Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), which are the only members of the gamma(γ) herpesviruses, are oncogenic viruses that significantly contribute to the development of various human cancers, such as Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, and primary effusion lymphoma. Oncogenesis triggered by γ-herpesviruses involves complex interactions between viral genetics, host cellular mechanisms, and immune evasion strategies. At the genetic level, crucial viral oncogenes participate in the disruption of cell signaling, leading to uncontrolled proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To intraindividually compare the diagnostic performance of positron emission computed tomography (F-18-FDG-PET/CT) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in a non-inferiority design for the discrimination of peripheral nerve sheath tumours as benign (BPNST), atypical (ANF), or malignant (MPNST) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
Results: In this prospective single-centre study, thirty-four NF1 patients (18 male; 30 ± 11 years) underwent F-18-FDG-PET/CT and multi-b-value DW-MRI (11 b-values 0 - 800 s/mm²) at 3T. Sixty-six lesions corresponding to 39 BPNST, 11 ANF, and 16 MPNST were evaluated.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motor neurons. While there has been significant progress in defining the genetic contributions to ALS, greater than 90 % of cases are sporadic, which suggests an environmental component. The gut microbiota is altered in ALS and is an ecological factor that contributes to disease by modulating immunologic, metabolic, and neuronal signaling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile the concept of pericyte heterogeneity in the brain microvasculature is becoming more widely accepted, little is known about how they arise, or their functional contributions to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We therefore set out to examine the distribution of subtypes of pericytes at the BBB and sought to elucidate some of their functional characteristics by examining their unique mRNA expression patterns. We demonstrate that type-1 pericytes (PC1) that are associated with young healthy brains and BBB homeostasis, can transition into type-2 pericytes (PC2) that are associated with disease and BBB breakdown, both in vitro and in vivo, in the presence of both endogenous and disease associated ligands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF