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Topic Review
Anoikis in Brief
Anoikis, a term rooted in the Greek word "anoikos," meaning homelessness. Anoikis is a fundamental process in cellular biology, orchestrating programmed cell death when cells lose their anchorage by detaching from the extracellular matrix (ECM) or surrounding tissue. Beyond its crucial role in maintaining tissue homeostasis, anoikis is deeply intertwined with the complex landscape of cancer biology, metastasis, and tissue regeneration. We embark on a journey through the molecular mechanisms governing anoikis, highlighting its significance in normal physiological processes. However, when it comes to cancer, anoikis dysregulation emerges as a harbinger of disease progression. Cancer cells acquire the ability to evade anoikis, empowering them to navigate the challenges of metastasis by surviving in the bloodstream and colonizing distant organs. They exhibit invasive capabilities, infiltrating neighboring tissues and fueling local tumor expansion. Moreover, this resistance extends to therapeutic interventions, making cancer cells resilient to conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We also explore the mechanisms behind cancer cells' evasion of anoikis, shedding light on alterations in apoptotic pathways, activation of survival signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the role of autophagy in promoting survival during detachment. The promising realm of targeting anoikis resistance in cancer treatment is unveiled, with approaches including apoptosis inducers, inhibitors of survival signaling, anti-EMT therapies, and autophagy inhibitors. These strategies hold potential to restore anoikis sensitivity in cancer cells and curb metastasis, offering hope to patients battling this relentless disease. Comprehending anoikis and its dysregulation in cancer is a pivotal step toward developing innovative therapeutic interventions. By targeting anoikis resistance, we aim to improve treatment outcomes, overcome therapy resistance, and ultimately provide renewed hope to cancer patients facing this formidable adversary.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Phagocytosis in Human and C.elegans
Endocytosis provides the cellular nutrition and homeostasis of organisms, but pathogens often take advantage of this entry point to infect host cells. This is counteracted by phagocytosis that plays a key role in the protection against invading microbes both during the initial engulfment of pathogens and in the clearance of infected cells. Phagocytic cells balance two vital functions: preventing the accumulation of cell corpses to avoid pathological inflammation and autoimmunity, whilst maintaining host defence. In this review, we compare elements of phagocytosis in mammals and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Initial recognition of infection requires different mechanisms. In mammals, pattern recognition receptors bind pathogens directly, whereas activation of the innate immune response in the nematode rather relies on the detection of cellular damage. In contrast, molecules involved in efferocytosis—the engulfment and elimination of dying cells and cell debris—are highly conserved between the two species. Therefore, C. elegans is a powerful model to research mechanisms of the phagocytic machinery. Finally, we show that both mammalian and worm studies help to understand how the two phagocytic functions are interconnected: emerging data suggest the activation of innate immunity as a consequence of defective apoptotic cell clearance. 
  • 1.0K
  • 18 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Antigenicity of the Brucella Cell Wall
The members of Brucella spp. as Gram-negative bacteria are characterized by their sandwich-structured cell envelopes composed of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-covered bacterial outer membrane and the inner cytoplasmic cell membrane with a thin peptidoglycan layer between them in the periplasmic space.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 May 2023
Topic Review
miR-20 in Central Nervous System
microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding RNA molecules that have recently been discovered as fundamental and post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. miR-20 participate in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 May 2022
Topic Review
Modulators of Mitochondrial Biology Derived from Marine Resources
Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles within eukaryotic cells that act as cellular power houses owing to their ability to efficiently generate the ATP required to sustain normal cell function. Also, they represent a “hub” for the regulation of a plethora of processes, including cellular homeostasis, metabolism, the defense against oxidative stress, and cell death. Mitochondrial dysfunctions are associated with a wide range of human diseases with complex pathologies, including metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Therefore, regulating dysfunctional mitochondria represents a pivotal therapeutic opportunity in biomedicine. Marine ecosystems are biologically very diversified and harbor a broad range of organisms, providing both novel bioactive substances and molecules with meaningful biomedical and pharmacological applications. Many mitochondria-targeting marine-derived molecules have been described to regulate mitochondrial biology, thus exerting therapeutic effects by inhibiting mitochondrial abnormalities, both in vitro and in vivo, through different mechanisms of action.
  • 1.0K
  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Neuroprotection of Quercetin
Quercetin possess multiple pharmacological applications including anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antiapoptotic and anti-thrombotic activities, widely demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo studies.
