Future therapeutic perspectives in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a focus on nuclear receptors, a promising therapeutic target.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health problem worldwide, with an increasing incidence, secondary to the increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes, from a very young age. It is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, as components of the metabolic syndrome (MS). NAFLD is the hepatic manifestation of MS.

The therapeutic mechanisms and beneficial effects of ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease, with an increasing prevalence in all regions of the world. Its spectrum includes hepatic steatosis (HS) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with progression to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NAFLD may represent the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome (MS), with a prevalence directly proportional to the prevalence of obesity and MS.

Current and emerging EGFR therapies for glioblastoma.

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most lethal and hard to treat malignancies in clinical practice. The standard of care for treating GBM involving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy and concomitant temozolomide (TMZ) has remained virtually unchanged in the past decade. Molecular targeted therapies against cancer-specific structures have reported mediocre results in the treatment of GBM, due to multiple factors such as the presence of the blood brain barrier or a vast array of molecular alterations which greatly hinder the action of the most therapeutic agents.

Investigation of inflammatory activity in ulcerative colitis.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are lifelong disorders, characterized by the chronic inflammation of all or part of our digestive tract. Cytokines have an essential role in the pathogenesis of IBDs, because they control the inflammatory response, and the disequilibrium of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines may lead directly to tissue destruction. Histopathologically, these diseases are characterized by the extent and the distribution of mucosal architectural abnormality, the cellularity of the lamina propria and the present cell types, but these features frequently overlap.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3 and MMP-9) implication in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic disease, with unknown etiology, characterized by a sustained inflammatory cascade that gives rise to the release of mediators, capable of degrading and modifying bowel wall structure. The present study investigated changes of circulating metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9) and CRP levels in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, in order to contribute to the elucidation of pathogenesis. We have studied serum samples of 67 patients, of which 46 with ulcerative colitis (mean age 44.

Cancer stem cells: biological functions and therapeutically targeting.

Almost all tumors are composed of a heterogeneous cell population, making them difficult to treat. A small cancer stem cell population with a low proliferation rate and a high tumorigenic potential is thought to be responsible for cancer development, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Stem cells were reported to be involved in both normal development and carcinogenesis, some molecular mechanisms being common in both processes.