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Topic Review
Manganese Superoxide Dismutase
Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, also referred to as SOD2), which detoxifies superoxide, a ROS that has been shown, when its normal physiological levels are disrupted, to lead to oncogenicity and therapy resistance. 
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Marine Resources for the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variant
In November of 2021, a recently evolved variant of SARS-CoV-2, omicron, was discovered. In just one month, omicron has spread to more than 89 countries resulting in a rapid rise in cases and a new wave of infections. With over 46 mutations, omicron brings concern to the public health and may be able to infect at a greater capacity than previous strains. Although able to infect double vaccinated and previously infected individuals, the booster vaccine may prove promising. However, more research is needed to fully elucidate the key function of each mutation and to better develop effective drugs. Marine resources may be a promising drug discovery avenue to investigate. Through viral entry blockade and preventing viral replication and protein synthesis, metabolites produced from marine organisms may be promising against the evolving SARS-CoV-2.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Trans-Synaptic Neurexin–Neuroligin Interaction
Synapses serve as the interface for the transmission of information between neurons in the central nervous system. The structural and functional characteristics of synapses are highly dynamic, exhibiting extensive plasticity that is shaped by neural activity and regulated primarily by trans-synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs). Prototypical trans-synaptic CAMs, such as neurexins (Nrxs) and neuroligins (Nlgs), directly regulate the assembly of presynaptic and postsynaptic molecules, including synaptic vesicles, active zone proteins, and receptors. Therefore, the trans-synaptic adhesion mechanisms mediated by Nrx–Nlg interaction can contribute to a range of synaptopathies in the context of pathological pain and other neurological disorders.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Endothelial Dysfunction
Any damage to the endothelial cells leads to the interruption of the barrier, an increased permeability, and an inflow of molecules that generate inflammatory response. Pulmonary endothelium is able to generate bioactive molecules and/or to use compounds present in the cell to reduce the effects of toxic stimuli and restore its conditions. If the damage is particularly extensive, the endothelium cannot tackle it and its permeability undergoes some alterations. The pulmonary endothelial barrier is completely destroyed in the case of chronic lung damages. A typical example of chronic inflammation of the alveolus-capillary unit is represented by virus infections.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Circulating 16S RNA
The human body is inhabited by around trillions of microbes composing a multicomplex system, termed microbiota, which is strongly involved in the regulation and maintenance of homeostasis. Perturbations in microbiota composition can lead to dysbiosis, which has been associated with several human pathologies. The gold-standard method to explore microbial composition is next-generation sequencing, which involves the analysis of 16S rRNA, an indicator of the presence of specific microorganisms and the principal tool used in bacterial taxonomic classification. Indeed, the development of 16S RNA sequencing allows us to explore microbial composition within the human body, including fluids, since it has been detected in “germ-free” environments such as blood, plasma, and urine of diseased and healthy subjects. Recently, prokaryotes showed to generate extracellular vesicles, which are known to be responsible for shuttling different intracellular components such as proteins and nucleic acids (including 16S molecules) by protecting their cargo from degradation. These vesicles can be found in several human biofluids and can be exploited as tools for bacterial detection and identification.
