Publications by authors named "Viktoria Venglovecz"

Heavy alcohol intake is one of the most common causes of acute pancreatitis (AP). We have previously shown that ethanol (EtOH) decreases the expression and activity of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which plays a key role in alcohol-induced AP development. The prescription drug, Orkambi (a combination of ivacaftor and lumacaftor) can correct impaired CFTR function and expression in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.

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  • The study investigates the role of MUC17 in pancreatic cancer (PC) progression, particularly under the influence of bile acids (BAs) and human serum from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and obstructive jaundice (OJ).
  • Researchers found that higher levels of MUC17 are linked with poorer survival outcomes in PDAC patients, with significantly reduced survival time associated with elevated MUC17 expression.
  • In laboratory tests, BAs and human serum treatment increased MUC17 levels and cell proliferation in PDAC cells, while reducing MUC17 led to decreased carcinogenic processes, highlighting MUC17 as a potential new biomarker for prognosis in PC.
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The primary role of pancreatic ductal HCO secretion is to prevent premature activation of digestive enzymes and to provide a vehicle for the delivery of enzymes to the duodenum. In addition, HCOis responsible for the neutralization of gastric juice and protect against the formation of protein plugs and viscous mucus. Due to this multifaceted role of HCO in the pancreas, its altered functioning can greatly contribute to the development of various exocrine diseases.

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  • * Research showed that smokers, both with and without CP, have higher sweat chloride levels and lower CFTR expression, indicating impaired CFTR activity due to smoking.
  • * Exposure to cigarette smoke and associated heavy metals like cadmium harms pancreatic function by reducing fluid and bicarbonate secretion and increasing intracellular calcium and ATP depletion.
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Pancreatic cancer (PC) poses a substantial global health challenge, ranking as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths due to its high mortality rate. Late-stage diagnoses are common due to the absence of specific symptoms. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for the majority of PC cases.

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Type 1 diabetes is a disease of the endocrine pancreas; however, it also affects exocrine function. Although most studies have examined the effects of diabetes on acinar cells, much less is known regarding ductal cells, despite their important protective function in the pancreas. Therefore, we investigated the effect of diabetes on ductal function.

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The health benefits of regular physical exercise are well known. Even so, there is increasing evidence that the exercise regimes of elite athletes can evoke cardiac arrhythmias including ventricular fibrillation and even sudden cardiac death (SCD). The mechanism of exercise-induced arrhythmia and SCD is poorly understood.

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The physiology and pathophysiology of the exocrine pancreas are in close connection to changes in intra-cellular Ca2+ concentration. Most of our knowledge is based on in vitro experiments on acinar cells or acini enzymatically isolated from their surroundings, which can alter their structure, physiology, and limit our understanding. Due to these limitations, the acute pancreas tissue slice technique was introduced almost two decades ago as a complementary approach to assess the morphology and physiology of both the endocrine and exocrine pancreas in a more conserved in situ setting.

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Opioids are widely used for the pain management of acute pancreatitis (AP), but their impact on disease progression is unclear. Therefore, our aim was to study the effects of clinically relevant opioids on the severity of experimental AP. Various doses of fentanyl, morphine, or buprenorphine were administered as pre- and/or post-treatments in rats.

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Regardless of its aetiology, sustained intracellular Ca overload is a well-known hallmark of acute pancreatitis (AP). Toxic Ca elevation induces pancreatic ductal cell damage characterized by impaired ion and fluid secretion - essential to wash out the protein-rich fluid secreted by acinar cells while maintaining the alkaline intra-ductal pH under physiological conditions - and mitochondrial dysfunction. While prevention of ductal cell injury decreases the severity of AP, no specific drug target has yet been identified in the ductal cells.

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The pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis (AP) is not well understood, and the disease does not have specific therapy. Tryptophan metabolite L-kynurenic acid (KYNA) and its synthetic analogue SZR-72 are antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and have immune modulatory roles in several inflammatory diseases. Our aims were to investigate the effects of KYNA and SZR-72 on experimental AP and to reveal their possible mode of action.

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Several clinical studies indicate that smoking predisposes its consumers to esophageal inflammatory and malignant diseases, but the cellular mechanism is not clear. Ion transporters protect esophageal epithelial cells by maintaining intracellular pH at normal levels. In this study, we hypothesized that smoking affects the function of ion transporters, thus playing a role in the development of smoking-induced esophageal diseases.

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Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has an essential role in maintaining pancreatic ductal function. Impaired CFTR function can trigger acute pancreatitis (AP) and exacerbate disease severity. We aimed to investigate the localization and expression of CFTR during AP, and determined the effects of a CFTR corrector (VX-661) and potentiator (VX-770) on disease severity.

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Anatomical proximity and functional correlations between the exocrine and endocrine pancreas warrant reciprocal effects between the two parts. Inflammatory diseases of the exocrine pancreas, such as acute or chronic pancreatitis, or the presence of cystic fibrosis disrupt endocrine function, resulting in diabetes of the exocrine pancreas. Although novel mechanisms are being increasingly identified, the intra- and intercellular pathways regulating exocrine-endocrine interactions are still not fully understood, making the development of new and more effective therapies difficult.

