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Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Parkinson’s Disease Overlaps
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, globally. Dopaminergic neuron degeneration in substantia nigra pars compacta and aggregation of misfolded alpha-synuclein are the PD hallmarks, accompanied by motor and non-motor symptoms. Several viruses have been linked to the appearance of a post-infection parkinsonian phenotype. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has evolved from a novel pneumonia to a multifaceted syndrome with multiple clinical manifestations, among which neurological sequalae appear insidious and potentially long-lasting.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Forms of Parkinson Disease Epigenetic Aspects
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population over the age of 50. PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, and the estimated prevalence is 94 cases per 100,000 people, or approximately 0.3 percent in the general population 40 years of age and older. The yearly incidence of new cases ranges from 8 to 18.6 per 100,000 person-years. PD is clinically characterized by uncontrollable tremors at rest, rigidity, slowness of movement and postural impairment. In addition to violations of motor function, PD is accompanied by gastrointestinal, olfactory, sleep, and cognitive pathologies and other disorders. PD is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). These neurons release dopamine (DA) from nerve endings in the striatum and control muscle tone and multiple brain functions including a broad array of behavioral processes such as mood, reward, addiction, and stress. Morphologically PD is characterized by the presence of intracellular inclusions called Lewy bodies (LB) consisting mainly of aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn) inside nerve cells including SNpc. The onset of PD is dependent on both genetic and environmental factors. The latter can alter gene expression by causing epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, and the post-translational modification of histones and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs, the most studied of which are microRNAs or miRNAs). The regulation of genes responsible for monogenic forms of PD may also be involved in sporadic PD.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Archaeal DNA Repair
DNA repair is essential across all organisms to maintain levels genomic stability suitable for life. Archaea often thrive in environmental extremes, enduring levels of heat, pressure, salinity, pH, and radiation that prove intolerable to most life. Many environmental extremes raise the propensity for DNA damaging events and thus, impact DNA stability, placing greater reliance on molecular mechanisms that recognize DNA damage and initiate accurate repair. Archaea can presumably prosper in harsh and DNA-damaging environments in part due to robust DNA repair pathways but surprisingly, no DNA repair pathways unique to Archaea have been described.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Nov 2020
Topic Review
HMGB1 in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), one of major dose-limiting side effects of first-line chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel, oxaliplatin, vincristine, and bortezomib is resistant to most of existing medicines.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Algal Metabolites as an Immune Booster against COVID-19
Algae and algae-derived products are rich sources of natural products or metabolites synthesized during metabolism. Algae are a rich source of compounds such as lectins and sulfated polysaccharides, which have potent antiviral and immunity-boosting properties. Moreover, Algae-derived compounds or metabolites can be used as antibodies and vaccine raw materials against COVID-19. Furthermore, some algal species can boost immunity, reduce viral activity in humans and be recommended for usage as a COVID-19 preventative measure.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Polyphenols and its Natural Preservatives
The use of synthetic/artificial preservatives has become common and has not been widely accepted by consumers as they are aware of the fact that exposure to preservatives can lead to adverse effects on health, which is a major area of concern for researchers. Naturally occurring phenolic compounds appear to be extensively used as bio-preservatives to prolong the shelf life of the finished product. 
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Posttranscriptional Defects of Selenoenzymes
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known neurotoxicant that causes severe intoxication in humans. Research progress has pointed out the importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of MeHg toxicity. MeHg-induced intracellular relative selenium deficiency due to the greater affinity of MeHg for selenohydryl groups and selenides leads to failure in the recoding of a UGA codon for selenocysteine and results in the degradation of antioxidant selenoenzyme mRNA by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. The defect of antioxidant selenoenzyme replenishment exacerbates MeHg-mediated oxidative stress. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Oxidative Stress in Sepsis
Sepsis is the leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and leads to increased morbidity and mortality in intensive care units. Current treatments for septic AKI are largely supportive and are not targeted towards its pathophysiology. Sepsis is commonly characterized by systemic inflammation and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly superoxide. Concomitantly released nitric oxide (NO) then reacts with superoxide, leading to the formation of reactive nitrogen species (RNS), predominantly peroxynitrite. Sepsis-induced ROS and RNS can reduce the bioavailability of NO, mediating renal microcirculatory abnormalities, localized tissue hypoxia and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby initiating a propagating cycle of cellular injury culminating in AKI. 
