Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother 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
Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Hemorheology
Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a multifactorial phenomenon which has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes. IRI related tissue damage is characterized by various chronological events depending on the experimental model or clinical setting. Despite the fact that IRI research is in the spotlight of scientific interest for over three decades with a significant and continuous increase in publication activity over the years and the large number of pharmacological and surgical therapeutic attempts introduced, not many of these strategies have made their way to the everyday clinical practice. Furthermore, the pathomechanism of hepatic IRI has not been fully elucidated yet. In the complex process of the IRI flow properties of blood are not neglectable. Hemorheological factors play an important role in determining tissue perfusion and orchestrating mechanical shear stress-dependent endothelial functions. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, ischemic conditioning protocols, dynamic organ preservation techniques may improve rheological properties of the post-reperfusion hepatic blood flow and target endothelial cells, exerting a potent protection against hepatic IRI.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Mar 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 and Oral Inflammatory Diseases
The oral cavity is a niche for diverse microbes, including viruses. Members of the Herpesviridae family, comprised of dsDNA viruses, as well as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an ssRNA virus, are among the most prevalent viruses infecting the oral cavity, and they exhibit clinical manifestations unique to oral tissues. Herpesviruses and SARS-CoV-2 are individually associated with oral inflammatory diseases, particularly periodontitis, peri-implantitis, and endodontic disease.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Jan 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Supplements for Smoking-Related Lung Diseases
Supplements for smoking-related lung diseases are considered as nonfood products and thought to improve health. Multivitamins and antioxidants are the most commonly dietary supplements used by cancer and asthma patients. There are currently no clear regulatory guidelines that include dietary supplements and their effect on lung cancer and asthma patients, particularly in smokers. Several countries have taken steps to overcome challenges in regulating dietary supplements in the marketplace. These challenges include inadequate assurance of safety/efficacy, inaccuracy of product labeling, misleading health claims, and lack of analytical techniques for dietary supplements. There is a need to establish standards and regulation of dietary supplement use in patients with lung cancer and asthma. The aim of this entry is to expand knowledge on dietary supplements use and smoking-related lung diseases (lung cancer and asthma). 
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Filamin A regulates cardiovascular remodeling
Filamin A (FLNA) is a large actin-binding cytoskeletal protein that is important for cell motility by stabilizing actin networks and integrating them with cell membranes. Interestingly, a C-terminal fragment of FLNA can be cleaved off by calpain to stimulate adaptive angiogenesis by transporting multiple transcription factors into the nucleus. Recently, increasing evidence suggests that FLNA participates in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, in which the interaction of FLNA with transcription factors and/or cell signaling molecules dictate the function of vascular cells. Localized FLNA mutations associate with cardiovascular malformations in humans. A lack of FLNA in experimental animal models disrupts cell migration during embryogenesis and causes anomalies, including heart and vessels, similar to human malformations.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) represent a group of neurodevelopmental disorders associated to social and behavioral impairments. Although dysfunctions in several signaling pathways have been associated to ASD, very few molecules have been identified as potentially effective drug targets in the clinics. Classically, research in the ASD field has focused on the characterization of pathways involved in neural development and synaptic plasticity, which support the pathogenesis of this group of diseases. More recently, immune system dysfunctions have been observed in ASD. In addition, high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause oxidative stress, are present in ASD patients. In this review we will describe the major alterations in the expression of genes coding for enzymes involved in the ROS scavenging system, in both ASD patients and ASD mouse models. In addition, we will discuss, in the context of the most recent literature, the possibility that oxidative stress, inflammation and immune system disfunction may be connected to, and altogether support, the pathogenesis and/or severity of ASD. Finally, we will discuss about the possibility of novel treatments, aiming at counteracting the interplay ROS/inflammation in people with ASD.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Dynamic Contrast Enhanced-MR CEST Urography
Upper urinary tract obstructions (UTOs) are blockages that inhibit the flow of urine through its normal course, leading to impaired kidney function. Imaging plays a significant role in the initial diagnosis of UTO, with anatomic imaging (primarily ultrasound (US) and non-contrast computed tomography (CT)) serving as screening tools for the detection of the dilation of the urinary collecting systems (i.e., hydronephrosis). Whether hydronephrosis represents UTO or a non-obstructive process is determined by functional imaging (typically nuclear medicine renal scintigraphy). If these exams reveal evidence of UTO but no discernable source, multiphase contrast enhanced CT urography and/or dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography (DCE-MRU) may be performed to delineate a cause. These are often performed in conjunction with direct ureteroscopic evaluation. While contrast-enhanced CT currently predominates, it can induce renal injury due to contrast induced nephropathy (CIN), subject patients to ionizing radiation and is limited in quantifying renal function and establishing the extent to which hydronephrosis is due to functional obstruction. Traditional MRI is similarly limited in its ability to quantify function. DCE-MR CEST urography is a promising alternative, employing new MRI contrast agents and imaging schemes and allowing for concurrent assessment of renal anatomy and functional parameters. We highlight clinical challenges in the diagnosis and management of UTO,identify key advances in imaging agents and techniques for DCE-MR CEST urography and provide perspective on how this technique may evolve in clinical importance.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Molecular Mechanism
