0000000000075629
AUTHOR
Salvador Mena-mollá
Pterostilbene Prevents Early Diabetic Retinopathy Alterations in a Rabbit Experimental Model
Oxidative stress generated by diabetes plays a key role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common diabetic complication. DR remains asymptomatic until it reaches advanced stages, which complicate its treatment. Although it is known that good metabolic control is essential for preventing DR, knowledge of the disease is incomplete and an effective treatment with no side effects is lacking. Pterostilbene (Pter), a natural stilbene with good antioxidant activity, has proved to beneficially affect different pathologies, including diabetes. Therefore, our study aimed to analyse the protective and/or therapeutic capacity of Pter against oxidant damage by characterising early retina…
Epigenetic IVD Tests for Personalized Precision Medicine in Cancer
Epigenetic alterations play a key role in the initiation and progression of cancer. Therefore, it is possible to use epigenetic marks as biomarkers for predictive and precision medicine in cancer. Precision medicine is poised to impact clinical practice, patients, and healthcare systems. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the epigenetic testing landscape in cancer by examining commercially available epigenetic-based in vitro diagnostic tests for colon, breast, cervical, glioblastoma, lung cancers, and for cancers of unknown origin. We compile current commercial epigenetic tests based on epigenetic biomarkers (i.e., DNA methylation, miRNAs, and histones) that can actua…
Oxidative Stress and Microvascular Alterations in Diabetic Retinopathy: Future Therapies
Diabetes is a disease that can be treated with oral antidiabetic agents and/or insulin. However, patients’ metabolic control is inadequate in a high percentage of them and a major cause of chronic diseases like diabetic retinopathy. Approximately 15% of patients have some degree of diabetic retinopathy when diabetes is first diagnosed, and most will have developed this microvascular complication after 20 years. Early diagnosis of the disease is the best tool to prevent or delay vision loss and reduce the involved costs. However, diabetic retinopathy is an asymptomatic disease and its development to advanced stages reduces the effectiveness of treatments. Today, the recommended treatment for…
Implementing Precision Medicine in Human Frailty through Epigenetic Biomarkers
The main epigenetic features in aging are: reduced bulk levels of core histones, altered pattern of histone post-translational modifications, changes in the pattern of DNA methylation, replacement of canonical histones with histone variants, and altered expression of non-coding RNA. The identification of epigenetic mechanisms may contribute to the early detection of age-associated subclinical changes or deficits at the molecular and/or cellular level, to predict the development of frailty, or even more interestingly, to improve health trajectories in older adults. Frailty reflects a state of increased vulnerability to stressors as a result of decreased physiologic reserves, and even dysregu…
Non-coding RNAs and Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading death cause worldwide. Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) are key regulators of genetic expression and thus can affect directly or indirectly the development and progression of different diseases. ncRNA can be classified in several types depending on the length or structure, as long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA) and circularRNA (circRNA), among others. These types of RNA are present within cells or in circulation, and for this reason they have been used as biomarkers of different diseases, therefore revolutionizing precision medicine. Recent research studied the capability of circulating ncRNA to inform about CAD presence and predict the outcome …
MicroRNA-148b-3p and MicroRNA-25-3p Are Overexpressed in Fetuses with Late-Onset Fetal Growth Restriction
<b><i>Objective:</i></b> It was the aim of this study to describe a microRNA (miRNA) profile characteristic of late-onset fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to investigate the pathways involved in their biochemical action. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this prospective study, 25 fetuses (16 normal and 9 with FGR [estimated fetal weight &#x3c;10th centile plus cerebroplacental ratio &#x3c;0.6765 multiples of the median]) were evaluated with Doppler ultrasound after 36 weeks. Afterwards, for every fetus, plasma from umbilical vein blood was collected at birth, miRNA was extracted, and full miRNA sequencing was performed. Subsequently, compa…
DNA Methylation Analysis to Unravel Altered Genetic Pathways Underlying Early Onset and Late Onset Neonatal Sepsis. A Pilot Study
Background: Neonatal sepsis is a systemic condition widely affecting preterm infants and characterized by pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses. However, its pathophysiology is not yet fully understood. Epigenetics regulates the immune system, and its alteration leads to the impaired immune response underlying sepsis. DNA methylation may contribute to sepsis-induced immunosuppression which, if persistent, will cause long-term adverse effects in neonates.Objective: To analyze the methylome of preterm infants in order to determine whether there are DNA methylation marks that may shed light on the pathophysiology of neonatal sepsis.Design: Prospective observational cohort study perf…
From genetics to epigenetics to unravel the etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Scoliosis is defined as the three-dimensional (3D) structural deformity of the spine with a radiological lateral Cobb angle (a measure of spinal curvature) of ≥10° that can be caused by congenital, developmental or degenerative problems. However, those cases whose etiology is still unknown, and affect healthy children and adolescents during growth, are the commonest form of spinal deformity, known as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). In AIS management, early diagnosis and the accurate prediction of curve progression are most important because they can decrease negative long-term effects of AIS treatment, such as unnecessary bracing, frequent exposure to radiation, as well as saving the…
Circulating miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
AbstractThe aetiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been linked to many factors, such as asymmetric growth, neuromuscular condition, bone strength and genetic background. Recently, epigenetic factors have been proposed as contributors of AIS physiopathology, but information about the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved is scarce. Regarding epigenetic factors, microRNAs (miRNAs) are molecules that contribute to gene expression modulation by regulating important cellular pathways. We herein used Next-Generation Sequencing to discover a series of circulating miRNAs detected in the blood samples of AIS patients, which yielded a unique miRNA biomarker signature that diagnos…
Epigenetics in spine curvature disorders
Abstract Scoliosis is a three-dimensional (3D) structural deformity of the spine with a radiological lateral Cobb angle of ≥ 10°. Several classification systems exist, dividing different types regarding the age of onset or the type of etiology. The minority of cases are secondary to congenital, syndromic of neuromosucular diseases. Most of the cases are classified “idiopathic” due to unknown etiology. These were formally divided by the age of onset into “Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis” (0–3 years), “Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis” (JIS—4–10 years), and “Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis” (AIS → 10 years). Since the initiative of the Scoliosis Research Society in 2014 all kind of scoliosis with…
Epigenetic biomarkers for disease diagnosis
Abstract Epigenetic dysregulation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of human diseases; therefore, because of the dynamic nature of this orchestrated regulation of epigenetic marks and epigenetic mechanisms, it is possible to use these marks as biomarkers. In this context, an epigenetic biomarker is “any epigenetic mark or altered epigenetic mechanism” which generally serves to evaluate health or disease status, progression or treatment response and is particularly stable and reproducible during sample processing. Advances in precision medicine, with better diagnostic and treatment strategies are the hope to improve the management of diseases, comorbidities, and morta…
Epigenetics and precision medicine in lung cancer
Abstract Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A major factor related with the high mortality rate of lung cancer patients is the late diagnosis of the disease. So, the identification and characterization of new epigenetic marks and mechanisms may contribute to better diagnose and treat lung cancer. In this chapter we review the epigenetic mechanisms involved in lung cancer, including DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modification and noncoding RNAs. The chapter focuses on biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic and response to treatment. Finally, thanks to the reversible nature of epigenetic marks, we provide …