scholarly journals Mitochondrial Function, Biology, and Role in Disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. 1960-1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Murphy ◽  
Hossein Ardehali ◽  
Robert S. Balaban ◽  
Fabio DiLisa ◽  
Gerald W. Dorn ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular disease is a major leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and elsewhere. Alterations in mitochondrial function are increasingly being recognized as a contributing factor in myocardial infarction and in patients presenting with cardiomyopathy. Recent understanding of the complex interaction of the mitochondria in regulating metabolism and cell death can provide novel insight and therapeutic targets. The purpose of this statement is to better define the potential role of mitochondria in the genesis of cardiovascular disease such as ischemia and heart failure. To accomplish this, we will define the key mitochondrial processes that play a role in cardiovascular disease that are potential targets for novel therapeutic interventions. This is an exciting time in mitochondrial research. The past decade has provided novel insight into the role of mitochondria function and their importance in complex diseases. This statement will define the key roles that mitochondria play in cardiovascular physiology and disease and provide insight into how mitochondrial defects can contribute to cardiovascular disease; it will also discuss potential biomarkers of mitochondrial disease and suggest potential novel therapeutic approaches.

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 493
Author(s):  
Kiera Murphy ◽  
Aoife N. O’Donovan ◽  
Noel M. Caplice ◽  
R. Paul Ross ◽  
Catherine Stanton

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been classified as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. CVD risk factors include smoking, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, inflammation and diabetes. The gut microbiota can influence human health through multiple interactions and community changes are associated with the development and progression of numerous disease states, including CVD. The gut microbiota are involved in the production of several metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). These products of microbial metabolism are important modulatory factors and have been associated with an increased risk of CVD. Due to its association with CVD development, the gut microbiota has emerged as a target for therapeutic approaches. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on the role of the gut microbiome in CVD development, and associated microbial communities, functions, and metabolic profiles. We also discuss CVD therapeutic interventions that target the gut microbiota such as probiotics and faecal microbiota transplantation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamella Stoeckel ◽  
Cheryl Kruschke

This qualitative key informant study examined the emerging role of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree to fill a gap in health care in the United States. Although the DNP degree was proposed to bring added value to the health care system, it is new with little research to confirm the assumption. This research addressed this need by phone interviews of 12 practicing DNPs in the United States. Questions asked of the participants focused on differences in role/practice as a DNP and challenges faced. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and responses coded for themes. Five broad categories with relational themes emerged from the data of DNPs perceptions of their practices. The categories included educational preparation, practice settings, role acceptance, leadership, and challenges. The results of this study provide insight into the perceptions of practicing DNPs experiencing adjustment to practice as a DNP. These perceptions aid other DNPs and educators in preparing advance practice nurses for the future.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seithikurippu R. Pandi-Perumal ◽  
Ahmed S. BaHammam ◽  
Nwakile I. Ojike ◽  
Oluwaseun A. Akinseye ◽  
Tetyana Kendzerska ◽  
...  

The possible therapeutic role of melatonin in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disorder (CAD) is increasingly being recognized. In humans, exogenous melatonin has been shown to decrease nocturnal hypertension, improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reduce the pulsatility index in the internal carotid artery, decrease platelet aggregation, and reduce serum catecholamine levels. Low circulating levels of melatonin are reported in individuals with CAD, arterial hypertension, and congestive heart failure. This review assesses current literature on the cardiovascular effects of melatonin in humans. It can be concluded that melatonin deserves to be considered in clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4822
Author(s):  
Arvand Asghari ◽  
Michihisa Umetani

Obesity is currently affecting more than 40% of the Americans, and if it progresses with this rate, soon one out of two Americans will be obese. Obesity is an important risk factor for several disorders including cardiovascular disease, the first cause of death in the United States. Cancer follows as the second deadliest disease, and a link between obesity and cancer has been suggested. However, it is very hard to establish an exact connection between obesity and cancers due to the multifactorial nature of obesity. Hypercholesterolemia is a comorbidity of obesity and also linked to several cancers. Recently a cholesterol metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) was found to be an endogenous selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which opened new doors toward several interesting studies on the role of this molecule in biological disorders. It is speculated that 27HC might be the missing link in the obesity and cancer chain. Here, we explored the effects of 27-hydroxycholesterol on obesity and cancers with a focus on the SERM capacity of 27HC.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Silvia Violanti ◽  
Ilaria Bononi ◽  
Carla Enrica Gallenga ◽  
Fernanda Martini ◽  
Mauro Tognon ◽  
...  

