Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hannah Collden, Maria E. Nilsson, Anna-Karin Norlen, Andreas Landin, Sara H. Windahl, Jianyao Wu, Karin Horkeby, Marie K. Lagerquist, Henrik Ryberg, Matti Poutanen, Liesbeth Vandenput, Claes Ohlsson
Summary: In this study, it was found that DHEA treatment can restore the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in male reproductive organs, but not in skeletal muscle or brain. Additionally, supraphysiological levels of androgens were observed in the liver after DHEA treatment, which raises concerns regarding the uncontrolled use of DHEA.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yi-Shang Yan, Zihao Qu, Dan-Qing Yu, Wei Wang, Shigui Yan, He-Feng Huang
Summary: The study found a positive causal association between serum testosterone level and the risks of hip osteoarthritis and hip replacement surgery, as well as a positive association between serum dihydrotestosterone level and the risk of hip replacement with potential causality in hip osteoarthritis.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuan-Tung Chu, Min-Tser Liao, Kuo-Wang Tsai, Kuo-Cheng Lu, Wan-Chung Hu
Summary: A comprehensive framework has been established to understand immunological pathways, and specific associations between immune responses and immune receptors have been identified. These findings contribute to the identification of biomarkers for immune cells and provide insights into host immunological pathways.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonaid Ahmad Malik, Gurpreet Kaur, Javed N. Agrewala
Summary: Toll-like receptors play a crucial role in cell-mediated immunity, serving as adjuvants in vaccines and improving the immune response to antigens. Their signaling pathways and crosstalk with T cell receptors are important for orchestrating effective immune responses and developing innovative vaccine strategies. Understanding toll-like receptor response can provide novel insights into immune responses and potentially lead to innovative therapeutic approaches.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lukasz Nowakowski, Krzysztof Galczynski, Michal Dybowski, Rafal Typek, Andrzej Dawidowicz, Pawel Miotla, Piotr Olcha, Tomasz Rechberger
Summary: The objective of this study was to develop intravaginal vaginal suppositories containing DHEA and compare the clinical effects of vaginal topical therapy with DHEA, estradiol, or antibiotic after POP surgery. It was found that both DHEA and estradiol topical therapy improved maturation index, vaginal pH, and vaginal symptoms. Topical therapy with DHEA after pelvic organ prolapse repair brings similar results as estradiol, without potential systemic exposure to increased concentrations of sex steroids above levels observed in postmenopausal women.
MENOPAUSE-THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MENOPAUSE SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lei Zhang, Guangshuai Liu, Tian Xia, Xiufeng Yang, Guolei Sun, Chao Zhao, Chunzhu Xu, Honghai Zhang
Summary: The study analyzed TLR genes from the genomes and transcriptomes of 102 amphibian species to understand their evolutionary patterns. Results showed that TLR genes can be divided into seven subfamilies, with TLR4 subfamily found only in Anura. Purification selection played a leading role in amphibian TLR evolution, and different domains had different evolution rates. Positive selection patterns and single-nucleotide polymorphisms were observed in TLR genes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Alemany
Summary: Androgens are important steroid hormones with diverse functions including energy control, skeletal maintenance, brain development, and reproductive mechanism regulation. Testosterone plays a key role in maintaining metabolism and its insufficiency is associated with aging and metabolic disorders. T replacement therapy is effective in maintaining core metabolism.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Zahra Hajializadeh, Mohammad Khaksari
Summary: Cardiac hypertrophy (CH) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, leading to heart failure. Sex differences in CH may be caused by sex hormones or their receptors, with the incidence increasing in postmenopausal women due to the decrease in female sex hormone 17-beta estradiol (E2). E2 and its receptors inhibit CH, while Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) plays a crucial role in biological processes and has a protective effect against CH.
