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Journal of the American College of... Sep 2016The amyloidoses are a group of protein-folding disorders in which ≥1 organ is infiltrated by proteinaceous deposits known as amyloid. The deposits are derived from 1... (Review)
Review
The amyloidoses are a group of protein-folding disorders in which ≥1 organ is infiltrated by proteinaceous deposits known as amyloid. The deposits are derived from 1 of several amyloidogenic precursor proteins, and the prognosis of the disease is determined both by the organ(s) involved and the type of amyloid. Amyloid involvement of the heart (cardiac amyloidosis) carries the worst prognosis of any involved organ, and light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is the most serious form of the disease. The last decade has seen considerable progress in understanding the amyloidoses. In this review, current and novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis are discussed, with particular reference to AL amyloidosis in the heart.
Topics: Amyloid; Amyloidosis; Decision Trees; Heart Diseases; Heart Transplantation; Humans
PubMed: 27634125
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2016.06.053 -
Journal of Biophotonics Dec 2019Visible light synchronizes the human biological clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus to the solar 24-hour cycle. Short wavelengths, perceived as blue... (Review)
Review
Visible light synchronizes the human biological clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus to the solar 24-hour cycle. Short wavelengths, perceived as blue color, are the strongest synchronizing agent for the circadian system that keeps most biological and psychological rhythms internally synchronized. Circadian rhythm is important for optimum function of organisms and circadian sleep-wake disruptions or chronic misalignment often may lead to psychiatric and neurodegenerative illness. The beneficial effect on circadian synchronization, sleep quality, mood, and cognitive performance depends not only on the light spectral composition but also on the timing of exposure and its intensity. Exposure to blue light during the day is important to suppress melatonin secretion, the hormone that is produced by the pineal gland and plays crucial role in circadian rhythm entrainment. While the exposure to blue is important for keeping organism's wellbeing, alertness, and cognitive performance during the day, chronic exposure to low-intensity blue light directly before bedtime, may have serious implications on sleep quality, circadian phase and cycle durations. This rises inevitably the need for solutions to improve wellbeing, alertness, and cognitive performance in today's modern society where exposure to blue light emitting devices is ever increasing.
Topics: Aging; Behavior; Circadian Rhythm; Color; Humans; Light; Retina
PubMed: 31433569
DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201900102 -
PLoS Computational Biology May 2017Transcriptomics technologies are the techniques used to study an organism's transcriptome, the sum of all of its RNA transcripts. The information content of an organism...
Transcriptomics technologies are the techniques used to study an organism's transcriptome, the sum of all of its RNA transcripts. The information content of an organism is recorded in the DNA of its genome and expressed through transcription. Here, mRNA serves as a transient intermediary molecule in the information network, whilst noncoding RNAs perform additional diverse functions. A transcriptome captures a snapshot in time of the total transcripts present in a cell. The first attempts to study the whole transcriptome began in the early 1990s, and technological advances since the late 1990s have made transcriptomics a widespread discipline. Transcriptomics has been defined by repeated technological innovations that transform the field. There are two key contemporary techniques in the field: microarrays, which quantify a set of predetermined sequences, and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), which uses high-throughput sequencing to capture all sequences. Measuring the expression of an organism's genes in different tissues, conditions, or time points gives information on how genes are regulated and reveals details of an organism's biology. It can also help to infer the functions of previously unannotated genes. Transcriptomic analysis has enabled the study of how gene expression changes in different organisms and has been instrumental in the understanding of human disease. An analysis of gene expression in its entirety allows detection of broad coordinated trends which cannot be discerned by more targeted assays.
Topics: Animals; Cluster Analysis; Gene Expression Profiling; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Mice; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Organ Specificity; RNA; Rats; Sequence Analysis, RNA
PubMed: 28545146
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005457 -
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Aug 2015Extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequent and may occur before or after IBD diagnosis. EIM may impact the quality of life for... (Review)
Review
Extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequent and may occur before or after IBD diagnosis. EIM may impact the quality of life for patients with IBD significantly requiring specific treatment depending on the affected organ(s). They most frequently affect joints, skin, or eyes, but can also less frequently involve other organs such as liver, lungs, or pancreas. Certain EIM, such as peripheral arthritis, oral aphthous ulcers, episcleritis, or erythema nodosum, are frequently associated with active intestinal inflammation and usually improve by treatment of the intestinal activity. Other EIM, such as uveitis or ankylosing spondylitis, usually occur independent of intestinal inflammatory activity. For other not so rare EIM, such as pyoderma gangrenosum and primary sclerosing cholangitis, the association with the activity of the underlying IBD is unclear. Successful therapy of EIM is essential for improving quality of life of patients with IBD. Besides other options, tumor necrosis factor antibody therapy is an important therapy for EIM in patients with IBD.
