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Topic Review
DIetary Magnesium: Human-Animal Nutrition
Magnesium (Mg) is a mineral acting as cofactor of more than 300 enzymes. Mg in farm animals’ is recommended to avoid Mg deficiency, ensure adequate growth and health maintenance. Further, Mg supplementation above the estimated minimum requirements is the best practice to improve farm animals’ performances (fertility and yield) and food products’ quality. In human nutrition, sub-optimal Mg intake has several implications in bone development, muscle function and health maintenance.
  • 1.6K
  • 25 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Taekwondo Training and Obesity
Taekwondo training is an effective exercise that can prevent or positively improve obesity. In addition, Taekwondo has value as a lifestyle sport that can contribute to the promotion of human health, not just bounded in the field of martial arts and sports.
  • 1.6K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Veterinarians as Animal Welfare Experts
Veterinarians are animal health experts, and they have been conferred a leading role as experts in animal welfare. This expectation of veterinarians as welfare experts appears to stem from their training in veterinary medicine as well as professional contributions to welfare-relevant policy and law. Veterinarians are ideally situated to act as animal welfare experts by virtue of their core work with animals and potential influence over owners, their roles in policy development, compliance, and monitoring, and as educators of future veterinarians.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
TRPV1
Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration ([Ca2+]i) is a key determinant of cell fate and is implicated in carcinogenesis. Membrane ion channels are structures through which ions enter or exit the cell, depending on the driving forces. The opening of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) ligand-gated ion channels facilitates transmembrane Ca2+ and Na+ entry, which modifies the delicate balance between apoptotic and proliferative signaling pathways. Proliferation is upregulated through two mechanisms: (1) ATP binding to the G-protein-coupled receptor P2Y2, commencing a kinase signaling cascade that activates the serine-threonine kinase Akt, and (2) the transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), leading to a series of protein signals that activate the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2. The TRPV1-apoptosis pathway involves Ca2+ influx and efflux between the cytosol, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the release of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cytochrome c from the mitochondria, caspase activation, and DNA fragmentation and condensation. While proliferative mechanisms are typically upregulated in cancerous tissues, shifting the balance to favor apoptosis could support anti-cancer therapies. TRPV1, through [Ca2+]i signaling, influences cancer cell fate; therefore, the modulation of the TRPV1-enforced proliferation–apoptosis balance is a promising avenue in developing anti-cancer therapies and overcoming cancer drug resistance. 
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Milk Exosomes
Milk contains various extracellular vesicles and non-vesicular structures: exosomes (with diameter 40-100 nm), vesicles of other size, fat globules (with diameter 4-6 mkm, containing milk fat globule membranes), and their aggregates. Due to the biocompatibility of milk exosomes, these vesicles have a wide potential as vehicles for oral delivery of therapeutically relevant molecules (drugs and therapeutic nucleic acids).
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Von Willebrand Factor
The von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a plasma protein that mediates platelet adhesion and leukocyte recruitment to vascular injury sites and carries coagulation factor VIII, a building block of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. A steep rise in shear rates, which may occur at sites of arterial stenosis and injury, is crucial for unfolding and activation of vWF. The hemostatic activity of vWF is counterbalanced by ADAMTS-13, a vWF-cleaving protease. The presence of ultra-large multimers of vWF in the bloodstream is associated with spontaneous thrombosis, whereas its deficiency leads to bleeding.
  • 1.5K
  • 12 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Updated Understanding of Cancer
       Cancer is a tumorigenesis process that forms a mass of cells that we call a tumor. During tumorigenesis, the cells that compose the tumor can be benign or malignant. When the cells in the tumor are normal but old, the tumor is termed benign. When the cells in the tumor are abnormal and can grow uncontrollably, the tumor is malignant. Sometimes a benign tumor can transform into a malign one if the normal old cells begin to develop abnormalities, such as DNA mutations, and grow rapidly. - by Cristian Muresanu
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
T2DM and the Gut Microbiota
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) affects over 9% of the United States population alone, constitutes a cause for ensuing cardiovascular disease, and is typically closely linked to obesity status. While obesity has long been perceived to stem from a sedentary lifestyle and high fat intake there is increasing evidence supporting the idea that this is a more complex issue than initially thought. The human gut microbiome has been a recent point of investigation due to the idea that it may be closely linked to T2DM. The aforementioned high fat diets can impact the gut microbiome in a significant way, altering the demography of the gut’s microflora, hence shifting the gut into a state of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a state that favors the initiation of a cascade inducing metabolic deregulation, increasing inflammation and insulin resistance systemically. Below the relationship of the microbiome to T2DM is briefly discussed.
