You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
The Role of L-Carnitine in Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is associated with a wide variety of metabolic abnormalities that accompany the uremic state and the state of dialysis dependence. These include altered L-carnitine homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunctions, and abnormalities in fatty acid metabolism. L-carnitine is essential for fatty acid metabolism and proper mitochondrial function.  L-carnitine deficiency is also seen in acute kidney injury (AKI) resulting from trauma and/or ischemia, drugs such as cisplatin, and from infections such as covid.
  • 1.9K
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Urine Biomarkers of Lupus Nephritis
The kidney is one of the main organs affected by the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus nephritis (LN) concerns 30–60% of adult SLE patients and it is significantly associated with an increase in the morbidity and mortality. The definitive diagnosis of LN can only be achieved by histological analysis of renal biopsies, but the invasiveness of this technique is an obstacle for early diagnosis of renal involvement and a proper follow-up of LN patients under treatment. The use of urine for the discovery of non-invasive biomarkers for renal disease in SLE patients is an attractive alternative to repeated renal biopsies, as several studies have described surrogate urinary cells or analytes reflecting the inflammatory state of the kidney, and/or the severity of the disease.
  • 1.8K
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin C and Kidney Injury
Vitamin C is an important micronutrient and antioxidant for the human body.  In animal experiments, it can protect the kidneys from injury caused by nephrotoxic drugs.  A major feature of COVID-19 and similar viral infection is the cytokine storm, which causes a rise of multiple cytokines in the blood. Those cytokines result in the oxidative stress in cells, which leads to damage to organs and tissues, including the kidneys.  Here, we reviewed the current literature on kidney damage in COVID-19 patients and analyzed the possible etiology and mechanisms.  In addition, we summarized the potential use of vitamin C in preventing kidney damage in experimental animal models and the underlying mechanisms.  Vitamin C appears to protect and facilitate recovery of kidneys from injuries derived from excessive of oxidative stress, a feature of cytokines storm in people with COVID-19.  Finally, we would like to argue that vitamin C may be protective of the renal functions in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing kidney diseases. 
  • 1.8K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Postbiotics and Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is projected to become the fifth global cause of death by 2040 as a result of key shortcomings in the current methods available to diagnose and treat kidney diseases. In this regard, the novel holobiont concept, used to describe an individual host and its microbial community, may pave the way towards a better understanding of kidney disease pathogenesis and progression. Microbiota-modulating or -derived interventions include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and postbiotics.
  • 1.8K
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the leading nosocomial infections in the world and have led to the extensive study of various strategies to prevent infection. However, despite an abundance of anti-infection materials having been studied over the last forty-five years, only a few types have come into clinical use, providing an insignificant reduction in CAUTIs. Marine resources have emerged as an unexplored area of opportunity offering huge potential in discovering novel bioactive materials to combat human diseases. To date, some marine microbial-derived materials have exhibited potent antimicrobial, antiadhesive and antibiofilm activity against a broad spectrum of uropathogens (including multidrug-resistant pathogens) that could be potentially used in urinary catheters to eradicate CAUTIs.
  • 1.8K
  • 14 May 2021
Topic Review
RNA-Binding Proteins in Bladder Cancer
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key regulators of transcription and translation, with highly dynamic spatio-temporal regulation. They are usually involved in the regulation of RNA splicing, polyadenylation, and mRNA stability and mediate processes such as mRNA localization and translation, thereby affecting the RNA life cycle and causing the production of abnormal protein phenotypes that lead to tumorigenesis and development. Accumulating evidence supports that RBPs play critical roles in vital life processes, such as bladder cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance.
