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Topic Review
Airway Inflammation
The effects of airway inflammation on airway smooth muscle (ASM) are mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα).
  • 670
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Airway Smooth Muscle Calcium Handling Mechanisms and Estrogens
Cell calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis is maintained by a finely tuned Ca2+ signaling system made-up of numerous Ca2+ transporters (channels, exchangers, and pumps) regulating the influx and efflux of this cation from the cytoplasm to preserve its balance. Ca2+ homeostasis is essential for the cell. As a second messenger, Ca2+ signaling regulates various cellular processes that depend on the Ca2+ concentration. It is well known that Ca2+ regulates exocytosis, contraction, protein phosphorylation, dephosphorylation, metabolism, gene transcription, fecundation, cell proliferation, and even apoptosis. In the ASM, Ca2+ homeostasis keeps intracellular basal Ca2+ concentrations (b[Ca2+]i) at around 100–150 nM, while Ca2+ concentrations in the intracellular stores and extracellular space are higher (5–10 mM and 2 mM, respectively) creating a large chemical gradient in favor of Ca2+ influx into the cytosol. In order to regulate [Ca2+]i, numerous proteins exist to facilitate the cellular influx and efflux of Ca2+. Among the calcium-handling proteins, the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs), store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCCs), receptor-operated Ca2+ channel (ROCCs), transient receptor potential channels (TRPs), and the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in its reverse form (NCXREV) as influx mechanisms located in the cellular membrane can be included. On the other hand, the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger (NCX) and the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) are efflux mechanisms located in the cellular membrane.
  • 231
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
Alternative Organism Models for Retina Neuroregeneration
Unlike in vitro cell cultures that cannot mimic tissue homeostasis and physiology, 3D retinal organoids are relatively cheap models and have an undeniable complexity rate. However, they are challenging to isolate and maintain long enough to investigate complex processes such as inflammation and neovascularization. These disadvantages are exacerbated considering the retina, which is mainly due to the global complexity of this tissue. Several classic diagnostic techniques could be applied to retinal organ cultures, such as optical coherence tomography, which explores the morphological aspect of the retinal architecture, electroretinograms that record the electrical response of retinal cells, and microelectrode array recording, which stimulates and records the electrical activity of RGC. Several mammalian retinal organ cultures as alternative models are currently available and well established, including those derived from mice, rats, rabbits, cats, dogs, non-human primates, bovines, and pigs. They are excellent samples for the preliminary phase before the in vivo step and for therapy tests, although organ cultures for the study of complex retinal neurodegenerative pathologies such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma are not entirely reproducing the human condition. Although all the events occurring during the various steps of retinal neurodegenerative diseases, including the clinical progression, are not fully mimicked by a single animal, preclinical in vivo models provide important information on the molecular and cellular mechanisms at the basis of the neuronal impairment. Thus, multiple organisms, including non-mammalian ones, are crucial for validating the mechanisms involved in retinal pathologies and developing new therapeutic options.
  • 230
  • 28 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Aminopeptidases in Cardiovascular and Renal
       The entry tries to summarize our current understanding of the role of aminopeptidases in the control of blood pressure, through their effects on kidney function. Their possible role as biomarkers on acute or chronic kidney injury is also analyzed.
  • 757
  • 28 Aug 2020
Topic Review
AMP-activated Protein Kinase
We live and to do so we must breathe and eat, so are we a combination of what we eat and breathe? Here we will consider this question, and the role in this respect of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Emerging evidence suggests that AMPK facilitates central and peripheral reflexes that coordinate breathing and oxygen supply, and contributes to central regulation of feeding and food choice. We propose, therefore, that oxygen supply to the body is aligned with not only the quantity we eat, but also nutrient-based diet selection, and that the cell-specific expression pattern of AMPK subunit isoforms is critical to appropriate system alignment in this respect. If this is the case, then aberrant cell-specific changes in the expression of AMPK subunit isoforms could give rise, in part, to known associations between a wide variety of conditions associated with metabolic disorder.
  • 955
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with the Enteric Nervous System
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in the spinal cord, cerebral cortex, and medulla oblongata. Most patients present a clinical phenotype of classic ALS—with predominant atrophy, muscle weakness, and fasciculations—and survival of 3 to 5 years following diagnosis. There are two types of ALS: the familial form with genetic involvement, and the sporadic form with a multifactorial origin. ALS pathophysiology is characterized by involvement of multiple processes, including oxidative stress, glutamate excitotoxicity, and neuroinflammation. Moreover, it is proposed that conditioning risk factors affect ALS development—such as susceptibility to neurodegeneration in motor neurons, the intensity of performed physical activity, and intestinal dysbiosis with involvement of the enteric nervous system—which supports the existing theories of disease generation.
  • 275
  • 14 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Angiotensin II
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western and developing world, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease is increasing with the longer lifespan afforded by our modern lifestyle.  Vascular diseases including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke comprise the majority of cardiovascular disease and therefore represent a significant medical and socioeconomic burden on our society.  It is not be surprising that these conditions overlap and potentiate each other when we consider the many cellular and molecular similarities between them. At the molecular level, the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is the target, integrator, and effector cell of both atherogenic and the major effector protein of the hypertensive signal, Angiotensin II (Ang II).  Together, these signals can potentiate each other and prime the artery and exacerbate hypertension and atherosclerosis. Therefore, VSMC are the fulcrum in progression of these diseases and therefore, understanding the effects of atherogenic stimuli and Ang II on VSMC is  key to understanding and treating  atherosclerosis and hypertension.  In this review, we will examine studies in which hypertension and atherosclerosis intersect on the VSMC, and illustrate common pathways between these two diseases and vascular aging.
  • 799
  • 07 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Aquaporins in Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of membrane water channel proteins that control osmotically-driven water transport across cell membranes. Recent studies have focused on the assessment of fluid flux regulation in relation to the biological processes that maintain mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) physiology. In particular, AQPs seem to regulate MSC proliferation through rapid regulation of the cell volume. Furthermore, several reports have shown that AQPs play a crucial role in modulating MSC attachment to the extracellular matrix, their spread, and migration. This review aims to describe the recent findings on AQPs role in MSCs physiology taking into account their reflex for potential applicatio in regenerative medicine.
  • 576
  • 24 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Assessment of Nanomaterials’ Hemotoxicity
The potential use of nanomaterials in medicine offers opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches to treating complex disorders. For that reason, a new branch of science, named nanotoxicology, which aims to study the dangerous effects of nanomaterials on human health and on the environment, has recently emerged. However, the toxicity and risk associated with nanomaterials are unclear or not completely understood. The development of an adequate experimental strategy for assessing the toxicity of nanomaterials may include a rapid/express method that will reliably, quickly, and cheaply make an initial assessment. One possibility is the characterization of the hemocompatibility of nanomaterials, which includes their hemolytic activity as a marker.
  • 535
  • 13 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Association between Periodontitis and Peri-Implantitis
Dental implants to replace lost teeth are a common dentistry practice nowadays. Titanium dental implants display a high success rate and improved safety profile. Nevertheless, there is an increasing peri-implantitis (PI), an inflammatory disease associated with polymicrobial infection that adversely affects the hard and soft tissues around the implant. Studies have demonstrated that oral microbiota (microorganisms residing in the oral cavity collectively known as oral microbiota) associated with periodontitis (PE) is involved in the infections related to PI, indicating a common link between PE and PI.
  • 323
  • 16 Jan 2023
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