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Factors Influencing Gallstone Formation
Dysfunction of the gallbladder or other parts of the bile-secretion pathway can result in gallstone formation. Given that the bile-secretion pathway is a complex process, there are many reasons for the formation of gallstones. Evidence suggests that gallstones are related to age, gender, female physiological status, obesity, cardiovascular disease, microbiome, sugar metabolism, and various environmental exposures. Based on a large number of mouse and human studies, the interaction of five main factors were proposed. The pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone disease is precipitated by: genetic factors; excessive cholesterol secretion by the liver (leading to supersaturation of cholesterol in gallbladder bile); rapid phase change by accelerating the growth of cholesterol crystals and solid cholesterol crystals; impairment of gallbladder motility; and intestinal factors. Intestinal factors can be further broken down into two categories: increased cholesterol absorption from the small intestine to the liver, eventually resulting in increased bile secretion, and microbiota that inhabit the intestinal tract. These factors will increase the production or growth of cholesterol crystals, eventually leading to the formation of stones.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 May 2022
Topic Review
The Biological Radicals
Past and present knowledge on the most important biological radicals, the superoxide radical anion and the nitrogen monoxide radical, are briefly compiled. The contribution covers the history of their detection, their enzymology, their physiological role and their detrimental effects, if they are produced in an unbalanced way. An in-depth understanding of their formation and metabolic fate is considered to improve our understanding of important biomedical problems such as host defense, blood circulation, inflammation and oxidative tissue damage.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Sphingolipids in Central Nervous System
Bioactive lipids are a newly defined class of lipids that are actively involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular events. As the name indicates, these molecular factors are subjected to action at the arrival of a specific stimulus and undergo subsequent transitions to cope up with the insult. Among these bioactive lipids, sphingolipids have emerged as distinctive mediators of various cellular processes, ranging from cell growth and proliferation to cellular apoptosis, executing immune responses to regulating inflammation. Recent studies have made it clear that sphingolipids, their metabolic intermediates (ceramide, sphingosine-1-phosphate, and N-acetyl sphingosine), and enzyme systems (cyclooxygenases, sphingosine kinases, and sphingomyelinase) harbor diverse yet interconnected signaling pathways in the central nervous system (CNS), orchestrate CNS physiological processes, and participate in a plethora of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders.
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
The Endocannabinoid System
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is primarily responsible for maintaining homeostasis, a balance in internal environment (temperature, mood, and immune system) and energy input and output in living, biological systems. In addition to regulating physiological processes, the ECS directly influences anxiety, feeding behaviour/appetite, emotional behaviour, depression, nervous functions, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, reward, cognition, learning, memory, pain sensation, fertility, pregnancy, and pre-and post-natal development. The ECS is also involved in several pathophysiological diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
DNA Methyltransferases
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark that living beings have used in different environments. The MTases family catalyzes DNA methylation. This process is conserved from archaea to eukaryotes, from fertilization to every stage of development, and from the early stages of cancer to metastasis. The family of DNMTs has been classified into DNMT1, DNMT2, and DNMT3. Each DNMT has been duplicated or deleted, having consequences on DNMT structure and cellular function, resulting in a conserved evolutionary reaction of DNA methylation. DNMTs are conserved in the five kingdoms of life: bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. 
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Prophylaxis and Treatment Against Kp
Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) is an opportunistic pathogen and the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections, mostly affecting subjects with compromised immune systems or suffering from concurrent bacterial infections. However, the dramatic increase in hypervirulent strains and the emergence of new multidrug-resistant clones resulted in Kp occurrence among previously healthy people and in increased morbidity and mortality, including neonatal sepsis and death across low- and middle-income countries. As a consequence, carbapenem-resistant and extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Kp have been prioritized as a critical anti-microbial resistance threat by the World Health Organization and this has renewed the interest of the scientific community in developing a vaccine as well as treatments alternative to the now ineffective antibiotics. Capsule polysaccharide is the most important virulence factor of Kp and plays major roles in the pathogenesis but its high variability (more than 100 different types have been reported) makes the identification of a universal treatment or prevention strategy very challenging. However, less variable virulence factors such as the O-Antigen, outer membrane proteins as fimbriae and siderophores might also be key players in the fight against Kp infections.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
JAK/STAT in Bone Development
The Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway serves as an important downstream mediator for a variety of cytokines, hormones, and growth factors. Based on the knowledge gained from JAK and STAT knockout animals, the JAK/STAT signaling pathway was identified as important for bone development and homeostasis, recognizing that JAKs and STATs are not equally important for the biology of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Moreover, their overall role in the musculoskeletal system is still not fully understood. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of how bone remodeling is regulated, how metabolic processes take place, and how bone responds to mechanical stimulation is central to maintaining the integrity of the skeletal system.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Targeting Immunosuppressive Pathways as Cancer Therapies
Immune response has been shown to play an important role in defining patient prognosis and response to cancer treatment. Tumor-induced immunosuppression encouraged the recent development of new chemotherapeutic agents that assists in the augmentation of immune responses. Molecular mechanisms that tumors use to evade immunosurveillance are attributed to their ability to alter antigen processing/presentation pathways and the tumor microenvironment. Cancer cells take advantage of normal molecular and immunoregulatory machinery to survive and thrive. Cancer cells constantly adjust their genetic makeup using several mechanisms such as nucleotide excision repair as well as microsatellite and chromosomal instability, thus giving rise to new variants with reduced immunogenicity and the ability to continue to grow without restrictions. 
