Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort:
Hottest Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Type:
All Topic Review Biography
Topic Review
Exosomes and Diabetes
Diabetes is part of a group of metabolic disorders characterized by long-term high blood glucose levels due to either inadequate production of insulin (type 1) or poor response of the recipient cell to insulin (type 2). Organ dysfunctions are the main causes of morbidity and mortality due to high glucose levels. Exosomes are part of a newly emerged research area and have attracted a great deal of attention for their capacity to regulate communications between cells. In conditions of diabetes, exosomes play important roles in the pathological processes in both T1DM and T2DM, such as connecting the immune cell response to pancreatic tissue injury, as well as adipocyte stimulation to insulin resistance of skeletal muscle or liver. Furthermore, in recent years, nucleic acids containing exosomes—especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)—have been shown to mainly regulate communications between organs in pathological processes of diabetes, including influencing metabolic signals and insulin signals in target tissues, affecting cell viability, and modulating inflammatory pancreatic cells. Moreover, exosome miRNAs show promise in their use as biomarkers or in treatments for diabetes and diabetic complications.  
  • 959
  • 25 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Transcriptionally Active Chromatin Structure
Chromatin structure can either positively or negatively regulates transcription and plays an essential role in eukaryotic gene expression and cell identity. 
  • 956
  • 13 May 2021
Topic Review
Schwann Cells in Regeneration Selectivity
Peripheral nerve injuries result in the loss of the motor, sensory and autonomic functions of the denervated segments of the body. Neurons can regenerate their injured axons and eventually reinnervate their target organs, but inaccuracy of this reinnervation causes a permanent loss of function that impairs complete recovery. Thus, understanding how regenerating axons respond to their environment and direct their growth is essential to improve the functional outcome of patients with nerve lesions. Schwann cells (SCs), the glial cells of the peripheral nerves, play a crucial role in the regeneration process, but little is known about their contribution to specific reinnervation.
  • 954
  • 28 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Cardiovascular Diseases and Stem Cells
This entry provides an update on previous and current research in the field of Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a class of disorders affecting the heart or blood vessels. Despite progress in clinical research and therapy, CVDs still represent the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The hallmarks of cardiac diseases include inflammation, fibrosis, scar tissue, hyperplasia, hypertrophy, abnormal ventricular remodeling, and cardiomyocyte death, which is an irreversible process that induces heart failure with progressive and dramatic consequences. Both genetic and environmental factors pathologically contribute to the development of CVDs, but the precise causes that trigger cardiac diseases and their progression are still largely unknown. In this scenario, the possibility to generate patient-specific cardiac cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) represents a powerful platform for the investigation of these life-threatening disorders.
  • 953
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Sulfate Reduction in Intestinal Bacteria
Sulfate is present in foods, beverages, and drinking water. Its reduction and concentration in the gut depend on the intestinal microbiome activity, especially sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which can be involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Assimilatory sulfate reduction (ASR) is present in all living organisms. In this process, sulfate is reduced to hydrogen sulfide and then included in cysteine and methionine biosynthesis. In contrast to assimilatory sulfate reduction, the dissimilatory process is typical for SRB. A terminal product of this metabolism pathway is hydrogen sulfide, which can be involved in gut inflammation and also causes problems in industries (due to corrosion effects).
  • 949
  • 26 May 2021
Topic Review
Role of TCA Cycle-Related Enzymes in Human Diseases
The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, also known as the citrate acid cycle, is a series of chemical reactions to form energy required for cellular function through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. There are eight enzymes in the TCA cycle that oxidize acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), and genetic or non-genetic alterations in these enzymes are closely associated with human diseases, especially cancer and neurodegeneration, but the role of these eight enzymes remains unclear.
  • 948
  • 09 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Cell Adhesive Force Microscopy
Cell adhesive force, exerting on the local matrix or neighboring cells, plays a critical role in regulating many cell functions and physiological processes. In the past four decades, significant efforts have been dedicated to cell adhesive force detection, visualization and quantification. Traction force microscopy (TFM) pioneered the detection and visualization of cell adhesive force. A recent important methodological advancement in cell adhesive force visualization is to ultilize fluorescent tension sensor (FTS) to convert force to fluorescence onsite, thus greatly improving the sensitivity and resolution of force imaging. Here, TFM and FTS-based imaging techniques are collectively termed as Cell Adhesive Force Microscopy (CAFM).
  • 942
  • 17 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Pharmacological Activation of AMPK
The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central component of a signaling pathway that is conserved in essentially all eukaryotes, the exceptions being a few parasites (e.g., Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria) that spend most of their life cycle living inside other eukaryotic cells, in which case the host cell provides AMPK and the parasite may therefore have been able to dispense with it. AMPK is activated by various stresses that act via both classical (canonical) and non-classical (non-canonical) pathways. Pharmacological activation of AMPK can also be achieved via a range of mechanisms. Here, we enumerate the different classes of AMPK activators and describe their mechanisms of action.
  • 941
  • 27 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Virus and Cellular Senescence
Cellular senescence is considered a stress response that protects cells against malignant transformation, facilitates tissue repair and development, and prevents virus replication. However, excessive accumulation of senescent cells is associated with chronic diseases such as age-related disorders, cancer, inflammatory diseases and virus replication. The relationship between virus and cellular senescence is proving to be very complex. Cellular senescence can be induced in response to virus infection restricting virus propagation. Some viruses are able to exploit the senescence program to improve their replication, while others have developed strategies to subvert senescence. Therapeutic approaches to eliminate senescent cells may be used as a mechanism to ameliorate age-related diseases, but they may have an impact on virus replication.
  • 940
  • 29 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Bacterial Virulence Factors
There are several levels to influence the expression of eukaryotic genes. A first level of interference is changing of the DNA’s structure on the chromatin level. Epigenetic modulation enables remodelling of the chromatin to transfer heterochromatin into euchromatin allowing transcription or vice versa. In addition, the affinity of promotors and other regulatory DNA sequences for RNA polymerases and transcription factors (TFs) can be influenced by cytosine or adenine methylation. Only a minor portion (fewer than 2%) of genes is transcribed into mRNAs, instead the majority is transferred into so called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Certain long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) are also involved in epigenetic regulations. Epigenetic mechanisms are used for manipulation of gene expression in the course of several cellular processes. Here, we give an overview on the epigenetic control of gene expression by bacterial virulence factors during host cell infection.
  • 939
  • 27 Oct 2020
  • Page
  • of
  • 161
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Fungi
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Video Production Service
Feedback