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Topic Review
Circular RNAs in Pregnancy and the Placenta
The placenta, a product of conception with a transient existence, uniquely supports pregnancy. It plays a critical role in nutrient, waste and gas exchange between the mother and fetus. Correct placentation underpins fetal development, as well as coordinating maternal adaptations to pregnancy to maintain maternal and fetal health. In pregnancy complications characterised by aberrant placentation such as preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction, there is an altered placental transcriptome. Emerging evidence demonstrates the roles of novel RNA species in pregnancy complications, particularly circular RNAs (circRNAs).
  • 916
  • 18 May 2022
Topic Review
Structural and Functional Features of Pyridoxal Phosphate-Binding Protein
The pyridoxal phosphate-binding protein (PLPBP) family (also termed ProsC/PROSC or COG0325 family) members are found in all kingdoms of life, exemplified by the proteins YBL036C (yeast), YggS (Gram-negative bacteria), YlmE (Gram-positive bacteria), PipY (cyanobacteria), PLPHP (humans) and HTH5 (rice). 
  • 916
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Mechanisms of Circular RNAs and Cardiovascular Diseases
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a family of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that are endogenous and widely distributed in different species, performing several functions, mainly their association with microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide; therefore, the development of new therapies and strategies, such as gene therapies or nonpharmacological therapies, with low cost, such as physical exercise, to alleviate these diseases is of extreme importance for society.
  • 916
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Targeting Nrf2 and NF-κB Signaling Pathways in Cancer
Plant secondary metabolites, known as phytochemicals, have gained much attention in light of the “circular economy”, to reutilize waste products deriving from agriculture and food industry. Phytochemicals are known for their onco-preventive and chemoprotective effects, among several other beneficial properties. Apple phytochemicals have been extensively studied for their effectiveness in a wide range of diseases, cancer included.
  • 916
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Mitotropic Substances
Mitotropic substances, or so-called mitoceuticals, describe substances whose mode of action is directed at the bioenergetic processes of the mitochondria and are, in part, essential for their function. The term mitoceuticals, created by Dr. Franz Enzmann, encompasses several groups of mitotropic substances, which have a versatile potential and form the basis for a preventive and therapeutic approach in mitochondrial medicine. They act non-specifically and reach all mitochondria in the organism. The best-known substances include electron and proton carriers, such as ubiquinol/ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10; CoQ10), vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. Mitoceuticals are substances that are part of the natural metabolic system of a cell anyway. They are used both preventively and therapeutically for accompanying treatment. In both cases, the aim is to compensate for an existing mitochondrial dysfunction. In the meantime, there are a large number of mitotropic substances and even more studies on them.
  • 916
  • 23 May 2023
Topic Review
Squalene Synthase in Ferroptosis
Squalene synthase (SQS) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for various diseases, including cancers, owing to its pivotal role in the mevalonate pathway and the antioxidant properties of squalene. SQS is a regulator of lipid peroxidation and programmed cell death pathways, such as ferroptosis—a type of cell death characterized by elevated levels of lipid peroxide, one of the forms of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and intracellular iron concentration. 
  • 915
  • 26 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Interleukin-4 and -13 Receptors
Interleukin (IL)-4 and -13 are structurally and functionally related cytokines sharing common receptor subunits. They regulate immune responses and, moreover, are involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of human neoplasms. In this entry, their possible roles in gastric cancer were shown as an example.
  • 914
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
NO-Stimulated Guanylyl Cyclase
NO-stimulated guanylyl cyclase (SGC) is a hemoprotein that plays key roles in various physiological functions. SGC is a typical enzyme-linked receptor that combines the functions of a sensor for NO gas and cGMP generator. SGC possesses exclusive selectivity for NO and exhibits a very fast binding of NO, which allows it to function as a sensitive NO receptor. 
  • 914
  • 21 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Genista tridentata Phytochemical Characterization
Genista tridentata (L.) Willk., known as “prickled broom”, is a Leguminosae (Fabaceae) species native to the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, for gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, rheumatism, and headaches, to lower blood pressure, against hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia. 
  • 914
  • 08 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Castration and Male Peripheral Neurons
This entry deals with the influence of androgens (testosterone) on pelvic autonomic pathways in male mammals. The vast majority of the relevant information has been gained in experiments involving castration (testosterone deprivation) performed in male rats, and recently, in male pigs. In both species, testosterone significantly affects the biology of the pathway components, including the pelvic neurons. However, there are great differences between rats and pigs in this respect. The most significant alteration is that testosterone deprivation accomplished a few days after birth results some months later in the excessive loss (approximately 90%) of pelvic and urinary bladder trigone intramural neurons in the male pig, while no changes in the number of pelvic neurons are observed in male rats (rats do not have the intramural ganglia). In the castrated pigs, much greater numbers of pelvic neurons than in the non-castrated animals express CGRP, GAL, VIP (peptides known to have neuroprotective properties), and caspase 3, suggesting that neurons die due to apoptosis triggered by androgen deprivation. In contrast, only some morpho-electrophysiological changes affecting neurons following castration are found in male rats. Certain clinicopathological consequences of testosterone deprivation for the functioning of urogenital organs are also discussed. 
