Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Long Xi, Zibei Lin, Fen Qiu, Shaokui Chen, Ping Li, Xin Chen, Zhenping Wang, Ying Zheng
Summary: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of celastrol-loaded mannose-modified liposomes (CEL-MAN-LPs) in the treatment of psoriasis. The results show that these modified liposomes enhance dendritic cell uptake and inhibit the expression of maturation markers. Intradermal injection of CEL-MAN-LPs significantly improves psoriasis symptoms compared to free drug or unmodified liposomes.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christina L. Graves, Angela Chen, Victoria Kwon, Celia E. Shiau
Summary: Zebrafish has been established as a powerful model for studying intestinal macrophages, providing superior imaging capabilities to analyze their role in gastrointestinal health and disease. This research offers insights into the unique characteristics of macrophages in zebrafish gut and their association with the enteric nervous system.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lamin B. Cham, Jesper D. Gunst, Mariane H. Schleimann, Giacomo S. Frattari, Miriam Rosas-Umbert, Line K. Vibholm, Renee M. van der Sluis, Martin R. Jakobsen, Rikke Olesen, Lin Lin, Martin Tolstrup, Ole S. Sogaard
Summary: In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing was used to obtain four distinct pDC clusters, including a cytotoxic-like pDC cluster, which expressed both antiviral and cytotoxic genes. The cytotoxic-like pDCs showed similar communication signals to other pDCs, and were found to be distinct from NK and T cells.
Article
Immunology
Mingxia Wang, Zailing Shang, Fei Qiao, Junhu Hei, Xueling Ma, Yana Wang
Summary: The Notch signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the development and differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs), as well as in the immune response mediated by DCs. By using inhibitors and activators of the Notch signaling pathway, the study demonstrates its regulatory effect on DC development and function, and its involvement in E. granulosus infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
James T. Harden, Xi Wang, Jiaying Toh, Adam X. Sang, Ryanne A. Brown, Carlos O. Esquivel, Olivia M. Martinez, Sheri M. Krams
Summary: This study utilized single-cell mass cytometry to characterize the alloimmune response in early acute rejection, revealing distinct phenotypic signatures in rejecting versus non-rejecting grafts. By using semi-supervised hierarchical clustering, related cell types were grouped, and changes in antigen composition across cell types were visualized through mapping of the expression profile.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Rui Yang, Yuhong He, Honggang Zhang, Qiuju Zhang, Bingwei Li, Changming Xiong, Yubao Zou, Bingyang Liu
Summary: Mounting evidence has confirmed the close relationship between essential hypertension (EH) and low-grade inflammation. However, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding regarding the immune cell state in the circulating blood of EH patients. This study analyzed the potential destruction of hypertensive peripheral blood immune cell balance. The findings showed altered numbers and antigen expression of immune cells, reflecting an imbalanced immune state in EH patients.
CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Eva J. Archer, Joseph C. Gonzalez, Debopam Ghosh, Elizabeth D. Mellins, Taia T. Wang
Summary: This article explores the regulation mechanisms of effector activity in IgG antibodies, focusing on the tuning effects of Fc glycosylation, particularly sialylation and fucosylation, on cellular responses to immune complexes. The pathways and mechanisms underlying this biology are reviewed, the role of FcγR in antigen presentation is addressed, and the clinical understanding of Fc glycans in therapies and disease is discussed.
CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nyanbol Kuol, Majid Davidson, Jimsheena Karakkat, Rhiannon T. Filippone, Margaret Veale, Rodney Luwor, Sarah Fraser, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Kulmira Nurgali
Summary: Tumor cells express immunosuppressive molecules and produce acetylcholine, which contribute to tumor evasion and development. Blocking M3R inhibits tumor growth and suppresses immunosuppressive molecules and angiogenesis through the AKT/ERK signaling pathway, leading to an improved immune response against cancer. The expression of immunosuppressive and cholinergic markers may have potential in determining prognosis and treatment strategies for colorectal cancer patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Harry Ridgway, Charalampos Ntallis, Christos T. T. Chasapis, Konstantinos Kelaidonis, Minos-Timotheos Matsoukas, Panagiotis Plotas, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Graham Moore, Sotirios Tsiodras, Dimitrios Paraskevis, Thomas Mavromoustakos, John M. M. Matsoukas
Summary: This study reported the variant distribution of SARS-CoV-2 across EU/EEA countries and investigated the driving forces behind mutations that trigger infections. Computational approaches were used to examine the stabilizing effects of key mutations on the RBD-ACE2 complex in Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Kappa, Lambda, and Omicron variants. Critical mutations found in the delta variant and two omicron variants were identified, which may contribute to increased transmissibility and morbidity.
Review
Oncology
Vivek P. Chavda, Lakshmi Vineela Nalla, Pankti Balar, Rajashri Bezbaruah, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Rajeev K. Singla, Avinash Khadela, Lalitkumar Vora, Vladimir N. Uversky
Summary: This article discusses the application of phytochemical-mediated nanocarriers in breast cancer treatment. Compared with traditional treatment methods, phytochemical-mediated nanocarriers have shown better therapeutic effects and drug delivery, improving patients' quality of life and the healthcare system.
