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Topic Review
Circular RNAs in Periodontal Tissues
Periodontitis is a chronic complex inflammatory disease associated with a destructive host immune response to microbial dysbiosis, leading to irreversible loss of tooth-supporting tissues.
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Jun 2021
Topic Review
CFTR Biogenesis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common severe autosomal recessive genetic diseases in individuals of European descent.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 May 2021
Topic Review
Stable Isotope Fractionation in Diseases
The natural abundance of heavy stable isotopes (13C, 15N, 18O, etc.) is now of considerable importance in many research fields, including human physiology. In fact, it varies between tissues and metabolites due to isotope effects in biological processes, that is, isotope discriminations between heavy and light isotopic forms during enzyme or transporter activity.
  • 1.3K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Cardioncology
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a highly transmissible viral illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has been defined by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, considering its remarkable transmission speed worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 interacts with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and TMPRSS2, which is a serine protease both expressed in lungs, the gastro-intestinal tract, and cardiac myocytes. Patients with COVID-19 experienced adverse cardiac events (hypertension, venous thromboembolism, arrhythmia, myocardial injury, fulminant myocarditis), and patients with previous cardiovascular disease have a higher risk of death. Cancer patients are extremely vulnerable with a high risk of viral infection and more negative prognosis than healthy people, and the magnitude of effects depends on the type of cancer, recent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery and other concomitant comorbidities (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome). Patients with active cancer or those treated with cardiotoxic therapies may have heart damages exacerbated by SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-cancer patients.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Feb 2021
Topic Review
KRAS in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Microenvironment
The most frequent mutated oncogene family in the history of human cancer is the RAS gene family, including NRAS, HRAS, and, most importantly, KRAS. A hallmark of pancreatic cancer, recalcitrant cancer with a very low survival rate, is the prevalence of oncogenic mutations in the KRAS gene. Due to this fact, studying the function of KRAS and the impact of its mutations on the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a priority for understanding pancreatic cancer progression and designing novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of the dismal disease. Despite some recent enlightening studies, there is still a wide gap in our knowledge regarding the impact of KRAS mutations on different components of the pancreatic TME. In this review, we will present an updated summary of mutant KRAS role in the initiation, progression, and modulation of the TME of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). 
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles in ILDs
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are chronic irreversible pulmonary conditions with significant morbidity and mortality. Diagnostic approaches to ILDs are complex and multifactorial. Effective therapeutic interventions are continuously investigated and explored with substantial progress, thanks to advances in basic understanding and translational efforts. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer a new paradigm in diagnosis and treatment.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Jan 2021
Topic Review
MDS
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a heterogeneous group of clonal disorders caused by sequential accumulation of somatic driver mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). MDS is characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis with cytopenia, dysplasia, inflammation, and a variable risk of transformation into secondary acute myeloid leukemia.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Lumpy Skin Disease
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a notifiable disease with a serious impact on the beef industry as it causes mortality of up to 10% and has impacts on milk and meat production, as well as fertility.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
MAP-Kinases Interacting Kinases
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-interacting kinases (MNKs) are involved in oncogenic transformation and can promote metastasis and tumor progression, controlling the expression of specific proteins via eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) regulation, but also through other substrates. In hematological malignancies, which occupy the third place in the global cancer classification, MNK has been demonstrated to participate by regulating the transcription and expression of different proteins. Here is a short summary of the role of MNKs in hematological cancers based on studies conducted to elucidate the mechanism involved in their action, as well as the development of MNK inhibitors.
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue. The cause is a postsynaptic defect of neuromuscular transmission, which brings, in the majority of patients, to develop autoantibodies directed against the postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR).
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Oct 2020
Topic Review
TMEFF2
Transmembrane protein with an EGF-like and two follistatin-like domains 2 (TMEFF2) is a 374-residue long type-I transmembrane proteoglycan which is proteolytically shed from the cell surface. The protein is involved in a range of functions including metabolism, neuroprotection, apoptosis, embryonic development, onco-suppression and endocrine function. TMEFF2 is methylated in numerous cancers, and an inverse correlation with the stage, response to therapy and survival outcome has been observed. Moreover, TMEFF2 methylation increases with breast, colon and gastric cancer progression. TMEFF2 is methylated early during oncogenesis in breast and colorectal cancer, and the detection of methylated free-circulating TMEFF2 DNA has been suggested as a potential diagnostic tool. The TMEFF2 downregulation signature equals and sometimes outperforms the Gleason and pathological scores in prostate cancer. TMEFF2 is downregulated in glioma and cotricotropinomas, and it impairs the production of adrenocorticotropic hormone in glioma cells. Through binding the amyloid β protein, its precursor and derivatives, TMEFF2 provides neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s disease. Primary literature regarding TMEFF2 is incoherent and offers conflicting information, in particular, the oncogenic vs. onco-suppressive role of TMEFF2 in prostate cancer. 
