Topic Review
Bladder Cancer Biomarkers
The high occurrence of bladder cancer and its tendency to recur combined with lifelong surveillance make the treatment of superficial bladder cancer one of the most expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, carcinoma in situ often leads to muscle invasion with an unfavourable prognosis. Currently, invasive methods including cystoscopy and cytology remain a gold standard. The aim is to find biomarkers with the best specificity and sensitivity, allowing the treatment plan to optimise and have potential applications in clinical practice. Such non-invasive methods can be measure in human body fluids, for example, urine or serum: Cytokeratin fragments (CYFRA 21.1), Excision Repair Cross-Complementation 1 (ERCC1), Tumour Protein p53 (Tp53), Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 (FGFR3), Tumor-Associated Trypsin Inhibitor (TATI).
  • 2.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Golgi apparatus and Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by expansion of polyglutamine repeats in the protein huntingtin, which affects the corpus striatum of the brain. The polyglutamine repeats in mutant huntingtin cause its aggregation and elicit toxicity by affecting several cellular processes, which include dysregulated organellar stress responses. The Golgi apparatus not only plays key roles in the transport, processing, and targeting of proteins, but also functions as a sensor of stress, signaling through the Golgi stress response. Unlike the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, the Golgi stress response is relatively unexplored. We have identified a Golgi stress response pathway which is dysregulated in HD.
  • 2.1K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Theranostics
“Theranostics,” a new concept of medical advances featuring a fusion of therapeutic and diagnostic systems, provides promising prospects in personalized medicine, especially cancer. 
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Digital Anthropometry for Body Circumference Measurements
Anthropometry is the study of the measurements and proportions of the human body. Weight, stature (standing height), length (e.g., limb lengths), skinfold thickness, breadth (e.g., shoulder, wrist, etc.), and circumference are examples of anthropometric measures widely adopted in daily medical practice for monitoring growth and aging as well as for the clinical management of patients.
  • 1.9K
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Liposomes for Drug Delivery and Their Production Methods
Liposomes are well-known nanoparticles with a non-toxic nature and the ability to incorporate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs simultaneously. As modern drug delivery formulations are produced by emerging technologies, numerous advantages of liposomal drug delivery systems over conventional liposomes or free drug treatment of cancer have been reported.
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review
siRNA Structure, Function and Delivery
siRNA is a double-stranded RNA molecule with 21- and 22-nucleotide generated by ribonuclease III cleavage from longer double-stranded RNA (dsRNAs). After binding to the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) in the cytoplasm, the sense strand of siRNA undergoes ejection, while the antisense strand of siRNA targets the complementary messenger RNA (mRNA). 
  • 1.6K
  • 20 May 2022
Topic Review
Targeted Therapy for NSCLC Patients with EGFR Mutations
Oncogenic mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain are well-established driver mutations in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) specifically targeting these mutations have improved treatment outcomes for patients with this subtype of NSCLC. Multiple targeted agents, including first-, second- and third-generation EGFR TKIs, have been approved or are under active investigation for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC. The first-generation TKIs, including erlotinib and gefitinib, are reversible inhibitors, binding both to mutant as well as wild-type (WT) EGFR. The second-generation TKIs, including afatinib and dacomitinib, are irreversible inhibitors that covalently bind to EGFR. The third-generation EGFR TKIs, including osimertinib (AZD9291), aumolertinib (HS-10296) and alflutinib (AST2818), are irreversible inhibitors that selectively bind to mutant EGFR and show greater efficacy than the first- and second-generation TKIs. Osimertinib has been approved by the FDA for both frontline and second-line treatment of NSCLC with EGFR-sensitizing mutations. Aumolertinib (HS-10296) and alflutinib (AST2818) have been approved for the treatment of EGFR-mutant NSCLC in China. Acquired resistance inevitably occurs, and a promising new generation of EGFR-targeting agents is under investigation.
  • 1.5K
  • 09 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Enzyme Therapy
In recent years, enzymes have risen as promising therapeutic tools for different pathologies, from metabolic deficiencies, such as fibrosis conditions, ocular pathologies or joint problems, to cancer or cardiovascular diseases. Treatments based on the catalytic activity of enzymes are able to convert a wide range of target molecules to restore the correct physiological metabolism. These treatments present several advantages compared to established therapeutic approaches thanks to their affinity and specificity properties. However, enzymes present some challenges, such as short in vivo half-life, lack of targeted action and, in particular, patient immune system reaction against the enzyme. For this reason, it is important to monitor serum immune response during treatment. This can be achieved by conventional techniques (ELISA) but also by new promising tools such as microarrays. These assays have gained popularity due to their high-throughput analysis capacity, their simplicity, and their potential to monitor the immune response of patients during enzyme therapies. In this growing field, research is still ongoing to solve current health problems such as COVID-19. Currently, promising therapeutic alternatives using the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are being studied to treat COVID-19.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers
Prostate cancer biomarkers can be measured in urine, blood or tissue. A variety of tests that analyse patients' biomarkers have been developed to improve diagnosis, prognosis and to help stratify individual's risk of prostate cancers. Liquid biopsy biomarkers are easy-to-use and non-invasive. They guide the decision-making process, determine whether the patient requires treatment or can be monitored under active surveillance, and help choose the best treatment option.
  • 1.5K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Application of Ketamine in Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease
Depression is a leading cause of disability globally, with a prevalence of 3.8% among the whole population, 5% of the adult population, and 5.7% of the elderly population over 60 years of age. There is evidence that depression is linked to certain neurodegenerative diseases, one being Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The efficacy of conventional antidepressants to treat depression in AD is conflicting, especially regarding selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, ketamine, a nonselective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, can mediate a wide range of pharmacological effects, including neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, multimodal analgesia, and treatment of depression, suicidal attempts, and status epilepticus. Recent clinical findings suggest that ketamine may provide neuroprotection and reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with AD. 
  • 1.4K
  • 31 Mar 2022
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