Publications by authors named "Dona M"

NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) is involved in the (patho)physiology of the mammalian heart. However, little is known about the individual cardiac cell types that express NO-GC and the role of the enzyme in cardiac fibrosis. Here, we describe the cellular expression of NO-GC in healthy and fibrotic murine myocardium; these data were compared with scRNA-seq data.

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Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCCA) is a rare Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-associated carcinoma whose pathogenesis is still poorly understood. Recent studies based on biopsy and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approaches have linked the viral episomal status to aggressive SCCA phenotypes, suggesting a potential role of the 16E5 oncoprotein in tumor development. Our previous findings indicated that 16E5 induces Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) isoform switching, aberrant mesenchymal FGFR2c expression, Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), and cell invasion in various in vitro human keratinocyte models, as well as in the in vivo context of cervical Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LSILs).

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Reversal of ischemia is mediated by neo-angiogenesis requiring endothelial cell (EC) and pericyte interactions to form stable microvascular networks. We describe an unrecognized role for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in potentiating neo-angiogenesis and vessel stabilization. We show that the endothelium is a major source of TRAIL in the healthy circulation compromised in peripheral artery disease (PAD).

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We modeled the impact of local vaccine mandates on the spread of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, which in the absence of vaccines will mainly affect children. Examples of such diseases are measles, rubella, mumps, and pertussis. To model the spread of the pathogen, we used a stochastic SIR (susceptible, infectious, recovered) model with two levels of mixing in a closed population, often referred to as the household model.

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Article Synopsis
  • Extra-embryonic yolk sac is identified as the origin of macrophages and endothelial cells found in adult mouse tissues.
  • Researchers have discovered clonogenic endothelial-macrophage (EndoMac) progenitor cells in the aorta that are not reliant on bone marrow and originate from early embryonic sources.
  • Angiotensin II plays a crucial role in enhancing the growth and differentiation of these EndoMac progenitors, which contribute to blood vessel formation and neovascularization in ischemic tissues.
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Phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumours arising from chromaffin cells. Pathogenic variants in the gene are associated with malignancy and poor prognosis. When metastases arise, limited treatment options are available.

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Secondary dormancy is an adaptive trait that increases reproductive success by aligning seed germination with permissive conditions for seedling establishment. Aethionema arabicum is an annual plant and member of the Brassicaceae that grows in environments characterized by hot and dry summers. Aethionema arabicum seeds may germinate in early spring when seedling establishment is permissible.

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Background: Anal cytology represents a tool for anal cancer screening in high-risk populations. In addition to accuracy, the reproducibility of the interpretation is of key importance. The authors evaluated the agreement of anal cytologic interpretation between two cytopathologists.

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Aortic diseases such as atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, and aortic stiffening are significant complications that can have significant impact on end-stage cardiovascular disease. With limited pharmacological therapeutic strategies that target the structural changes in the aorta, surgical intervention remains the only option for some patients with these diseases. Although there have been significant contributions to our understanding of the cellular architecture of the diseased aorta, particularly in the context of atherosclerosis, furthering our insight into the cellular drivers of disease is required.

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In sexually propagating organisms, genetic, and epigenetic mutations are evolutionarily relevant only if they occur in the germline and are hence transmitted to the next generation. In contrast to most animals, plants are considered to lack an early segregating germline, implying that somatic cells can contribute genetic information to progeny. Here we demonstrate that 2 ARGONAUTE proteins, AGO5 and AGO9, mark cells associated with sexual reproduction in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) throughout development.

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Among the most harmful tumors detected in the human body, such as breast, colon, brain or pancreas, breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are the first and third most frequent cancer worldwide, respectively. The current existing chemotherapeutic treatments present serious side effects due to their intravenous administration can induce cytotoxicity in healthy cells. Thus, new treatment methods based on drug-loaded polymeric nanofibers (NFs) have gained significant potential for their use in localized cancer chemotherapy.

