scholarly journals Publishing highlights

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 44-45
Keyword(s):  
Life Sciences ◽  
Cardiovascular Research ◽  
Pubmed Central ◽  
Neuronal Signaling ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Research Meeting ◽  
Oral Presentations ◽  
Emerging Topics

As the year winds to a close, we take a moment to look at some of the recent news from the publishing arm of the Biochemical Society, Portland Press. We have created several interesting collections for our journals, grouping articles together in one place for easy reading, which are available online now. There is also a brief look at the award winners of the oral presentations from the 2020 European Council for Cardiovascular Research Meeting. We are pleased to announce that our two new journals (both launched in 2017) achieved significant milestones in 2020. Neuronal Signaling is now indexed in PubMed Central, and Emerging Topics in Life Sciences (published on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology) is now indexed in PubMed. Neuronal Signaling provides an interdisciplinary home for neuroscience covering all aspects of in vitro and in vivo signalling from cell to brain in health and disease. Why not consider submitting your research for consideration? We welcome pre-submission enquiries (email [email protected]).

scholarly journals Plant-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Current Findings,Challenges, and Future Applications

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Nader Kameli ◽  
Anya Dragojlovic-Kerkache ◽  
Paul Savelkoul ◽  
Frank R. Stassen
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
In Vivo Experiments ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Protocol Standardization ◽  
Insight Into

In recent years, plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have gained the interest of many experts in fields such as microbiology and immunology, and research in this field has exponentially increased. These nano-sized particles have provided researchers with a number of interesting findings, making their application in human health and disease very promising. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that PDEVs can exhibit a multitude of effects, suggesting that these vesicles may have many potential future applications, including therapeutics and nano-delivery of compounds. While the preliminary results are promising, there are still some challenges to face, such as a lack of protocol standardization, as well as knowledge gaps that need to be filled. This review aims to discuss various aspects of PDEV knowledge, including their preliminary findings, challenges, and future uses, giving insight into the complexity of conducting research in this field.

scholarly journals DNAJB6b is Downregulated in Synucleinopathies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jonas Folke ◽  
Sertan Arkan ◽  
Isak Martinsson ◽  
Susana Aznar ◽  
Gunnar Gouras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta ◽  
Endogenous Protein ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Brain Material ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Isoform B

Background: α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation contributes to the progression of multiple neurodegenerative diseases. We recently found that the isoform b of the co-chaperone DNAJB6 is a strong suppressor of a-syn aggregation in vivo and in vitro. However, nothing is known about the role of the endogenous isoform b of DNAJB6 (DNAJB6b) in health and disease, due to lack of specific antibodies. Objective: Here we generated a novel anti-DNAJB6b antibody to analyze the localization and expression this isoform in cells, in tissue and in clinical material. Methods: To address this we used immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, as well as a novel quantitative DNAJB6 specific ELISA method. Results: The endogenous protein is mainly expressed in the cytoplasm and in neurites in vitro, where it is found more in dendrites than in axons. We further verified in vivo that DNAJB6b is expressed in the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), which is a neuronal subpopulation highly sensitive to α-syn aggregation, that degenerate to a large extend in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). When we analyzed the expression levels of DNAJB6b in brain material from PD and MSA patients, we found a downregulation of DNAJB6b by use of ELISA based quantification. Interestingly, this was also true when analyzing tissue from patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, a taupathic atypical parkinsonian disorder. However, the total level of DNAJB6 was upregulated in these three diseases, which may indicate an upregulation of the other major isoform of DNAJB6, DNAJB6a. Conclusion: This study shows that DNAJB6b is downregulated in several different neurodegenerative diseases, which makes it an interesting target to further investigate in relation to amyloid protein aggregation and disease progression.

scholarly journals Advanced Technologies to Target Cardiac Cell Fate Plasticity for Heart Regeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9517
Author(s):  
Gianluca Testa ◽  
Giorgia Di Benedetto ◽  
Fabiana Passaro
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Cellular Reprogramming ◽  
Cardiac Cell ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Cardiovascular Research ◽  
Injured Myocardium

The adult human heart can only adapt to heart diseases by starting a myocardial remodeling process to compensate for the loss of functional cardiomyocytes, which ultimately develop into heart failure. In recent decades, the evolution of new strategies to regenerate the injured myocardium based on cellular reprogramming represents a revolutionary new paradigm for cardiac repair by targeting some key signaling molecules governing cardiac cell fate plasticity. While the indirect reprogramming routes require an in vitro engineered 3D tissue to be transplanted in vivo, the direct cardiac reprogramming would allow the administration of reprogramming factors directly in situ, thus holding great potential as in vivo treatment for clinical applications. In this framework, cellular reprogramming in partnership with nanotechnologies and bioengineering will offer new perspectives in the field of cardiovascular research for disease modeling, drug screening, and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress in developing innovative therapeutic strategies based on manipulating cardiac cell fate plasticity in combination with bioengineering and nanotechnology-based approaches for targeting the failing heart.

