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Frontiers in Medicine 2024Acute and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP and CEP) include a group of rare interstitial lung diseases characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia, increased... (Review)
Review
Acute and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP and CEP) include a group of rare interstitial lung diseases characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia, increased eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, or eosinophilic infiltration of lung parenchyma. AEP is characterized by rapid onset, fast response to steroid treatment, and no relapse. CEP is characterized by marked tissue and peripheral blood eosinophilia, rapid response to steroid therapy, and tendency to disease recurrence. In addition, we briefly describe other eosinophilic lung diseases that must be considered in differential diagnosis of AEP and CEP. Eosinophilic pneumonias may be idiopathic or due to known causes such as medications or environmental exposure. At variance with previous reviews on this topic, a particular look in this overview was directed at pathological findings and radiological patterns.
PubMed: 38711783
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1355247 -
Aging and Disease Feb 2024Brain metastases and related complications are one of the major fatal factors in cancer. Patients with breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma are at a high risk of... (Review)
Review
Brain metastases and related complications are one of the major fatal factors in cancer. Patients with breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma are at a high risk of developing brain metastases. However, the mechanisms underlying the brain metastatic cascade remain poorly understood. Microglia, one of the major resident macrophages in the brain parenchyma, are involved in multiple processes associated with brain metastasis, including inflammation, angiogenesis, and immune modulation. They also closely interact with metastatic cancer cells, astrocytes, and other immune cells. Current therapeutic approaches against metastatic brain cancers, including small-molecule drugs, antibody-coupled drugs (ADCs), and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have compromised efficacy owing to the impermeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and complex brain microenvironment. Targeting microglia is one of the strategies for treating metastatic brain cancer. In this review, we summarize the multifaceted roles of microglia in brain metastases and highlight them as potential targets for future therapeutic interventions.
Topics: Humans; Microglia; Brain Neoplasms; Macrophages; Blood-Brain Barrier; Astrocytes; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 37307835
DOI: 10.14336/AD.2023.0514 -
Annals of Medicine Dec 2023Tuberculous meningitis is an infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). It mainly involves the meninges... (Review)
Review
Tuberculous meningitis is an infectious disease of the central nervous system caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). It mainly involves the meninges and brain parenchyma, as well as the spinal cord and meninges; Disability and mortality rates are high. In recent years, due to the increase of drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, population mobility and the prevalence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the incidence rate of tuberculosis has increased significantly, and tuberculous meningitis has also increased. At present, tuberculosis is still a worldwide infectious disease that seriously threatens human health, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. China is the largest developing country in the world with a large population. The situation of tuberculosis prevention and control is grim. Its disability rate is the highest in tuberculosis infection. In addition to the common non-specific manifestations, tuberculous meningoencephalitis may also have rare manifestations of stroke, hearing loss and visual loss. Understanding and timely improvement of corresponding examinations and targeted treatment will help improve the prognosis of patients.
Topics: Humans; Tuberculosis, Meningeal; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Brain; Meningoencephalitis; China
PubMed: 36598144
DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2164348 -
Kidney International Apr 2024Tubular epithelial cells (TCs) compose the majority of kidney parenchyma and play fundamental roles in maintaining homeostasis. Like other tissues, mostly immature TC...
Tubular epithelial cells (TCs) compose the majority of kidney parenchyma and play fundamental roles in maintaining homeostasis. Like other tissues, mostly immature TC with progenitor capabilities are able to replace TC lost during injury via clonal expansion and differentiation. In contrast, differentiated TC lack this capacity. However, as the kidney is frequently exposed to toxic injuries, evolution positively selected a response program that endows differentiated TC to maintain residual kidney function during kidney injury. Recently, we and others have described polyploidization of differentiated TC, a mechanism to augment the function of remnant TC after injury by rapid hypertrophy. Polyploidy is a condition characterized by >2 complete sets of chromosomes. Polyploid cells often display an increased functional capacity and are generally more resilient to stress as evidenced by being conserved across many plants and eukaryote species from flies to mammals. Here, we discuss the occurrence of TC polyploidy in different contexts and conditions and how this integrates into existing concepts of kidney cell responses to injury. Collectively, we aim at stimulating the acquisition of novel knowledge in the kidney field as well as accelerating the translation of this basic response mechanism to the clinical sphere.
Topics: Animals; Hepatocytes; Cell Differentiation; Epithelial Cells; Polyploidy; Kidney; Mammals
PubMed: 38199322
DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2023.10.036 -
Genes & Diseases Jul 2024The liver is the central organ for digestion and detoxification and has unique metabolic and regenerative capacities. The hepatobiliary system originates from the... (Review)
Review
The liver is the central organ for digestion and detoxification and has unique metabolic and regenerative capacities. The hepatobiliary system originates from the foregut endoderm, in which cells undergo multiple events of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation to form the liver parenchyma and ductal system under the hierarchical regulation of transcription factors. Studies on liver development and diseases have revealed that SRY-related high-mobility group box 9 (SOX9) plays an important role in liver embryogenesis and the progression of hepatobiliary diseases. SOX9 is not only a master regulator of cell fate determination and tissue morphogenesis, but also regulates various biological features of cancer, including cancer stemness, invasion, and drug resistance, making SOX9 a potential biomarker for tumor prognosis and progression. This review systematically summarizes the latest findings of SOX9 in hepatobiliary development, homeostasis, and disease. We also highlight the value of SOX9 as a novel biomarker and potential target for the clinical treatment of major liver diseases.