HEART FAILURE REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xin Zhi, Peipei Yang, Yunxue Xu, Zhifei Dai, Xiuli Yue, Linxue Qian
Summary: This review discusses the functions of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the tumor microenvironment and the pathways that activate immune responses. It also summarizes recent developments in nanotechnology for immunomodulation with TLR agonists. Nanotechnology can improve the efficacy of TLR agonist-based immunotherapy and address its limitations.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hai-Yun Guan, He-Xia Xia, Xiu-Ying Chen, Lu Wang, Zhi-Jing Tang, Wei Zhang
Summary: The activation of TLR4 was found to suppress CYP19A1 expression and E2 secretion in human granulosa cells via NF-κB signaling, which has implications for follicular development and estrogen synthesis regulation.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaoqin Tang, Qian Xu, Shuo Yang, Xinwu Huang, Long Wang, Feihong Huang, Jiesi Luo, Xiaogang Zhou, Anguo Wu, Qibing Mei, Chunling Zhao, Jianming Wu
Summary: Platelets, as the second most abundant blood component, play a crucial role in various physiological and pathological functions. In addition to its traditional role in hemostasis and thrombosis, platelets also have an indispensable role in inflammatory diseases. Thrombocytopenia, a common hematologic problem, is closely related to the fatality of many diseases, highlighting the significance of its prevention and treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Grzegorz Chodaczek, Philippe P. Pagni, Gustaf Christoffersson, Sowbarnika S. Ratliff, Monika Toporkiewicz, Agnieszka S. Wegrzyn, Matthias von Herrath
Summary: In this study, Treg dynamics were modulated using Toll-like receptor agonists, revealing that Tregs show enhanced migration towards TLR2 signals. This finding may have implications for clinical Treg induction protocols.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Stavros Garantziotis, Rashmin C. Savani
Summary: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is not only a structure but also plays key roles in cellular responses. Proteoglycans (PGs), a component of ECM, have been found to be crucial in both health maintenance and disease development by activating the innate immune system and influencing cell fate.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yun Hu, Ying Wang, Ting-ting Cai, Lu Liu, Dong-mei Li, Jian-hua Ma, Bo Ding
Summary: Short-term intensive insulin therapy can increase serum testosterone levels in men with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, possibly due to enhanced conversion of DHEA to testosterone.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katarzyna Wicherska-Pawlowska, Tomasz Wrobel, Justyna Rybka
Summary: The innate immune system recognizes pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), activating immune cells and initiating inflammatory and immune responses. This system also plays a role in cancer immunosurveillance, with potential for natural and synthetic agonists of PRRs to be used as adjuvants in cancer immunotherapies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Stephan Struckmann, Mathias Ernst, Sarah Fischer, Nancy Mah, Georg Fuellen, Steffen Moeller
Summary: Researchers are interested in finding new applications for known compounds by analyzing transcriptomics of biological samples from disease contexts. They found that matching a drug effect to the effect of the same drug at another concentration or in another cell line is a well-defined, reproducible challenge. By combining different similarity scores and heuristics, they were able to reduce the number of genes in the model and improve prediction accuracy.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Nadine Saul, Steffen Moeller, Francesca Cirulli, Alessandra Berry, Walter Luyten, Georg Fuellen
Summary: The database collected data on health-related compound studies in the aging model Caenorhabditis elegans, providing insights into healthy aging research based on a frequently used model organism. Despite some weaknesses discussed, it serves as an anchor for the search for compounds affecting health.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Riccardo Secci, Alexander Hartmann, Michael Walter, Hans Joergen Grabe, Sandra van der Auwera-Palitschka, Axel Kowald, Daniel Palmer, Gerald Rimbach, Georg Fuellen, Israel Barrantes
Summary: This review focuses on the role of diet in protecting against aging, discussing biomarkers based on omics and clinical data, as well as the effects of berry-based interventions. It also emphasizes the importance of individuals' dietary history in geroprotection.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Sarah Fischer, Mohamed Hamed, Steffen Emmert, Olaf Wolkenhauer, Georg Fuellen, Alexander Thiem
Summary: The expression of nine XP genes in melanoma may serve as a potential marker to predicting response to anti-PD-1 ICI.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Axel Kowald, Israel Barrantes, Steffen Moeller, Daniel Palmer, Hugo Murua Escobar, Anne Schwerk, Georg Fuellen
Summary: Accurate transfer learning of clinical outcomes is highly useful for transferring prediction tasks from one cellular context to another. Transductive transfer learning focuses on learning the predictor in the source domain and transferring its label calculations to the target domain, while inductive transfer learning considers cases where the target predictor performs a different yet related task compared with the source predictor. Mapping variables may also be required. Various transfer learning approaches have been discussed and compared in the context of predicting clinical outcomes based on preclinical molecular data.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Georg Fuellen, Uwe Walter, Larissa Henze, Jan Bohmert, Daniel Palmer, Soyoung Lee, Clemens A. Schmitt, Henrik Rudolf, Axel Kowald
