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Topic Review
Heat Shock Protein B8
The Heat Shock Protein B8 (HSPB8) is a small chaperone involved in chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA). CASA promotes the selective degradation of proteins to counteract cell stress such as tumor-induced stress. HSPB8 is also involved in (i) the cell division machinery regulating chromosome segregation and cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase and (ii) inflammation regulating dendritic cell maturation and cytokine production. HSPB8 expression and role are tumor-specific, showing a dual and opposite role.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Molecular Biomarkers of K-RAS Dependency
Oncogenic v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (K-RAS) plays a key role in the development and maintenance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The targeting of K-RAS would be beneficial to treat tumors whose growth depends on active K-RAS. The analysis of K-RAS genomic mutations is a clinical routine; however, an emerging question is whether the mutational status is able to identify tumors effectively dependent on K-RAS for tailoring targeted therapies. With the emergence of novel K-RAS inhibitors in clinical settings, this question is relevant. Several studies support the notion that the K-RAS mutation is not a sufficient biomarker deciphering the effective dependency of the tumor. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of tumors, while revealing K-RAS signaling complexity and K-RAS-driven molecular pathways crucial for PDAC growth, are opening the opportunity to specifically identify K-RAS-dependent- or K-RAS-independent tumor subtypes by using novel molecular biomarkers. This would help tumor selection aimed at tailoring therapies against K-RAS. In this review, we will present studies about how the K-RAS mutation can also be interpreted in a state of K-RAS dependency, for which it is possible to identify specific K-RAS-driven molecular biomarkers in certain PDAC subtypes, beyond the genomic K-RAS mutational status.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Acute Phase of Brain Injury
Early or primary injury due to brain aggression, such as mechanical trauma, hemorrhage or is-chemia, triggers the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) in the extracellular space. Some DAMPs, such as S100B, participate in the regulation of cell growth and survival but may also trigger cellular damage as their concentration increases in the extracellular space. When DAMPs bind to pattern-recognition receptors, such as the receptor of advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), they lead to non-infectious inflammation that will contribute to necrotic cell clearance but may also worsen brain injury.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Suicidal Erythrocyte Death in Metabolic Syndrome
Eryptosis is a coordinated, programmed cell death culminating with the disposal of cells without disruption of the cell membrane and the release of endocellular oxidative and pro-inflammatory milieu. While providing a convenient form of death for erythrocytes, dysregulated eryptosis may result in a series of detrimental and harmful pathological consequences highly related to the endothelial dysfunction (ED). Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is described as a cluster of cardiometabolic factors (hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity) that increases the risk of cardiovascular complications such as those related to diabetes and atherosclerosis.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
MicroRNA Expression in Sepsis
A critically ill polytrauma patient is one of the most complex cases to be admitted to the intensive care unit, due to both the primary traumatic complications and the secondary post-traumatic interactions. From a molecular, genetic, and epigenetic point of view, numerous biochemical interactions are responsible for the deterioration of the clinical status of a patient, and increased mortality rates. From a molecular viewpoint, microRNAs are one of the most complex macromolecular systems due to the numerous modular reactions and interactions that they are involved in. Regarding the expression and activity of microRNAs in sepsis, their usefulness has reached new levels of significance. MicroRNAs can be used both as an early biomarker for sepsis, and as a therapeutic target because of their ability to block the complex reactions involved in the initiation, maintenance, and augmentation of the clinical status.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Bone in Inherited Endocrine Tumors
Endocrine tumors are neoplasms originating from specialized hormone-secreting cells. They can develop as sporadic tumors, caused by somatic mutations, or in the context of familial Mendelian inherited diseases. Congenital forms, manifesting as syndromic or non-syndromic diseases, are caused by germinal heterozygote autosomal dominant mutations in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Aug 2021
Topic Review
ICIs for HCC treatment
Immunotherapies are promising approaches for treating hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) refractory to conventional therapies. However, a recent clinical trial of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) revealed that anti-tumor responses to ICIs are not satisfactory in HCC cases. Therefore, it is critical to identify molecular markers to predict outcome and develop novel combination therapies that enhance the efficacy of ICIs. Recently, several attempts have been made to classify HCC based on genome, epigenome, and transcriptome analyses. These molecular classifications are characterized by unique clinical and histological features of HCC, as well immune phenotype. For example, HCCs exhibiting gene expression patterns with proliferation signals and stem cell markers are associated with the enrichment of immune infiltrates in tumors, suggesting immune-proficient characteristics for this type of HCC. However, the presence of activating mutations in β-catenin represents a lack of immune infiltrates and refractoriness to ICIs. Although the precise mechanism that links the immunological phenotype with molecular features remains controversial, it is conceivable that alterations of oncogenic cellular signaling in cancer may lead to the expression of immune-regulatory molecules and result in the acquisition of specific immunological microenvironments for each case of HCC. Therefore, these molecular and immune characteristics should be considered for the management of HCC using immunotherapy.