  • 913
  • 18 Sep 2021
Topic Review
MALDI-TOF MS typing of bacteria
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is routinely used for bacterial identification. It would be highly beneficial to also be able to use the technology as a fast way to detect clinically relevant clones of bacterial species. However, studies to this aim have often had limited success. The methods used for data acquisition, processing and data interpretation are highly diverse amongst studies on MALDI-TOF MS sub-species typing. In addition to this, feasibility may depend on the bacterial species and strains investigated, making it difficult to determine what methods may or may not work. There is a lot of variation amongst the methods used in published studies. However, the following approaches were shared by multiple research groups when aiming to MALDI-TOF MS type bacterial clones: Multiple spectra of the same isolate were often combined before further analysis for strain distinction. Furthermore, many groups used a protein extraction step to increase resolution in their MALDI-TOF MS results, and peaks at a high mass range were often excluded for data interpretation. Three groups have found ways to determine feasibility of MALDI-TOF MS typing for their set of strains at an early stage of their project. 
  • 913
  • 16 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Prebiotics and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Mitophagy/autophagy plays a protective role in various forms of liver damage, by renovating cellular metabolism linking to sustain liver homeostasis. A characterized pathway for mitophagy is the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin-dependent signaling pathway. In particular, PINK1-mediated mitophagy could play an indispensable role in improving the metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) which could precede to steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway might regulate the various characteristics of cellular homeostasis including energy metabolism, cell proliferation, and/or cell protection. Therefore, targeting mitophagy with the alteration of PI3K/AKT/mTOR or PINK1/Parkin-dependent signaling to eliminate impaired mitochondria might be an attractive strategy for the treatment of MAFLD. In particular, the efficacy of prebiotics for the treatment of MAFLD has been suggested to be useful via the modulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/AMPK pathway. Additionally, several edible phytochemicals could activate mitophagy for the improvement of mitochondrial damages, which could also be a promising option to treat MAFLD with providing liver protection. 
  • 913
  • 30 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Targeting Inflammation Driven by HMGB1
HMGB1, originally described as a a protein that binds to DNA, functions as a structural co-factor for somatic cell transcription control. However, it also has numerous functions extracellularly. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), when passively released from cells, is capable of activating host innate immunity.
  • 912
  • 27 Oct 2021
Topic Review
MSC-based Therapy for BBB Preservation
Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide. Disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a prominent pathophysiological mechanism, responsible for a series of subsequent inflammatory cascades that exacerbate the damage to brain tissue. However, the benefit of recanalization is limited in most patients because of the narrow therapeutic time window. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been assessed as excellent candidates for cell-based therapy in cerebral ischemia, including neuroinflammatory alleviation, angiogenesis and neurogenesis promotion through their paracrine actions. In addition, accumulating evidence on how MSC therapy preserves BBB integrity after stroke may open up novel therapeutic targets for treating cerebrovascular diseases.
  • 912
  • 22 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Synthesis and Metabolism of H2S in Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the world, which seriously affects the normal life and health of patients. The mechanisms of action of the occurrence and development of lung cancer have not been fully clarified. As a new type of gas signal molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has received great attention for its physiological and pathological roles in mammalian cells. It has been found that H2S is widely involved in the regulation of the respiratory system and digestive system, and plays an important role in the occurrence and development of lung cancer.
  • 912
  • 13 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Exosomes for Diseases Prevention
Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles secreted by most cells that contain a variety of biological molecules, such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. They have been recognized as important mediators for long-distance cell-to-cell communication and are involved in a variety of biological processes. Exosomes have unique advantages, positioning them as highly effective drug delivery tools and providing a distinct means of delivering various therapeutic agents to target cells. In addition, as a new clinical diagnostic biomarker, exosomes play an important role in many aspects of human health and disease, including endocrinology, inflammation, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. 
  • 911
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Viral Ejection Proteins
Genes encoding ejection proteins are commonly found in Podoviridae phages that infect Gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacteriaceae, Mycobacteria, Pseudomonadaceae, and Cyanobacteria.
  • 911
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
NADPH Oxidase in Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a heterogeneous group of disorders unified by loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons, resulting in a characteristic phenotype consisting of an excavated optic nerve head with corresponding visual field defects. The pathogenesis of glaucoma is incompletely understood with multiple pathophysiological factors and pathways postulated to be causative, such as mechanical, vascular, and immunological factors, leading to the final result of apoptotic death of RGCs. Increasingly it is becoming apparent that these factors do not contribute to glaucoma independently, but rather they can be viewed as a continuum in which each factor contributes to the damage of retinal ganglion cell axons.
  • 910
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Biomarkers of Melanoma
Tumour biomarkers can be useful in predicting the risk of metastases and thus prognosis. Some of them can also have a diagnostic use. The use of serum biomarkers, such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or S100b, is recommended in some guidelines, while the use of other serum biomarkers, such as melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is limited due to low specificity and limited clinical usability. DNA point mutations in melanoma represent another important biomarker that can guide patient selection and predict treatment response. 
  • 910
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
A Structural View of miRNA Biogenesis and Function
Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Since their discovery in 1993, they have been the subject of deep study due to their involvement in many important biological processes. Compared with other ncRNAs, miRNAs are generated from devoted transcriptional units which are processed by a specific set of endonucleases. The contribution of structural biology methods for understanding miRNA biogenesis and function has been essential for the dissection of their roles in cell biology and human disease.
  • 909
  • 08 Feb 2022
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