Tag Archives: disease
Celiac disease and liver disorders
Immunologically mediated liver diseases belong to the common extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease. In celiac disease, increased intestinal permeability is thought to be an early feature in the pathogenesis. Dietary gluten drives intestinal inflammation and impairs the
Vitamin D deficiency is a sign of poor health in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Vitamin D is an important hormone in growth and bone metabolism. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent worldwide and causes growth retardation and rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. However, the role of vitamin D deficiency
Repetitive DNA in the ABCA7 gene influences Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia, which is characterized by decline of memory or other cognitive traits to the extent that a person’s daily functioning is affected, is one of the most important global health challenges of our time. Approximately 50 million
Crossing borders to accelerate diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases of the Central Nervous System are affecting 50 million people worldwide. The forecast is that these numbers will steeply increase due to the aging population. These diseases are difficult to diagnose, due to a substantial
Parkinson disease: a tale of three neurotransmitters
The progressive loss of dopaminergic innervation of the basal ganglia, in particular of the dorsal striatum (putamen) is responsible for the motor signs of Parkinson disease such as bradykinesia, rigidity and loss of postural reflexes. Present therapies
Uncertain pathogenicity of mutations in Wilson gene
Wilson’s disease is caused by an autosomal recessive disorder of the hepatic copper transport of ATP 7B. The responsible gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 13. Currently more than 500 mutations are known which
Chronic pancreatitis: an inflammatory disease of pancreas
Pancreas is very important organ in our body and it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach. Pancreas is a gland and secrets some chemicals called enzymes. It is a leaf like structure and divided in
TussisWatch: a smartphone system to identify cough episodes as early symptoms of chronic diseases
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) are progressive diseases and often the terminal stage of heart and lung disease, leading to death and disability. Both of these diseases may manifest with similar conflicting
GSK-3 beta: a therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease
Neurogenesis is a process of birth of newborn neurons from neural stem cells (NSCs). It is a complex, multistep process which involves NSC proliferation, differentiation, migration, maturation and integration of newborn neurons into existing neuronal circuitry. Continuous
Can EBI2 receptor protect brain cells (oligodendrocytes) from dying during disease?
The four major brain-specific cell types in the brain are: (i) neurons, which transmit and process information via electrical signals, (ii) oligodendrocytes, which insulate neuronal axons with fatty sheets called myelin to ensure fast and complete electrical
Kidney function decline in polycystic kidney disease – it’s not always off the cliff
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a relatively common (estimated to affect 1 in 1000 to 1 in 4000 persons all over the world) inherited disorder that leads to kidney failure in the majority of patients
Prognostic factors for PM/DM-ILD. A dilemma of treatment intensity?
Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are idiopathic inflammatory myopathies of unknown causes. In PM/DM, interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the extramuscular manifestations and the principal cause of death. To improve the prognosis of PM/DM-ILD, it
Statins: Good for the heart, but do they impact the brain?
High cholesterol, termed hyperlipidemia, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, keeping cholesterol levels low through diet and exercise has proven benefits for reducing heart disease risk. For adults who cannot meet their cholesterol targets through
Compounded medication for patients with rare diseases
Pharmaceutical compounding is the preparation of unlicensed medicines in order to meet specific patient needs that do not have a licensed (commercial) medicine available on the market. Especially for patients with rare diseases it is complementary when
Training the immune system to treat Niemann-Pick type C1 disease
Every year, at least 1 in 100,000 people worldwide is born with Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease, a lysosomal storage disease. Lysosomes are cellular compartments which process an array of substrates – from DNA to nutrients –
Midkine controls natural bypass growth by regulating the bioavailability of VEGF
Cardiovascular occlusive diseases such as stroke, myocardial infarction or perivascular artery diseases (PAD) are a major personal and social burden. According to the World Health Organization, vascular occlusive diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Current
A novel quantitative iron imaging strategy in hereditary hemochromatosis based on LA-ICP-MS
Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is the most frequent genetic disorder in Caucasians, which affects about 1 in 1000 people in the Northern European ancestry. It is an iron overload disease with typical clinical symptoms resulting from excess body
Can we treat cancer by targeting Treg subset without causing autoimmune disease?
The regulatory T cells (Tregs), are a type of CD4+ T cells that suppress the potentially adverse effect of the immune system and prevent autoimmune disease. Although they play a central role in maintaining self-tolerance, Tregs also
Angiotensin II actions on distal regulatory elements promote vascular dysfunction and hypertension
Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and atherosclerosis (blocked blood vessels) lead to heart attacks and strokes, and are highly prevalent worldwide. Furthermore, these complications are significantly accelerated in patients with diabetes. Angiotensin II (AngII)
A new drug to improve drug-eluting stents in coronary artery disease
Patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease often receive stent treatment in obstructed coronary arteries of the heart. Even though current generation drug-eluting stents perform very well in the short-term, concerns still exist about their long-term efficacy due