Uveal melanoma (UM), which is the most common cancer of the eye, was investigated in recent years by many teams in the field of biomedical sciences and eye clinicians. New knowledge was acquired on molecular pathways found to be dysregulated during the multistep process of oncogenesis, whereas novel therapeutic approaches gave significant results in the clinical applications. Uveal melanoma-affected patients greatly benefited from recent advances of the research in this eye cancer. Tumour biology, genetics, epigenetics and immunology contributed significantly in elucidating the role of different genes and related pathways during uveal melanoma onset/progression and UM treatments. Indeed, these investigations allowed identification of new target genes and to develop new therapeutic strategies/compounds to cure this aggressive melanoma of the eye. Unfortunately, the advances reported in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma have not produced analogous benefits in metastatic uveal melanoma. Nowadays, no systemic adjuvant therapy has been shown to improve overall survival or reduce the risk of metastasis. However, the increasing knowledge of this disease, and the encouraging results seen in clinical trials, offer promise for future effective therapies. Herein, different pathways/genes involved in uveal melanoma onset/progression were taken into consideration, together with novel therapeutic approaches.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa J. Hartig

AbstractInternational mobility among graduate students of law presents unique challenges for the teaching and learning of Legal English. Master of Laws (LL.M.) students, for example, often bring both prior legal training and professional experience from their home jurisdiction to their graduate studies abroad. Taking a closer look at the experience of these students as they engage with genres associated with another legal system provides insight into broader issues of intersections between language and content in English for Legal Purposes. This article draws on case studies of four LL.M students from China and Saudi Arabia, a civil law jurisdiction and an Islamic law jurisdiction, respectively, as they learn to read and write common law genres in the United States. Considering students’ experiences with these texts, the article outlines a potential framework for understanding the role of disciplinary concepts in second language legal literacy development. Specifically, the article elaborates a tentative taxonomy for disciplinary concepts that distinguishes between discourse-relevant concepts and discourse-structuring concepts in considering the interaction between language and content in ESP and CLIL for law.


F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahzaib Nabi ◽  
Elizabeth R. Kessler ◽  
Brandon Bernard ◽  
Thomas W. Flaig ◽  
Elaine T. Lam

Over the past decade, our understanding of the biology and pathophysiology of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has improved significantly. Insight into the disease process has helped us in developing newer therapeutic approaches toward RCC. In this article, we review the various genetic and immune-related mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and development of this cancer and how that knowledge is being used to develop therapeutic targeted drugs for the treatment of RCC. The main emphasis of this review article is on the most common genetic alterations found in clear cell RCC and how various drugs are currently targeting such pathways. This article also looks at the role of the immune system in allowing the growth of RCC and how the immune system can be manipulated to reactivate cytotoxic immunity against RCC.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 1295-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland B. Walter ◽  
Brian W. Raden ◽  
Darren M. Kamikura ◽  
Jonathan A. Cooper ◽  
Irwin D. Bernstein

AbstractGemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO; Mylotarg), a novel immunoconjugate used for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), contains the humanized anti-CD33 antibody (hP67.6) as a carrier to facilitate cellular uptake of the toxic calicheamicin-γ1 derivative. By use of lentivirus-mediated gene transfer to manipulate CD33 expression in myeloid cell lines that normally lack CD33 (murine 32D cells) or have very low levels of CD33 (human OCI-AML3 and KG-1a cells), we here show a quantitative relationship between CD33 expression and GO-induced cytotoxicity. The CD33 cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIMs) control internalization of antibody bound to CD33. Disruption of the ITIMs by introduction of point mutations not only prevented effective internalization of antibody-bound CD33 but also significantly reduced GO-induced cytotoxicity. Together, our data imply a pivotal role of both the number of CD33 molecules expressed on the cell surface and the amount of internalization of CD33 following antibody binding for GO-induced cytotoxicity and suggest novel therapeutic approaches for improvement of clinical outcome of patients treated with GO.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Javed Iqbal ◽  
Cristina Quispe ◽  
Zeeshan Javed ◽  
Haleema Sadia ◽  
Qamar Raza Qadri ◽  
...  

Cancer is a multifactorial disease characterized by complex molecular landscape and altered cell pathways that results in an abnormal cell growth. Natural compounds are target-specific and pose a limited cytotoxicity; therefore, can aid in the development of new therapeutic interventions for the treatment of this versatile disease. Berberine is a member of the protoberberine alkaloids family, mainly present in the root, stem, and bark of various trees, and has a reputed anticancer activity. Nonetheless, the limited bioavailability and low absorption rate are the two major hindrances following berberine administration as only 0.5% of ingested berberine absorbed in small intestine while this percentage is further decreased to 0.35%, when enter in systemic circulation. Nano-based formulation is believed to be an ideal candidate to increase absorption percentage as at nano scale level, compounds can absorb rapidly in gut. Nanotechnology-based therapeutic approaches have been implemented to overcome such problems, ultimately promoting a higher efficacy in the treatment of a plethora of diseases. This review present and critically discusses the anti-proliferative role of berberine and the nanotechnology-based therapeutic strategies used for the nano-scale delivery of berberine. Finally, the current approaches and promising perspectives of latest delivery of this alkaloid are also critically analyzed and discussed.


Author(s):  
Sarah S Wang ◽  
Jihao Xu ◽  
Keely Y Ji ◽  
Chang-Il Hwang

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the most common (90%) and aggressive type of pancreatic cancer. Genomic analyses of PDA specimens have identified the recurrent genetic mutations that drive PDA initiation and progression. However, the underlying mechanisms that further drive PDA metastasis remain elusive. Despite many attempts, no recurrent genetic mutation driving PDA metastasis has been found, suggesting that PDA metastasis is driven by epigenetic fluctuations rather than genetic factors. Therefore, establishing epigenetic mechanisms of PDA metastasis would facilitate the development of successful therapeutic interventions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in PDA as a critical contributor on PDA progression and metastasis. In particular, we explore the recent advancements elucidating the role of nucleosome remodeling, histone modification, and DNA methylation in the process of cancer metastasis.


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