PubMed: 38523677
DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.03.035 -
Experimental Neurobiology Aug 2023This review examines the role of impaired amyloid-β clearance in the accumulation of amyloid-β in the brain and the periphery, which is closely associated with... (Review)
Review
This review examines the role of impaired amyloid-β clearance in the accumulation of amyloid-β in the brain and the periphery, which is closely associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). The molecular mechanism underlying amyloid-β accumulation is largely unknown, but recent evidence suggests that impaired amyloid-β clearance plays a critical role in its accumulation. The review provides an overview of recent research and proposes strategies for efficient amyloid-β clearance in both the brain and periphery. The clearance of amyloid-β can occur through enzymatic or non-enzymatic pathways in the brain, including neuronal and glial cells, blood-brain barrier, interstitial fluid bulk flow, perivascular drainage, and cerebrospinal fluid absorption-mediated pathways. In the periphery, various mechanisms, including peripheral organs, immunomodulation/immune cells, enzymes, amyloid-β-binding proteins, and amyloid-β-binding cells, are involved in amyloid-β clearance. Although recent findings have shed light on amyloid-β clearance in both regions, opportunities remain in areas where limited data is available. Therefore, future strategies that enhance amyloid-β clearance in the brain and/or periphery, either through central or peripheral clearance approaches or in combination, are highly encouraged. These strategies will provide new insight into the disease pathogenesis at the molecular level and explore new targets for inhibiting amyloid-β deposition, which is central to the pathogenesis of sporadic AD (amyloid-β in parenchyma) and CAA (amyloid-β in blood vessels).
PubMed: 37749925
DOI: 10.5607/en23014 -
Cell Death Discovery Dec 2023Toxoplasma gondii, a widespread obligate intracellular parasite, can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans. The cellular barrier of the central... (Review)
Review
Toxoplasma gondii, a widespread obligate intracellular parasite, can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans. The cellular barrier of the central nervous system (CNS) is generally able to protect the brain parenchyma from infectious damage. However, T. gondii typically causes latent brain infections in humans and other vertebrates. Here, we discuss how T. gondii rhoptry proteins (ROPs) affect signaling pathways in host cells and speculate how this might affect the outcome of Toxoplasma encephalitis.
PubMed: 38049394
DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01742-1 -
Journal of Neuroinflammation Nov 2023Traumatic spinal cord injury can cause immediate physical damage to the spinal cord and result in severe neurological deficits. The primary, mechanical tissue damage...
Traumatic spinal cord injury can cause immediate physical damage to the spinal cord and result in severe neurological deficits. The primary, mechanical tissue damage triggers a variety of secondary damage mechanisms at the injury site which significantly contribute to a larger lesion size and increased functional damage. Inflammatory mechanisms which directly involve both microglia (MG) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) play important roles in the post-injury processes, including inflammation and debris clearing. In the current study, we investigated changes in the structure and function of MG/MDM in the injured spinal cord of adult female mice, 7 days after a thoracic contusion SCI. With the use of chip mapping scanning electron microscopy, which allows to image large samples at the nanoscale, we performed an ultrastructural comparison of MG/MDM located near the lesion vs adjacent regions to provide novel insights into the mechanisms at play post-injury. We found that MG/MDM located near the lesion had more mitochondria overall, including mitochondria with and without morphological alterations, and had a higher proportion of altered mitochondria. MG/MDM near the lesion also showed an increased number of phagosomes, including phagosomes containing myelin and partiallydigested materials. MG/MDM near the injury interacted differently with the spinal cord parenchyma, as shown by their reduced number of direct contacts with synaptic elements, axon terminals and dendritic spines. In this study, we characterized the ultrastructural changes of MG/MDM in response to spinal cord tissue damage in mice, uncovering changes in phagocytic activity, mitochondrial ultrastructure, and inter-cellular interactions within the spinal cord parenchyma.
Topics: Mice; Female; Animals; Microglia; Macrophages; Spinal Cord Injuries; Phagocytes; Spinal Cord
PubMed: 37990235
DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02953-0 -
Revue Medicale de Liege Nov 2023Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease. Pulmonary manifestations are the most common extra-articular involvements and can impact all components...
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease. Pulmonary manifestations are the most common extra-articular involvements and can impact all components of the respiratory system: parenchyma, pleura, vessels and airways, all complications that are briefly described in this article. Interstitial lung disease is the most common of these and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Its detection and monitoring are based on spirometry and thoracic imaging. Specific treatments are initiated in order to reduce the risk of disease flare up but may themselves in case of toxicity be associated with respiratory manifestations, either directly or by promoting infectious complications.
Topics: Humans; Lung Diseases; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Lung Diseases, Interstitial
PubMed: 37955294
DOI: No ID Found