Review
Oncology
Avinash Khadela, Vivek P. Chavda, Humzah Postwala, Ramya Ephraim, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Yesha Shah
Summary: There is a need to improve conventional treatment options for lung cancer. Immunotherapy, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors, have shown promising outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, these drugs also have specific immune related adverse effects.
Article
Immunology
Md Kamal Hossain, Majid Davidson, Jack Feehan, George Deraos, Kulmira Nurgali, John Matsoukas, Vasso Apostolopoulos
Summary: This article introduces the development and characterization of a novel METH vaccine. Through confirmation of chemical reaction steps and support from animal studies, an effective METH vaccine was successfully developed.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Jordan Swiderski, Samy Sakkal, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Anthony Zulli, Laura Kate Gadanec
Summary: The shift to Western style and sedentary lifestyles in modern dietary regimens is believed to contribute to the global burden of cardiovascular diseases. Natural products, such as taurine and black pepper, have gained attention for their non-toxic beneficial health effects. This review examines whether the combination of taurine and black pepper extract is an effective natural treatment for reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors and combating related diseases.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan Swiderski, Laura Kate Gadanec, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Graham J. J. Moore, Konstantinos Kelaidonis, John M. M. Matsoukas, Anthony Zulli
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and COVID-19 share overlapping pathophysiological complications. CVDs have been identified as major risk factors for severe and fatal COVID-19 states. Dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in CVDs contributes to the development of COVID-19. Inhibiting RAS signaling through angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) has been indicated as a promising therapeutic approach for COVID-19 treatment.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Majid Davidson, Niloufar Rashidi, Puspha Sinnayah, Amir Hossein Ahmadi, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Kulmira Nurgali
Summary: This study aimed to develop an image processing program to improve the collection and analysis of behavioral test data in animal models. The results showed that the AMT software provides highly accurate and reliable data analysis compared to other methods.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Jack Feehan, Macsue Jacques, Dmitry Kondrikov, Nir Eynon, Tissa Wijeratne, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Jeffrey M. Gimble, William D. Hill, Gustavo Duque
Summary: Circulating osteoprogenitors (COP) are a unique population of cells in the peripheral circulation that share similar functional characteristics with bone marrow-derived MSCs and adipose-derived MSCs. This study compared COP cells to BM-MSCs and ASCs through transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, and found distinct gene and protein expression patterns in COP cells, but similar proliferation and differentiation capacity.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Laura Kate Gadanec, Ulf Andersson, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Anthony Zulli
Summary: High levels of HMGB-1 have been found in patients with Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), which worsens cardiovascular outcomes. Targeting HMGB-1 may be a potential therapy for improving HHcy-induced cardiovascular pathologies.
Article
Oncology
Ramya Ephraim, Sarah Fraser, Jeannie Devereaux, Rhian Stavely, Jack Feehan, Rajaraman Eri, Kulmira Nurgali, Vasso Apostolopoulos
Summary: This study identified the gene expression levels of checkpoint markers, cancer-related pathways, and cancer genes in colon tissues of mouse models of chronic colitis using next-generation sequencing. The findings revealed several key genes associated with the development of cancer in the context of chronic colitis, providing potential targets for early diagnosis and therapeutic development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kathleen Mikkelsen, Narges Dargahi, Sarah Fraser, Vasso Apostolopoulos
Summary: Vitamin B6 has anti-inflammatory properties and can reverse inflammatory effects. This study found that high-dose vitamin B6 has a global anti-inflammatory effect on monocyte/macrophage cells, downregulating the expression of various inflammatory mediators. These findings suggest that vitamin B6 could be a useful adjunct treatment for inflammatory-related diseases.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Maryam Linjawi, Hira Shakoor, Serene Hilary, Habiba I. Ali, Ayesha S. Al-Dhaheri, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Lily Stojanovska
Summary: Since it emerged, COVID-19 has had a global impact on various industries, including healthcare. Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable due to their compromised immune systems. The scarcity of resources and healthcare workers in hospitals, coupled with increased COVID-19 cases, has disrupted cancer care and led to higher mortality rates among cancer patients.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Maryam Naveed Muhammad Tariq, Lily Stojanovska, Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Vasso Apostolopoulos, Habiba I. Ali
Summary: The increased incidences of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases among adults in Arab countries are a major concern for public health. Economic expansion has led to a shift in nutrition habits towards a Westernized diet and sedentary lifestyle. This review discusses the effectiveness of nutritional interventions focusing on diet and physical activity in managing NCDs among Arab adults. Structured lifestyle interventions involving behavioral therapy and personalized goals for diet and physical activity have been found to improve health outcomes, especially with longer duration interventions and follow-ups. A combination of online and face-to-face sessions has proven to be effective.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Harry Ridgway, John D. Orbell, Minos-Timotheos Matsoukas, Konstantinos Kelaidonis, Graham J. Moore, Sotiris Tsiodras, Vasilis G. Gorgoulis, Christos T. Chasapis, Vasso Apostolopoulos, John M. Matsoukas
Summary: This study demonstrates that flexible-receptor docking is unable to emulate the induced-fit mechanism of BOS-318 and its analogs, and reveals the stabilizing effect of tryptophan W254 and the possible mechanism of drug entry into the furin catalytic cleft.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)