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Topic Review
Metabolomics in Severe Asthma
Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of therapeutic strategies to the individual characteristics of each patient; thus, it could be a new approach for the management of severe asthma that considers individual variability in genes, environmental exposure, and lifestyle. Metabolomics is the systematic study of low molecular weight (bio)chemicals in a given biological system and offers a powerful approach to biomarker discovery and elucidating disease mechanisms. In this point of view, metabolomics could play a key role in targeting precision medicine. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Alternative Splicing in Myeloid Malignancies
Alternative RNA splicing (AS) is an essential physiologic function that diversifies the human proteome. AS also has a crucial role during cellular development. In fact, perturbations in RNA-splicing have been implicated in the development of several cancers, including myeloid malignancies. 
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Sexual Dysfunction and Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin whose main symptom is pruritus and may affect all age ranges. Many concomitant diseases have been associated with AD, but the causal relationship between AD and psychological impairment has not been clearly established. Unlike other psychological comorbidities such as anxiety and depression, sexual dysfunction in AD is a field scarcely explored in the literature. This sexual dysfunction focuses on the male sex in large population studies and in clinical diagnoses without exploring it through specific and validated questionnaires in this regard. Further studies focused on both sexes are needed. It is important to correlate this sexual dysfunction with the severity of the disease, previous treatments, and cardiovascular comorbidities.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
COVID-19 Advanced Therapies
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, related to the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a worldwide sudden and substantial burden in public health due to an enormous increase in hospitalizations for pneumonia with the multiorgan disease. Treatment for individuals with COVID-19 includes best practices for supportive management of acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Emerging data indicate that dexamethasone therapy reduces 28-day mortality in patients requiring supplemental oxygen compared with usual care, and ongoing trials are testing the efficacy of antiviral therapies, immune modulators and anticoagulants in the prevention of disease progression and complications, while monoclonal antibodies and hyperimmune globulin may provide additional preventive strategies. Consensus suggestions can standardize care, thereby improving outcomes and facilitating future research.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Oral Magnesium for Hypertension
Oral magnesium therapy added to treatment regimens of patients with partially controlled hypertension holds promise as a way of safely achieving lower BP without increasing antihypertensive medications. Prescribing magnesium supplements to hypertensive but untreated patients may not lower BP unless the daily magnesium dose meets or exceeds 600 mg/day, which can be safely and economically accomplished, but magnesium doses below this level can achieve other cardiovascular risk factor improvements without the side effects of antihypertensive medications.
  • 1.0K
  • 03 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Allergen Immunotherapy for Asthma
For asthma, allergen immunotherapy using house dust mite (HDM) improves clinical symptoms and airway hyperresponsiveness and decreases drug requirements. Furthermore, it has been suggested that allergen immunotherapy also has the following effects: (1) the effect can be maintained for more than a year even if the treatment is terminated, (2) the remission rate of childhood asthma can be increased, (3) new allergen sensitization can be suppressed, and (4) asthma development can be prevented if allergen immunotherapy was performed in the case of pollinosis. Allergen immunotherapy differs from conventional drug therapy, in particular the effect of modifying the natural course of allergic diseases and the effect of controlling complicated allergic diseases such as rhinoconjunctivitis.
  • 1.0K
  • 09 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Heme Oxygenase-1 and Iron Metabolism Crosstalk in Macrophages
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of heme, releasing equimolar amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin (BV), and iron. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of HO-1 activity are conferred in part by the release of CO and BV and are extensively characterized. However, iron constitutes an important product of HO-1 activity involved in the regulation of several cellular biological processes. The macrophage-mediated recycling of heme molecules, in particular those contained in hemoglobin, constitutes the major mechanism through which living organisms acquire iron. This process is finely regulated by the activities of HO-1 and of the iron exporter protein ferroportin. The expression of both proteins can be induced or suppressed in response to pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli in macrophages from different tissues, which alters the intracellular iron concentrations of these cells. 
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Peptide Allergen Immunotherapy
Allergic diseases are highly prevalent disorders, mainly in industrialized countries where they constitute a high global health problem. Allergy is defined as an immune response “shifted toward a type 2 inflammation” induced by the interaction between the antigen (allergen) and IgE antibodies bound to mast cells and basophils that induce the release of inflammatory mediators that cause the clinical symptoms. Currently, allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only treatment able to change the course of these diseases, modifying the type 2 inflammatory response by an allergenic tolerance, where the implication of T regulatory (Treg) cells is considered essential.
  • 1.0K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Noncoding-RNA-Based Therapeutics
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) defy the central dogma by representing a family of RNA molecules that are not translated into protein but can convey information encoded in their DNA.  The importance of understanding ncRNA is apparent since these molecules regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level exerting pleiotropic effects critical in development, oncogenesis, and immunity. Multiple therapeutic modalities are available for advanced Prostatic Carcinoma (PC), include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation and salvage prostatectomy, or various combinations of the aforementioned strategies. Despite significant therapeutic progress, metastatic PC  remains incurable, and therefore, new treatments, including ncRNA therapeutics (which may be used alone or in combination with current options) are necessary. 
