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Topic Review
Human-Animal SARS-CoV-2 Potential Transmission Pathways
  Emerging infectious diseases present great risks to public health. The novel severe acute respira-tory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become an urgent public health issue of global concern. It is speculated that the virus first emerged through a zoonotic spillover. Basic research studies have suggested that bats are likely the ancestral reservoir host. Nonetheless, the evolutionary history and host susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear as a multitude of animals has been proposed as potential intermedi-ate or dead-end hosts. SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from domestic animals, both companion and livestock, as well as in captive wildlife that were in close contact with human COVID-19 cases. Currently, domestic mink is the only known animal that is susceptible to a natural infection, develop severe illness, and can also transmit SARS-CoV-2 to other minks and humans.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Effects of Melatonin on Diabetic Neuropathy and Retinopathy
Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to complications, including neuropathy. Redox imbalance and inflammation are important components of the pathophysiology of these complications. Many studies have investigated the therapeutic potential of melatonin (MEL), an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent, for the specific treatment of the neural complications. In the present entry, we review studies published over the past 21 years on the therapeutic efficacy of MEL in the treatment of DM-induced neural complications. Reports suggest that there is a real prospect of using MEL as an adjuvant treatment for hypoglycemic agents.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Salivary Proteomic Approaches and Methods
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. Endoscopic methods may be useful in the evaluation of oral injuries even though the diagnostic gold standard is a biopsy. Targeted screenings could be considered the best way to prevent the occurrence of oral cancer. Aimed to elucidate the potential identification of specific biomarkers of OSCC, the use of saliva is convenient and noninvasive. Many studies reported more than a hundred putative saliva biomarkers for OSCC, and proteogenomic approaches were fundamental to disclosing this issue.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Nov 2022
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
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
FRAb in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Folate deficiency and folate receptor autoimmune disorder are major contributors to infertility, pregnancy related complications and abnormal fetal development including structural and functional abnormalities of the brain. Food fortification and prenatal folic acid supplementation has reduced the incidence of neural tube defect (NTD) pregnancies but is unlikely to prevent pregnancy-related complications in the presence of folate receptor autoantibodies (FRAb). In pregnancy, these autoantibodies can block folate transport to the fetus and in young children, folate transport to the brain. These antibodies are prevalent in neural tube defect pregnancies and in developmental disorders such as cerebral folate deficiency (CFD) syndrome and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the latter conditions, folinic acid treatment has shown clinical improvement in some of the core ASD deficits. Early testing for folate receptor autoantibodies and intervention is likely to result in a positive outcome
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Aug 2021
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
Extracellular Vesicles in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the most common adult motor neuron disease. The disease pathogenesis is complex with the perturbation of multiple pathways proposed, including mitochondrial dysfunction, RNA processing, glutamate excitotoxicity, endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein homeostasis and endosomal transport/extracellular vesicle (EV) secretion. EVs are nanoscopic membrane-bound particles that are released from cells, involved in the intercellular communication of proteins, lipids and genetic material, and there is increasing evidence of their role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Cystic fibrosis (CF)
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lifelong disorder affecting 1 in 3500 live births worldwide. It is a monogenetic autosomal recessive disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the chloride channel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the impairment of which leads to ionic disequilibria in exocrine organs.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Treatment of Chronic Hyperuricemia
Uric acid [UA] is the final product of purine catabolism, mostly produced in the intestine and liver, as the final product of purine catabolism.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Remnant Gastric Cancer
Authors investigated the clinicopathological features of remnant gastric cancer based on initial disease of partial gastrectomy. Pyloric metaplasia was a characteristic feature in the anastomosis area accompanied by foveolar epithelial hyperplasia, which is a characteristic of reflux gastritis. Remnant gastric cancers that occurred following benign disease were strongly associated with pyloric metaplasia of the anastomosis site, whereas malignant remnant gastric cancers were characterized by both pyloric metaplasia and intestinal metaplasia. EBV-type gastric cancer was highly represented in the benign group (31.8%), while it was present in only 3% of the malignant cases. In the benign group, remnant gastric cancer occurred after 10 years or more, and was almost located within 3 cm from the anastomosis site. These findings may be helpful to the endoscopic surveillance for remnant stomach.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Multiple Intertwined Processes in MDD
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous disease that affects one out of five individuals in their lifetime and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The symptoms of MDD are associated with structural and neurochemical deficits in the corticolimbic brain regions. The behavioral symptoms of depression are extensive, covering emotional, motivational, cognitive, and physiological domains, and include anhedonia, aberrant reward-associated perception, and memory alterations. Presently, MDD is considered a multifactorial disease with various causes and triggers such as genetic susceptibility, stress, and other pathological processes such as inflammation.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Photobiomodulation of the Visual System