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Among arousal from sleep, increased thoracic pressure and enhanced sympathetic activation, intermittent hypoxia is now considered as one of the most important pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to the development of endothelial dysfunction. Nevertheless, not much is known about blood components, which justifies the current review.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 May 2021
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota in Primary Immunodeficiencies
Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a group of disorders that are mostly caused by genetic mutations affecting immune host defense and immune regulation. Although IEI present with a wide spectrum of clinical features, in about one third of them various degrees of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement have been described and for some IEI the GI manifestations represent the main and peculiar clinical feature. The microbiome plays critical roles in the education and function of the host’s innate and adaptive immune system, and imbalances in microbiota-immunity interactions can contribute to intestinal pathogenesis. Microbial dysbiosis combined to the impairment of immunosurveillance and immune dysfunction in IEI, may favor mucosal permeability and lead to inflammation. Here we review how immune homeostasis between commensals and the host is established in the gut, and how these mechanisms can be disrupted in the context of primary immunodeficiencies. Additionally, we highlight key aspects of the first studies on gut microbiome in patients affected by IEI and discuss how gut microbiome could be harnessed as a therapeutic approach in these diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Cardiac Adiposity and Arrhythmias
Increased cardiac fat depots are metabolically active tissues having a pronounced pro-inflammatory nature. Increasing evidence supports a potential role of cardiac adiposity as a determinant of the substrate of atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias. The underlying mechanism appears to be multifactorial with local inflammation, fibrosis, adipocyte infiltration, electrical remodeling, autonomic nervous system modulation, oxidative stress and gene expression playing interrelating roles. Current imaging modalities, such as echocardiography, computed to-mography and cardiac magnetic resonance, have provided valuable insight into the relationship between cardiac adiposity and arrhythmogenesis, in order to better understand the pathophysi-ology and improve risk prediction of the patients, over the presence of obesity and traditional risk factors.
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Poly(lysine) Dendrimers
The disruption of the cellular pathways of protein biosynthesis through the mechanism of RNA interference has been recognized as a tool of great diagnostic and therapeutic significance. However, in order to fully exploit the potential of this phenomenon, the efficient and safe carriers, capable of overcoming extra- and intracellular barriers and delivering siRNA to the target cells are needed. Recently the attention has been paid to the possibility of application of multifunctional nanoparticles – dendrimers as potential delivery devices for siRNA. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the formation of dendriplexes using novel poly(lysine) dendrimers (containing lysine and arginine or histidine residues in their structure), and to verify the hypothesis that the use of these polymers may allow to obtain an efficient method of siRNA transfer into the cells in vitro. The fluorescence polarization studies, as well as zeta potential and hydrodynamic diameter measurements were used to characterize the dendrimer:siRNA complexes. The cytotoxicity of dendrimers and dendriplexes was evaluated with the resazurin-based assay. Using the flow cytometry technique, the efficiency of siRNA transport to the myeloid cells was determined. This approach allowed us to determine the properties and optimal molar ratios of dendrimer:siRNA complexes, as well as to demonstrate that poly(lysine) dendrimers may serve as efficient carriers of genetic material, being much more effective than the commercially available transfection agent – Lipofectamine 2000. This outcome provides the basis for further research on the application of poly(lysine) dendrimers as carriers for nucleic acids in the field of gene therapy.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
HMGA in Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious disease that can be fatal for the mother and fetus. The two-stage theory has been proposed as its cause, with the first stage comprising poor placentation associated with the failure of fertilized egg implantation. Successful implantation and placentation require maternal immunotolerance of the fertilized egg as a semi-allograft and appropriate extravillous trophoblast (EVT) invasion of the decidua and myometrium. The disturbance of EVT invasion during implantation in PE results in impaired spiral artery remodeling. PE is thought to be caused by hypoxia during remodeling failure–derived poor placentation, which results in chronic inflammation. High-mobility group protein A (HMGA) is involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells and likely in the growth and invasion of trophoblasts. Its mechanism of action is associated with immunotolerance. Thus, HMGA is thought to play a pivotal role in successful pregnancy, and its dysfunction may be related to the pathogenesis of PE. The evaluation of HMGA function and its changes in PE might confirm that it is a reliable biomarker of PE and provide prospects for PE treatment through the induction of EVT proliferation and invasion during the implantation.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Vaccine Development against SARS-CoV-2
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been affecting the world since the end of 2019. The severity of the disease can range from an asymptomatic or mild course to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with respiratory failure, which may lead to death. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, scientists around the world have been studying the genome and molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection to develop effective therapies and prevention. In this review, we summarize the progressive development of various treatments and vaccines as they have emerged, a year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Initially for COVID-19, patients were recommended drugs with presumed antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects that were previously used to treat other diseases. Thereafter, therapeutic interventions were supplemented with promising approaches based on antibodies, peptides, and stem cells. 