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Nov 2020
Biography
Oleg B. Ptitsyn
Oleg Borisovich Ptitsyn was born in Leningrad, USSR, on July 18, 1929. His mother, Iva Ruvimovna Protas (1904–1976), and father, Boris Vladimirovich Ptitsyn (1903–1965), were chemists. In 1941, after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 12-year-old Oleg and his mother, then a scientist for the State Optics Institute, were evacuated to the east, across the Volga River, to the town of Yos
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Better Antimicrobial Peptides Databases
With the accelerating growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial agents with low or no AMR. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been extensively studied as alternatives to antibiotics (ATAs). Coupled with the new generation of high-throughput technology for AMP mining, the number of derivatives has increased dramatically, but manual running is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, it is necessary to establish databases that combine computer algorithms to summarize, analyze, and design new AMPs. A number of AMP databases have already been established, such as the Antimicrobial Peptides Database (APD), the Collection of Antimicrobial Peptides (CAMP), the Database of Antimicrobial Activity and Structure of Peptides (DBAASP), and the Database of Antimicrobial Peptides (dbAMPs). These four AMP databases are comprehensive and are widely used. 
  • 1.1K
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Fibrinogen and Antifibrinolytic Proteins
The antifibrinolytic proteins alpha-2 antiplasmin (α2AP), thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), complement C3 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI-2), can be incorporated into the fibrin clot by FXIIIa and affect fibrinolysis by different mechanisms. Therefore, these antifibrinolytic proteins are attractive targets for the development of novel therapeutics, both for the modulation of thrombosis risk, but also for potentially improving clot instability in bleeding disorders.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Dec 2021
Topic Review
SALL Proteins in Cancer
SALL proteins are a family of four conserved C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors that play critical roles in organogenesis during embryonic development. They regulate cell proliferation, survival, migration, and stemness; consequently, they are involved in various human genetic disorders and cancer. SALL4 is a well-recognized oncogene; however, SALL1–3 play dual roles depending on the cancer context and stage of the disease.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Follicular Fluid
Follicular fluid (FF) serves as a complex microenvironment for germ cell–somatic cell communication. It encompasses a variety of metabolites and enables different reactions to take place that are crucial to oocyte growth. It is derived from the diffusion of serum, transudate of plasma, and metabolites synthesized in the follicle wall that will later be altered by granulosa cells (GCs) and theca cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Application of Molecular Hydrogen to Postharvest Produce
Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been found to have significant effects in a range of organisms, from plants to humans. In the biomedical arena it has been found to have positive effects for neurodegenerative disease and even for treatment of COVID-19. In plants H2 has been found to improve seed germination, foliar growth, and crops: effects being most pronounced under stress conditions. It has also been found that treatment with H2 can improve the postharvest preservation of fruits, vegetables and flowers.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Alcohol-Poisoning Symptoms
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are recognized as “probiotics.” The word “probiotics” is defined as “the live microorganisms conferring a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amounts”, and probiotic LAB strains traditionally have been used to manufacture fermented foods. It has been reported that some LAB cells and fermented foods containing the bacteria have potent health benefits, such as promoting intestinal homeostasis, possessing anti-allergic properties, and preventing and improving obesity.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are cancers that arise from both stratified squamous and non-squamous epithelium of diverse anatomical sites and collectively represent one of the most frequent solid tumors. Despite such heterogeneous anatomical origins, SCCs have unified oncogenic and metabolic features centered around maintaining redox homeostasis that may ultimately be attractive therapeutic targets.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Cyclic Dinucleotides in Bacterial Behavior
Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) constitute intracellular signaling second messenger systems, they determine the regulation of multiple bacterial phenotypes. Most notably, c-di-GMP, along with proteins related to its synthesis, sensing, and degradation, was identified as playing a central role in the switching from biofilm to planktonic modes of growth. 
