Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 18 Associate with Atherosclerotic Lipid Accumulation and .

Atherosclerosis is regarded as a chronic inflammatory disease associated with changes in the innate immune system functioning and cytokine disturbances. Local inflammation in the arterial wall is an important component in the development and growth of atherosclerotic plaques. Inside the lesions, both pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines were detected, highlighting the complexity of the atherosclerotic process.

Epigenetic Alterations in DNA and Histone Modifications Caused by Depression and Antidepressant Drugs: Lessons from the Rodent Models.

Epigenetic modifications regulate chromatin folding and function. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate transcription mediating effects of various stimuli on gene expression. These mechanisms are involved in transcriptional control in various physiological and pathological conditions including neuropsychiatric disorders and behavioral abnormalities such as depression.

Engineered Nanoparticles: Their Properties and Putative Applications for Therapeutic Approaches Utilizing Stem Cells for the Repair of Atherosclerotic Disease.

Background: Stem cell therapy was established as a promising approach for regenerative medicine applications such as cardiac repair. However, current stem cell-based therapeutic strategies have serious challenges such as low retention and viability of transplanted stem cells in the injured myocardium. This significantly limits efficiency of stem cell therapy.

The impact of interferon-regulatory factors to macrophage differentiation and polarization into M1 and M2.

The mononuclear phagocytes control the body homeostasis through the involvement in resolving tissue injury and further wound healing. Indeed, local tissue microenvironmental changes can significantly influence the functional behavior of monocytes and macrophages. Such microenvironmental changes for example occur in an atherosclerotic plaque during all progression stages.

The impact of FOXO-1 to cardiac pathology in diabetes mellitus and diabetes-related metabolic abnormalities.

Diabetic heart pathology has a serious social impact due to high prevalence worldwide and significant mortality/invalidation of diabetic patients suffered from cardiomyopathy. The pathogenesis of diabetic and diabetes-related cardiomyopathy is associated with progressive loss and impairment of cardiac function due to adverse effects of metabolic, prooxidant, proinflammatory, and pro-apoptotic stress factors. In the adult heart, the transcriptional factor forkhead box-1 (FOXO-1) is involved in maintaining cardiomyocytes in the homeostatic state and induction of their adaptation to metabolic and pro-oxidant stress stimuli.

Novel Aberrations Uncovered in Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Using Whole Transcriptome Sequencing.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has one of the fastest increases in incidence of any cancer, along with poor five-year survival rates. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the main risk factor for EAC; however, the mechanisms driving EAC development remain poorly understood. Here, transcriptomic profiling was performed using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) on premalignant and malignant Barrett's tissues to better understand this disease.

The effect of maximal vs submaximal exertion on postprandial lipid levels in individuals with and without coronary heart disease.

Background: Decisions about fat consumption and levels of physical activity are among the everyday choices we make in life and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) can be affected by those choices.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a standard fat load combined with physical exertion of different intensities on the plasma lipid profile of CHD patients and CHD-free individuals.

Methods: This study looked at the influence of different intensities of physical exercise on postprandial lipid metabolism in 20 healthy men and 36 men with diagnosis of CHD.

Macrophages and Their Contribution to the Development of Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis can be regarded as chronic inflammatory disease driven by lipid accumulation in the arterial wall. Macrophages play a key role in the development of local inflammatory response and atherosclerotic lesion growth. Atherosclerotic plaque is a complex microenvironment, in which different subsets of macrophages coexist executing distinct, although in some cases overlapping functions.

Chemokines and Relevant microRNAs in the Atherogenic Process.

Chemokines play a significant role in initial and advanced steps of atherogenesis. In early steps, chemokines control the adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells (ECs) followed by transmigration of monocytes and their deposition in the intima where they differentiate to proinflammatory macrophages. Except for proinflammatory activity, chemokines are responsible for homeostasis and homing of progenitor cells.

Nanocarriers in Improving Chemotherapy of Multidrug Resistant Tumors: Key Developments and Perspectives.

The multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumor cells significantly reduces the efficiency of traditional anticancer therapy. Tumor MDR is complex and involves several mechanisms such as decreased drug uptake, increased drug efflux, enhanced drug exocytosis, increased drug detoxification and inactivation by drugmetabolizing enzymes, altered drug targets due to genetic and epigenetic modifications, altered DNA repair, and impaired apoptotic pathways. Implementation of nanoparticles can markedly improve drug delivery through increased stability in the plasma, prolonged half-life, enhanced specificity of transfer, and advanced drug accumulation and retention in the tumor cells.