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Post-Stroke Movement with Motion Capture and Musculoskeletal Modeling
Research of post-stroke locomotion via musculoskeletal (MSK) modeling has offered an unprecedented insight into pathological muscle function and its interplay with skeletal geometry and external stimuli. Advances in solving the dynamical system of post-stroke effort and the generic MSK models used have triggered noticeable improvements in simulating muscle activation dynamics of stroke populations.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Platelet-Rich Fibrin
Tendons are hypocellular and hypovascular tissues, and thus, their natural healing capacity is low. In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) to serve as a bioactive scaffold in promoting the healing of rabbit Achilles tendon injury. For in vitro study, the essence portion of PRF was determined through bioluminescent assay. Furthermore, we analyzed the time-sequential cytokines-release kinetics of PRF and evaluated their effects on tenocytes proliferation and tenogenic gene expressions. In animal study, the rabbit Achilles tendon defect was left untreated or implanted with normal/heat-denatured PRF scaffolds. Six weeks postoperatively, the specimens were evaluated through sonographic imaging and histological analysis. The results revealed significantly more activated platelets on bottom half of the PRF scaffold. Cytokine concentrations released from PRF could be detected from the first hour to six days. For the in vitro study, PRF enhanced cell viability and collagen I, collagen III, tenomodulin, and tenascin gene expression compared to the standard culture medium. For in vivo study, sonographic images revealed significantly better tendon healing in the PRF group in terms of tissue echogenicity and homogeneity. The histological analysis showed that the healing tissues in the PRF group had more organized collagen fiber, less vascularity, and minimal cartilage formation. In conclusion, bioactive PRF promotes in vitro tenocytes viability and tenogenic phenotypic differentiation. Administration of a PRF scaffold at the tendon defect promotes tissue healing as evidenced by imaging and histological outcomes.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Ion Channels and Synaptic Machineries
       Abnormalities of ion channels and synaptic machineries can cause a variety of neurological diseases. Mutations in genes coding for ion channels cause paroxysmal neurological diseases, such as epilepsy and episodic ataxia. Autoantibodies can also target ion channels and related proteins as well as synaptic machinery proteins to cause limbic encephalitis and immune-mediated cerebellar ataxias. In this brief review, we outline the physiological and molecular features of ion channels and receptors, and summarize the clinical profiles of certain channelopathies and synaptopathies. Following this background, we address two pathophysiological issues; 1) How do ion channel or synapse abnormalities lead to clinical neurological features?, and 2) Why are ion channel and synapse abnormalities limited to a specific brain area? We provide some clues to these fundamental questions.
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Jul 2020
Topic Review
MiRNA in Rhabdomyosarcoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and adolescence, is a rare but aggressive malignancy that originates from immature mesenchymal cells committed to skeletal muscle differentiation. Although RMS is, generally, responsive to the modern multimodal therapeutic approaches, the prognosis of RMS depends on multiple variables and for some patients the outcome remains dismal. Further comprehension of the molecular and cellular biology of RMS would lead to identification of novel therapeutic targets. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs proved to function as key regulators of skeletal muscle cell fate determination and to play important roles in RMS pathogenesis. The purpose of this review is to better delineate the role of miRNAs as a biomarkers or functional leaders in RMS development, so to possibly elucidate some of RMS molecular mechanisms and potentially therapeutically target them to improve clinical management of pediatric RMS.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Nanomedicine for Ischemic Stroke
Stroke is a severe brain disease leading to disability and death. Ischemic stroke dominates in stroke cases, and there are no effective therapies in clinic, partly due to the challenges in delivering therapeutics to ischemic sites in the brain. This review is focused on the current knowledge of pathogenesis in ischemic stroke, and its potential therapies and diagnostics. Furthermore, we present recent advances in developments of nanoparticle-based therapeutics for improved treatment of ischemic stroke using polymeric NPs, liposomes and cell-derived nanovesicles. We also address several critical questions in ischemic stroke, such as understanding how nanoparticles cross the blood brain barrier and developing in vivo imaging technologies to address this critical question. Finally, we discuss new opportunities in developing novel therapeutics by targeting activated brain endothelium and inflammatory neutrophils to improve the current therapies for ischemic stroke.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
PPARs and the Hallmarks of Cancer
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) function as nuclear transcription factors upon the binding of physiological or pharmacological ligands and heterodimerization with retinoic X receptors. Physiological ligands include fatty acids and fatty-acid-derived compounds with low specificity for the different PPAR subtypes (alpha, beta/delta, and gamma). For each of the PPAR subtypes, specific pharmacological agonists and antagonists, as well as pan-agonists, are available. In agreement with their natural ligands, PPARs are mainly focused on as targets for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and its associated complications. Nevertheless, many publications are available that implicate PPARs in malignancies. In several instances, they are controversial for very similar models.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease inherited by an autosomal recessive mechanism and characterized by a progressive and severe multi-organ failure. Mutations in Cystic Fibrosis Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein cause duct obstructions from dense mucus secretions and chronic inflammation related to organ damage. The progression of the disease is characterized by a decline of lung function associated with metabolic disorders and malnutrition, musculoskeletal disorders and thoracic deformities, leading to a progressive decrement of the individual’s quality of life. 
  • 1.2K
  • 01 May 2021
Topic Review
Oxidized Albumin
Albumin is a major plasma protein, capable of partially crossing the glomerular filtration barrier, and reabsorbed mainly by the proximal tubule through different mechanisms. Among the different post-translational modifications that albumin can undergo, oxidation, cysteinylation, glycation, S-nitrilation, and S-guanylation appear as the most common. In particular, the oxidized form of albumin has been associated with obesity, being a risk factor in patients with chronic kidney disease, however, this relation remains to be clarify.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Cysteine Cathepsins
Cysteine cathepsins are lysosomal enzymes belonging to the papain family. Their expression is misregulated in a wide variety of tumors, and ample data prove their involvement in cancer progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, and in the occurrence of drug resistance.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Feb 2021
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