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Topic Review
Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas
Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is one of a few lymphomas that primarily arise in “immune sanctuary/immune-privileged” sites. It is a rare form of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily arises in the brain, spinal cord, leptomeninges, and vitreoretinal compartment of the eye and shows no significant systemic involvement. 
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Biomarkers of Coronary Artery Plaques
Causing more than 1.8 million deaths a year worldwide, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) represents a major global health burden. It has so far been well-established that most of the plaques leading to ACS are not a result of gradual narrowing of the vessel lumen, but rather a result of sudden disruption of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. Apart from various imaging modalities, multiple biomarkers were proposed to identify the presence of vulnerable plaques or plaques at different stages of remodeling. A logic behind measurement of biomarkers in blood that reflect the presence of vulnerable plaque is dual. Certain molecules could arise as a consequence of leakage from unstable plaques, whereas others could merely indicate that a patient is susceptible to the development of a vulnerable plaque as those molecules are implicated in plaque destabilization.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Immunotherapy for T-ALL
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), a T-cell neoplasia that mainly affects children, is still a medical challenge, especially for refractory patients for whom therapeutic options are scarce. Recent advances in targeted immunotherapies for other hematopoietic neoplasias have engendered unprecedented expectations for the successful treatment of T-ALL patients, with the challenge still pending on establishing protocols for clinical management of associated side effects. This review provides a comprehensive update on the different immunotherapeutic strategies that are being currently applied to T-ALL. We highlight recent progress on the identification of new therapeutic targets showing promising preclinical results, and discuss current challenges and opportunities for developing novel safe and efficacious immunotherapies for T-ALL. Collectively, we conclude that current progress on: 1) the application of universal off-the-shelf CAR T cells that prevent fratricide; 2) the incorporation of suicide genes allowing for CAR T-cell elimination after tumor eradication and T-cell immunodeficiency reversion; and 3) the discovery of increasingly specific molecular targets proved critical for disease progression in preclinical models, has tilted the balance between risks and benefits towards the use of immunotherapy for relapse/refractory T-ALL. Still, avoidance of associated adverse effects demands further efforts for the identification of new unique T-ALL antigens absent on normal T cells that guarantee the safe and effective application of these strategies.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Salivary Biomarkers)
Saliva as a biological fluid has a remarkable potential in the non-invasive diagnostics of several systemic disorders. Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Protein-Bound Uremic Toxins (PBUTs) and Cellular Transporters
Uremic toxins are a heterogeneous group of molecules that accumulate in the body due to the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), being only partially eliminated by dialysis therapies. Several uremic toxins bind to albumin and also enter cells via membrane transporters, triggering pathophysiological processes.
  • 1.2K
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Becker Muscular Dystrophy
Becker muscular dystrophy is a mild X-linked form of dystrophinopathy, with frequent cardiomyopathy.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Transcription Factor AP4
AP4 is encoded by a Myc target gene and mediates cell fate decisions by regulating multiple processes, such as cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, apoptosis, and cellular senescence.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Mar 2021
Topic Review
miRNA-Based Therapeutics in DM
Myotonic dystrophy involves two types of chronically debilitating rare neuromuscular diseases: type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2). It is well documented that key clinical symptoms in DM are associated with a strong mis-regulation of RNA metabolism observed in patient's cells. This mis-regulation is triggered by two leading DM-linked events: the sequestration of Muscleblind-like proteins (MBNL) and the mis-regulation of the CUGBP RNA-Binding Protein Elav-Like Family Member 1 (CELF1) that cause significant alterations to their important functions in RNA processing. Recently, it has been identified that specific microRNA (miRNA) molecules display roles in endogenous modulation of the expression of MBNL and CELF1 proteins pointing to them as useful targets for the development of innovating therapeutic disease approaches by restoring normal MBNL or CELF1 function. Additional miRNAs have also been identified with potential use as therapeutic tools, through miRNA-based and miRNA-targeting drug development strategies, or as promising biomarker targets in DM.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
The Gamma-Tubulin Meshwork
γTubulin is part of a family of GTPases called the tubulins. Due to the self-polymerizing ability of γ-tubulin, in combination with its presence in all cellular compartments, γtubulin can be organized in γ-strings, and γ-tubules, and the γ-strings associated with the centrosome. These components are interlinked to form a cellular meshwork in both the cytosol (including all cellular organelles) and the nuclear compartment.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Ataxia-Telangiectasia and Bone Marrow Transplantation
Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by a progressive cerebellar neurodegeneration, immunodeficiency, infertility, and cancer predisposition, with high incidence of leukemia and lymphoma.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Hypercholesterolemia
Hypercholesterolemia is a widespread hereditary metabolic disease caused by elevated serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), leading to premature coronary artery disease. Hypercholesterolemia is one of the leading causes of CVD, and when treated appropriately, it can reduce the risk of CVD-related morbidity and death.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Tau Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease and Down Syndrome
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit an almost complete penetrance of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology but are underrepresented in clinical trials for AD. The Tau protein is associated with microtubule function in the neuron and is crucial for normal axonal transport. In several different neurodegenerative disorders, Tau misfolding leads to hyper-phosphorylation of Tau (p-Tau), which may seed pathology to bystander cells and spread.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Osteoimmunological Disorders and Breast Cancer