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Related Markers in Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease that causes pain and disability in the adult population. OA is primarily caused by trauma induced by an external force or by age-related cartilage damage. Chondrocyte hypertrophy or chondrocyte senescence is thought to play a role in the initiation and progression of OA. Although chondrocyte hypertrophy and cell death are both crucial steps during the natural process of endochondral bone formation, the abnormal activation of these two processes after injury or during aging seems to accelerate the progression of OA. However, the exact mechanisms of OA progression and these two processes remain poorly understood. Chondrocyte senescence and hypertrophy during OA share various markers and processes. In this study, we reviewed the changes that occur during chondrocyte hypertrophy or senescence in OA and the attempts that were made to regulate them. Regulation of hypertrophic or senescent chondrocytes might be a potential therapeutic target to slow down or stop OA progression; thus, a better understanding of the processes is required for management.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Metabolism in Retinopathy of Prematurity
Retinopathy of prematurity is defined as retinal abnormalities that occur during development as a consequence of disturbed oxygen conditions and nutrient supply after preterm birth. Both neuronal maturation and retinal vascularization are impaired, leading to the compensatory but uncontrolled retinal neovessel growth. Current therapeutic interventions target the hypoxia-induced neovessels but negatively impact retinal neurons and normal vessels. Emerging evidence suggests that metabolic disturbance is a significant and underexplored risk factor in the disease pathogenesis. Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia correlate with the retinal neurovascular dysfunction in infants born prematurely. Nutritional and hormonal supplementation relieve metabolic stress and improve retinal maturation. Here we focus on the mechanisms through which metabolism is involved in preterm-birth-related retinal disorder from clinical and experimental investigations. We will review and discuss potential therapeutic targets through the restoration of metabolic responses to prevent disease development and progression.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Plasma-Treated Solutions in Cancer Therapy
Cold physical plasma is a partially ionized gas generating various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) simultaneously. ROS/RNS have therapeutic effects when applied to cells and tissues either directly from the plasma or via exposure to solutions that have been treated beforehand using plasma processes. This review addresses the challenges and opportunities of plasma-treated solutions (PTSs) for cancer treatment. These PTSs include plasma-treated cell culture media in experimental research as well as clinically approved solutions such as saline and Ringer’s lactate, which, in principle, already qualify for testing in therapeutic settings. Several types of cancers were found to succumb to the toxic action of PTSs, suggesting a broad mechanism of action based on the tumor-toxic activity of ROS/RNS stored in these solutions. Moreover, it is indicated that the PTS has immuno-stimulatory properties. Two different routes of application are currently envisaged in the clinical setting. One is direct injection into the bulk tumor, and the other is lavage in patients suffering from peritoneal carcinomatosis adjuvant to standard chemotherapy. While many promising results have been achieved so far, several obstacles, such as the standardized generation of large volumes of sterile PTS, remain to be addressed.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
NLRP3 Inflammasome and Pyroptosis in Liver Pathophysiology
The NLRP3 inflammasome is mainly expressed in myeloid cells, such as macrophages. However, it has also been described in other types of cells, such as endothelial cells, hepatocytes, or even hepatic stellate cells (HSCs); and its activation inducing pyroptosis has been associated with inflammation, fibrosis, and cell death in the liver.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
MicroRNA Biomarkers in IBD
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). These are chronic autoimmune diseases of unknown etiology affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The IBD population includes a heterogeneous group of patients with varying disease courses requiring personalized treatment protocols. The complexity of the disease often delays the diagnosis and the initiation of appropriate treatments. In a subset of patients, IBD leads to colitis-associated cancer (CAC). MicroRNAs are single-stranded regulatory noncoding RNAs of 18 to 22 nucleotides with putative roles in the pathogenesis of IBD and colorectal cancer. They have been explored as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Both tissue-derived and circulating microRNAs have emerged as promising biomarkers in the differential diagnosis and in the prognosis of disease severity of IBD as well as predictive biomarkers in drug resistance. In addition, knowledge of the cellular localization of differentially expressed microRNAs is a prerequisite for deciphering the biological role of these important epigenetic regulators and the cellular localization may even contribute to an alternative repertoire of biomarkers.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Nuclear Receptor LRH-1
The nuclear receptor Liver Receptor Homolog-1 (LRH-1) is widely involved in the complex and balanced biology of the intestine, thus guaranteeing the several functions played by this organ. 
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Melanogenesis and Melasma Treatment
Melanin is a complex pigment that provides colour and photoprotection to the skin, hair, and eyes of mammals. Melanogenesis, the process through which melanocytes synthesise melanin, can be altered, producing pigmentary skin disorders such as melasma which result in hyperpigmentation. Melanocytes are highly specialised dendritic cells that transfer melanin to keratinocytes in subcellular lysosome-like organelles called melanosomes, where melanin is synthesised and stored.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Multiple Sclerosis Pathology--Potential Disease Biomarkers
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that involves an intricate and aberrant interaction of immune cells leading to inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. Due to the heterogeneity of clinical subtypes, their diagnosis becomes challenging and the best treatment cannot be easily provided to patients. Biomarkers have been used to simplify the diagnosis and prognosis of MS, as well as to evaluate the results of clinical treatments.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Dec 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 39
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback