 1931, a number of short, highly conserved, bioactive peptides, called tachykinins, have been isolated and investigated, constituting at present one of the largest families of neuropeptides. In humans, tachykinins are expressed throughout the nervous and immune system, with an important role in the regulation of a wide range of physiological processes that include inflammation, nociception, smooth muscle contractility, epithelial secretion and cell proliferation in the nervous, immune, gastrointestinal, respiratory, urogenital and dermal systems.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 May 2022
Topic Review
Biological Synthesis of Nanoparticles from Microalgae
Microalgae have been a source of useful compounds mainly used as food and dietary supplements. They have been used as a source of metabolites that can participate in the synthesis of several nanoparticles through inexpensive and environmentally friendly routes alternative to chemical synthesis.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Jun 2023
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. 
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cell Penetrating Peptides for Gene Therapy
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), also known as protein transduction domains (PTDs), first identified ~25 years ago, are small, 6–30 amino acid long, synthetic, or naturally occurring peptides, able to carry variety of cargoes across the cellular membranes in an intact, functional form. Since their initial description and characterization, the field of cell penetrating peptides as vectors has exploded. The cargoes they can deliver range from other small peptides, full-length proteins, nucleic acids including RNA and DNA, liposomes, nanoparticles, and viral particles as well as radioisotopes and other fluorescent probes for imaging purposes.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Ocular Manifestations with COVID-19 Vaccine
Ocular manifestations after receiving COVID-19 vaccines may appear on the eyelid, cornea and ocular surface, retina, uvea, nerve, and vessel. The ocular manifestations occurred up to forty-two days after vaccination, and vaccine-induced immunologic responses may be responsible.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Dec 2021
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.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Jul 2022
Topic Review
MicroRNAs in Human Adipose Tissue Physiology
In recent years, there has been a large amount of evidence on the role of microRNA (miRNA) in regulating adipose tissue physiology. Indeed, miRNAs control critical steps in adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and browning, as well as lipolysis, lipogenesis and adipokine secretion. Overnutrition leads to a significant change in the adipocyte miRNOME, resulting in adipose tissue dysfunction. Moreover, via secreted mediators, dysfunctional adipocytes may impair the function of other organs and tissues contributing to the development of obesity related compications.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 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. 
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Mar 2022
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.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Bacteriocins and Bacteriophages
Bacteriocins are bactericidal peptides, ribosomally synthesized, with an inhibitory activity against diverse groups of undesirable microorganisms. Bacteriophages are viruses that are able to infect bacterial cells and force them to produce viral components, using a lytic or lysogenic cycle. They constitute a large community in the human gut called the phageome, the most abundant part of the gut virome. 
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
This entry outlines recent preclinical and clinical advances in molecular imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with a focus on molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, developments in pharmacologic treatment of AAA targeting the ECM are reviewed and results from animal studies are contrasted with clinical trials. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an often fatal disease without non-invasive pharmacologic treatment options. The ECM, with collagen type I and elastin as major components, is the key structural component of the aortic wall and is recognized as a target tissue for both initiation and the progression of AAA. Molecular imaging allows in vivo measurement and characterization of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level and sets forth to visualize molecular abnormalities at an early stage of disease, facilitating novel diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. By providing surrogate criteria for the in vivo evaluation of the effects of pharmacological therapies, molecular imaging techniques targeting the ECM may facilitate the development of pharmacological drugs. In addition, molecular targets can also be used within theranostic approaches that have the potential for timely diagnosis and simultaneous medical therapy. Recent successes in preclinical studies suggest future opportunities for clinical translation. However, further clinical studies are needed to validate the most promising molecular targets for human application.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Tumor Cell Signaling Pathways
Increasing the understanding of carcinogenesis has allowed the delineation of crucial signaling pathways, which have shown essential roles in the regulation of stem cell functions
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in COVID-19
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a technology used by countless laboratories across the world for investigating the genetic makeup of all forms of living beings, but its utilization in infectious disease diagnostics is relatively scarce at the present moment. Information gleaned from NGS, whereby the pathogen’s genome sequence is determined, yields a much greater trove of knowledge than the data produced by standard testing procedures, including information for the development of therapeutics and vaccines, the monitoring of changes in the virus as it circulates through the population, and deeper insights into patterns of transmission across time and geography.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Feb 2022
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