The term "osteoimmunology" was first used in 2000 by Choi et al. to define a new paradigm describing the crosstalk between the immune system and osteoclastogenesis. The multiplicity of osteoimmunological disorders is due to the variety of stimuli responsible for the immune system activation.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of both type 1 and 2 diabetes. As a result, neuropathic pain, diabetic foot ulcers and lower-limb amputations impact drastically on quality of life, contributing to the individual, societal, financial and healthcare burden of diabetes.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Ca2+ Signaling and Bioenergetics in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a hereditary and sporadic neurodegenerative illness defined by the gradual and cumulative loss of neurons in specific brain areas. The processes that cause AD are still under investigation and there are no available therapies to halt it. Progress puts at the forefront the “calcium (Ca2+) hypothesis” as a key AD pathogenic pathway, impacting neuronal, astrocyte and microglial function. An increasing body of evidence points out the early and crucial role of cellular Ca2+ handling dysregulation in AD pathogenesis. Interestingly, Ca2+ is a key regulator of several mitochondrial functions, such as ATP production, and brain cells rely mostly on OXPHOS to match their energy demands.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles in Melanoma
Malignant melanoma, one of the most aggressive human malignancies, is responsible for 80% of skin cancer deaths. Whilst early detection of disease progression or metastasis can improve patient survival, this remains a challenge due to the lack of reliable biomarkers. Importantly, these clinical challenges are not unique to humans, as melanoma affects many other species, including companion animals, such as the dog and horse. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny nanoparticles involved in cell-to-cell communication. As such, they may be valuable biomarkers in cancer and may address some clinical challenges in the management melanoma. 
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Micro RNA in Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a major concern worldwide and can be attributed to an imbalance between osteoblastic bone formation and osteoclastic bone resorption due to the natural aging process. Heritable factors account for 60–80% of optimal bone mineralization; however, the finer details of pathogenesis remain to be elucidated. Micro RNA (miRNA) and long-non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are two targets that have recently come into the spotlight due to their ability to control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and provide epigenetic modification. miRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs that are approximately 18–25 nucleotides long. It is thought that up to 60% of human protein-coding genes may be regulated by miRNAs. They have been found to regulate gene expression that controls osteoblast-dependent bone formation and osteoclast-related bone remodeling. lncRNAs are highly structured RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that do not translate into proteins. They have very complex secondary and tertiary structures and the same degradation processes as messenger RNAs. The fact that they have a rapid turnover is due to their sponge function in binding the miRNAs that lead to a degradation of the lncRNA itself. They can act as signaling, decoy, and framework molecules, or as primers. Current evidence suggests that lncRNAs can act as chromatin and transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional regulators. With regards to osteoporosis, lncRNA is thought to be involved in the proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory response of the bone. This review, which is based on a systematic appraisal of the current literature, provides current molecular and genetic opinions on the roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in osteoporosis. Further research into the epigenetic modification and the regulatory roles of these molecules will bring us closer to potential disease-modifying treatment for osteoporosis.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Vitamin E in Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases
Vitamin E is one of the most popular fat-soluble vitamins in pathological research and has been under scrutiny since the 1980s as a vital dietary component of food. The antioxidant effect of vitamin E has been widely studied due to its benefits in the prevention of various cardiovascular diseases. The earliest research on vitamin E established its roles as a fat-soluble antioxidant due to lowered rates of atherosclerosis and an overall reduction in cardiovascular mortality observed in randomized-controlled trials. While these studies could not pinpoint the exact reasons behind vitamin E’s effect, it has been well-established in the past to be an effective radical scavenger to prevent LDL oxidation and foam cell formation, and subsequently prevents the formation of atherosclerotic lesions, inhibits plaque build-up and stenosis, and lowers hypertension—which are all major risk factors of poor vascular health. 
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota Alterations in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease characterized by immune cell infiltration in the central nervous system and destruction of myelin sheaths. Alterations of gut bacteria abundances are present in MS patients. In mouse models of neuroinflammation, depletion of microbiota results in amelioration of symptoms, and gavage with MS patient microbiota exacerbates the disease and inflammation via Th17 cells. 
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Baggio–Yoshinari Syndrome
Baggio–Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS) is an emerging Brazilian tick-borne infectious disease that clinically mimics Lyme Disease (LD) present in the Northern Hemisphere. LD is caused by spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex and transmitted by Ixodid ticks of complex Ixodes rticinus. On the contrary, BYS is transmitted by hard Ixodid ticks of the genera Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor. In 1992, the first cases of BYS were described in patients that developed EM rash, flu-like symptoms and arthritis after tick bite episodes. Since these findings, research in BYS has been developing for more than 30 years and shows that its epidemiological, clinical and laboratorial features are different from LD. Borrelia burgdorferi was never isolated in Brazil. In addition, specific serologic tests have shown little positivity. Furthermore, peripheral blood analysis of patients using electron microscopy exhibited structures resembling spirochete-like microorganisms or the latent forms of spirochetes (L form or cell wall deficient bacteria).
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Sep 2022
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