  • 1.5K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
EMT Program in Breast cancer
Notch signaling is a primitive signaling pathway having various roles in the normal origin and development of each multicellular organisms. Therefore, any aberration in the pathway will inevitably lead to deadly outcomes such as cancer. It has now been more than two decades since Notch was acknowledged as an oncogene in mouse mammary tumor virus-infected mice. Since that discovery, activated Notch signaling and consequent up-regulation of tumor-promoting Notch target genes have been observed in human breast cancer. Moreover, consistent over-expression of Notch ligands and receptors has been shown to correlate with poor prognosis in human breast cancer. Notch regulates a number of key processes during breast carcinogenesis, of which, one key phenomenon is epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is a key process for large-scale cell movement during morphogenesis at the time of embryonic development. Cancer cells aided by transcription factors usurp this developmental program to execute the multi-step process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this review, we recapitulate recent progress in breast cancer research that has provided new perceptions into the molecular mechanisms behind Notch-mediated EMT regulation during breast tumorigenesis.
  • 1.5K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Hyperinsulinaemia-Osteofragilitas
Bone fragility leading to increased risk of low energy (fragility) fractures that is independent of bone mineral density, occurring in individuals with detected and undetected hyperinsulinaemia. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD), conditions of hyperinsulinaemia, have lower levels of osteocalcin and bone remodelling, and increased rates of fragility fractures. Unlike osteoporosis with lower bone mineral density (BMD), T2DM bone fragility “hyperinsulinaemia-osteofragilitas” phenotype presents with normal to increased BMD. Hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance positively associate with increased BMD and fragility fractures.  Hyperinsulinaemia enforces glucose fuelling, which decreases NAD+-dependent antioxidant activity. This increases reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial fission, and decreases oxidative phosphorylation high-energy production capacity, required for osteoblasto/cytogenesis. Osteocytes directly mineralise and resorb bone, and inhibit mineralisation of their lacunocanalicular space via pyrophosphate. Hyperinsulinaemia decreases vitamin D availability via adipocyte sequestration, reducing dendrite connectivity, and compromising osteocyte viability. Decreased bone remodelling and micropetrosis ensues. Trapped/entombed magnesium within micropetrosis fossilisation spaces propagates magnesium deficiency (MgD), potentiating hyperinsulinaemia and decreases vitamin D transport. Vitamin D deficiency reduces osteocalcin synthesis and favours osteocyte apoptosis.  Carbohydrate restriction/fasting/ketosis increases beta-oxidation, ketolysis, NAD+-dependent antioxidant activity, osteocyte viability and osteocalcin, and decreases excess insulin exposure. Osteocalcin is required for hydroxyapatite alignment, conferring bone structural integrity, decreasing fracture risk and improving metabolic/endocrine homeodynamics. Patients presenting with fracture and normal BMD should be investigated for T2DM and hyperinsulinaemia.
  • 1.4K
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on Male Infertility
Moringa oleifera (drumstick tree, horseradish tree, ben-oil tree or kelor tree) is of the family ‘Moringaceae’. In Southern Asia and Middle East Africa, the tree is mainly cultivated for its various nutraceutical and medicinal properties contained in different parts of the tree, such as seeds, roots, flowers, pots and leaves. In vivo and in vitro studies have been conducted to determine the effects of M. oleifera leaves on the male reproductive system.
  • 1.4K
  • 07 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Astrocytes as Templates for Angiogenesis
 Angiogenesis is a key process in various physiological conditions in the nervous system and in the retina during postnatal life. Although an increasing number of studies have addressed the role of endothelial cells in this event, the astrocytes contribution in angiogenesis has received less attention.
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Optogenetics
The cerebellum is most renowned for its role in sensorimotor control and coordination, but a growing number of anatomical and physiological studies are demonstrating its deep involvement in cognitive and emotional functions. Recently, the development and refinement of optogenetic techniques boosted research in the cerebellar field and, impressively, revolutionized the methodological approach and endowed the investigations with entirely new capabilities. This translated into a significant improvement in the data acquired for sensorimotor tests, allowing one to correlate single-cell activity with motor behavior to the extent of determining the role of single neuronal types and single connection pathways in controlling precise aspects of movement kinematics. These levels of specificity in correlating neuronal activity to behavior could not be achieved in the past, when electrical and pharmacological stimulations were the only available experimental tools. The application of optogenetics to the investigation of the cerebellar role in higher-order and cognitive functions, which involves a high degree of connectivity with multiple brain areas, has been even more significant. It is possible that, in this field, optogenetics has changed the game, and the number of investigations using optogenetics to study the cerebellar role in non-sensorimotor functions in awake animals is growing. The main issues addressed by these studies are the cerebellar role in epilepsy (through connections to the hippocampus and the temporal lobe), schizophrenia and cognition, working memory for decision making, and social behavior. It is also worth noting that optogenetics opened a new perspective for cerebellar neurostimulation in patients (e.g., for epilepsy treatment and stroke rehabilitation), promising unprecedented specificity in the targeted pathways that could be either activated or inhibited.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
AMP-activated Protein Kinase
We live and to do so we must breathe and eat, so are we a combination of what we eat and breathe? Here we will consider this question, and the role in this respect of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Emerging evidence suggests that AMPK facilitates central and peripheral reflexes that coordinate breathing and oxygen supply, and contributes to central regulation of feeding and food choice. We propose, therefore, that oxygen supply to the body is aligned with not only the quantity we eat, but also nutrient-based diet selection, and that the cell-specific expression pattern of AMPK subunit isoforms is critical to appropriate system alignment in this respect. If this is the case, then aberrant cell-specific changes in the expression of AMPK subunit isoforms could give rise, in part, to known associations between a wide variety of conditions associated with metabolic disorder.