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Diabetes is associated with a significantly elevated risk of heart failure. However, despite extensive efforts to characterize the phenotype of the diabetic heart, the molecular and cellular protagonists that underpin cardiac pathological remodeling in diabetes remain unclear, with a notable paucity of data regarding the impact of diabetes on non-myocytes within the heart. Here we aimed to define key differences in cardiac non-myocytes between spontaneously type-2 diabetic () and healthy control mouse hearts.

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Efficient repair of DNA lesions is essential for the faithful transmission of genetic information between somatic cells and for genome integrity across generations. Plants have multiple, partially redundant, and overlapping DNA repair pathways, probably due to the less constricted germline and the inevitable exposure to light including higher energy wavelengths. Many proteins involved in DNA repair and their mode of actions are well described.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers are using various techniques, including CRISPR, to trace these lineages by marking cells with visible markers, like fluorescent proteins, that can highlight the initial cell and its descendants.
  • * The study presents a method using CRISPR's mutagenic ability to create lineage tracing in living plants, allowing for controllable and efficient labeling without affecting other plant traits, with potential applications across various species.
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Background: Despite substantial research, the mechanisms behind stress Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) remain rather elusive.

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to provide a detailed review of the mainstream factors underlying the pathophysiology of TTC, highlighting the novel contributions of molecular pathology and in-vivo molecular imaging.

Methods: A careful literature review selected all papers discussing TTC, specifically those providing novel insights from myocardial pathology and cardiac molecular imaging.

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  • Lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory condition primarily affecting the genital area, and its connection to human papillomaviruses (HPVs) remains unclear, with mixed data on HPVs' role in LS patients.
  • A study analyzed HPV prevalence in 132 LS samples, finding that beta HPVs were most common, detected in 26.5% of cases, whereas alpha HPVs were present in 9.1%, with few cases of gamma HPVs.
  • The research indicated no significant differences in HPV prevalence based on sex and disease stage, highlighting the need for more studies to understand the clinical implications of beta HPVs in LS.
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Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is associated with cardiac dysfunction and predictive of cardiac mortality in obesity, especially in females. Clinical data further support that CMD associates with development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonism may be more efficacious in obese female, versus male, HFpEF patients. Accordingly, we examined the impact of smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific MR deletion on obesity-associated coronary and cardiac diastolic dysfunction in female mice.

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The mechanisms triggering metastasis in pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma are unknown, hindering therapeutic options for patients with metastatic tumors (mPPGL). Herein we show by genomic profiling of a large cohort of mPPGLs that high mutational load, microsatellite instability and somatic copy-number alteration burden are associated with ATRX/TERT alterations and are suitable prognostic markers. Transcriptomic analysis defines the signaling networks involved in the acquisition of metastatic competence and establishes a gene signature related to mPPGLs, highlighting CDK1 as an additional mPPGL marker.

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Circadian variability in kidney function is well recognized but is often ignored as a potential confounding variable in physiological experiments. Here, we have created a data resource consisting of expression levels for mRNA transcripts in microdissected proximal tubule segments from mice as a function of the time of day. Small-sample RNA sequencing was applied to microdissected S1 proximal convoluted tubules and S2 proximal straight tubules.

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Introduction: Anal cytology is used in the prevention of anal cancer, which disproportionally affects men who have sex with men (MSM). Data on the incidence of cytologic abnormalities in these individuals are scant.

Methods: MSM with baseline negative anal cytology and at least one further adequate cytology were included.

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Article Synopsis
  • Actinic keratosis (AK) is linked to UV radiation and possibly certain beta genus human papillomaviruses (HPVs), while the role of polyomaviruses (PyVs) in skin cancer remains uncertain.
  • A study analyzed 13 PyVs in skin samples from 342 AK patients, finding high positivity rates in fresh-frozen samples from both healthy skin and AK lesions, especially for MCPyV, HPyV6, and JCPyV.
  • While PyVs were commonly found in both healthy skin and AK scrapings, they were infrequently detected exclusively in AK samples, suggesting more research is needed to clarify their involvement in AK development.
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