Summary: The most important predictors for outcomes after ischemic stroke are chronological age and stroke severity, with gender, genetics, and lifestyle/environmental factors also playing a role. Recurrent stroke can be prevented through various therapies and treatment of risk factors. Protein biomarkers, particularly those related to immune-inflammatory, coagulation, and adhesion processes, can provide insight into predicting health deterioration following stroke. These processes also connect stroke to cancer and other conditions, indicating potential overlap in biomarkers.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Georg Fuellen, Anselm Juenemann
Summary: This article discusses the treatment options and etiology of glaucoma, and introduces publicly available gene expression data and their applications. It provides an overview of resources covering different segments of the eye, with a specific focus on the anterior segment. The article also includes a comprehensive list of Gene Expression Omnibus data that may be useful. It highlights the use of single-cell data related to aqueous humor outflow, and describes how researchers have utilized the data through resource citations and re-analyses. Additionally, the article discusses datasets and analyses related to fibrosis after glaucoma surgery and glaucoma resulting from steroid use. It concludes by emphasizing the current lack and underutilization of ocular gene expression data, and predicts improvements in the future.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yvonne Saara Gladbach, Lisa-Madeleine Sklarz, Catrin Roolf, Julia Beck, Ekkehard Schuetz, Georg Fuellen, Christian Junghanss, Hugo Murua Escobar, Mohamed Hamed
Summary: The optimal application of chemotherapeutic agents in a specific temporal sequence to rapidly reduce tumor load and improve therapeutic efficacy is still poorly understood. Clinical optimization of drug efficacy is restricted by an incomplete understanding of molecular mechanisms and tumor relapse. Transcriptomic drug signatures and network-based approaches can help identify key driver genes and miRNAs that control relapse mechanisms. Studying genes and miRNAs involved in Dexa-resistance and chemosensitivity may provide insights into tumor relapse processes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kathrin Jager, Juliane Mensch, Maria Elisabeth Grimmig, Bruno Neuner, Kerstin Gorzelniak, Seval Turkmen, Ilja Demuth, Alexander Hartmann, Christiane Hartmann, Felix Wittig, Anje Sporbert, Andreas Hermann, Georg Fuellen, Steffen Moller, Michael Walter
Summary: Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences at the ends of chromosomes which can silence genes away from them to inhibit tumor growth. A study identified a set of highly conserved genes in replicatively aging animals and discovered that PPP2R2C gene, regulated by TPE-OLD, can suppress tumor-related signaling pathways.
Article
Oncology
Sina Sender, Ahmad Wael Sultan, Daniel Palmer, Dirk Koczan, Anett Sekora, Julia Beck, Ekkehard Schuetz, Leila Taher, Bertram Brenig, Georg Fuellen, Christian Junghanss, Hugo Murua Escobar
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of simultaneous inhibition of SYK and BET, two key regulators involved in B-cell lymphoma progression. The results showed enhanced anti-proliferative effects and a distinct gene expression profile when SYK and BET were inhibited simultaneously. This suggests that simultaneous inhibition of SYK and BET could be a promising combination therapy for B-cell lymphoma.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Denis Revskij, Jakob Runst, Camilla Umstaetter, Luise Ehlers, Sarah Rohde, Dietmar Zechner, Manuela Bastian, Brigitte Mueller-Hilke, Georg Fuellen, Larissa Henze, Hugo Murua Escobar, Christian Junghanss, Axel Kowald, Uwe Walter, Ruediger Koehling, Olaf Wolkenhauer, Robert Jaster
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between Ucp2 and the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) using a model of accelerated aging. The results suggest that Ucp2 promotes tumor growth and is associated with the stromal response in the tumor microenvironment.
HEPATOBILIARY & PANCREATIC DISEASES INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Katharina A. Sterenczak, Georg Fuellen, Anselm Juenemann, Rudolf F. Guthoff, Oliver Stachs, Thomas Stahnke
Summary: This study evaluated the antifibrotic potential of kitasamycin (KM) in a TGF-beta 1-mediated fibroblast model. The results showed that KM could inhibit the transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and reduce the expression of proteins involved in fibrosis, suggesting its potential as a specific prevention agent for fibrosis in the future.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Lars Kuepfer, Georg Fuellen, Thomas Stahnke
Summary: Good eyesight is highly valued for overall health, but eye diseases pose a significant healthcare burden. With an aging population, the number of cases is expected to rise. However, developing drugs for eye diseases is challenging due to limited access and sampling of eye tissues. Ocular quantitative systems pharmacology models offer a chance to understand drug distribution and response in specific parts of the eye. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models are crucial for understanding drug concentration levels in different eye regions, and molecular data from cellular systems are needed to establish dose-response correlations. This article discusses the current status of PK/PBPK and PD models for the eyes, as well as the use of cellular systems, data repositories, and animal models in ophthalmology. The concepts are illustrated by exploring new treatments for postoperative fibrosis after glaucoma surgery.
