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Topic Review
MT1-MMP in Cancer Progression
For over 20 years, membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) has been recognized as a key component in cancer progression. Initially, the primary roles assigned to MT1-MMP were the activation of proMMP-2 and degradation of fibrillar collagen. Proteomics has revealed a great array of MT1-MMP substrates, and MT1-MMP selective inhibitors have allowed for a more complete mapping of MT1-MMP biological functions. MT1-MMP has extensive sheddase activities, is both a positive and negative regulator of angiogenesis, can act intracellularly and as a transcription factor, and modulates immune responses. We presently examine the multi-faceted role of MT1-MMP in cancer, with a consideration of how the diversity of MT1-MMP behaviors impacts the application of MT1-MMP inhibitors.
  • 1.3K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are similar medical spinal procedures in which bone cement is injected through a small hole in the skin (percutaneously) into a fractured vertebra with the goal of relieving back pain caused by vertebral compression fractures. It was found not to be effective in treating osteoporosis-related compression fractures of the spine. The people in both the experimental and placebo groups of the blinded study reported improvement in their pain, suggesting that the benefit noted in unblinded trials is related to the placebo effect. The cost of vertebroplasty in Europe as of 2010 was ~2,500 Euro. As of 2010 in the United States, when done as an outpatient, vertebroplasty costs around 3300 USD while kyphoplasty costs around 8100 USD and when done as an inpatient vertebroplasty cost ~11,000 USD and kyphoplasty 16,000 USD.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Repetitive Elements in Humans
Repetitive DNA in humans is still widely considered to be meaningless, and variations within this part of the genome are generally considered to be harmless to the carrier. In contrast, for euchromatic variation, one becomes more careful in classifying inter-individual differences as meaningless and rather tends to see them as possible influencers of the so-called ‘genetic background’, being able to at least potentially influence disease susceptibilities. Here, the known ‘bad boys’ among repetitive DNAs are reviewed. Variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTRs = micro- and minisatellites), small-scale repetitive elements (SSREs) and even chromosomal heteromorphisms (CHs) may therefore have direct or indirect influences on human diseases and susceptibilities. Summarizing this specific aspect here for the first time should contribute to stimulating more research on human repetitive DNA. It should also become clear that these kinds of studies must be done at all available levels of resolution, i.e., from the base pair to chromosomal level and, importantly, the epigenetic level, as well.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Obesity on Anti-Mullerian Hormone Levels
Some women with obesity have regular cycles, yet their reproductive hormone profile suggests some level of ovarian dysfunction that could manifest as disordered AMH production compared to their lean counterparts. Differences in AMH production across the adiposity spectrum could lead to inaccurate conclusions about the ability of AMH to adequately inform reproductive health outcomes in women. To address the current knowledge gap, we conducted a review to provide an up-to-date account of AMH levels in obese and non-obese women with regular menstrual cycles with the goal of establishing the degree to which obesity impacts AMH production in healthy, potentially fertile women.
  • 1.3K
  • 28 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Pathophysiological Perspective of Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most well-known disease among the geriatric and the main cause of significant disability in daily living. It has a multifactorial aetiology and characterized by pathological changes of knee joint structure including cartilage erosion, synovial inflammation and subchondral sclerosis with osteophyte formation. To date, no efficient treatment is capable of altering the pathological progression of OA. This topic described significant mediators such as cytokines, proteolytic enzymes, and nitric oxide, that trigger the loss of the normal homeostasis and structural changes in the articular cartilage during the progression of OA.
