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, Interactions between demyelination and immune cells: New breakthroughs in revealing neurodegeneration
Dysfunctional interactions between neural and immune cells are increasingly recognized to initiate and perpetuate neuroinflammation, contributing to white matter pathology and neurological dysfunction. Oligodendrocyte-lineage cells are immunocompetent glial cells and actively participate in these processes. Axon degeneration in central nervous system disorders is most often proposed to be a consequence of chronic myelin and oligodendrocyte loss and the increased vulnerability of denuded axons to a toxic microenvironment.However, the relationship between immune reactions, demyelination, axon degeneration, and clinical disease is unclear, and many observations indicate that loss of myeli......
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, Frontier research on the Wnt signaling pathway: How breakthrough findings will affect future treatment plans
Since the first member of the Wnt family was identified in 1982, studies on Wnt signalling have been steadily increasing. The Wnt signalling pathways include noncanonical and canonical pathways. The noncanonical Wnt pathways are independent of β-catenin-T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF). The canonical Wnt pathway, also known as the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, involves the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and activation of target genes via TCF/LEF transcription factors. The canonical Wnt pathway mainly controls cell proliferation, whereas the noncanonical Wnt pathways regulate cell polarity and migration, and the two main pathways form a network of mutual regulation.......
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, Osteochondral lesions and defects in joints are no longer a problem! Biodegradable double-layer scaffold brings new hope for cartilage repair
Osteochondral lesions and defects in joints are prevalent and pose a significant health concern, resulting in knee joint pain, dysfunction, and, ultimately, disability.While bone tissue is vascularized and possesses intrinsic regenerative capabilities, cartilage is avascular, aneural, and alymphatic, which limits its capacity for self-repair.Traditional clinical therapeutic approaches, such as microfracture, osteochondral grafts, and autologous cell transplantation, do not successfully improve the structure and function of the affected areas. Tissue engineering, which involves creating a scaffold that mimics tissue, offers a flexible solution for osteochondral regeneration. However, th......
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, Prevention and treatment of respiratory syncytial virus infection: latest research findings reveal!
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a negative single-stranded RNA virus of the Pneumoviridae family (order Mononegavirales) with a seasonal epidemic transmission pattern. RSV is highly contagious and a major cause of respiratory infections worldwide. Although disease is mild in most of the cases, vulnerable populations like very young infants, adults with chronic heart or lung disease, with weakened immune system, or over 65 years of age can experience a more severe disease course.Consistent with the massive disease burden that is posed by RSV infection, there is a large body of information that has been elucidated on RSV replication, pathogenesis, and transmission. Despite all that ......
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, Cell: Structural and signaling mechanisms of TAAR1 enabled preferential agonist design
Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) senses a spectrum of endogenous amine-containing metabolites (EAMs) to mediate diverse psychological functions and is useful for schizophrenia treatment without the side effects of catalepsy. Here, we systematically profiled the signaling properties of TAAR1 activation and present nine structures of TAAR1-Gs/Gq in complex with EAMs, clinical drugs, and synthetic compounds. These structures not only revealed the primary amine recognition pocket (PARP) harboring the conserved acidic D3.32 for conserved amine recognition and "twin" toggle switch for receptor activation but also elucidated that targeting specific residues in the second bi......
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, Uncover the occurrence and progress of bladder cancer: in-depth research to help patients survive
Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common tumors in urinary system. Approximately 90% of bladder cancers are uroepithelial cancers. According to the depth of invasion, BCa can be classified into nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The overall 5-year survival rate of MIBC is approximately 60%-70%. About 10% of newonset MIBC is metastasized, and the 5-year survival rate is 5%-30%. The primary treatment for BCa is surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Although surgical or chemotherapeutic treatment is evolving, tumors still frequently relapse, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life and survival.Therefore, more indepth inv......