  • 1.4K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Gut Lymphatic Vessels
Lymphatic vessels play a distinctive role in draining fluid, molecules and even cells from interstitial and serosal spaces back to the blood circulation. Lymph vessels of the gut, and especially those located in the villi (called lacteals), not only serve this primary function, but are also responsible for the transport of lipid moieties absorbed by the intestinal mucosa and serve as a second line of defence against possible bacterial infections.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Insect Nervous System
The study of sensory systems in insects has a long-spanning history of almost an entire century. Olfaction, vision, and gustation are thoroughly researched in several robust insect models and new discoveries are made every day on the more elusive thermo- and mechano-sensory systems. Few specialized senses such as hygro- and magneto-reception are also identified in some insects. In light of recent advancements in the scientific investigation of insect behavior, it is not only important to study sensory modalities individually, but also as a combination of multimodal inputs. This is of particular significance, as a combinatorial approach to study sensory behaviors mimics the real-time environment of an insect with a wide spectrum of information available to it. As a fascinating field that is recently gaining new insight, multimodal integration in insects serves as a fundamental basis to understand complex insect behaviors including, but not limited to navigation, foraging, learning, and memory.
  • 1.3K
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Bland–Altman Agreement Analysis
The Bland–Altman Limits of Agreement is a popular and widespread means of analyzing the agreement of two methods, instruments, or raters in quantitative outcomes. An agreement analysis could be reported as a stand-alone research article but it is more often conducted as a minor quality assurance project in a subgroup of patients, as a part of a larger diagnostic accuracy study, clinical trial, or epidemiological survey. Consequently, such an analysis is often limited to brief descriptions in the main report. Therefore, in several medical fields, it has been recommended to report specific items related to the Bland–Altman analysis. Seven proposals were identified from a MEDLINE/PubMed search on March 03, 2020, three of which were derived by reviewing anesthesia journals. Broad consensus was seen for the a priori establishment of acceptability benchmarks, estimation of repeatability of measurements, description of the data structure, visual assessment of the normality and homogeneity assumption, and plotting and numerically reporting both bias and the Bland–Altman Limits of Agreement, including respective 95% confidence intervals. Abu-Arafeh et al. provided the most comprehensive and prudent list, identifying 13 key items for reporting (Br. J. Anaesth. 2016, 117, 569–575). The 13 key items should be applied by researchers, journal editors, and reviewers in the future, to increase the quality of reporting Bland–Altman agreement analyses.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Intra-Arterial Delivery of Therapeutics
Diseases of the kidney contribute a significant morbidity and mortality burden on society. Localized delivery of therapeutics directly into the kidney, via its arterial blood supply, has the potential to enhance their therapeutic efficacy while limiting side effects associated with conventional systemic delivery. Targeted delivery in humans is feasible given that we can access the renal arterial blood supply using minimally invasive endovascular techniques and imaging guidance. Techniques to reproduce or mimic this approach in a small animal model  will allow for further pre-clinical translational studies investigating therapies for the treatment of renal pathologies.
  • 1.3K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Peptide Inhibitors of Kv1.5
The human voltage gated potassium channel Kv1.5 that conducts the IKur current is a key determinant of the atrial action potential. This channel is an attractive target for the management of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). A wide range of peptide toxins from venomous animals are targeting ion channels, including mammalian channels. These peptides usually have a much larger interacting surface with the ion channel compared to small molecule inhibitors and thus, generally confer higher selectivity to the peptide blockers. To date, literature has known two peptides that inhibit IKur: Ts6 and Osu1. T
  • 1.3K
  • 30 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Ghrelin
Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand for the ghrelin receptor, previously known as the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. This hormone is mainly produced by endocrine cells present in the gastric mucosa. The ghrelin-producing cells are also present in other organs of the body, mainly in the digestive system, but in much smaller amount. Ghrelin exhibits a broad spectrum of physiological effects, such as stimulation of growth hormone secretion, gastric secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and food intake, as well as regulation of glucose homeostasis and bone formation, and inhibition of inflammatory processes.
  • 1.3K
  • 21 Oct 2021
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