  • 1.7K
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is characterized by a high rate of cure, but also by a non-negligible probability of recurrence and risk progression to muscle-invasive disease. NMIBC management requires a proper local resection and staging, followed by a risk-based treatment with intravesical agents. For many years, the current gold standard treatment for patients with intermediate or high-risk disease is transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) followed by intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) instillations. Unfortunately, in about half of high-risk patients, intravesical BCG treatment fails and NMIBC persists or recurs early. While radical cystectomy remains the gold standard for these patients, new therapeutic targets are being individuated and studied. Radical cystectomy in fact can provide an excellent long-term disease control, but can deeply interfere with quality of life. In particular, the enhanced immune checkpoints expression shown in BCG-unresponsive patients and the activity of immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICIs) in advanced bladder cancer provided the rationale for testing ICIs in NMIBC. Recently, pembrolizumab has shown promising activity in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC patients, obtaining FDA approval. Meanwhile multiple novel drugs with alternative mechanisms of action have proven to be safe and effective in NMIBC treatment and others are under investigation.
  • 1.7K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury
Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a complex challenge with diverse underlying pathological mechanisms and etiologies. The clinical applications of AKI biomarkers are becoming extensive and serving as relevant tools in distinguishing acute tubular necrosis from other acute renal conditions. Also, these biomarkers can offer significant insights into the risk of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in the context of kidney transplantation.
  • 1.7K
  • 15 Apr 2024
Topic Review
Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease
Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is a rare disorder and one of the most severe forms of polycystic kidney disease, leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in childhood. PKHD1 is the gene that is responsible for the vast majority of ARPKD. However, some cases have been related to a new gene that was recently identified (DZIP1L gene), as well as several ciliary genes that can mimic a ARPKD-like phenotypic spectrum. In addition, a number of molecular pathways involved in the ARPKD pathogenesis and progression were elucidated using cellular and animal models. However, the function of the ARPKD proteins and the molecular mechanism of the disease currently remain incompletely understood. 
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Stromal Proliferation in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a chronic proliferative disease showing stromal-dominant proliferation.  Inflammation in BPH tissues by various factors finally leads to tissue remodeling and stromal proliferation through the wound healing process of the prostate. The stromal proliferation of BPH develops by two pathways, including androgen-dependent and androgen-independent pathways.
  • 1.6K
  • 04 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Acid–Base Homeostasis and Renal Calcium–Phosphate Handling
Both calcium and phosphate metabolism are involved in acid–base homeostasis at several physiological intersections. Phosphate plays a key role in defense against metabolic acidosis, both as an intracellular and extracellular buffer, as well as in the renal excretion of excess H+ in the form of urinary titratable acid through this buffering reaction (Na2HPO4 ⇌ HPO42−+ 2Na and HPO42− + H+ ⇌ H2PO4−). The skeleton acts as an extracellular buffer in states of metabolic acidosis, as the acid-induced dissolution of bone hydroxyapatite releases Ca2+ and phosphate into the extracellular fluid (ECF).
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Beneficial Effects of Capsaicin in Kidney Diseases
Capsaicin, the organic compound which attributes the spicy flavor and taste of red peppers and chili peppers, has been extensively studied for centuries as a potential natural remedy for the treatment of several illnesses. The identification of novel, effective renoprotective agents for improving the treatment of renal diseases remains a largely unmet need. Nowadays, promising evidence has been accumulated demonstrating different experimental benefits of capsaicin in some of the most important and complicated renal diseases, such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Additionally, capsaicin may also play a protective role against renal fibrosis and pathological arterial calcifications, two hallmarks of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD), and could partly antagonize the detrimental effects of nephrovascular and salt-sensitive hypertension.
  • 1.6K
  • 23 Jan 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
The Applications of Microphysiological Systems in Biomedicine: Impact on Urologic and Orthopaedic Research
Microphysiological systems (MPSs) are in vitro models that can incorporate dynamic stimuli such as flow, pressure and contraction in cell culture, enabling the formation of cellular architectures and retrieving physiological function often absent in conventional 2D-cell culture. MPS applications saw a substantial growth in recent years, drawing attention from industry as a strategy to optimize pre-clinical drug-development purposes, as well as from biomedical research, to fill a gap between in vivo and in vitro models. Several MPS platforms are now available and are employed in the development of bone and kidney complex systems for urologic and orthopaedic research. These advances have enabled, for example, the in vitro modelling of bone regeneration and renal drug secretion, and have dramatic potential to improve research into both orthopaedic and urology cancers. 