Humans express an expansive and detailed response to wavelength differences within the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. This is most clearly manifest, and most studied, with respect to a relatively small range of electromagnetic radiation that includes the visible wavelengths with abutting ultraviolet and infrared, and mostly with respect to the visual system. Many aspects of our biology, however, respond to wavelength differences over a wide range of the EM spectrum. Further, humans are now exposed to a variety of modern lighting situations that has, effectively, increased our exposure to wavelengths that were once likely minimal (e.g., “blue” light from devices at night). This paper reviews some of those biological effects with a focus on visual function and to a lesser extent, other body systems.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Peritoneal Impact of IL-17A
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a current replacement therapy option for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients until renal transplantation can be achieved. One important problem in long-term PD patients is peritoneal membrane failure. The mechanisms involved in peritoneal damage include activation of the inflammatory and immune responses, associated with submesothelial immune infiltrates, angiogenesis, loss of the mesothelial layer, and collagen accumulation in the submesothelial compact zone. These processes lead to fibrosis and loss of peritoneal membrane function. Among the inflammatory mediators involved in peritoneal damage, cytokine IL-17A has recently been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for chronic inflammatory diseases, including chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Experimental studies demonstrated that IL-17A blockade ameliorated peritoneal damage caused by exposure to PD fluids. This article provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in the role of IL-17A in peritoneal membrane injury during PD and other PD-associated complications.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Acute Coronary Syndrome in Elders
Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, and its prevalence increases with age. The growing number of older patients and their differential characteristics make its management a challenge in clinical practice.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Canine and Human Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the main types of cancer that affects the male population worldwide. In recent decades, there has been a significant evolution in the methods of diagnosis and treatment, mainly due to the development of new research in the field of molecular biology, allowing for a better understanding of how this cancer develops and progresses from a genetic point of view.
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Jun 2022
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.
  • 1.0K
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
Therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS) with disease-modifying agents such as natalizumab or fingolimod has been clinically associated with the development of cutaneous melanoma. Published data do not support the hypothesis of a direct action of natalizumab or fingolimod on melanoma cell proliferation and migration that could lead to tumor progression. More probably, by acting on the tumor microenvironment through changing in the tumor inflammatory cell infiltration and angiogenesis, these treatments could indirectly favor melanoma evolution.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Animal Stone Disease
Animals have stone disease too. There are several animal models for the research of human stone disease. Rodents are the most frequently used for stone research, although they are not prone to forming crystals in the kidneys. Ethylene glycol (EG), sodium oxalate and -hydroxyproline are common lithogenic agents. Dogs and pigs were also reported as a study animal for stone disease. However, the breeding costs and body size are too high. The most-used genetic study animal for stone disease was the mouse, but it was high-cost. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals can also be light microscopically observed in the Malphigian tubules of Drosophila melanogaster, induced by adding EG to the food. Genetic studies of flies can be done by cross-breeding, and this has a lower cost than using mice. The fly model also has several advantages, including minimal breeding equipment, the fact that it is easier to reach larger numbers in a short time with flies, that crystals can be observed under microscopy, and that they allow genetic study. We suggest the fly will be an ideal animal model for stone research in the future.
  • 1.0K
  • 22 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Sildenafil
Oxidative stress linked to vascular damage plays an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Indeed, vascular damage at nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with Raynaud’s Phenomenon (RP) is a major risk factor for the development of SSc together with presence of specific autoantiobodies. Here we investigated the effects of the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) sildenafil, currently used in the management of RP, in modulating the proinflammatory response of dermal fibroblasts to oxidative stress in vitro. Human fibroblasts isolated by SSc patients and healthy controls were exposed to exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) (100µM H2O2), in the presence or not of sildenafil (1µM). Treatment with sildenafil significantly reduced dermal fibroblasts gene expression and cellular release of IL-6, known to play a central role in the pathogenesis of tissue damage in SSc and IL-8, directly induced by ROS. This reduction was associated with suppression of STAT3, ERK, NF-κB and PKB/AKT dependent pathways. Our findings support the notion that the employment of PDE5i in the management of RP may be explored for its efficacy in modulating the oxidative stress induced proinflammatory activation of dermal fibroblasts in vivo and ultimately aid in the prevention of tissue damage in SSc.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Oct 2020
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