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Topic Review
Sources of Antinociceptive Non-Opioid Active Principles
Pain is associated with many health problems and a reduced quality of life and has been a common reason for seeking medical attention. Several therapeutics are available on the market, although side effects, physical dependence, and abuse limit their use. As the process of pain transmission and modulation is regulated by different peripheral and central mechanisms and neurotransmitters, medicinal chemistry continues to study novel ligands and innovative approaches. Among them, natural products are known to be a rich source of lead compounds for drug discovery due to their chemical structural variety and different analgesic mechanisms.
  • 563
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Effects of Microalgae on Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic disturbances, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and hyperglycemia. Adopting a healthier lifestyle and multiple drug-based therapies are current ways to manage MetS, but they have limited efficacy, albeit the prevalence of MetS is rising. Microalgae is a part of the human diet and has also been consumed as a health supplement to improve insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and several components of MetS. 
  • 561
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
SOXC Transcription Factors in Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment
Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are two common disorders that disrupt the quality of life of millions of people. Sex-determining region Y-related (SRY) high-mobility group (HMG) box C, SOXC, is a superfamily of transcription factors that have been recently shown to be involved in various physiological and pathological processes. These include embryonic development, cell differentiation, fate determination, and autoimmune diseases, as well as carcinogenesis and tumor progression. The SOXC superfamily includes SOX4, SOX11, and SOX12, all have a similar DNA-binding domain, i.e., HMG. 
  • 556
  • 23 Apr 2023
Topic Review
LOXL2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
LOXL2, a copper-dependent amine oxidase, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increased LOXL2 expression in HCC has been linked with an aggressive phenotype and represents a poor prognostic factor.
  • 550
  • 02 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Weight Regain after Metabolic Surgery
Patients undergoing metabolic surgery have factors ranging from anatomo-surgical, endocrine metabolic, eating patterns and physical activity, mental health and psychological factors. Some of the latter can explain the possible pathophysiological neuroendocrine, metabolic, and adaptive mechanisms that cause the high prevalence of weight regain in postbariatric patients.
  • 548
  • 23 Feb 2024
Topic Review
New Opportunities for miRNAs in Translational Medicine
miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that control gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. It has been recognised that miRNA dysregulation reflects the state and function of cells and tissues, contributing to their dysfunction. The identification of hundreds of extracellular miRNAs in biological fluids has underscored their potential in the field of biomarker research. In addition, the therapeutic potential of miRNAs is receiving increasing attention in numerous conditions. On the other hand, many operative problems including stability, delivery systems, and bioavailability, still need to be solved. In this dynamic field, biopharmaceutical companies are increasingly engaged, and ongoing clinical trials point to anti-miR and miR-mimic molecules as an innovative class of molecules for upcoming therapeutic applications. 
  • 547
  • 04 May 2023
Topic Review
Notch3 in the Development of Cystic Kidney Diseases
Cystic kidney diseases, hereditary or acquired, are characterized by fluid-filled cysts. This pathology affecting millions of people worldwide leads to progressive loss of renal function. The present study demonstrates that abnormal activation in the renal epithelium of Notch3, a membrane receptor normally regulating vascular development and reactivity, participates in the formation of renal cysts, and thus adds a new factor in the mechanism(s) of progression of these incurable diseases.
  • 546
  • 18 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Aggressive PitNETs and Potential Target Therapies
Pituitary adenomas, namely pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs), are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms deriving from the neuroendocrine cell of the adeno-pituitary and represent 15% of all intracranial tumors. Evidence has suggested the importance of epigenetic modifications in influencing PitNET pathophysiology and clinical behavior. Indeed, most pituitary tumors are sporadic without any specific genetic driver mutations. Furthermore, a better understanding of epigenetic modifications in PitNETs is paramount to developing novel therapeutic strategies.
  • 545
  • 08 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Immunotherapy Strategy for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases
Systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs), such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are fully related to the unregulated innate and adaptive immune systems involved in their pathogenesis. They have similar pathogenic characteristics, including the interferon signature, loss of tolerance to self-nuclear antigens, and enhanced tissue damage like necrosis and fibrosis. Glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants, which have limited specificity and are prone to tolerance, are used as the first-line therapy. A plethora of novel immunotherapies have been developed, including monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, and other biological agents to target cellular and soluble factors involved in disease pathogenesis, such as B cells, co-stimulatory molecules, cytokines or their receptors, and signaling molecules. Many of these have shown encouraging results in clinical trials. CAR-T cell therapy is considered the most promising technique for curing autoimmune diseases, with recent successes in the treatment of SLE and SSc.
  • 545
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Metformin on Pancreatic Cancer Chemoresistance
Pancreatic cancer is among the most malignant and aggressive forms of neoplastic diseases, with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounting for 90% of all pancreatic tumors. A particular feature of PDAC that has been identified, which significantly contributes to the dense tumor stroma and invasive potential, is the presence of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT).
  • 544
  • 15 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Impact of X-Linked Hypophosphatemia on Muscle Symptoms
X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common hereditary form of rickets and deficiency of renal tubular phosphate transport in humans. XLH is caused by the inactivation of mutations within the phosphate-regulating endopeptidase homolog X-linked (PHEX) gene and follows an X-dominant transmission. It has an estimated frequency of 1 case per 20,000, and over 300 distinct pathogenic variations have been reported that result in an excess of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in the serum. Increased levels of FGF23 lead to renal phosphate loss, decreased serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and increased metabolism of 1,25-dihydoxyvitamin D, resulting in hypophosphatemia. Major clinical manifestations include rickets, bone deformities, and growth retardation that develop during childhood, and osteomalacia-related fractures or pseudo-fractures, degenerative osteoarthritis, enthesopathy, dental anomalies, and hearing loss during adulthood, which could affect quality of life. In addition, fatigue is also a main symptom in patients with XLH, who experience decreased motion, muscle weakness, and pain, contributing to altered quality of life. The clinical and biomedical characteristics of XLH are extensively defined in bone tissue since skeletal deformations and mineralization defects are the most evident effects of a high FGF23 and low serum phosphate levels. However, despite the muscular symptoms that XLH causes, very few reports are available about the effects of FGF23 and phosphate in muscle tissue. Given the close relationship between bones and skeletal muscles, studying the effects of FGF23 and phosphate on muscle could provide additional opportunities to understand the interactions between these two important compartments of the body.