  • 1.0K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
RSK Isoforms in AML
Ribosomal S6 Kinases (RSKs) are a group of serine/threonine kinases that function downstream of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Four RSK isoforms are directly activated by ERK1/2 in response to extracellular stimuli including growth factors, hormones, and chemokines. RSKs phosphorylate many cytosolic and nuclear targets resulting in the regulation of diverse cellular processes such as cell proliferation, survival, and motility. In hematological malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), RSK isoforms are highly expressed and aberrantly activated resulting in poor outcomes and resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, understanding RSK function in leukemia could lead to promising therapeutic strategies. 
  • 1.0K
  • 07 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Blood Flow in Microchannels
Blood flow in large arteries or biomedical devices can be treated as a homogenous fluid where its particulate nature can be ignored. However, in reality, blood is a suspension of deformable cells in a viscous fluid plasma. Hence, in microcirculation and microchannels, it is fundamental to take into account the effects of the multiphase properties of the blood and to study the blood flow behaviour at a cellular level. A clear example of the multiphase nature of the blood is the formation of a plasma layer (or cell-free layer) around the walls of the microchannels.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Mar 2021
Topic Review
WWOX Impairment in Neurological Disorders
There is an emerging role of the transcriptional regulator WW domain containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) in a number of neurological disorders including early-onset epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the underlying mechanism of WWOX function is still currently unknown.  
  • 1.0K
  • 21 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Multiple Cell Types of Lung Fibrosis and CTD-ILD
Connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) is a collection of systemic autoimmune disorders resulting in lung interstitial abnormalities or lung fibrosis. 
  • 1.0K
  • 04 May 2023
Topic Review
Neural Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) has been proposed as an alternative novel therapy to replace damaged neural circuitry after ischemic stroke onset. Nonetheless, albeit the potential of these cells for stroke therapy, many critical challenges are yet to be overcome to reach clinical applications. The major limitation of the NSC-based therapy is its inability to retain most of the donor stem cells after grafting into an ischemic brain area which is lacking of essential oxygen and nutrients for the survival of transplanted cells. Low cell survival rate limits the capacity of NSCs to repair the injured area and this poses a much more difficult challenge to the NSC-based therapy for ischemic stroke. In order to enhance the survival of transplanted cells, several stem cell culture preconditioning strategies have been employed. For ischemic diseases, hypoxic preconditioning is the most commonly applied strategy since the last few decades. Now, the preconditioning strategies have been developed and expanded enormously throughout years of efforts. This entry systematically presented studies searched from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus and the Google Scholar database up to 31 March 2020 based on search words containing the following terms:“precondition” or “pretreatment” and “neural stem cell” and “ischemic stroke”. The searched data comprehensively reported seven major NSC preconditioning strategies including hypoxic condition, small drug molecules such as minocycline, doxycycline, interleukin-6, adjudin, sodium butyrate and nicorandil, as well as electrical stimulation using conductive polymer for ischemic stroke treatment. We discussed therapeutic benefits gained from these preconditioned NSC for in vitro and in vivo stroke studies and the detailed insights of the mechanisms underlying these preconditioning approaches. Nonetheless, there was a scarcity of evidence on the ecacy of these preconditioned NSCs in human clinical studies, therefore, it is still too early to draw a definitive conclusion on the efficacy and safety of this active compound for patient usage. Thus, we suggest for more in-depth clinical investigations of this cell-based therapy to develop into more conscientious and judicious evidence-based therapy for clinical application in the future.
  • 1.0K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Integrated Mycotoxin Management System
Exposure to mycotoxins is a worldwide concern as their occurrence is unavoidable and varies among geographical regions. Mycotoxins can affect the performance and quality of livestock production and act as carriers putting human health at risk. Feed can be contaminated by various fungal species, and mycotoxins co-occurrence, and modified and emerging mycotoxins are at the centre of modern mycotoxin research. Preventing mould and mycotoxin contamination is almost impossible; it is necessary for producers to implement a comprehensive mycotoxin management program to moderate these risks along the animal feed supply chain in an HACCP perspective.
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
B7 Family
B7 family members, as immune checkpoint molecules, can substantially regulate immune responses. Since microRNAs (miRs) can regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, we conducted a scoping review to summarize and discuss the regulatory cross-talk between miRs and new B7 family immune checkpoint molecules, i.e., B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H5, butyrophilin like 2 (BTNL2), B7-H6, B7-H7, and immunoglobulin like domain containing receptor 2 (ILDR2).