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Altered esophageal ion transport mechanisms play a key role in inflammatory and cancerous diseases of the esophagus, but epithelial ion processes have been less studied in the esophagus because of the lack of a suitable experimental model. In this study, we generated three-dimensional (3D) esophageal organoids (EOs) from two different mouse strains and characterized the ion transport processes of the EOs. EOs form a cell-filled structure with a diameter of 250-300 µm and were generated from epithelial stem cells as shown by FACS analysis.

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  • Mutations in the CFTR gene are linked to cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic pancreatitis, but patients with CFTR mutations usually retain some pancreatic function compared to those with CF.
  • Researchers used transgenic mice with residual CFTR function to study the severity of pancreatitis and found that while pancreatic and lung injuries were worse, the activation of trypsin and necrosis did not differ from controls at certain time points.
  • The study concluded that CFTR mutations that still allow some pancreatic function can worsen experimental pancreatitis primarily by impairing duct cell function and promoting inflammation, rather than making acinar cells more vulnerable to damage.
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  • Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a severe condition with no specific treatment, making early diagnosis essential for better outcomes.
  • A study analyzed data from both acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients, revealing that experiencing three or more episodes of AP significantly increases the risk of developing CP.
  • Findings suggest that patients with three or more recurrent AP episodes could be classified as having early chronic pancreatitis (ECP), allowing for earlier diagnosis without extra healthcare costs.
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Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of mortality rate globally and is usually associated with obstructive jaundice (OJ). Up to date, there is no clear consensus on whether biliary decompression should be performed prior to surgery and how high levels of serum bile affects the outcome of PC. Therefore, our study aims were to characterise the effect of bile acids (BAs) on carcinogenic processes using pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

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Acute pancreatitis (AP), an acute inflammatory disorder of the exocrine pancreas, is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases encountered in emergency departments with no specific treatments. Laboratory-based research has formed the cornerstone of endeavours to decipher the pathophysiology of AP, because of the limitations of such study in human beings. While this has provided us with substantial understanding, we cannot answer several pressing questions.

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Ion transporters play an important role in several physiological functions, such as cell volume regulation, pH homeostasis and secretion. In the oesophagus, ion transport proteins are part of the epithelial resistance, a mechanism which protects the oesophagus against reflux-induced damage. A change in the function or expression of ion transporters has significance in the development or neoplastic progression of Barrett's oesophagus (BO).

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Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of stent insertion alone to stent insertion combined with any active oncological treatment in the palliative care of esophageal cancer.

Methods: A meta-analysis and systematic review were performed according to the PRISMA Statement. Comparative studies with patients receiving stent insertion alone (control group) were compared to patients receiving oncological therapy in addition to stent placement (intervention group).

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Key Points: •Bile acids, ethanol and fatty acids affect pancreatic ductal fluid and bicarbonate secretion via mitochondrial damage, ATP depletion and calcium overload. •Pancreatitis-inducing factors open the membrane transition pore (mPTP) channel via cyclophilin D activation in acinar cells, causing calcium overload and cell death; genetic or pharmacological inhibition of mPTP improves the outcome of acute pancreatitis in animal models. •Here we show that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of mPTP protects mitochondrial homeostasis and cell function evoked by pancreatitis-inducing factors in pancreatic ductal cells.

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The tissue slice technique offers several benefits compared to isolated cells and cell clusters that help us understand the (patho)physiology of several organs . The most prominent features are preserved architecture and function, with intact homotypic and heterotypic interactions between cells in slices. In the pancreas, this technique has been utilized successfully to study acinar and endocrine islet cells.

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Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) worsens CF lung disease leading to early mortality. Loss of beta cell area, even without overt diabetes or pancreatitis is consistently observed. We investigated whether short-term CFTR inhibition was sufficient to impact islet morphology and function in otherwise healthy mice.

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Background: Development of multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major burden of successful chemotherapy, therefore, novel approaches to defeat MDR are imperative. Although the remarkable anti-cancer propensity of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) has been demonstrated and their potential application in MDR cancer has been proposed, the nanoparticle size-dependent cellular events directing P-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression and activity in MDR cancer have never been addressed. Hence, in the present study we examined AgNP size-dependent cellular features in multidrug resistant breast cancer cells.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Viktoria Venglovecz"

  • - Viktoria Venglovecz's recent research primarily focuses on the pathophysiology of pancreatic disorders, particularly the roles of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function and mucins in conditions such as acute and chronic pancreatitis, as well as pancreatic cancer.
  • - Her studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of various factors, including heavy alcohol intake, smoking, and bile acids, on pancreatic ductal function and cancer progression, revealing the potential for therapeutics like Orkambi to mitigate the severity of alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis.
  • - Venglovecz's work also explores novel biomarkers, such as MUC17, and examines the impact of diabetes on pancreatic ductal cells, with insights gained through advanced methods such as RNA sequencing and calcium imaging, underscoring the multifaceted nature of pancreatic diseases.

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