scholarly journals The Effects of AHCC®, a Standardized Extract of Cultured Lentinura edodes Mycelia, on Natural Killer and T Cells in Health and Disease: Reviews on Human and Animal Studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Sun Shin ◽  
Hong-Jai Park ◽  
Takahiro Maeda ◽  
Hiroshi Nishioka ◽  
Hajime Fujii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Natural Killer ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Lentinula Edodes ◽  
Traditional Medicines ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Health And Disease

Mushrooms have been used for various health conditions for many years by traditional medicines practiced in different regions of the world although the exact effects of mushroom extracts on the immune system are not fully understood. AHCC® is a standardized extract of cultured shiitake or Lentinula edodes mycelia (ECLM) which contains a mixture of nutrients including oligosaccharides, amino acids, and minerals obtained through liquid culture. AHCC® is reported to modulate the numbers and functions of immune cells including natural killer (NK) and T cells which play important roles in host defense, suggesting the possible implication of its supplementation in defending the host against infections and malignancies via modulating the immune system. Here, we review in vivo and in vitro effects of AHCC® on NK and T cells of humans and animals in health and disease, providing a platform for the better understanding of immune-mediated mechanisms and clinical implications of AHCC®.

scholarly journals Monitoring food digestion with magnetic resonance techniques

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Paul A. M. Smeets ◽  
Ruoxuan Deng ◽  
Elise J. M. van Eijnatten ◽  
Morwarid Mayar
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Chemical Exchange ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer ◽  
Food Properties ◽  
Health And Disease

This review outlines the current use of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques to study digestion and highlights their potential for providing markers of digestive processes such as texture changes and nutrient breakdown. In vivo digestion research can be challenging due to practical constraints and biological complexity. Therefore, digestion is primarily studied using in vitro models. These would benefit from further in vivo validation. NMR is widely used to characterise food systems. MRI is a related technique that can be used to study both in vitro model systems and in vivo gastro-intestinal processes. MRI allows visualisation and quantification of gastric processes such as gastric emptying and coagulation. Both MRI and NMR scan sequences can be configured to be sensitive to different aspects of gastric or intestinal contents. For example, magnetisation transfer and chemical exchange saturation transfer can detect proton (1H) exchange between water and proteins. MRI techniques have the potential to provide molecular-level and quantitative information on in vivo gastric (protein) digestion. This requires careful validation in order to understand what these MR markers of digestion mean in a specific digestion context. Combined with other measures they can be used to validate and inform in vitro digestion models. This may bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo digestion research and can aid the optimisation of food properties for different applications in health and disease.

scholarly journals Image-based modelling of skeletal muscle oxygenation

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (127) ◽  
pp. 20160992 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Zeller-Plumhoff ◽  
T. Roose ◽  
G. F. Clough ◽  
P. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Blood Vessel ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Muscle Oxygenation ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Oxygenation ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Vessel Networks

The supply of oxygen in sufficient quantity is vital for the correct functioning of all organs in the human body, in particular for skeletal muscle during exercise. Disease is often associated with both an inhibition of the microvascular supply capability and is thought to relate to changes in the structure of blood vessel networks. Different methods exist to investigate the influence of the microvascular structure on tissue oxygenation, varying over a range of application areas, i.e. biological in vivo and in vitro experiments, imaging and mathematical modelling. Ideally, all of these methods should be combined within the same framework in order to fully understand the processes involved. This review discusses the mathematical models of skeletal muscle oxygenation currently available that are based upon images taken of the muscle microvasculature in vivo and ex vivo . Imaging systems suitable for capturing the blood vessel networks are discussed and respective contrasting methods presented. The review further informs the association between anatomical characteristics in health and disease. With this review we give the reader a tool to understand and establish the workflow of developing an image-based model of skeletal muscle oxygenation. Finally, we give an outlook for improvements needed for measurements and imaging techniques to adequately investigate the microvascular capability for oxygen exchange.

scholarly journals The Glucocorticoid Receptor in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Knight ◽  
Goodwin
Keyword(s):  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Cardiovascular System ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Glucocorticoid Signaling ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Nuclear Receptor Family

