Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been responsible for the severe pandemic of acute respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), experienced in the 21st century. The clinical manifestations range from mild symptoms to abnormal blood coagulation and severe respiratory failure. In severe cases, COVID-19 manifests as a thromboinflammatory disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aging population has contributed to the rapid rise in the global incidence of neurodegenerative diseases. Despite the medical advances, there are no effective treatments for these disorders. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatments for these diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has a good prognosis, 20-90% of patients show metastasis to regional lymph nodes and 10-15% of patients show metastasis to distant sites. Metastatic disease represents the main clinical challenge that impacts survival rate. We previously showed that LIMD2 was a novel metastasis-associated gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince the discovery of the double helix and the introduction of genetic engineering, the possibility to develop new strategies to manipulate the genome has fascinated scientists around the world. Currently scientists have the knowledge andabilitytoedit the genomes. Several methodologies of gene editing have been established, all of them working like "scissor", creating double strand breaks at specific spots.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxysterols are 27-carbon oxidation products of cholesterol metabolism. Oxysterols possess several biological actions, including the promotion of cell death. Here, we examined the ability of 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC), cholestane-3β-5α-6β-triol (triol), and a mixture of 5α-cholestane-3β,6β-diol and 5α-cholestane-3β,6α-diol (diol) to promote cell death in a human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
November 2018
Oxysterols are 27-carbon oxidation products of cholesterol metabolism. Oxysterols possess several biological actions, including the promotion of cell death. Here, we examined the ability of several oxysterols to induce short-term death in cancerous (human breast cancer and mouse skin melanoma cells) and non-cancerous (human endothelial cells and lung fibroblasts) cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the novel diagnostic methods and therapies implemented in oncology, the number of patients that succumb by the cancer remains high globally. Currently studies point out that 20-25% of all human malignancies are related to micro-organism infections. Among these cancer-related pathogens, the human papillomavirus (HPV) has a prominent position, since the virus is responsible for about 30% of all infectious agent-related cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxysterols are oxidized products of cholesterol that play several roles in various pathophysiological processes, including the control of lipid metabolism, immunological processes, and cytotoxicity. Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent cells with properties of self-renewal and the ability to differentiate into other cell types, including osteoblasts and adipocytes. Here, we review the literature regarding the effects of oxysterols on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and the main signaling pathways involved in this process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells characterized by self-renewal and cellular differentiation capabilities. Oxysterols comprise a very heterogeneous group derived from cholesterol through enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidation. Potent effects in cell death processes, including cytoxicity and apoptosis induction, were described in several cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine papillomavirus (BPV) is considered a useful model to study HPV oncogenic process. BPV interacts with the host chromatin, resulting in DNA damage, which is attributed to E5, E6, and E7 viral oncoproteins activity. However, the oncogenic mechanisms of BPV E6 oncoprotein per se remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical, chemical and biological agents can act in the DNA, resulting in mutation involved in cancer. Thus, genotoxic tests are required by regulatory agencies in order to evaluate potential risk of cancer. Among these tests, the comet assay (CA) and micronucleus assay (MNA) are the most commonly used.
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