Topics: Biliary Tract Diseases; Eye Diseases; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Liver Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Prognosis; Skin Diseases
PubMed: 26154136
DOI: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000000392 -
The Journal of Clinical Pediatric... 2018Fluoride, one of the most celebrated ingredients for the prevention of dental caries in the 20th century, has also been controversial for its use in dentifrices and... (Review)
Review
Fluoride, one of the most celebrated ingredients for the prevention of dental caries in the 20th century, has also been controversial for its use in dentifrices and other applications. In the current review, we have concentrated primarily on early-life exposure to fluoride and how it may affect the various organs. The most recent controversial aspects of fluoride are related to toxicity of the developing brain and how it may possibly result in the decrease of intelligence quotient (IQ), autism, and calcification of the pineal gland. In addition, it has been reported to have possible effects on bone and thyroid glands. If nutritional stress is applied during a critical period of growth and development, the organ(s) and/or body will never recover once they pass through the critical period. For example, if animals are force-fed during experiments, they will simply get fat but never reach the normal size. Although early-life fluoride exposure causing fluorosis is well reported in the literature, the dental profession considers it primarily as an esthetic rather than a serious systemic problem. In the current review, we wanted to raise the possibility of future disease as a result of early-life exposure to fluoride. It is not currently known how fluoride will become a cause of future disease. Studies of other nutritional factors have shown that the effects of early nutritional stress are a cause of disease in later life.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Bone Neoplasms; Brain; Calcinosis; Cariostatic Agents; Fluoridation; Fluorides; Humans; Intelligence Tests; Osteosarcoma; Pineal Gland; Thyroid Hormones
PubMed: 29763350
DOI: 10.17796/1053-4625-42.5.1 -
Genetics Nov 2015Fruit flies of the genus Drosophila have been an attractive and effective genetic model organism since Thomas Hunt Morgan and colleagues made seminal discoveries with...
Fruit flies of the genus Drosophila have been an attractive and effective genetic model organism since Thomas Hunt Morgan and colleagues made seminal discoveries with them a century ago. Work with Drosophila has enabled dramatic advances in cell and developmental biology, neurobiology and behavior, molecular biology, evolutionary and population genetics, and other fields. With more tissue types and observable behaviors than in other short-generation model organisms, and with vast genome data available for many species within the genus, the fly's tractable complexity will continue to enable exciting opportunities to explore mechanisms of complex developmental programs, behaviors, and broader evolutionary questions. This primer describes the organism's natural history, the features of sequenced genomes within the genus, the wide range of available genetic tools and online resources, the types of biological questions Drosophila can help address, and historical milestones.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Models, Biological; Models, Genetic
PubMed: 26564900
DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.183392 -
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology... Mar 2018Disrupting a gene to determine its effect on an organism's phenotype is an indispensable tool in molecular biology. Such techniques are critical for understanding how a... (Review)
Review
Disrupting a gene to determine its effect on an organism's phenotype is an indispensable tool in molecular biology. Such techniques are critical for understanding how a gene product contributes to the development and cellular identity of organisms. The explosion of genomic sequencing technologies combined with recent advances in genome-editing techniques has elevated the possibilities of genetic manipulations in numerous organisms in which these experiments were previously not readily accessible or possible. Introducing the next generation of molecular biologists to these emerging techniques is key in the modern biology classroom. This comprehensive review introduces undergraduates to CRISPR/Cas9 editing and its uses in genetic studies. The goals of this review are to explain how CRISPR functions as a prokaryotic immune system, describe how researchers generate mutations with CRISPR/Cas9, highlight how Cas9 has been adapted for new functions, and discuss ethical considerations of genome editing. Additionally, anticipatory guides and questions for discussion are posed throughout the review to encourage active exploration of these topics in the classroom. Finally, the supplement includes a study guide and practical suggestions to incorporate CRISPR/Cas9 experiments into lab courses at the undergraduate level. © 2018 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(2):195-205, 2018.
Topics: CRISPR-Cas Systems; Gene Editing; Molecular Biology; Students; Universities
PubMed: 29381252
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21108 -
Experimental Gerontology Apr 2020Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in the normal physiological functions of an organism, ultimately leading to mortality. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide... (Review)
Review
Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in the normal physiological functions of an organism, ultimately leading to mortality. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is an essential cofactor that plays a critical role in mitochondrial energy production as well as many enzymatic redox reactions. Age-associated decline in NAD is implicated as a driving factor in several categories of age-associated disease, including metabolic and neurodegenerative disease, as well as deficiency in the mechanisms of cellular defense against oxidative stress. The kynurenine metabolic pathway is the sole de novo NAD biosynthetic pathway, generating NAD from ingested tryptophan. Altered kynurenine pathway activity is associated with both aging and a variety of age-associated diseases. Kynurenine pathway interventions can extend lifespan in both fruit flies and nematodes, and altered NAD metabolism represents one potential mediating mechanism. Recent studies demonstrate that supplementation with NAD or NAD-precursors increase longevity and promote healthy aging in fruit flies, nematodes, and mice. NAD levels and the intrinsic relationship to mitochondrial function have been widely studied in the context of aging. Mitochondrial function and dynamics have both been implicated in longevity determination in a range of organisms from yeast to humans, at least in part due to their intimate link to regulating an organism's cellular energy economy and capacity to resist oxidative stress. Recent findings support the idea that complex communication between the mitochondria and the nucleus orchestrates a series of events and stress responses involving mitophagy, mitochondrial number, mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR), and mitochondria fission and fusion events. In this review, we discuss how mitochondrial morphological changes and dynamics operate during aging, and how altered metabolism of tryptophan to NAD through the kynurenine pathway interacts with these processes.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Brain; Humans; Kynurenine; Longevity; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Mice; Mitochondria; Mitophagy; NAD; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidative Stress; Tryptophan
PubMed: 31954874
DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.110841