Topic Review
Deubiquitinating Enzyme Inhibition in Cancer
Since the discovery of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), the roles of ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have been widely elucidated. The ubiquitination of proteins regulates many aspects of cellular functions such as protein degradation and localization, and also modifies protein-protein interactions. DUBs cleave the attached ubiquitin moieties from substrates and thereby reverse the process of ubiquitination. The dysregulation of these two paramount pathways has been implicated in numerous diseases, including cancer. Attempts are being made to identify inhibitors of ubiquitin E3 ligases and DUBs that potentially have clinical implications in cancer, making them an important target in the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, studies in medicine are currently focused on the pharmacological disruption of DUB activity as a rationale to specifically target cancer-causing protein aberrations. Here, we briefly discuss the pathophysiological and physiological roles of DUBs in key cancer-related pathways. We also discuss the clinical applications of promising DUB inhibitors that may contribute to the development of DUBs as key therapeutic targets in the future.
  • 989
  • 09 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Kynurenic Acid in the Brain
Kynurenic acid, a metabolite of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism, acts as antagonist for both the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and glycine co-agonist sites of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor at endogenous brain concentrations. Elevation of brain kynurenic acid levels reduces the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate, and kynurenic acid is considered to be involved in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression.
  • 988
  • 06 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Squalene and Cardiovascular Health
Squalene (SQ), an unsaturated hydrocarbon naturally synthesized in plants and animals, could become the alternative treatment or supplementary agent for cardiovascular health.
  • 988
  • 26 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Tumor Cells with Macrophages
The biological nature of the various populations of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) within the blood is still not well understood. Tumor cell fusion with immune cells is a longstanding hypothesis that has caught more attention in recent times. Specifically, fusion of tumor cells with macrophages might lead to the development of metastasis by acquiring features such as genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity, chemotherapeutic resistance, and immune tolerance. A unique circulating cell population has been identified as being potential fusions cells, characterized by distinct, large, polymorphonuclear cancer-associated cells with a dual epithelial and macrophage phenotype. Artificial fusion of tumor cells with macrophages leads to migratory, invasive, and metastatic phenotypes. Further studies might investigate whether these have a potential impact on the immune response towards the cancer. Such fusion cells could be a key component in cancer metastasis, and therefore, evolve as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in cancer precision medicine.
  • 988
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Nanocarrier-Assisted Therapeutics Delivery Systems
Nanotechnologies have attracted increasing attention in their application in medicine, especially in the development of new drug delivery systems. With the help of nano-sized carriers, drugs can reach specific diseased areas, prolonging therapeutic efficacy while decreasing undesired side-effects. In addition, recent nanotechnological advances, such as surface stabilization and stimuli-responsive functionalization have also significantly improved the targeting capacity and therapeutic efficacy of the nanocarrier assisted drug delivery system. 
  • 988
  • 28 Sep 2020
Topic Review
COVID-19 and the Endocrine System
SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the Coronaviridae family, a group of enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses. Many extrapulmonary manifestations of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported involving the cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal and urinary systems. These widespread manifestations are attributed to the presence of the ACE2 (Angiotensin converting enzyme 2) receptor in these tissues, which is postulated to be at the center of the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Similarly, expression of the ACE2 receptor has also been reported in various endocrine tissues including the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, gonads, and pancreatic islets. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the way COVID-19 can alter the function of these tissues and cause pathology, especially considering the close interplay between various endocrine systems as part of the RAAS (renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system) pathway and the central role of ACE2 in this pathway.
  • 988
  • 22 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Risk Factors for Recurrent Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the commonest peripheral vestibular condition encountered in a neurotology clinic and it accounts for about 20% to 30% of all the vestibular complaints. The mechanism of BPPV has been based on dislodged otoliths that leave the utricle and freely float in the semicircular canals or attach to the cupula, making the labyrinth sensitive to gravitational forces. BPPV is characterized by recurrent and brief vertigo with corresponding nystagmus when extending or turning the neck, getting up or lying down, or rolling over in bed.
  • 988
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Obesity on Anti-Cancer Immunity
Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Traditional treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and more recently targeted therapies including immunotherapy are becoming routine care for some cancers. Immunotherapy aims to upregulate the patient’s own immune system, enabling it to destroy cancerous cells. Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by significant weight that is an important contributor to many different diseases, including cancers. Obesity impacts the immune system and causes, among other things, a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. This is hypothesized to impact the efficacy of the immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, although not necessarily in a negative way. Data from several studies show that even though obesity causes a state of chronic low-grade inflammation with reductions in effector immune populations, it has a beneficial effect on patient survival following anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 treatment.
  • 987
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
TNF-α Levels in Lean, Overweight and Obese Individuals
Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic molecule involved in multiple physiological and pathological mechanisms and constitutes an important target in therapies against a diversity of immunologically related disorders. In the context of obesity, a broad range of human intervention dietary studies have investigated the changes on the blood levels of TNF-α in connection with body weight changes.
  • 987
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Multi-Omics Model for Cancer Genetics
In the coming age of omics technologies, next gen sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, and other high throughput techniques will become the usual tools in biomedical cancer research. However, their integrative approach is not trivial due to the broad diversity of data types, dynamic ranges and sources of experimental and analytical errors characteristic of each omics.
  • 987
  • 02 Jun 2021
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