Publications by authors named "Peter Kubatka"

Introduction: Within oncology research, there is a high effort for new approaches to prevent and treat cancer as a life-threatening disease. Specific plant species that adapt to harsh conditions may possess unique properties that may be utilized in the management of cancer.

Hypothesis: Chokeberry fruit is rich in secondary metabolites with anti-cancer activities potentially useful in cancer prevention and treatment.

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Motivation: The association between weather conditions and stroke incidence has been a subject of interest for several years, yet the findings from various studies remain inconsistent. Additionally, predictive modelling in this context has been infrequent. This study explores the relationship of extremely high ischaemic stroke incidence and meteorological factors within the Slovak population.

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Despite their subordination in humans, to a great extent, mitochondria maintain their independent status but tightly cooperate with the "host" on protecting the joint life quality and minimizing health risks. Under oxidative stress conditions, healthy mitochondria promptly increase mitophagy level to remove damaged "fellows" rejuvenating the mitochondrial population and sending fragments of mtDNA as SOS signals to all systems in the human body. As long as metabolic pathways are under systemic control and well-concerted together, adaptive mechanisms become triggered increasing systemic protection, activating antioxidant defense and repair machinery.

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Based on extensive data from oncology research, the use of phytochemicals or plant-based nutraceuticals is considered an innovative tool for cancer management. This research aimed to analyze the oncostatic properties of L. using animal and models of breast carcinoma (BC).

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Worldwide stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of death and disability combined. The estimated global economic burden by stroke is over US$891 billion per year. Within three decades (1990-2019), the incidence increased by 70%, deaths by 43%, prevalence by 102%, and DALYs by 143%.

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Heat shock proteins (HSPs) represent cellular chaperones that are classified into several families, including HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90. The role of HSPs in the cell includes the facilitation of protein folding and maintaining protein structure. Both processes play crucial roles during stress conditions in the cell such as heat shock, degradation, and hypoxia.

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The purpose of this study was to assess the potential effects of Rhus coriaria L. (sumac) and of Cinnamomum zeylanicum L. bark on the selected serum cytokines as possible serum tumor markers - interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the rat model of mammary carcinogenesis.

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Cancer cell plasticity plays a crucial role in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis and is implicated in the multiple cancer defense mechanisms associated with therapy resistance and therapy evasion. Cancer resistance represents one of the significant obstacles in the clinical management of cancer. Some reversal chemosensitizing agents have been developed to resolve this serious clinical problem, but they have not yet been proven applicable in oncological practice.

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B7-H3 (B7 homology 3 protein) is an important transmembrane immunoregulatory protein expressed in immune cells, antigen-presenting cells, and tumor cells. Studies reveal a multifaceted role of B7-H3 in tumor progression by modulating various cancer hallmarks involving angiogenesis, immune evasion, and tumor microenvironment, and it is also a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy. In colorectal cancer (CRC), B7-H3 has been associated with various aspects of disease progression, such as evasion of tumor immune surveillance, tumor-node metastasis, and poor prognosis.

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Worldwide, the demand for natural and synthetic sweeteners in the food industry as an alternative to refined sugar is increasing. This has prompted more research to be conducted to estimate its safety and effects on health. The gut microbiome is critical in metabolizing selected sweeteners which might affect overall health.

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Despite tremendous medical treatment successes, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Chemotherapy as monotherapy can lead to significant side effects and chemoresistance that can be linked to several resistance-activating biological processes, including an increase in inflammation, cellular plasticity, multidrug resistance (MDR), inhibition of the sentinel gene p53, and apoptosis. As a consequence, tumor cells can escape the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents.

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Glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, is a common primary brain tumor in adults, with diabetes mellitus being a crucial risk factor. This review examines how the antidiabetic drug metformin and dietary supplement resveratrol can benefit the treatment of glioblastoma. Metformin and resveratrol have demonstrated action against relevant pathways in cancer cells.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which counts more than 650 million cases and more than 6.6 million of deaths worldwide, affects the respiratory system with typical symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and fatigue. Other nonpulmonary manifestations are related with abnormal inflammatory response, the "cytokine storm", that could lead to a multiorgan disease and to death.

