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Hepatic Function Assays Liver function assays are a suite of tests designed to assess the health and efficacy of our vital organ: The liver. This hardworking powerhouse is responsible for creating bile, eliminating toxins, and breaking down fats, carbohydrates and proteins – all necessary elements that keep us ticking! To evaluate the liver's health, there are various hepatic function assays that can be performed. These tests measure the organ's capacity to produce bile, metabolize toxins and drugs, as well as synthesize proteins and carbohydrates. By assessing these three factors of liver performance with an …

Kinases, key enzymes in cellular signaling, phosphorylate proteins to regulate crucial processes, and their modulation has significant implications in disease treatment. Key Takeaways: Kinases are enzymes that phosphorylate proteins, influencing cell processes. They are categorized into serine/threonine, tyrosine, and dual specificity kinases. Kinases are crucial in cell signaling, growth, metabolism, and homeostasis. Dysregulation of kinases is linked to diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Protein kinase inhibitors hold therapeutic potential in treating various diseases. What are Kinases? Understanding their Functions, Types and Structure Kinases are …

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 was the deadliest in history. It is estimated that up to 100 million people died from the virus, which is more than three times the number who died in World War I. The pandemic began in Spain, but quickly spread around the world. Despite the fact that the 1918 flu was not concentrated to one location, it became known throughout the world as the Spanish flu because Spain was severely affected by it. In some areas, as many as one out of every four people contracted the virus and died. The cause of the Spanish flu remains a mystery to this day, but scientists believe it may have been a mutated form of H1N1 influenza. In 1918, a new influen …

The Ebola virus has been in the news a lot lately, but many people still don't know what it is or how it spreads. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of the Ebola virus: what it is, how it is spread, and the symptoms. The Ebola virus is a virus that causes hemorrhagic fever, which is a severe and often fatal illness. The Ebola virus is spread through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected animal, such as a monkey, chimpanzee, or bat. It can also be spread to humans through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. 'Zaire ebolavirus' commonly known as 'Ebola virus', is one of six recognized species in the genus Ebolavirus. EBOV, al …

The flu is a highly contagious virus that affects the respiratory system. It can cause fever, muscle aches, and coughing. In some cases, it can lead to more serious health complications such as pneumonia. Each year, the flu virus mutates, meaning people must recieve a new vaccine against new strains of the virus. One important factor in determining how severe the coming flu season will be is the type of hemagglutinin (HA) subtype involved. In this blog post, we will discuss influenza HA subtypes and flu virus strains. Flu virus Strains: There are three types of flu viruses: A, B, and C. Influenza A is the most prevalent variety of flu virus. It causes …

Explore the intricate world of Insulin Signaling and Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs), pivotal in regulating metabolism and influencing diseases like cancer and atherosclerosis. Key Takeaways: Insulin signaling involves receptor activation, signal transduction, and gene expression. Insulin receptors, a type of Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK), regulate metabolism and cell responses. The Ras/MAP kinase and PI3K pathways are crucial in insulin signaling. Insulin signaling impacts atherosclerosis and cancer, with RTK inhibitors showing therapeutic potential. window.SHOGUN_IMAGE_ELEMENTS = window.SHOGUN_IMAGE_ELEMENTS || new Array(); window.SHOGUN_IMAGE_E …

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a condition in which activated enzymes and inflammatory mediators released from the pancreas cause damage to the pancreas and surrounding tissues. AP is further divided into two main categories, a mild form called interstitial oedematous pancreatitis or a severe form called necrotising pancreatitis. Interstitial oedematous pancreatitis accounts for 80% of AP cases and the pancreatic inflammation involved usually resolves itself. However, necrotising pancreatitis resembles necrosis of the pancreas which can result in further complications. AP starts with inflammation which can lead to damage of affected organs through multiple organ failure (MOF) and …