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Oct 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
Topic Review
Bone Healing
Main methods of biophysical enhancement in treating bone nonunions.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Feb 2021
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
Hydrodynamically Closed Capillary Electrophoresis
Several research disciplines require fast, reliable and highly automated determination of pharmaceutically active compounds and their enantiomers in complex biological matrices. To address some of the challenges of Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), such as low concentration sensitivity and performance degradation linked to the adsorption and interference of matrix components, CE in a hydrodynamically closed system was evaluated using the model compounds Pindolol and Propranolol. Some established validation parameters such as repeatability of injection, efficiency, resolution and sensitivity were used to assess its performance, and it was found to be broadly identical to that of hydrodynamically opened systems. While some reduction in separation efficiency was observed, this was mainly due to dispersion caused by injection and it had no impact on the ability to resolve enantiomers of model compounds even when spiked into complex biological matrix such as blood serum. An approximately 18- to 23-fold increase in concentration sensitivity due to the employment of wide bore capillaries was observed. This brings the sensitivity of CE to a level similar to that of liquid chromatography techniques. In addition to this benefit and unlike in hydrodynamically opened systems, suppression of electroosmotic flow, which is essential for hydrodynamically closed systems practically eliminates the matrix effects that are linked to protein adsorption.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Transcriptomic Harmonization
Emergence of methods interrogating gene expression at high throughput gave birth to quantitative transcriptomics, but also posed a question of inter-comparison of expression profiles obtained using different equipment and protocols and/or in different series of experiments. Addressing this issue is challenging, because all of the above variables can dramatically influence gene expression signals and, therefore, cause a plethora of peculiar features in the transcriptomic profiles. Millions of transcriptomic profiles were obtained and deposited in public databases of which the usefulness is however strongly limited due to the inter-comparison issues. Platform/protocol/batch bias can be efficiently reduced not only for the comparisons of limited transcriptomic datasets. Instead, instruments were proposed for transforming gene expression profiles into the universal, uniformly shaped format that can support multiple inter-comparisons for reasonable calculation costs. This forms a basement for universal indexing of all or most of all types of RNA sequencing and microarray hybridization profiles.
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Protein Lipoxidation
Protein lipoxidation is a non-enzymatic post-translational modification that consists of the covalent addition of reactive lipid species to proteins. This occurs under basal conditions but increases in situations associated with oxidative stress. Protein targets for lipoxidation include metabolic and signalling enzymes, cytoskeletal proteins, and transcription factors, among others. There is strong evidence for the involvement of protein lipoxidation in disease, including atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Nevertheless, the involvement of lipoxidation in cellular regulatory mechanisms is less understood. Moreover, given the great structural variety of electrophilic lipid species, protein lipoxidation can contribute to the generation of multiple structurally and functionally diverse protein species. Finally, the nature of the lipoxidised proteins and residues provides a frameshift for a complex interplay with other post-translational modifications, including redox and redox-regulated modifications, such as oxidative modifications and phosphorylation.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Immunogenic Proteins of Group B Streptococcus
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is an opportunistic pathogen, which asymptomatically colonizes the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tract of up to one third of healthy adults. Nevertheless, GBS carriage in pregnant women may lead to several health issues in newborns causing life threatening infection, such as sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis. Recommended GBS screening in pregnant women significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in infants. Nevertheless, intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, recommended following the detection of carriage or in case of lack of a carriage test result for pregnant women who demonstrate certain risk factors, led to the expansion of the adverse phenomenon of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Chemical Changes in Atherosclerosis