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Breast cancer (BC) is the most common female malignancy reaching a pandemic scale worldwide. A comprehensive interplay between genetic alterations and shifted epigenetic regions synergistically leads to disease development and progression into metastatic BC. DNA and histones methylations, as the most studied epigenetic modifications, represent frequent and early events in the process of carcinogenesis.

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Significant limitations of the reactive medical approach in breast cancer management are clearly reflected by alarming statistics recorded worldwide. According to the WHO updates, breast malignancies become the leading cancer type. Further, the portion of premenopausal breast cancer cases is permanently increasing and demonstrates particularly aggressive patterns and poor outcomes exemplified by young patients with triple-negative breast cancer that lacks targeted therapy.

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Cancer causes many deaths worldwide each year, especially due to tumor heterogeneity leading to disease progression and treatment failure. Targeted treatment of heterogeneous population of cells - cancer stem cells is still an issue in protecting affected individuals against associated multidrug resistance and disease progression. Nanotherapeutic agents have the potential to go beyond state-of-the-art approaches in overall cancer management.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how different mouse arteries respond to Angiotensin II (AngII), a peptide linked to the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
  • Researchers found that the iliac arteries show much higher vasoconstriction responses to AngII than other tested arteries, suggesting these could be more affected during AAA progression.
  • Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed varying levels of angiotensin type 1 and 2 receptors in different arterial layers, indicating that receptor expression may influence these vasoactive responses in the context of AAA development.
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The renin angiotensin system is a key regulator of blood pressure homeostasis. Angiotensin type 1 (ATR) and 2 receptors (ATR) have been investigated as targets for cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury; however, their therapeutic potential remains inconclusive. This pilot study aimed to determined the effect that acute cisplatin treatment had on angiotensin II (AngII)-induced contraction in blood vessels and expression profiles of ATR and ATR in mouse arteries and kidneys.

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Neuroblastoma (NB) is an extracranial tumor of the peripheral nervous system arising from neural crest cells. It is the most common malignancy in infants and the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. The current treatment for high-risk NB involves chemotherapy and surgical resection followed by high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell rescue and radiation treatment.

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Metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells is a common hallmark of malignant transformation. The preference for aerobic glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation in tumors is a well-studied phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Importantly, metabolic transformation of cancer cells also involves alterations in signaling cascades contributing to lipid metabolism, amino acid flux and synthesis, and utilization of ketone bodies.

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Background: Cancer management faces multiple obstacles, including resistance to current therapeutic approaches. In the face of challenging microenvironments, cancer cells adapt metabolically to maintain their supply of energy and precursor molecules for biosynthesis and thus sustain rapid proliferation and tumor growth. Among the various metabolic adaptations observed in cancer cells, the altered glucose metabolism is the most widely studied.

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Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) the sequel of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a frequent complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. The current screening process for the DR risk is not sufficiently effective such that often the disease is undetected until irreversible damage occurs. Diabetes-associated small vessel disease and neuroretinal changes create a vicious cycle resulting in the conversion of DR into PDR with characteristic ocular attributes including excessive mitochondrial and retinal cell damage, chronic inflammation, neovascularisation, and reduced visual field.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading malignant diseases worldwide with a high rate of metastasis and poor prognosis. Treatment options include surgery, which is usually followed by chemotherapy in advanced CRC. With treatment, cancer cells could become resistant to classical cytostatic drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin, cisplatin, and irinotecan, resulting in chemotherapeutic failure.

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Diabetes and gastrointestinal cancers (GI) are global health conditions with a massive burden on patients' lives worldwide. The development of both conditions is influenced by several factors, such as diet, genetics, environment, and infection, which shows a potential link between them. Flavonoids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds present in fruits and vegetables.

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Article Synopsis
  • Triple-negative breast cancer is characterized by heterogeneity at various levels, including clinical and molecular, and is associated with poor clinical outcomes due to its aggressive nature and high rates of metastasis.
  • The complexity of the tumor immune microenvironment, along with genomic instability and mutated genes, impacts treatment strategies and prognosis, pointing to the potential of utilizing immunity-associated genes in developing prognostic indexes.
  • Ongoing research aims to improve targeted therapies and immunotherapy by combining treatments, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, to enhance patient survival rates and overcome therapeutic resistance.
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