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds
Upon pathogen attack, plants very quickly undergo rather complex physico-chemical changes, such as the production of new chemicals or alterations in membrane and cell wall properties, to reduce disease damages. An underestimated threat is represented by root parasitic nematodes. In Vitis vinifera L., the nematode Xiphinema index is the unique vector of Grapevine fanleaf virus, responsible for fanleaf degeneration, one of the most widespread and economically damaging diseases worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in grapevines attacked by X. index. BVOCs play a role in plant defensive mechanisms and are synthetized in response to biotic damages. In our study, the BVOC profile was altered by the nematode feeding process. We found a decrease in β-ocimene and limonene monoterpene emissions, as well as an increase in α-farnesene and α-bergamotene sesquiterpene emissions in nematode-treated plants. Moreover, we evaluated the PR1 gene expression. The transcript level of PR1 gene was higher in the nematode-wounded roots, while in the leaf tissues it showed a lower expression compared to control grapevines.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Amyloid Precursor Protein in AD
       Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and globally, over 46 million people are affected by this devastating disease. AD causes irreversible mental and cognitive deficiency including memory loss, personality disorder, and intellectual abnormality in patients older than 65 years. Central sensory systems including the visual system are also affected during the advanced stages of the disease . Collectively, complications of AD diminish the lifespan, hamper the quality of life, and cause physical impairment, which finally appears as a terrible difficulty in normal life activities. To decrease the social and economic costs and the burden of the disease on patients and their families, recently, several attempts have been made to identify disease diagnostic markers. Neuroimaging methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, have been developed enabling researchers to diagnose AD at the early stages of the disease. Moreover, distinct biomarkers, which are essential to figure out the pathological characteristics of AD, have been observed in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The advancement of AD is associated with three cardinal neuropathological features such as extracellular deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) to produce neuritic plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and synaptic degeneration. These pathological alterations arise in the neocortex, hippocampus, and other subcortical regions that are crucial for cognitive functions. Aβ has been considered as the foremost risk factor that playing a vital role in the initiation and progression of AD. Aβ is generated into the typical individual, but in some instances, this peptide leads to aggregation, the starting point of disease progression. Many findings elucidate that Aβ oligomers might play a central role in neuronal dysfunction and AD. 
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Melatonin on NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation
The NLRP3 inflammasome is a part of the innate immune system and responsible for the rapid identification and eradication of pathogenic microbes, metabolic stress products, reactive oxygen species, and other exogenous agents. NLRP3 inflammasome is overactivated in several neurodegenerative, cardiac, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, suppression of inflammasome activation is of utmost clinical importance. Melatonin is a ubiquitous hormone mainly produced in the pineal gland with circadian rhythm regulatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions. Melatonin is a natural product and safer than most chemicals to use for medicinal purposes. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have proved that melatonin alleviates NLRP3 inflammasome activity via various intracellular signaling pathways.
  • 1.0K
  • 07 Jul 2021
Topic Review
LIMK1 in Spine Regulation
The LIM-domain-containing protein kinases (LIMK1 and LIMK2) are key regulators of the actin cytoskeleton by affecting the actin-binding protein, cofilin. Additionally, LIMK1 is implicated in the regulation of gene expression through its interaction with the cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB). Accumulating evidence indicates that LIMKs are critically involved in brain function and dysfunction.
  • 1.0K
  • 17 Aug 2021
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