Topic Review
Transient Receptor Potential Channels in Migraine Pathophysiology
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder that affects approximately 12% of the population. The cause of migraine headaches is not yet known, however, when the trigeminal system is activated, neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) are released, which cause neurogenic inflammation and sensitization. Advances in the understanding of migraine pathophysiology have identified new potential pharmacological targets. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been the focus of attention in the pathophysiology of various pain disorders, including primary headaches. Genetic and pharmacological data suggest the role of TRP channels in pain sensation and the activation and sensitization of dural afferents. TRP channels are widely expressed in the trigeminal system and brain regions which are associated with the pathophysiology of migraine and furthermore, co-localize several neuropeptides that are implicated in the development of migraine attacks. Moreover, there are several migraine trigger agents known to activate TRP channels. Based on these, TRP channels have an essential role in migraine pain and associated symptoms, such as hyperalgesia and allodynia. Mammalian TRP channels are divided into seven subfamilies based on their homology of amino acid sequences: canonical or classic (TRPC), vanilloid (TRPV), melastatin (TRPM), nonmechanoreceptor potential C (NOMP-like, TRPN1) polycystin (TRPP), mucolipin (TRPML), and ankyrin (TRPA). 
  • 787
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Chlamydia Infection
Chlamydia infection, often simply known as chlamydia, is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Most people who are infected have no symptoms. When symptoms do develop this can take a few weeks following infection to occur. Symptoms in women may include vaginal discharge or burning with urination. Symptoms in men may include discharge from the penis, burning with urination, or pain and swelling of one or both testicles. The infection can spread to the upper genital tract in women causing pelvic inflammatory disease which may result in future infertility or ectopic pregnancy. Repeated infections of the eyes that go without treatment can result in trachoma, a common cause of blindness in the developing world. Chlamydia can be spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex, and can be passed from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth. The eye infections may also be spread by personal contact, flies, and contaminated towels in areas with poor sanitation. Chlamydia trachomatis only occurs in humans. Diagnosis is often by screening which is recommended yearly in sexually active women under the age of twenty five, others at higher risk, and at the first prenatal visit. Testing can be done on the urine or a swab of the cervix, vagina, or urethra. Rectal or mouth swabs are required to diagnose infections in those areas. Prevention is by not having sex, the use of condoms, or having sex with only one other person, who is not infected. Chlamydia can be cured by antibiotics with typically either azithromycin or doxycycline being used. Erythromycin or azithromycin is recommended in babies and during pregnancy. Sexual partners should also be treated and the infected people advised not to have sex for seven days and until symptom free. Gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV should be tested for in those who have been infected. Following treatment people should be tested again after three months. Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, affecting about 4.2% of women and 2.7% of men worldwide. In 2015 about 61 million new cases occurred globally. In the United States about 1.4 million cases were reported in 2014. Infections are most common among those between the ages of 15 and 25 and are more common in women than men. In 2015 infections resulted in about 200 deaths. The word "chlamydia" is from the Greek, χλαμύδα meaning "cloak".
  • 787
  • 06 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Lymph Node-Positive Prostate Cancer after Radical Prostatectomy
Pathological lymph node involvement (pN1) after a pelvic lymph node dissection represents one of the most unfavorable prognostic factors for disease recurrence and cancer-specific mortality in prostate cancer. However, optimal management for pN1 patients remains unclear. Thus, the guideline from the European Association of Urology recommends discussing three following management options with pN1 patients after an extended pelvic lymph node dissection, based on nodal involvement characteristics: (i) offer adjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy, (ii) offer adjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy with additional radiotherapy and (iii) offer observation (expectant management) to a patient with ≤2 nodes and a prostate-specific antigen <0.1 ng/mL. Treatment intensification may reduce risks of recurrence and cancer-specific mortality, but it may increase adverse events and impair quality of life. Few randomized control trials for pN1 are under investigation. In addition, there are limited reports on the quality of life and patient-reported outcomes in patients with pN1. Therefore, more research is needed to establish an optimal therapeutic strategy for patients with pN1. 
  • 787
  • 25 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Hormone Therapy for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer and the second deadliest cancer among men in the United States, which is mainly due to metastatic disease. In general, surgery or radiation is potentially a curative treatment for localized disease. Since PCa is characterized as a typical androgen-dependent disease, hormone therapy (i.e., androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)) is the most effective therapy to control metastatic disease. However, almost all patients eventually develop castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) within 12 to 18 months, with a median survival of 14 to 26 months. Nowadays, new anti-androgens (Enzalutamide or Abiraterone), radiotherapy (Radium-223) or immunotherapy (sipuleucel-T) have been approved for metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) patients to prolong the overall survival. Inevitably, mCRPC further acquires resistance and becomes therapy- and castration-resistant PCa (t-CRPC), which is considered as an end-stage disease without effective therapy, and on which new therapeutic strategies have been actively explored.