Fiberoptic Raman spectroscopy and Raman microscopy were used to investigate alterations in the aorta wall and the surrounding perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in the murine model of atherosclerosis (Apoe-/-/Ldlr-/- mice). Both abdominal and thoracic parts of the aorta were studied to account for the heterogenic chemical composition of aorta and its localization-dependent response in progression of atherosclerosis. The average Raman spectra obtained for both parts of aorta cross sections revealed that the chemical composition of intima-media layers along aorta remains relatively homogeneous while the lipid content in the adventitia layer markedly increases with decreasing distance to PVAT. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the increase of the lipid to protein ratio in the aorta wall correlates directly with the increased unsaturation level of lipids in PVAT and these changes occur only in the abdominal, but not in thoracic, aorta. In summary, distinct pathophysiological response in the aortic vascular wall could be uncovered by fiber optic Raman spectroscopy based on simple parameters detecting chemical contents of lipids in PVAT.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Jul 2020
Topic Review
NF-κB and Human Cancer
Transcription factor NF-κB has been extensively studied for its varied roles in cancer since its initial characterization as a potent retroviral oncogene several decades ago. It is now clear that NF-κB plays a major role in a large variety of human cancers, including especially ones of immune cell origin. NF-κB is generally constitutively or aberrantly activated in human cancers where it is involved.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Dnmt3a2/Dnmt3L
This study investigates how DNA methylation regulates motor behavior in single neuron type resolution. This topic is important for understanding that the behaviors like hyperactivity in relevant diseases are also regulated by epigenetic factors. Although accumulative researches have demonstrated that epigenetic factor is a potential regulator for brain function, the specific role of these factors in certain type of neurons is still unclear, especially in motor neurons, has not been studied. We aim to examine if the DNA methylation level of neurons are regulated by DNA methyltransferase and how is the consequence in locomotion. The study generated a transgenic mouse model with overexpression of Dnmt3a2 and Dnmt3L, the DNA methyltransferase and its partner, in dopaminergic neurons which controls locomotor function. We found that the DNA methylation level was up-regulated in neurons with overexpression, and the spontaneous activity and exercise performance of the mice were increased significantly. Furthermore, the higher fire frequency and excitability of dopaminergic neuron were detected without dopaminergic biosynthesis change.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
JAK/STAT Pathway in Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension is defined as a group of diseases characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which leads to right ventricular failure and premature death. There are multiple clinical manifestations that can be grouped into five different types. Pulmonary artery remodeling is a common feature in pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle pulmonary artery cell proliferation. The current treatments for PH are limited to vasodilatory agents that do not stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for new agents that inhibit pulmonary artery remodeling targeting the main genetic, molecular, and cellular processes involved in PH. Chronic inflammation contributes to pulmonary artery remodeling and PH, among other vascular disorders, and many inflammatory mediators signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Recent evidence indicates that the JAK/STAT pathway is overactivated in the pulmonary arteries of patients with PH of different types. In addition, different profibrotic cytokines such as IL-6, IL-13, and IL-11 and growth factors such as PDGF, VEGF, and TGFβ1 are activators of the JAK/STAT pathway and inducers of pulmonary remodeling, thus participating in the development of PH. The understanding of the participation and modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway in PH could be an attractive strategy for developing future treatments. 
  • 1.1K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Dystrophin Node
Dystrophin isoform Dp427-M is tightly associated with a variety of glycoproteins at the muscle sarcolemma membrane. The core dystrophin-glycoprotein complex forms a variety of links to components of the extracellular matrix and the intracellular cytoskeleton. The wider dystrophin complexome plays a crucial functional role as an integrative node of the skeletal muscle periphery. The sarcolemmal dystrophin node is involved in the maintenance of fiber stability, the provision of cellular signaling cascades, organizer of cytoskeletal networks and costameric anchor for lateral force transmission.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Feb 2021
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