The glucocorticoid receptor is a member of the nuclear receptor family that controls many distinct gene networks, governing various aspects of development, metabolism, inflammation, and the stress response, as well as other key biological processes in the cardiovascular system. Recently, research in both animal models and humans has begun to unravel the profound complexity of glucocorticoid signaling and convincingly demonstrates that the glucocorticoid receptor has direct effects on the heart and vessels in vivo and in vitro. This research has contributed directly to improving therapeutic strategies in human disease. The glucocorticoid receptor is activated either by the endogenous steroid hormone cortisol or by exogenous glucocorticoids and acts within the cardiovascular system via both genomic and non-genomic pathways. Polymorphisms of the glucocorticoid receptor are also reported to influence the progress and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. In this review, we provide an update on glucocorticoid signaling and highlight the critical role of this signaling in both physiological and pathological conditions of the cardiovascular system. With increasing in-depth understanding of glucocorticoid signaling, the future is promising for the development of targeted glucocorticoid treatments and improved clinical outcomes.

scholarly journals Living myocardial slices: a novel multicellular model for cardiac translational research

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (25) ◽  
pp. 2405-2408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Perbellini ◽  
Thomas Thum
Keyword(s):  
Translational Research ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Human Model ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Cardiovascular Research ◽  
Functional Changes

Abstract Heart function relies on the interplay of several specialized cell types and a precisely regulated network of chemical and mechanical stimuli. Over the last few decades, this complexity has often been undervalued and progress in translational cardiovascular research has been significantly hindered by the lack of appropriate research models. The data collected are often oversimplified and these make the translation of results from the laboratory to clinical trials challenging and occasionally misleading. Living myocardial slices are ultrathin (100–400μm) sections of living cardiac tissue that maintain the native multicellularity, architecture, and structure of the heart and can provide information at a cellular/subcellular level. They overcome most of the limitations that affect other in vitro models and they can be prepared from human specimens, proving a clinically relevant multicellular human model for translational cardiovascular research. The publication of a reproducible protocol, and the rapid progress in methodological and technological discoveries which prevent significant structural and functional changes associated with chronic in vitro culture, has overcome the last barrier for the in vitro use of this human multicellular preparations. This technology can bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo human studies and has the potential to revolutionize translational research approaches.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid receptor action in metabolic and neuronal function

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Garabedian ◽  
Charles A. Harris ◽  
Freddy Jeanneteau
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
External Signals ◽  
The Brain

Glucocorticoids via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) have effects on a variety of cell types, eliciting important physiological responses via changes in gene expression and signaling. Although decades of research have illuminated the mechanism of how this important steroid receptor controls gene expression using in vitro and cell culture–based approaches, how GR responds to changes in external signals in vivo under normal and pathological conditions remains elusive. The goal of this review is to highlight recent work on GR action in fat cells and liver to affect metabolism in vivo and the role GR ligands and receptor phosphorylation play in calibrating signaling outputs by GR in the brain in health and disease. We also suggest that both the brain and fat tissue communicate to affect physiology and behavior and that understanding this “brain-fat axis” will enable a more complete understanding of metabolic diseases and inform new ways to target them.

Vascularized Cardiac Spheroids as Novel 3D in vitro Models to Study Cardiac Fibrosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 204 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 191-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma A. Figtree ◽  
Kristen J. Bubb ◽  
Owen Tang ◽  
Eddy Kizana ◽  
Carmine Gentile
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Beta ◽  
Cardiac Fibrosis ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
In Vitro Models ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Cardiovascular Research

Spheroid cultures are among the most explored cellular biomaterials used in cardiovascular research, due to their improved integration of biochemical and physiological features of the heart in a defined architectural three-dimensional microenvironment when compared to monolayer cultures. To further explore the potential use of spheroid cultures for research, we engineered a novel in vitro model of the heart with vascularized cardiac spheroids (VCSs), by coculturing cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts isolated from dissociated rat neonatal hearts (aged 1-3 days) in hanging drop cultures. To evaluate the validity of VCSs in recapitulating pathophysiological processes typical of the in vivo heart, such as cardiac fibrosis, we then treated VCSs with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1), a known profibrotic agent. Our mRNA analysis demonstrated that TGFβ1-treated VCSs present elevated levels of expression of connective tissue growth factor, fibronectin, and TGFβ1 when compared to control cultures. We demonstrated a dramatic increase in collagen deposition following TGFβ1 treatment in VCSs in the PicroSirius Red-stained sections. Doxorubicin, a renowned cardiotoxic and profibrotic agent, triggered apoptosis and disrupted vascular networks in VCSs. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that VCSs are a valid model for the study of the mechanisms involved in cardiac fibrosis, with the potential to be used to investigate novel mechanisms and therapeutics for treating and preventing cardiac fibrosis in vitro.

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