CPT-PHARMACOMETRICS & SYSTEMS PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Christiane Hartmann, Luise Herling, Alexander Hartmann, Verena Koeckritz, Georg Fuellen, Michael Walter, Andreas Hermann
Summary: This study proposes an easy-to-use panel of classical age markers to estimate the biological age of cell culture systems. The panel is shown to be sensitive in various aging conditions.
FRONTIERS IN AGING
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Steffen Moeller, Nadine Saul, Elias Projahn, Israel Barrantes, Andras Gezsi, Michael Walter, Peter Antal, Georg Fuellen
Summary: This study utilized gene co-expression network analysis to study healthspan modules in human and animal models, identifying a set of candidate genes related to health(span) and finding functional associations through enrichment analysis. The meta-study of hub genes for complex healthspan phenotype across multiple species can provide insights into molecular mechanisms.
NAR GENOMICS AND BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Shane Kelly, Katherine J. L. Jackson, Timothy J. Peters, Dan Suan, Christopher C. Goodnow
Summary: This study successfully identified and characterized PR3-specific B cells from the peripheral blood of patients with PR3 autoantibodies. These cells exhibited specific immunological features, suggesting that PR3 self-reactivity may occur early in B-cell development.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Ana Merino-Vico, Jan Piet van Hamburg, Paul Tuijnenburg, Giulia Frazzei, Aram Al-Soudi, Carlo G. Bonasia, Boy Helder, Abraham Rutgers, Wayel H. Abdulahad, Coen A. Stegeman, Jan-Stephan Sanders, Laura Bergamaschi, Paul A. Lyons, Theo Bijma, Laura van Keep, Kirsten Wesenhagen, Aldo Jongejan, Henric Olsson, Niek de Vries, Taco W. Kuijpers, Peter Heeringa, Sander W. Tas
Summary: B lineage cells play a critical role in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), and the transcription factor NF-kappa B may be a potential therapeutic target for AAV and other autoimmune diseases with prominent B cell involvement.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Christopher Nelke, Thomas Muentefering, Derya Cengiz, Lukas Theissen, Vera Dobelmann, Christina B. Schroeter, Helena Block, Corinna Preu, Alexander P. E. Michels, Stefanie Lichtenberg, Marc Pawlitzki, Steffen Pfeuffer, Niklas Huntemann, Alexander Zarbock, Thorben Briese, Christoph Kittl, Carsten Dittmayer, Thomas Budde, Ingrid E. Lundberg, Werner Stenzel, Sven G. Meuth, Tobias Ruck
Summary: K2P2.1 plays a regulatory role in the autoimmune response of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), by regulating inflammatory cell response, adhesion, and transmigration in both endothelial and skeletal muscle cells. Inhibiting K2P2.1 enhances the inflammatory response, while activating K2P2.1 improves the disease course.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Xuan Zhang, Jun Xia, Ying Jiang, David S. Pisetsky, Josef S. Smolen, Rong Mu, Shengming Dai, Michael E. Weinblatt, Tore K. Kvien, Juan Li, Thomas Doerner, Yu Zhang, Liwei Lu, Chengde Yang, Pingting Yang, Yuan Zhang, Chenchen Xu, Zhan Zhao, Peter E. Lipsky
Summary: The study suggests that TwHF may be as effective as MTX in treating active RA, and combination therapy may be more effective than monotherapy.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Maya F. Amjadi, Maxwell H. Parker, Ryan R. Adyniec, Zihao Zheng, Alex M. Robbins, S. Janna Bashar, Michael F. Denny, Sara S. Mccoy, Irene M. Ong, Miriam A. Shelef
Summary: Rheumatoid factors (RFs) are polyreactive antibodies that can bind disease-specific epitopes. Recent studies have found that RFs in COVID-19 can bind novel IgG epitopes, which provides new insights into the mechanism of RFs.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)
Article
Immunology
Johanne Liberatore, Yann Nguyen, Jerome Hadjadj, Pascal Cohen, Luc Mouthon, Xavier Puechal, Loic Guillevin, Benjamin Terrier
Summary: B-cell depletion induced by rituximab (RTX) in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) can lead to decreased gammaglobulin levels, which is associated with an increased risk of relapse and severe infections. Older age, low gammaglobulin levels, and receiving pulses of methylprednisolone at induction therapy are risk factors for gammaglobulin decline.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2024)