  • 543
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Oxidative Inhibition of PTEN by Reactive Oxygen Species
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumor suppressor due to its ability to regulate cell survival, growth, and proliferation by downregulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. In addition, PTEN plays an essential role in other physiological events associated with cell growth demands, such as ischemia-reperfusion, nerve injury, and immune responsiveness.
  • 539
  • 18 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Ferroptotic Pathway
Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death. Defined by a novel term for the first time by Dixon et al. in 2012, it has been studied before and has been described in the last decade as a different type of cell death with respect to apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy, from which it differs from genetic, biochemical, and morphological point of views.
  • 536
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Systemic Sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous, systemic autoimmune disease characterized by small vessel vasculopathy, autoantibodies production, and fibroblast activation leading to fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Autologous hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (AHSCT) has been employed as treatment for severe systemic sclerosis (SSc) with high risk of organ failure. In the last 25 years overall survival and treatment-related mortality have improved, in accordance with a better patient selection and mobilization and conditioning protocols. 
  • 535
  • 10 May 2022
Topic Review
Childhood Obesity in Kidney
The prevalence of childhood obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is steadily increasing worldwide, reaching epidemic proportions. While the impact of obesity in children with CKD is less pronounced than in adults, recent studies suggest a similar trend in the child population. This is likely due to the significant association between obesity and the two leading causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD): diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Obesity is a complex, systemic disease that reflects interactions between environmental and genetic factors. A key mechanism of kidney damage is related to metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Therefore, it can be speculated about an adipose tissue–kidney axis in which neurohormonal and immunological mechanisms exacerbate complications resulting from obesity. Adipose tissue, now recognized as an endocrine organ, secretes cytokines called adipokines that may induce adaptive or maladaptive responses in renal cells, leading to kidney fibrosis. The impact of obesity on kidney transplant-related outcomes for both donors and recipients is also significant, making stringent preventive measures critical in the pre- and post-transplant phases. The challenge lies in identifying renal involvement as early as possible, as it is often completely asymptomatic and not detectable through common markers of kidney function. Ongoing research into innovative technologies, such as proteomics and metabolomics, aims to identify new biomarkers and is constantly evolving. Many aspects of pediatric disease progression in the population of children with obesity still require clarification. However, the latest scientific evidence in the field of nephrology offers glimpses into various new perspectives, such as genetic factors, comorbidities, and novel biomarkers. Investigating these aspects early could potentially improve the prognosis of these young patients through new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
  • 534
  • 03 Jan 2024
Topic Review
The Role of circHIPK3 in Human Cancers
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs with closed-loop of single-stranded RNA structure. Although most of the circRNAs do not directly encode proteins, emerging evidence suggests that circRNAs play a pivotal and complex role in multiple biological processes by regulating gene expression. Accumulating studies have substantiated that the dysregulation of circular homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (circHIPK3) contributes to multiple processes in the carcinogenesis and progression of various human cancers. Not only does this molecule play a pivotal role in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and drug resistance of tumor cells, but also it has the potential to act as a biomarker in early diagnosis and prognosis, considering that in most cases, circHIPK3 is a tumor promoter by sponging miRNAs.
  • 530
  • 04 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Artificial Intelligence and Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both males and females, with the highest mortality worldwide, causing 21% of total cancer-related deaths. The notion of artificial intelligence (AI) was initially proposed by John McCarthy in 1956. It involves using computer systems and technology to replicate human-like intelligent behavior and critical thinking abilities. In the realm of medicine, AI is divided into two main categories: virtual and physical. The virtual branch is further categorized into machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL).
  • 527
  • 14 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Melatonin as a Potential Therapeutic Approach in Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is an age-related condition that involves a progressive decline in muscle mass and function, leading to increased risk of falls, frailty, and mortality. Disruption of the circadian system with age may initiate these pathways in skeletal muscle, preceding the onset of sarcopenia. There is no pharmacological treatment for sarcopenia, only resistance exercise and proper nutrition may delay its onset. Melatonin, derived from tryptophan, emerges as an exceptional candidate for treating sarcopenia due to its chronobiotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • 526
  • 26 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Biomarkers in Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
Clinically useful biomarkers of SIRS (neutrophil extracellular traps, cell-free DNA, DAMP, TREMs, NGAL, miRNA, selected cytokines, ROS, and recognised markers of endothelial damage from the group of adhesins by means of immunohistochemical techniques) related to the neutrophils are presented, and their role in the diagnosing and forecasting of sepsis, burn disease, and COVID-19 is emphasised.
  • 526
  • 27 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Graphene Sensors for Biomarker Detection
The field of organic-borne biomarkers has been gaining relevance due to its suitability for diagnosing pathologies and health conditions in a rapid, accurate, non-invasive, painless and low-cost way. Due to the lack of analytical techniques with features capable of analysing such a complex matrix as the human breath, the academic community has focused on developing electronic noses based on arrays of gas sensors. These sensors are assembled considering the excitability, sensitivity and sensing capacities of a specific nanocomposite, graphene. In this way, graphene-based sensors can be employed for a vast range of applications that vary from environmental to medical applications. 
  • 521
  • 23 Nov 2023
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