Advances in CRISPR-Cas technology and its applications: revolutionising precision medicine.

CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR-associated proteins) has undergone marked advancements since its discovery as an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea, emerged as a potent gene-editing tool after the successful engineering of its synthetic guide RNA (sgRNA) toward the targeting of specific DNA sequences with high accuracy. Besides its DNA editing ability, further-developed Cas variants can also edit the epigenome, rendering the CRISPR-Cas system a versatile tool for genome and epigenome manipulation and a pioneering force in precision medicine. This review explores the latest advancements in CRISPR-Cas technology and its therapeutic and biomedical applications, highlighting its transformative impact on precision medicine.

Genetic and clinical study of myeloperoxidase's association with coronary artery disease.

Background: Unraveling myeloperoxidase's (MPO) correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD) and genetic variations, this study seeks to enhance diagnostic precision and therapeutic strategies.

Results: CAD patients were found to be older and more male than controls. Several clinical parameters, including glucose, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and troponin levels, showed significant variations.

Exploring the role of Sirtuin 3 gene polymorphisms and oxidative stress markers in the susceptibility to coronary artery disease.

Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a complex disorder influenced by genetic and environmental factors. This case-control study investigated the association between Sirtuin SIRT3 gene polymorphisms, serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and CAD susceptibility.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 70 CAD cases and 30 controls at the Cardiac Center, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Duhok, Iraq.

Metformin restores prohormone processing enzymes and normalizes aberrations in secretion of proinsulin and insulin in palmitate-exposed human islets.

Aim: To elucidate how proinsulin synthesis and insulin was affected by metformin under conditions of nutrient overstimulation.

Materials And Methods: Isolated human pancreatic islets from seven donors were cultured at 5.5 mmol/L glucose and 0.

Exploring nitric oxide as a crucial prognostic biomarker of coronary artery disease.

Purpose: The study aimed to examine if the polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) and the serum NO levels are associated with CAD.

Materials/methods: Case-control study, 70 CAD and 30 control subjects were enrolled. The eNOS gene polymorphism was measured by polymerase chain reaction-agarose gel electrophoresis and the serum NO was assessed by using an ELISA plate and reader covering 540 nm.

Cancer Incidence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Results of a Seven-Year Cancer Registration in Erbil and Duhok Governorates.

Introduction: There are limited published data regarding the recent incidence trends of cancer in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Methods: The present study assessed the epidemiological estimates of cancer incidence, as well providing a projection of future cancer trends in the upcoming decade by analysing the population-based cancer registry between 2013 and 2019, in both the Erbil and Duhok governorates. A retrospective analysis was performed on data retrieved from the Medical Statistics Department at the Ministry of Health, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Cardiac, Hepatic and Renal Dysfunction and IL-18 Polymorphism in Breast, Colorectal, and Prostate Cancer Patients.

Introduction: The present study aimed to determine the alterations in the serum levels of tumor markers used to evaluate cardiac, renal and liver function, and detect the interleukin (IL)-18 rs1946518 polymorphism in breast (BC), colorectal (CRC) and prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 65 female BC, 116 CRC, 79 PCa and 88 myocardial infarction (MI) patients, and 110 healthy individuals to determine the concentration of tumor and cardiac markers. Furthermore, the IL-18 rs1946518 polymorphism was assessed using amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR.

Hydrogen Sulfide-Evoked Intracellular Ca Signals in Primary Cultures of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Exogenous administration of hydrogen sulfide (HS) is emerging as an alternative anticancer treatment. HS-releasing compounds have been shown to exert a strong anticancer effect by suppressing proliferation and/or inducing apoptosis in several cancer cell types, including colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The mechanism whereby exogenous HS affects CRC cell proliferation is yet to be clearly elucidated, but it could involve an increase in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]).

Combined chemo-magnetic field-photothermal breast cancer therapy based on porous magnetite nanospheres.