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been proposed as an effective alternative method for the adjunctive treatment of all classes of oral infections. The multifactorial nature of its mechanism of action correlates with various influencing factors, involving parameters concerning both the photosensitizer and the light delivery system.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Oct 2020
Topic Review
High-functioning Autism
High-functioning autism (HFA) is an autism classification where a person exhibits no intellectual disability, but may exhibit deficits in communication, emotion recognition and expression, and social interaction. HFA is not included in either the American Psychological Association's DSM-5 or the World Health Organization's ICD-10, neither of which subdivides autism based on intellectual capabilities.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by an abnormal hepatic lipid accumulation accompanied by a necro-inflammatory process and a fibrotic response.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Adaptive Design
In an adaptive design of a clinical trial, the parameters and conduct of the trial for a candidate drug or vaccine may be changed based on an interim analysis. Adaptive design typically involves advanced statistics to interpret a clinical trial endpoint. This is in contrast to traditional randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that are static in their protocol and do not modify any parameters until the trial is completed. The adaptation process generally continues throughout the trial, as prescribed in the trial protocol. Adaptions may include modifications to: dosage, sample size, drug undergoing trial, patient selection criteria and/or "cocktail" mix. The PANDA (A Practical Adaptive & Novel Designs and Analysis toolkit) provides comprehensive summary of different adaptive designs. In some cases, trials have become an ongoing process that regularly adds and drops therapies and patient groups as more information is gained. Importantly, the trial protocol is set before the trial begins which pre-specifies the adaptation schedule and processes.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Pulse Oximetry
Finger pulse oximeters are widely used to monitor physiological responses to high-altitude exposure, the progress of acclimatization, and/or the potential development of high-altitude related diseases. 
  • 1.3K
  • 24 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Services for Mental Disorders
Services for mental health disorders provide treatment, support, or advocacy to people who have psychiatric illnesses. These may include medical, behavioral, social, and legal services. Medical services are usually provided by mental health experts like psychiatrists, psychologists, and behavioral health counselors in a hospital or outpatient clinic. Behavioral services go hand-in-hand with medical services, referring specifically to pharmacological and cognitive therapy. Social services are usually provided by the government or nonprofit organizations. They arrange housing options, job training, or other community resources overseen by experienced professionals to ensure overall productivity and well being of individuals with mental illnesses. Legal services ensure that people with mental health disorders are not discriminated against in society and advocate for their basic human rights. In addition, legal services make sure that those individuals who might be a danger to themselves or others are diverted away from the judicial system to receive adequate treatment for underlying mental health issues. The information provided below is primarily regarding services offered within the United States of America, unless otherwise specified.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Radiation-engineered nano-scale bio-hybrid polymer devices
Bio-hybrid hydrogels consist of a water-swollen hydrophilic polymer network encapsulating or conjugating single biomolecules, or larger and more complex biological constructs like whole cells. By modulating at least one dimension of the hydrogel system at the micro- or nanoscale, the activity of the biological component can be extremely upgraded with clear advantages for the development of therapeutic or diagnostic micro- and nano-devices. Gamma or e-beam irradiation of polymers allow a good control of the chemistry at the micro-/nanoscale with minimal recourse to toxic reactants and solvents. Another potential advantage is to obtain simultaneous sterilization when the absorbed doses are within the sterilization dose range.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Respiratory Distress and PCD
Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is inherited in a predominantly autosomal recessive manner with over 45 currently identified causative genes. It is a clinically heterogeneous disorder that results in a chronic wet cough and drainage from the paranasal sinuses, chronic otitis media with hearing impairment as well as male infertility. Approximately 50% of patients have situs inversus totalis. Prior to the development of chronic oto-sino-pulmonary symptoms, neonatal respiratory distress occurs in more than 80% of patients as a result of impaired mucociliary clearance and mucus impaction causing atelectasis and lobar collapse. Diagnosis is often delayed due to overlapping symptoms with other causes of neonatal respiratory distress. A work up for PCD should be initiated in the newborn with compatible clinical features, especially those with respiratory distress, consistent radiographic findings or persistent oxygen requirement and/or organ laterality defects
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Cerebellar Degeneration in Epilepsy
Cerebellar degeneration has been associated in patients with epilepsy, though the exact pathogenic mechanisms are not understood. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of cerebellar degeneration in patients with epilepsy and identify any pathogenic mechanisms. Methodology: A systematic computer-based literature search was conducted using the PubMed database. Data extracted included prevalence, clinical, neuroradiological, and neuropathological characteristics of patients with epilepsy and cerebellar degeneration. Results: We identified three consistent predictors of cerebellar degeneration in the context of epilepsy in our review: temporal lobe epilepsy, poor seizure control, and phenytoin as the treatment modality. Whole brain and hippocampal atrophy were also identified in patients with epilepsy. Conclusions: Cerebellar degeneration is prevalent in patients with epilepsy. Further prospective studies are required to confirm if the predictors identified in this review are indeed linked to cerebellar degeneration and to establish the pathogenic mechanisms that result in cerebellar insult.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Jan 2021
Topic Review
3D Printing in Pharmaceutical Application
Advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques and the development of tailored biomaterials have facilitated the precise fabrication of biological components and complex 3D geometrics over the past few decades. Moreover, the notable growth of 3D printing has facilitated pharmaceutical applications, enabling the development of customized drug screening and drug delivery systems for individual patients, breaking away from conventional approaches that primarily rely on transgenic animal experiments and mass production.