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Protein Corona
The prolific applicability of nanomaterials has made them a common citizen in biological systems, where they interact with proteins forming a biological corona complex. 
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Enzyme-Associated Pathogenesis Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. It increases the risk of other serious diseases and causes a huge impact on individuals, families, and socioeconomics. AD is a complex multifactorial disease, and current pharmacological therapies are largely based on the inhibition of enzymes involved in the pathogenesis of AD.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 May 2023
Biography
Gjumrakch Aliev
Professor Aliev had many projects underway that he looked forward to completing to better serve the world and all of its people. The scientific community has lost a bright, multidisciplinary scientist who could connect people with similar research interests across borders and continents. Gjumrakch (Figure 1) was the internationally recognized founder of Gally International Research Institute (h
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Oct 2022
Topic Review
The Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A Protein
Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a central DNA repair pathway responsible for removing a wide variety of DNA-distorting lesions from the genome. The highly choreographed cascade of core NER reactions requires more than 30 polypeptides. The xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) protein plays an essential role in the NER process. XPA interacts with almost all NER participants and organizes the correct NER repair complex. In the absence of XPA’s scaffolding function, no repair process occurs. Researchers briefly summarize the knowledge about the XPA protein structure and analyze the formation of contact with its protein partners during NER complex assembling.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Omega-3 PUFA in Pediatric Cancer
Epidemiological literature suggests a protective effect of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) against cancer. They are attributed to have significant anti-inflammatory properties, and are reported to directly inhibit carcinogenesis and tumor expansion, whilst also reducing the risk for secondary complications, thus representing a promising approach for adjunctive chemotherapy treatment. At the same time, the incidence of malnutrition amongst children with cancer is high and both under- and overnutrition are associated with detrimental consequences, including increased risks for morbidity and mortality, early relapse rates, and a higher prevalence of secondary complications during treatment. Taken together with the benefits of n-3 PUFA supplementation, an enhancement of the nutritional status is a potentially modifiable prognostic factor in pediatric oncology.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Treat COVID-19 through Mass Spectrometry and Next-Generation Sequencing
COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The difficulty in containing SARS-CoV-2 has underscored the need for techniques such as mass spectrometry in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Mass spectrometry-based methods have been employed in several studies to detect changes in interactions among host proteins, and between host and viral proteins in COVID-19 patients. The methods have also been used to characterize host and viral proteins, and analyze lipid metabolism in COVID-19 patients. Information obtained using the above methods are complemented by high-throughput analysis of transcriptomic and epigenomic changes associated with COVID-19, coupled with next-generation sequencing.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Ion Channels Involved in Oxidative Stress-Related Gastrointestinal Diseases
Ion channels (ICs) are integral membrane proteins that play a crucial role in regulating the ions’ flow across cell membranes. They are essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and are involved in various physiological processes. The pathogenesis of various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancer, can be linked to oxidative stress. It is known that reactive species carry out a crucial role in the genesis and progression of these pathologies; however, the contribution of ionic channels in their development is still under discussion. The function of ion channels in the gastrointestinal tract influences a variety of cellular processes.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 Aug 2023
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