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Intra-Tumoral Heterogeneity of Pediatric Intracranial Ependymoma
Intra-tumoral heterogeneity (ITH) is a complex multifaceted phenomenon that posits major challenges for the clinical management of cancer patients. Genetic, epigenetic, and microenvironmental factors are concurrent drivers of diversity among the distinct populations of cancer cells. ITH may also be installed by cancer stem cells (CSCs), that foster unidirectional hierarchy of cellular phenotypes or, alternatively, shift dynamically between distinct cellular states. Ependymoma (EPN), a molecularly heterogeneous group of tumors, shows a specific spatiotemporal distribution that suggests a link between ependymomagenesis and alterations of the biological processes involved in embryonic brain development. In children, EPN most often arises intra-cranially and is associated with an adverse outcome. Emerging evidence shows that EPN displays large intra-patient heterogeneity. 
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Jan 2022
Topic Review
CNPase
As an unconventional PDE, CNPase catalyzes 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotides as substrates [9], which are reported to impair mitochondrial integrity and accelerate the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). As a mitochondrial protein, protein–protein interactions between the functional complexes I–V of the mitochondrial inner membrane and CNPase, leads to the assumption that CNPase might be involved in mitochondrial respiration and energy production.
  • 1.0K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Itchy Toxicodendron Plant Dermatitis
Plants such as the Toxicodendron species, consisting of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, largely contribute to allergic contact dermatitis with itch as a predominate symptom. Many individuals are affected by this skin condition, with approximately 50% to 70% of adults in North America demonstrating a degree of clinical sensitivity to this species of plants. 
  • 1.0K
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
The Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) can refer to several conditions, including hypertension, heart failure, stroke, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and congenital heart diseases. Globally, CVDs are major contributors to a decreased quality of life and the principal cause of morbidity and mortality. In 2015, 422.7 million cases of CVDs were reported, with 17.92 million deaths due to CVDs.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Allergy Diagnosis Based on the Measurement of sIgE
Diagnosis of allergic diseases is a complex, multi-stage process. It often requires the use of various diagnostic tools. The in vitro diagnostics (IVD), which includes various laboratory tests, is one of the stages of this process. Standard laboratory tests include the measurement of the serum concentration of specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) for selected allergens, full allergen extracts and/or single allergen components (molecules). The measurement of IgE sIgE to the allergen components is called molecular allergy diagnosis.
  • 1.0K
  • 04 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Radiation Therapy for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck region, which accounts for 1–2% of all head and neck cancers, is a challenging clinical entity to treat due to its unique clinical and pathologic features and the lack of prospective data guiding ideal treatment approach. This disease is often characterized by a deceivingly indolent presentation followed by perineural invasion (PNI), local recurrence, and metastatic spread. In many cases with nerve invasion, tumor spread along nerve branches can lead to failure at the base of skull—a dreaded complication that is difficult to treat in a salvage setting. This article aims to summarize the current state of radiation treatment for ACC of the head and neck as relevant to the radiation oncologist.
  • 1.0K
  • 24 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Monoclonal Antibodies for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria
H1-antihistamines (H1AH) represent the current mainstay of treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). However, the response to H1AH is often unsatisfactory, even with increased doses. Therefore, guidelines recommend the use of omalizumab as an add-on treatment in refractory CSU. This paved the way for the investigation of targeted therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in CSU. Omalizumab remains the best choice to treat refractory CSU. 
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Interplay between Histamine H4 Receptor and Kidney Function
Histamine H4 receptor is the most recently discovered histamine receptor. It is  a pertussis-toxin-sensitive GPCR mostly expressed on cells of the immune system, such as mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and basophils, but also found in resident renal cells. 
  • 1.0K
  • 21 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Ca2+ Proteins in Cardiovascular Disease
Mechanosensitive ion channels are widely expressed in the cardiovascular system. They translate mechanical forces including shear stress and stretch into biological signals. The most prominent biological signal through which the cardiovascular physiological activity is initiated or maintained are intracellular calcium ions (Ca2+). Growing evidence show that the Ca2+ entry mediated by mechanosensitive ion channels is also precisely regulated by a variety of key proteins which are distributed in the cell membrane or endoplasmic reticulum. Recent studies have revealed that mechanosensitive ion channels can even physically interact with Ca2+ regulatory proteins and these interactions have wide implications for physiology and pathophysiology. 
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Immune-Derived Mediators and Sensory Nerves for Itch Sensation
Although histamine is a well-known itch mediator, histamine H1-receptor blockers often lack efficacy in chronic itch. Recent molecular and cellular based studies have shown that non-histaminergic mediators, such as proteases, neuropeptides and cytokines, along with their cognate receptors, are involved in evocation and modulation of itch sensation. Many of these molecules are produced and secreted by immune cells, which act on sensory nerve fibers distributed in the skin to cause itching and sensitization. This understanding of the connections between immune cell-derived mediators and sensory nerve fibers has led to the development of new treatments for itch.
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Machine Learning Tools in Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are characterized by variable clinical manifestations and outcomes. Machine learning (ML) algorithms can be helpful in developing more precise prognostication models that integrate complex genomic interactions at a higher dimensional level. These techniques can potentially generate automated diagnostic and prognostic models and assist in advancing personalized therapies. 
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Mar 2022
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