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Zinc Transporters of the Brain
Zinc ions play an essential role in the physiology of brain function. Zinc acts as a potent neuromodulatory agent and signaling ions, regulating healthy brain development and the function of both neurons and glial cells. Therefore, the concentration of zinc within the brain and its cells is tightly controlled. Zinc transporters are key regulators of (extra-)cellular zinc levels, and deregulation of zinc homeostasis and zinc transporters has been associated with neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, more information is provided about the presence of specific zinc transporters and their subcellular localization within brain cells (neurons, astrocytes).
  • 1.0K
  • 12 May 2021
Topic Review
Experimental Studies of the Top-Quark FCNC Processes
A study of the top-quark interactions via flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes provides an intriguing connection between the heaviest elementary particle of the standard model (SM) of particle physics and the new scalar bosons that are predicted in several notable SM extensions. The production cross sections of the processes with top-scalar FCNC interactions can be significantly enhanced to the observable level at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. 
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Dec 2022
Topic Review
AhR Participates in COVID-19’s Immune-Inflammatory Imbalance
The comprehension of AhR’s role in the COVID-19 framework must consider its participation in human physiology and, in particular, in inflammatory and immune processes, where AhR is involved in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, as it influences both DCs and T lymphocytes. In DCs, it decreases the expression of the Major Histocompatibility Complex II (MHC II). It also regulates the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL12, IL15, and IL18, which are usually produced during DC differentiation. DCs differentiation takes place upon their exposure to T cells, viral/bacterial components or pro-inflammatory molecules, such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IFNα, and inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNFα. This point is of pivotal importance, due to the crosstalk between several inflammatory molecules such as IL-6, TNFα and the AhR pathway. This interplay also reverberates on the differentiation of Th17 and Treg, in particular in type 1 regulatory T cell (TR1) stabilization. AhR can deeply affect T cells metabolism, which can be modulated depending on the AhR ligand. It has been demonstrated that the differentiation of TR1 cells is the result of the sequential collaboration of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) and AhR. In physiologic settings, AhR endows the degradation of HIF-1α, while in inflammation, which is frequently associated with hypoxia, HIF-1α inactivates AHR, thus interfering with TR1 cell differentiation. AhR is also abundantly expressed in DCs. 
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Melanocortins Protect against Diabetes Caused by Obesity
Melanocortins, a group of cleavage peptide products of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), activate melanocortin receptors on the surface of a diverse range of cell types, leading to different biological actions. They are so named because of their melanotropic activity, that is, the ability of melanocortins to increase pigmentation in melanocytes in the skin and hair follicles, increase concentrations of eumelanin and prevent an increase in photosensitive pheomelanin. Melanocortins are produced by POMC neurons in the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland, the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and the dorsal medullary nucleus of the solitary tract. They can be distinguished by the presence of an invariant amino acid sequence in each melanocortin peptide, His-Phe-Arg-Trp. The melanocortins produced in humans include alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), beta-melanocyte stimulating hormone (β-MSH), gamma-melanocyte stimulating hormone (γ-MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Lotus Genomics and the Contribution to Its Breeding
Genomics is the cornerstone of breeding, and studies based on whole-genome sequencing and genome-wide association study have greatly driven forward genomics-assisted breeding in many crops. Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), under the Nelumbonaceae family, is one of the relict plants possessing important scientific research and economic values. As a basal eudicot species, lotus plays an essential role in studying plant evolution and phylogeny. It is adapted to the aquatic environment, while its relatives are shrubs or trees living on land. Water lily lies at the phylogenetic position of the base angiosperm and has similar living conditions and flowers. However, its genomes are vastly different. Lotus has unique features such as water-repellent self-cleaning function, multi-seed production, and flower thermogenesis, which may relate to flower protogyny or provide a warm environment for pollination.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Estrogens
Estrogens are a group of steroid hormones that recently have gained even more attention in the eyes of scientists. There is an ongoing discussion in the scientific community about their relevance as environmental contaminants and the danger they pose to animal health and welfare. In available literature we can find many examples of their negative effects and mechanisms that are involved with such phenomena. 
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Seaweed Functionality: Sustainable Bio-Based Material
Sustainable development is an integrated approach to tackle ongoing global challenges such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and climate change. However, a paradigm shift from a fossil-based economy to a bio-based economy must accomplish the circularity principles in order to be sustainable as a solution. The exploration of new feedstock possibilities has potential to unlock the bio-based economy’s true potential, wherein a cascading approach would maximize value creation.
  • 999
  • 25 Jun 2021
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