The efficacy of different modalities of treating breast cancer is inhibited by several limitations such as off-targeted drug distribution, rapid drug clearance, and drug resistance. To overcome these limitations, we developed Lf-Doxo-PMNSs for combined chemo-MF-PTT. The PMNSs were synthesized by hydrothermal method and their physicochemical properties were examined by FE-SEM, TEM, DLS, TGA, XRD investigations.

Plasmonic and chiroplasmonic nanobiosensors based on gold nanoparticles.

Development of optical nanobiosensors has emerged as one of the most important bioresearch areas of interest over the past decades especially in the modern innovations in the design and utilization of sensing platforms. The application of nanobiosensors has been accelerated with the introduction of plasmonic NPs, which overcome the most of the limitations in the case of conventional optical nanobiosensors. Since the plasmonic AuNPs-based nanobiosensors provide high potential achievements to develop promising platforms in fully integrated multiplex assays, some well-developed investigations are clearly required to improve the current technologies and integration of multiple signal inputs.

Gold nanozyme: Biosensing and therapeutic activities.

The utilization of AuNPs in therapeutic applications has been accelerated by discovering their catalytic activity consistent with the activity of natural enzymes. However, to reduce unwanted activities, it is imperative to fully understand their catalytic mechanisms to increase efficiency and safety. Therefore, along with other reports, we aimed to classify the enzymatic activity of Au nanozymes based on recent advance in their applications in biosensing and therapeutic activities.

Silymarin-albumin nanoplex: Preparation and its potential application as an antioxidant in nervous system in vitro and in vivo.

In this study, we formulated silymarin-HSA nanoplex and assayed its ability to reduce LPS-induced toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Silymarin molecules were encapsulated into HSA nanoplex and the loading efficiency and characterization of fabricated nanoplex were performed by using HPLC, TEM, SEM, DLS, FTIR analysis, and theoretical studies. Afterwards, their protective effect against LPS (20 µg/ml) -induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells was investigated by MTT, ROS, and apoptosis assays.

The effects of nickel oxide nanoparticles on structural changes, heme degradation, aggregation of hemoglobin and expression of apoptotic genes in lymphocytes.

Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) have received great interests in medical and biotechnological applications. However, their adverse impacts against biological systems have not been well-explored. Herein, the influence of NiO NPs on structural changes, heme degradation and aggregation of hemoglobin (Hb) was evaluated by UV-visible (Vis) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular modeling investigations.

Endothelial Ca Signaling, Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis: just What It Takes to Make a Blood Vessel.

It has long been known that endothelial Ca signals drive angiogenesis by recruiting multiple Ca-sensitive decoders in response to pro-angiogenic cues, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, stromal derived factor-1α and angiopoietins. Recently, it was shown that intracellular Ca signaling also drives vasculogenesis by stimulation proliferation, tube formation and neovessel formation in endothelial progenitor cells. Herein, we survey how growth factors, chemokines and angiogenic modulators use endothelial Ca signaling to regulate angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.

Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NAADP) Induces Intracellular Ca Release through the Two-Pore Channel TPC1 in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) gates two-pore channels 1 and 2 (TPC1 and TPC2) to elicit endo-lysosomal (EL) Ca release. NAADP-induced EL Ca signals may be amplified by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through the Ca-induced Ca release mechanism (CICR). Herein, we aimed at assessing for the first time the role of EL Ca signaling in primary cultures of human metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) by exploiting Ca imaging and molecular biology techniques.

Endolysosomal Ca Signalling and Cancer Hallmarks: Two-Pore Channels on the Move, TRPML1 Lags Behind!

The acidic vesicles of the endolysosomal (EL) system are emerging as an intracellular Ca store implicated in the regulation of multiple cellular functions. The EL Ca store releases Ca through a variety of Ca-permeable channels, including Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Mucolipin 1-3 (TRPML1-3) and two-pore channels 1-2 (TPC1-2), whereas EL Ca refilling is sustained by the proton gradient across the EL membrane and/or by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). EL Ca signals may be either spatially restricted to control vesicle trafficking, autophagy and membrane repair or may be amplified into a global Ca signal through the Ca-dependent recruitment of ER-embedded channels.