Search results for "blas"
showing 10 items of 2217 documents
Crosstalk between receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in the brain: Focus on heteroreceptor complexes and related…
2019
Neuronal events are regulated by the integration of several complex signaling networks in which G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are considered key players of an intense bidirectional cross-communication in the cell, generating signaling mechanisms that, at the same time, connect and diversify the traditional signal transduction pathways activated by the single receptor. For this receptor-receptor crosstalk, the two classes of receptors form heteroreceptor complexes resulting in RTKs transactivation and in growth-promoting signals. In this review, we describe heteroreceptor complexes between GPCR and RTKs in the central nervous system (CNS) and their …
Bioactive potential of silica coatings and its effect on the adhesion of proteins to titanium implants
2018
There is an ever-increasing need to develop dental implants with ideal characteristics to achieve specific and desired biological response in the scope of improve the healing process post-implantation. Following that premise, enhancing and optimizing titanium implants through superficial treatments, like silica sol-gel hybrid coatings, are regarded as a route of future research in this area. These coatings change the physicochemical properties of the implant, ultimately affecting its biological characteristics. Sandblasted acid-etched titanium (SAE-Ti) and a silica hybrid sol-gel coating (35M35G30T) applied onto the Ti substrate were examined. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests and t…
Assessment of embryo morphology and developmental dynamics by time-lapse microscopy: is there a relation to implantation and ploidy?
2017
Time-lapse microscopy (TLM) is an exciting novel technology with great potential for enhancing embryo selection in the embryology laboratory. This non-invasive objective assessment of embryos has provided a new tool for predicting embryo development and implantation potential. TLM detects several morphological phenomena that are often missed with static observations using conventional incubators, such as irregular divisions, blastocyst collapse and re-expansion, timing of blastocoel appearance, and timing of formation and internalization of fragments. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that conventional morphological assessment has been widely accepted as the gold standard by most embryo…
MiR-144 overexpression as a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome glioblastoma cell invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapy
2019
Abstract Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive and common form of primary brain tumor, characterized by fast proliferation, high invasion, and resistance to current standard treatment. The average survival rate post-diagnosis is only of 14.6 months, despite the aggressive standard post-surgery treatment approaches of radiotherapy concomitant with chemotherapy with temozolomide. Altered cell metabolism has been identified as an emerging cancer hallmark, including in GB, thus offering a new target for cancer therapies. On the other hand, abnormal expression levels of miRNAs, key regulators of multiple molecular pathways, have been correlated with pathological manifestations of cancer, such…
Inducible knockdown of procollagen I protects mice from liver fibrosis and leads to dysregulated matrix genes and attenuated inflammation.
2017
Organ fibrosis is characterized by a chronic wound-healing response, with excess deposition of extracellular matrix components. Here, collagen type I represents the most abundant scar component and a primary target for antifibrotic therapies. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer, which are the major causes of liver related morbidity and mortality. However, a (pro-)collagen type I specific therapy remains difficult and its therapeutic abrogation may incur unwanted side effects. We therefore designed tetracycline-regulated procollagen alpha1(I) short hairpin (sh)RNA expressing mice that permit a highly efficient inducible knockdown of the procollagen alpha1(I) gen…
Diagnostic implications of intrapatient genetic tumor heterogeneity
2015
The complex genetic composition of neuroblastoma emphasizes the importance of conscientious and meticulous diagnosis. Clones with amplification or segmental chromosomal aberrations sometimes remain hidden. Several determinations should be performed when sufficient tumor material is available to establish the final diagnosis by combining the results of different techniques on tumor fragments or liquid biopsies.
Ethical Aspects of Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA Transfer
2016
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) (cloning), as a reproductive or therapeutic method, and mitochondrial DNA transfer, as a method to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases, are analyzed in this paper from a bioethics perspective. The licit purpose of being able to treat certain diseases, as in the case of SCNT, cannot justify, in any case, resorting to illicit means such as the manipulation, selection, and elimination of human embryos in the blastocyst phase, by using cell lines obtained from them. Crossing this line paves the way (as utilitarian ethics advocates) to assuming any cost in scientific experimentation so long as satisfactory results are obtained. With mitochondr…
Genetic Analysis of Human Preimplantation Embryos
2016
Preimplantation development comprises the initial stages of mammalian development, before the embryo implants into the mother's uterus. In normal conditions, after fertilization the embryo grows until reaching blastocyst stage. The blastocyst grows as the cells divide and the cavity expands, until it arrives at the uterus, where it "hatches" from the zona pellucida to implant into the uterine wall. Nevertheless, embryo quality and viability can be affected by chromosomal abnormalities, most of which occur during gametogenesis and early embryo development; human embryos produced in vitro are especially vulnerable. Therefore, the selection of chromosomally normal embryos for transfer in assis…
Homozygous FIBP nonsense variant responsible of syndromic overgrowth, with overgrowth, macrocephaly, retinal coloboma and learning disabilities
2016
The acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) intracellular binding protein (FIBP) interacts directly with the fibroblast growth factor FGF1. Although FIBP is known to be implicated in the FGF signaling pathway, its precise function remains unclear. Gain-of-function variants in several FGF receptors (FGFRs) are implicated in a wide spectrum of growth disorders from achondroplasia to overgrowth syndromes. In a unique case from a consanguineous union presenting with overgrowth, macrocephaly, retinal coloboma, large thumbs, severe varicose veins and learning disabilities, exome sequencing identified a homozygous nonsense FIBP variant. The patient's fibroblasts exhibit FIBP cDNA degradation and an …
Prevalence of intestinal parasites, with emphasis on the molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis and Blastocystis sp., in the Paranaguá Bay, Bra…
2018
BACKGROUND: Intestinal protozoan parasites are major contributors to the global burden of gastrointestinal disease causing significant socioeconomic consequences. Children living in resource-poor settings with restricted access to water and sanitary services are particularly at risk of these infections. METHODS: A prospective, community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in Paraná (southern Brazil) between May 2015 and May 2016. A total of 766 stool samples were individually collected from volunteers (male/female ratio: 0.99; age range: 0-76 years) and used for investigating the presence of intestinal helminth and protozoan species by routine microscopic procedures including the Ka…