Unlocking Overexpressed Membrane Proteins to Guide Breast Cancer Precision Medicine.

Breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent form of cancer affecting women worldwide. However, the effectiveness of current BC drugs is limited by issues such as systemic toxicity, drug resistance, and severe side effects. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic targets and improved tumor tracking methods.

Aptamer-Based Recognition of Breast Tumor Cells: A New Era for Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide and can be classified into four major distinct molecular subtypes based on the expression of specific receptors. Despite significant advances, the lack of biomarkers for detailed diagnosis and prognosis remains a major challenge in the field of oncology. This study aimed to identify short single-stranded oligonucleotides known as aptamers to improve breast cancer diagnosis.

Biomarkers and Echocardiographic Predictors of Cardiovascular Outcome in Patients With Chronic Chagas Disease.

Background Chagas disease (CD) presents an ominous prognosis. The predictive value of biomarkers and new echocardiogram parameters in adjusted models have not been well studied. Methods and Results There were 361 patients with chronic CD (57.

Next Generation of Ovarian Cancer Detection Using Aptamers.

Ovarian cancer is among the seven most common types of cancer in women, being the most fatal gynecological tumor, due to the difficulty of detection in early stages. Aptamers are important tools to improve tumor diagnosis through the recognition of specific molecules produced by tumors. Here, aptamers and their potential targets in ovarian cancer cells were analyzed by in silico approaches.

In Chagas disease, transforming growth factor beta neutralization reduces infection and improves cardiac performance.

Chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC), a progressive inflammatory and fibrosing disease, is the most prominent clinical form of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease caused by infection. During CCC, the parasite remains inside the cardiac cells, leading to tissue damage, involving extensive inflammatory response and irregular fibrosis. Among the fibrogenic factors is transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), a key cytokine controlling extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation.

Increased angiogenesis parallels cardiac tissue remodelling in experimental acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

Background: Angiogenesis has been implicated in tissue injury in several noninfectious diseases, but its role in Chagas disease (CD) physiopathology is unclear.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Trypanosoma cruzi infection on cardiac angiogenesis during the acute phase of experimental CD.

Methods: The signalling pathway involved in blood vessel formation and cardiac remodelling was evaluated in Swiss Webster mice infected with the Y strain of T.

Suppression of TGF-β/Smad2 signaling by GW788388 enhances DENV-2 clearance in macrophages.

Dengue fever, caused by the dengue virus (DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4), affects millions of people in the tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Severe dengue is correlated with high viraemia and cytokine storm, such as high levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the patient's serum. Here, the TGF-β1 signaling was investigated in the context of in vitro viral clearance.

Selenium, TGF-Beta and Infectious Endemic Cardiopathy: Lessons from Benchwork to Clinical Application in Chagas Disease.

For over 60 years, selenium (Se) has been known as an essential microelement to many biological functions, including cardiovascular homeostasis. This review presents a compilation of studies conducted in the past 20 years related to chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), caused by infection, a neglected disease that represents a global burden, especially in Latin America. Experimental and clinical data indicate that Se may be used as a complementary therapy to prevent heart failure and improve heart function.

Transforming growth factor-ß as a therapeutic target for the cardiac damage of Chagas disease.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is deeply involved on the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. Our group has been investigating the participation of this pleiotropic cytokine in different aspects of Chagas disease over the last 20 years. Important observations have been made, such as: (i) the ability of Trypanosoma cruzi in activating latent TGF-β; (ii) the potential involvement of TGF-β pathway on T.

The Search for Biomarkers and Treatments in Chagas Disease: Insights From TGF-Beta Studies and Immunogenetics.

The anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays an important role in Chagas disease (CD), a potentially life-threatening illness caused by . In this review we revisited clinical studies in CD patients combined with and experiments, presenting three main sections: an overview of epidemiological, economic, and clinical aspects of CD and the need for new biomarkers and treatment; a brief panorama of TGF-β roles and its intracellular signaling pathways, and an update of what is known about TGF-β and Chagas disease. In assays, TGF-β increases during infection and modulates heart cells invasion by the parasite fostering its intracellular parasite cycle.

Insights into the proteomic profile and gene expression of Lutzomyia longipalpis-derived Lulo cell line.

Background: Lutzomyia longipalpis-derived cell line (Lulo) has been suggested as a model for studies of interaction between sandflies and Leishmania.

Objectives: Here, we present data of proteomic and gene expression analyses of Lulo cell related to interactions with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.

Methods: Lulo cell protein extracts were analysed through a combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry and resulting spots were further investigated in silico to identify proteins using Mascot search and, afterwards, resulting sequences were applied for analysis with VectorBase.

Inhibition of Brazilian ZIKV strain replication in primary human placental chorionic cells and cervical cells treated with nitazoxanide.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with a congenital syndrome. Although the virus can be detected in human placental tissue and sexual transmission has been verified, it is not clear how the virus reaches the fetus. Despite the emerging severity caused by ZIKV infection, no specific prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment is available.

Effect of Posaconazole in an in vitro model of cardiac fibrosis induced by Trypanosoma cruzi.