  • 1.3K
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Music Therapy in End-of-Life Care Contexts
Certified music therapists use music within therapeutic relationships to address human needs, health, and well-being with a variety of populations. Palliative care and music therapy are holistic and diverse fields, adapting to unique issues within end-of-life contexts. Palliative care music therapy has been formally practiced since the late 1970s and affords a variety of benefits, including pain and anxiety reduction, enhancement of quality of life, emotional expression, and relationship completion. 
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
The Vaginal Microbiota
The human vagina is a useful and accessible route for local and systemic administration of drugs, and particularly for clinical indications that are directly associated with women’s sexual and reproductive health. Spurred in part by progressive societal changes to attitudes, behaviors and stigmas around the human vagina, the past twenty years has witnessed increased interest among users, clinicians, and the pharmaceutical industry in developing and using vaginal products for therapeutic benefit.
  • 1.3K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Psycho-Oncology
Psycho-oncology is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of physical, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of the cancer experience for both patients and caregivers. Also known as psychiatric oncology or psychosocial oncology, researchers and practitioners in the field are concerned with aspects of individuals' experience with cancer beyond medical treatment, and across the cancer trajectory, including at diagnosis, during treatment, transitioning to and throughout survivorship, and approaching the end-of-life. Founded by Jimmie Holland in 1977 via the incorporation of a psychiatric service within the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the field has expanded drastically since and is now universally recognized as an integral component of quality cancer care. Cancer centers in major academic medical centers across the country now uniformly incorporate a psycho-oncology service into their clinical care, and provide infrastructure to support research efforts to advance knowledge in the field. Psycho-oncology deals with psychological reactions to the experience of cancer, the behavioral component of coping with cancer as well as health behavior change including preventive medicine, and social factors that are associated with diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including communication with providers and loved ones and social support. In addition, research related to the influence of psychosocial factors on biological disease-related processes has burgeoned over the past two decades. Much research takes a biopsychosocial approach to account for the interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors in coping with cancer. The integration of psycho-oncology into routine oncologic care represents a major step forward in terms of care for the whole patient.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Dry Needling
Dry needling is a treatment performed by skilled, trained physical therapists, certified in the procedure. A thin monofilament needle penetrates the skin and treats underlying muscular trigger points for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Organoids
Organ-like cell clusters, so-called organoids, which exhibit self-organized and similar organ functionality as the tissue of origin, have provided a whole new level of bioinspiration for ex vivo systems. Microfluidic organoids or organs-on-a-chip platforms are a new group of micro-engineered promising models that recapitulate 3D tissue structure and physiology. Microfluidic technology is used in numerous application since its allow us to control and manipulate fluid flows with a high degree of accuracy. This system is an emerging tool for understanding disease development and progression, especially for personalized therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment, which provide well-grounded, cost-effective, powerful, fast, and reproducible results.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Apr 2021
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