  • 1.6K
  • 16 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Small Molecule Natural Products Targeting Nrf2-HO-1 Signaling
The global burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) intertwined with cardiovascular disease has become a major health problem. Oxidative stress (OS) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of CKD. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant responsive element (ARE) antioxidant system plays a critical role in kidney protection by regulating antioxidants during OS. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), one of the targets of Nrf2-ARE, plays an important role in regulating OS and is protective in a variety of human and animal models of kidney disease. Thus, activation of Nrf2-HO-1 signaling may offer a potential approach to the design of novel therapeutic agents for kidney diseases.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Role of Copper in Diabetic Kidney Disease
Copper is a fundamental element for the homeostasis of the body. It is the third most abundant essential transition metal in humans. Changes in the concentration of copper in the blood are responsible for numerous diseases affecting various organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys, and liver. One of the most interesting aspects of copper balance is its influence on diabetes and the progression of its complications, such as diabetic kidney disease (DKD).
  • 1.5K
  • 28 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Calcium and Glutathione
Extracellular glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) can modulate the function of the extracellular calcium sensing receptor (CaSR). The CaSR has a binding pocket in the extracellular domain of CaSR large enough to bind either GSH or GSSG, as well as the derivatives L-cysteine glutathione disulfide (CySSG) and the compound cysteinyl glutathione (CysGSH). CySSG occurs naturally in the circulation and may be the preferred ligand for modulation of CaSR.
  • 1.5K
  • 21 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Inflammatory Agents in Prostate Cancer
Chronic inflammation is a major cause of human cancers. The environmental factors, such as microbiome, dietary components, and obesity, provoke chronic inflammation in the prostate, which promotes cancer development and progression. Crosstalk between immune cells and cancer cells enhances the secretion of intercellular signaling molecules, such as cytokines and chemokines, thereby orchestrating the generation of inflammatory microenvironment. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play pivotal roles in inflammation-associated cancer by inhibiting effective anti-tumor immunity. Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin, metformin, and statins, have potential application in chemoprevention of prostate cancer. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory immunity-targeted therapies may provide novel strategies to treat patients with cancer. Thus, anti-inflammatory agents are expected to suppress the “vicious cycle” created by immune and cancer cells and inhibit cancer progression. This review has explored the immune cells that facilitate prostate cancer development and progression, with particular focus on the application of anti-inflammatory agents for both chemoprevention and therapeutic approach in prostate cancer.
  • 1.5K
  • 01 May 2021
Topic Review
Hyperuricemia and the Kidneys
Uric acid is the end-product of purine metabolism in humans and apes, unlike other mammals which have uricase. This genetic evolution has led humans to exhibit plasma uric acid levels that are 3–10 times higher than those of other mammals. The association of hyperuricemia with increased cardiovascular risk may partly be explained by the activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). When mild hyperuricemia was induced in rats by providing oxonic acid in the diet, blood pressure was elevated, and juxtaglomerular renin expression increased. Plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration were also elevated in rats with hyperuricemia, but these associations were unclear in adults with essential hypertension. Intrarenal RAS activity may be affected by hyperuricemia in humans.
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Chronic Kidney Disease in the Aging Population
The process of aging population will inevitably increase age-related comorbidities including chronic kidney disease (CKD). In light of this demographic transition, the lack of an age-adjusted CKD classification may enormously increase the number of new diagnoses of CKD in old subjects with an indolent decline in kidney function.
  • 1.5K
  • 11 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Incidence of Post-Vasectomy Pain
Vasectomy is a form of permanent male contraception that blocks the transport of sperm out of the testis. Chronic post-vasectomy pain is a recognized complication but current literature shows lack of consensus regarding its frequency. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature indicate that the incidence of post-vasectomy pain is higher than previously reported estimates. Following traditional scalpel vasectomy, the incidence of post-vasectomy pain is more than three-fold higher than after non-scalpel vasectomy. Therefore, less invasive non-scalpel vasectomy should be considered as the preferred procedural method compared to the incisional scalpel approach.
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Jan 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 14
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Academic Video Service
Feedback