  • 787
  • 24 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Microbiome, Non-Alcoholic Fat Liver Disease and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Modifications in the microbiota caused by environmental and genetic reasons can unbalance the intestinal homeostasis, deregulating the host’s metabolism and immune system, intensifying the risk factors for the development and aggravation of non-alcoholic fat liver disease (NAFLD). The use of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics have been considered a potential and promising strategy to regulate the gut microbiota and produce beneficial effects in patients with liver conditions. 
  • 787
  • 16 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Popliteal Bypass Surgery
Popliteal bypass surgery, more specifically known as femoral popliteal bypass surgery (FPB) or more generally as lower extremity bypass surgery, is a surgical procedure used to treat diseased leg arteries above or below the knee. It is used as a medical intervention to salvage limbs that are at risk of amputation and to improve walking ability in people with severe intermittent claudication (leg muscle pain) and ischemic rest pain. Popliteal bypass surgery is a common type of peripheral bypass surgery which carries blood from the femoral artery of the thigh to the end of the popliteal artery behind the knee. The femoral artery runs along the thigh and extends to become the popliteal artery which runs posteriorly to the knee joint and femur. Smaller arteries carry blood supply from the popliteal artery to the calf and into the foot. Blockages caused by plaque build-up or atherosclerosis in any of these arteries can reduce leg blood circulation, causing leg pain that may interfere with daily life. Standard Popliteal bypass surgery involves the bypass of the popliteal artery. During surgery, incisions are made depending on the location of the blockage. Usually, a healthy vein is located and sewn above and below the blockage to bypass the narrowed or blocked femoral artery. This allows the blood to be redirected to flow through the new healthy vessel around the blockage. In some cases, synthetic graft materials (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) are used instead of a vein graft.
  • 786
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Leptin in Gestational Diabetes
Leptin is highly expressed in placenta, mainly by trophoblastic cells, where it has an important autocrine trophic effect. Moreover, increased leptin levels are found in the most frequent pathology of pregnancy: gestational diabetes, where leptin may mediate the increased size of placenta and the fetus, which becomes macrosomic. In fact, leptin mediates the increased protein synthesis observed in trophoblasts from gestational diabetic subjects. In addition, leptin seems to facilitate nutrients transport to the fetus in gestational diabetes by increasing the expression of the glycerol transporter aquaporin-9. The high plasma leptin levels found in gestational diabetes may be potentiated by leptin resistance at central level, and obesity-associated inflammation is playing a role in this leptin resistance. Therefore, the importance of anti-inflammatory nutrients to modify the pathology of pregnancy is clear. In fact, nutritional intervention is the first line approach to the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus. However, more nutritional intervention studies with some nutraceuticals, such as polyphenols or polyunsaturated fatty acids, or nutritional supplementation with micronutrients or probiotics in pregnant women are needed, in order to achieve a high level of evidence. In this context, Mediterranean diet has been recently found to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes in a multicenter randomized trial. This review will focus on the impact of maternal obesity on placental inflammation and nutrients transport considering the mechanisms by which leptin may influence maternal and fetal health in this setting, as well as its role in pregnancy pathologies
  • 786
  • 05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Genetics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most frequent motor neuron disease and a neurodegenerative disorder, affecting the upper and/or lower motor neurons. Notably, it invariably leads to death within a few years of onset. Although most ALS cases are sporadic, familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) forms 10% of the cases. In 1993, the first causative gene (SOD1) of fALS was identified. With rapid advances in genetics, over fifty potentially causative or disease-modifying genes have been found in ALS so far. Accordingly, routine diagnostic tests should encompass the oldest and most frequently mutated ALS genes as well as several new important genetic variants in ALS.
  • 786
  • 07 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Magnetic Resonance Thermometry in Hyperthermia
Hyperthermia is a treatment for cancer patients, which consists of heating the body to 43 °C. The temperature during treatment is usually measured by placing temperature probes intraluminal or invasively. The only clinically used option to measure temperature distributions non-invasively and in 3D is by MR thermometry (MRT). However, in order to be able to replace conventional temperature probes, MRT needs to become more reliable.
  • 786
  • 07 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Its Tumor Microenvironment
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is a clinically and morphologically heterogeneous entity that has continued to resist complete subtyping. Molecular subtyping efforts emerged in earnest with the advent of gene expression profiling (GEP). This molecular subtyping approach has continued to evolve simultaneously with others including immunohistochemistry and more modern genomic approaches. The veritable explosion of genomic data availability and evolving computational methodologies have provided additional avenues, by which further understanding and subclassification of DBLCLs is possible.
  • 786
  • 23 May 2022
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