Fenofibrate, also known as FEN, is a drug that is used to lower cholesterol levels. It works by blocking the absorption of dietary cholesterol in the small intestine and therefore, reduces the amount of cholesterol that enters the bloodstream. Fenofibrate has been shown to be effective in reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by up to 20% and it is approved for use in the United States and Europe. Fenofibrate is a safe and effective drug and it can be used in conjunction with other medications to help reduce LDL levels. The mechanism of action of fenofibrate is not fully understood, but it is believed to work by inhibiting the activity of a protein called Niemann-Pick C1-Like …

Ovarian cancer is a set of malignancies that start in the ovaries, as well as adjacent portions of the fallopian tubes and peritoneum. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries produce reproductive hormones and egg cells. Thousands of women each year get an ovarian cancer diagnosis and this type of cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. Cyclophosphamide is an effective alkylating chemotherapy agent used to treat ovarian cancer. Although cyclophosphamide has many benefits cyclophosphamide-induced ovarian toxicity is a side effect of treatment with this drug. This type of toxicity can cause infertility and increase the risk of developing can …

Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can develop during pregnancy. It is marked by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine and can cause serious problems for both mother and baby if it is not treated. A recent study found that preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of heart disease in later life. It can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes, which both increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It may also cause damage to arteries and reduce blood flow to the placenta (leading to low birth weight). Therefore, it’s essential that pregnant women should be screened for preeclampsia at their first prenatal visit so that treatment can …

What is Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson's disease can be seen as a neurodegenerative disease because it is associated with the loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta that produce dopamine. Parkinson's disease is a long-term chronic and progressive movement disorder that slowly develops over time. Parkinson's has been called "the great imitator" because so many of its symptoms mimic other diseases. Parkinson's disease is characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement and impaired balance and coordination. Parkinson's disease primarily affects movement and has no cure, but medications and therapies can …

Adhesion Molecules Direct cell-cell interactions are maintained and regulated by cell adhesion molecules. The expression of adhesion molecules directs inflammatory responses (Walpola et al., 1994). Early adhesion molecules include P and E selectins which slow down leukocyte movements along the endothelium wall so adhesion molecules such as VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 can attach to the ligand on leukocytes (Leeuwenberg et al., 1992, Libby, 2006). Soluble forms of these adhesion molecules are also found in the supernatant of cytokine activated cultured endothelial cells (Pigott et al., 1992). In atherosclerosis, adhesion molecules are upregulate …

Ralitsa R. Madsen – University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories Each one of us is the result of an extraordinary developmental process during which a single fertilised egg turns into more than a trillion cells. This is critically dependent on exquisite coordination of fundamental cell behaviours including growth, migration and “decisions” to differentiate into cell types with specialised functions. When co-ordination is lost, either during development or in adulthood, disease results. Cancer is one severe consequence of dysregulation, but in some people, loosening of growth controls may arise during development an …

Ahmad Gazali PhD candidate, University of Eastern Finland Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where the pancreatic β cells that produce insulin, a key hormone involved in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism, are destroyed through dysregulated immune responses. Clinical manifestations of T1D In humans, the clinical manifestation of T1D is typically preceded by a preclinical phase in which diabetes-associated autoantibodies (DAAs) can be detected in the circulation (1), also known as early pre-diabetic stage. Shortly before the manifestation of clinical diabetes, children with circulating DAA exhibit impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in oral glucose test …

Key Points Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to the accumulation of fat in the liver that is not caused by excessive alcohol consumption. It can progress to more severe diseases including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer and end-stage liver disease Metabolic syndromes such as obesity and insulin resistance and genetic mutations can increase the likelihood of developing NAFLD. NAFLD reversal can be achieved by losing weight and implementing a healthier lifestyle. …

By Ciara Coleman PhD General Introduction Coeliac Disease (CD) is defined as a common, chronic inflammatory disease of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals and is triggered by exposure to the storage protein of wheat – gluten – and similar proteins in related grains (Schuppan et al., 2009). The word coeliac, meaning “hollow” in Greek, was first described by the Greek physician Aretaeus in the first century AD (Thomas, 1945). Although the first real description of Coeliac Disease came in 1888 by Samuel Gee (Gee, 1888), the link between Coeliac Disease and diet wasn’t esta …