The phenomenon of atherosclerosis reversal and regression: Lessons from animal models.

Studies in non-rodent and murine models showed that atherosclerosis can be reversed. Atherosclerosis progression induced by high-fat or cholesterol-rich diet can be reduced and reversed to plaque regression after switching to a normal diet or through administration of lipid-lowering agents. The similar process should exist in humans after implementation of lipid-lowering therapy and as a result of targeting of small rupture-prone plaques that are major contributors for acute atherosclerotic complications.

How do macrophages sense modified low-density lipoproteins?

In atherosclerosis, serum lipoproteins undergo various chemical modifications that impair their normal function. Modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) such as oxidation, glycation, carbamylation, glucooxidation, etc. makes LDL particles more proatherogenic.

CD68/macrosialin: not just a histochemical marker.

CD68 is a heavily glycosylated glycoprotein that is highly expressed in macrophages and other mononuclear phagocytes. Traditionally, CD68 is exploited as a valuable cytochemical marker to immunostain monocyte/macrophages in the histochemical analysis of inflamed tissues, tumor tissues, and other immunohistopathological applications. CD68 alone or in combination with other cell markers of tumor-associated macrophages showed a good predictive value as a prognostic marker of survival in cancer patients.

Treatment of cardiovascular pathology with epigenetically active agents: Focus on natural and synthetic inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) retains a leadership as a major cause of human death worldwide. Although a substantial progress was attained in the development of cardioprotective and vasculoprotective drugs, a search for new efficient therapeutic strategies and promising targets is under way. Modulation of epigenetic CVD mechanisms through administration epigenetically active agents is one of such new approaches.

Epigenetically Active Drugs Inhibiting DNA Methylation and Histone Deacetylation.

Epigenetic mechanisms, which are involved in the regulation of gene expression, are tightly controlled. Loss of a proper epigenetic control can lead to global epigenetic alterations frequently observed in various diseases including cancer. Aberrant epigenetic changes induced in malignant cells lead to emergence of neoplastic properties, which inhibit cell differentiation and strict cell cycle control but greatly enhance stemness-related features.

Paraoxonase and atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases.

In humans, three paraoxonase (PON1, PON2, and PON3) genes are clustered on chromosome 7 at a locus that spans a distance around 170 kb. These genes are highly homologous to each other and have a similar protein structural organization. PON2 is the intracellular enzyme, which is expressed in many tissues and organs, while two other members of PON gene family are produced by liver and associate with high density lipoprotein (HDL).

The role of cardiac fibroblasts in post-myocardial heart tissue repair.

The relative resistance of fibroblasts to hypoxia and their remarkable adaptive plasticity in response to rapid changes in local tissue microenvironment made interstitial cardiac fibroblasts to be a key player in post-myocardial infarction myocardial repair. Cardiac fibroblasts are abundantly presented in the interstitial and perivascular extracellular matrix. These cells can be rapidly mobilized in response to cardiac injury.

Correlative Light- and Electron Microscopy Using Quantum Dot Nanoparticles.

A method is described whereby quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles can be used for correlative immunocytochemical studies of human pathology tissue using widefield fluorescence light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To demonstrate the protocol we have immunolabeled ultrathin epoxy sections of human somatostatinoma tumor using a primary antibody to somatostatin, followed by a biotinylated secondary antibody and visualization with streptavidin conjugated 585 nm cadmium-selenium (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs). The sections are mounted on a TEM specimen grid then placed on a glass slide for observation by widefield fluorescence light microscopy.

CD151 Gene and Protein Expression Provides Independent Prognostic Information for Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus and Gastroesophageal Junction Treated by Esophagectomy.

Background: Esophageal and gastroesophageal junctional (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is one of the most fatal cancers and has the fastest rising incidence rate of all cancers. Identification of biomarkers is needed to tailor treatments to each patient's tumor biology and prognosis.

Methods: Gene expression profiling was performed in a test cohort of 80 chemoradiotherapy (CRTx)-naïve patients with external validation in a separate cohort of 62 CRTx-naïve patients and 169 patients with advanced-stage disease treated with CRTx.

Anti-Atherosclerotic Effects of a Phytoestrogen-Rich Herbal Preparation in Postmenopausal Women.

The risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis progression is significantly increased after menopause, probably due to the decrease of estrogen levels. The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for prevention of cardiovascular disease in older postmenopausal failed to meet expectations. Phytoestrogens may induce some improvements in climacteric symptoms, but their effect on the progression of atherosclerosis remains unclear.