Publications by authors named "E Piedrafita Serra"
Although the Internet grants access to a large amount of information, it is crucial to verify its reliability before relying on it. False information is a dangerous medium that poses a considerable threat, as it impacts individuals' perceptions and information processing, eventually shaping people's behaviors. Misinformation can be weaponized, especially in cross-border conflicts, where it can be used as a means to erode social cohesion by manipulating public opinion and exacerbate tensions between nations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite , affects millions globally, with increasing urban cases outside of Latin America. Treatment is based on two compounds, namely, benznidazole (BZ) and nifurtimox, but chronic cases pose several challenges. Targeting lysine acetylation, particularly bromodomain-containing proteins, shows promise as a novel antiparasitic target.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA lesions that block transcription induce the death of Trypanosoma cruzi via ATR activation, which is dependent on the presence of R-loops.
DNA Repair (Amst)
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent responsible for Chagas disease, exhibits unique biological traits and responds to DNA damage through a specific repair pathway called transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER).
- When UV light induces DNA lesions, unresolved transcriptional stress can lead to a programmed cell death mechanism that resembles apoptosis.
- The study reveals that the Cockayne Syndrome B protein (CSB) plays a crucial role in this process, as its overexpression increases cell death after UV exposure, while its absence confers resistance, suggesting an ATR-dependent apoptosis-like signaling in T. cruzi.
Bromodomains are structural folds present in all eukaryotic cells that bind to other proteins recognizing acetylated lysines. Most proteins with bromodomains are part of nuclear complexes that interact with acetylated histone residues and regulate DNA replication, transcription, and repair through chromatin structure remodeling. Bromodomain inhibitors are small molecules that bind to the hydrophobic pocket of bromodomains, interfering with the interaction with acetylated histones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melanoma is the cancer with the highest risk of dissemination to the central nervous system (CNS), one of the leading causes of mortality from this cancer.
Objective: To identify patients at higher risk of developing CNS metastases and to evaluate associated prognostic factors.
Methods: A cohort study (1998-2023) assessed patients who developed CNS melanoma metastases.