By Juan Quintana, PhD student, University of Edinbrugh What are Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines NTDs as a group of communicable, poverty-promoting diseases, which affect more than one billion people worldwide (Herricks et al., 2017). These diseases are primarily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in regions of South America and Asia (Herricks et al., 2017). The stigma surrounding these diseases, and their impact on children and women’s health, and worker productivity, are all factors that negatively contribute to the economic burden in these countries (Tur …

What is preeclampsia? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in ten pregnant women is affected by hypertensive disorders, and preeclampsia alone accounts for one in seven maternal deaths (1). Preeclampsia is defined as a hypertensive disorder that can complicate pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation although it is debatable whether critical pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress responses are triggered in certain individuals nearly after conception. If the condition is progressive or left unattended, it can be further complicated by neurological dysregulations, a condition known as eclampsia. Preeclampsia cla …

Shelly Pathak PhD candidate, University of Leeds SAIDs Systemic Auto-inflammatory diseases (SAIDs) have been defined as a group of mainly inherited disorders due to ‘abnormal hyper activation of the innate immune system’ (1). These conditions lack the characteristic features of an adaptive immune response, such as high titre antibodies or antigen specific T cells, usually seen in classical autoimmune diseases (2). Periodic Fever Syndromes (PFS) are a branch of conditions encompassed within SAIDs and form the generally more well-known and characterised conditions. Periodic Fever Syndromes It was 1997 when the term ‘auto-inflammatory disease’ was f …

By Anusha Senevirante, Post-Doctoral researcher, Imperial College London With non-communicable diseases (or NCDs, which include heart disease, diabetes, cancer) now responsible for the most deaths worldwide, large investments into research on these diseases are helping us understand their causes. Many of these diseases have something in common, they involve chronic inflammation. Cells normally triggered by the immune system to fight infection, are persistently activated by endogenous factors within the body, eventually causing damage to bodily tissues and beginning the disease processes involved in the development of diabetes, cancer and atheroscl …

Ana Catarina Ferreira Psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, are highly prevalent conditions and its incidence is expected to increase as individuals attempt to meet the crescent demands of the current society. Such disorders are quite often long lasting and considered to occur, among other factors, as the result of the chronic exposure to psychological stress, thus severely affecting the quality of life and work productivity. Hippocampus and Adaptive Responses In the regulation of emotional behaviours and cellular and endocrine responses to stressful events, the limbic system, and particul …

By Diana-Madalina Stan, PhD student, University of Salford Disease Description Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is a neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects the elderly. AD International reported 46.8 million people suffering from AD in 2015 and the number is presumed to be 50 million at present. AD pathology includes abnormal protein deposits including neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques. Aggregated tau protein undergoes abnormal hyperphosphorylation which changes the microtubule stability, the primary function of this protein (Lace, 2009). As a consequence, the cellular integrity and the cy …

By Pietro Maria Bertelli, PhD Candidate, Queens University Belfast Introduction Eye complications are very frequent in patients with diabetes, and this can lead to vision impairment and blindness 1,2. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetic vascular complications is needed to facilitate the development of novel treatments. Diabetes has been previously associated with ageing and cellular senescence 3, 4. Retinal blood vessels, composed of endothelial cells and pericytes, are significantly affected by diabetic conditions 5–7. We are evaluating the impact of diabetes on endothelial cell function at the cellular and molecul …

By Ana Catarina Ferreira, PhD Candidate, Univeristy of Minho, Portugal Psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, are highly prevalent conditions and their incidence is expected to increase as individuals attempt to meet the crescent demands of the current society. Such disorders are quite often long lasting and considered to occur, among other factors, as the result of the chronic exposure to psychological stress, thus severely affecting the quality of life and work productivity. Regulation of Emotional Behaviours In the regulation of emotional behaviours and cellular and endocrine respon …