Posaconazole (POS) is an inhibitor of ergosterol biosynthesis in clinical use for treating invasive fungal infections. POS has potent and selective anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity and has been evaluated as a possible treatment for Chagas disease. Microtissues are a 3D culture system that has been shown to reproduce better tissue architecture and functionality than cell cultures in monolayer (2D).

Toxoplasma gondii infection impairs radial glia differentiation and its potential to modulate brain microvascular endothelial cell function in the cerebral cortex.

Congenital toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that occurs due vertical transmission of the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) during pregnancy. The parasite crosses the placental barrier and reaches the developing brain, infecting progenitor, glial, neuronal and vascular cell types.

Impairs Myogenesis , With Changes in Myogenic Regulatory Factors, Altered Host Cell Proliferation and Secretory Profile.

is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease with a wide global prevalence. The parasite forms cysts in skeletal muscle cells and neurons, although no evident association with inflammatory infiltrates has been typically found. We studied the impact of infection on the myogenic program of mouse skeletal muscle cells (SkMC).

Impact of pharmaceutical care on the quality of life of patients with heart failure due to chronic Chagas disease: Randomized clinical trial.

Aims: Chronic Chagas disease (ChD) has high morbimortality and loss in quality of life due to heart failure (HF). Pharmaceutical care (PC) optimizes clinical treatment and can improve quality of life in HF. We evaluated if PC improves quality of life of patients with ChD and HF.

TGF-β inhibitor therapy decreases fibrosis and stimulates cardiac improvement in a pre-clinical study of chronic Chagas' heart disease.

TGF-β involvement in Chagas disease cardiomyopathy has been clearly demonstrated. The TGF-β signaling pathway is activated in the cardiac tissue of chronic phase patients and is associated with an increase in extracellular matrix protein expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of GW788388, a selective inhibitor of TβR1/ALK5, on cardiac function in an experimental model of chronic Chagas' heart disease.

Exploring the Potential Role of Moonlighting Function of the Surface-Associated Proteins From BCG Moreau and Pasteur by Comparative Proteomic.

Surface-associated proteins from BCG Moreau RDJ are important components of the live Brazilian vaccine against tuberculosis. They are important targets during initial BCG vaccine stimulation and modulation of the host's immune response, especially in the bacterial-host interaction. These proteins might also be involved in cellular communication, chemical response to the environment, pathogenesis processes through mobility, colonization, and adherence to the host cell, therefore performing multiple functions.

Correlation of transforming growth factor-β1 and tumour necrosis factor levels with left ventricular function in Chagas disease.

Background: Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) have been implicated in Chagas disease pathophysiology and may correlate with left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: We determined whether TGF-β1 and TNF serum levels correlate with LV systolic and diastolic functions and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) serum levels in chronic Chagas disease.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 152 patients with Chagas disease (43% men; 57 ± 12 years old), classified as 53 patients with indeterminate form and 99 patients with cardiac form (stage A: 24, stage B: 25, stage C: 44, stage D: 6).

Inhibition of TGF-β pathway reverts extracellular matrix remodeling in T. cruzi-infected cardiac spheroids.

Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CC) is the main manifestation of Chagas Disease (CD). CC is a progressive dysfunctional illness, in which transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays a central role in fibrogenesis and hypertrophy. In the present study, we tested in a three-dimensional (3D) model of cardiac cells culture (named cardiac spheroids), capable of mimicking the aspects of fibrosis and hypertrophy observed in CC, the role of TGF-β pathway inhibition in restoring extracellular matrix (ECM) balance disrupted by T.

Correlation of 6-min walk test with left ventricular function and quality of life in heart failure due to Chagas disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation of the total distance walked during the six-minute walk test (6MWT) with left ventricular function and quality of life in patients with Chagas Disease (ChD) complicated by heart failure.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of adult patients with ChD and heart failure diagnosed based on Framingham criteria. 6MWT was performed following international guidelines.

Scrutinizing the Biomarkers for the Neglected Chagas Disease: How Remarkable!

Biomarkers or biosignature profiles have become accessible over time in population-based studies for Chagas disease. Thus, the identification of consistent and reliable indicators of the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with heart failure might facilitate the prioritization of therapeutic management to those with the highest chance of contracting this disease. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent state and the upcoming trends in biomarkers for human Chagas disease.

Proteins involved on TGF-β pathway are up-regulated during the acute phase of experimental Chagas disease.

Studies developed by our group in the last years have shown the involvement of TGF-β in acute and chronic Chagas heart disease, with elevated plasma levels and activated TGF-β cell signaling pathway as remarkable features of patients in the advanced stages of this disease, when high levels of cardiac fibrosis is present. Imbalance in synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix components is the basis of pathological fibrosis and TGF-β is considered as one of the key regulators of this process. In the present study, we investigated the activity of the TGF-β signaling pathway, including receptors and signaling proteins activation in the heart of animals experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi during the period that mimics the acute phase of Chagas disease.

Cruzipain Activates Latent TGF-β from Host Cells during T. cruzi Invasion.

Several studies indicate that the activity of cruzipain, the main lysosomal cysteine peptidase of Trypanosoma cruzi, contributes to parasite infectivity. In addition, the parasitic invasion process of mammalian host cells is described to be dependent on the activation of the host TGF-β signaling pathway by T. cruzi.