Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) technology for future applications in cancer treatment

Emmanuel Adebola Adebanjo — 2024-09-06

Technological developments in medicine have made it possible to treat certain diseases, such as cancer, at the root level of transcription and translation with recent development in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. The world has learned about messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) technology in the last two years. In that time, it has shown how quickly it can respond to situations and has almost limitless potential for future applications in the treatment of cancer. The genetic instructions or recipes that guide cells on how to use their own machinery to build proteins are carried by a molecule called mRNA. Lipid nanoparticles, an increasingly common means of delivering genes that can contain both proteins and nucleic acids, enclose the mRNA in a protective bubble that allows it to circulate freely throughout the cells. Once inside, human cells use the mRNA as a set of instructions to produce proteins that attach to the unique areas of the pathogen, or antigens. The immune system promptly produces antibodies and T-cells as defenses when it perceives foreign antigens as invaders, fortifying the system's defenses against subsequent attacks. As a result, if and when the real virus manifests, the body might be able to recognize the warning signal it sends out to help guard against infection and illness. The study demonstrated how mRNA can be a powerful tool for developing vaccines and diseases treatments, allowing human cells to put forth a lot of effort in generating proteins that trigger an immune response that defends against illnesses and preserves human organs, which marks a significant milestone in science and demonstrates the adaptability and versatility of mRNA technology for known and unknown diseases treatments.

RECSAE: An interactive model of relevance cognitive load, spatial memory, ADHD and EEG for special educators and mental health professionals

Subhagata Chattopadhyay — 2024-01-03

The cognitive load (CL) increases as the brain is confronted with high-volume audiovisual and other multimodal information from the external environment. Spatial memory is a broad term for recording and recovery of this information. It has three dimensions, such as sensory memory, which is responsible for information capture and preprocessing, working memory, which is responsible for information processing and output generation, and long-term memory, which is responsible for registration/encoding and retrieval/decoding of what has been learned after the information processing. Cognitive training for long-term memory formation is a complex task that is conducted by analysing the "relevance" of the information. Relevance refers to the degree of meaningfulness of the input information based on logic, beliefs and perceptions. A high degree of relevance promotes the firing of the reentrant circuit for capturing similar information to create memory in the brain. An electroencephalogram (EEG) measures brain activities by using electrodes to deliver waveform signals through the scalp at a particular duration. This article proposes an interactive RECSAE model for the formation of relevant long-term memory through CL training and attempts to corroborate it with the EEG signals. The model is finally explained and correlated with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) as a real-world use case. The proposed model is generic and would help psychologists, neurophysiologists, EEG researchers and special educators to evaluate CL training and memory dysfunctions by using EEG waves.

Inulae Flos is a potential herbal medicine to treat glioma: a study based on gene expression profile analysis, network pharmacology and molecular docking

Qian Ying — 2024-11-12

Inulae Flos is a promising herbal medicine; however, its underlying mechanism in treating glioma remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the potential active ingredients and mechanisms of Inulae Flos in glioma treatment. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with gliomas were identified by analyzing the GSE186057 dataset. The bioactive components of Inulae Flos were searched in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database, and related targets were obtained from the Swiss Target Prediction database. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database. Next, the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) of these common targets were analyzed using the DAVID database. Finally, AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking analysis. The tumor-suppressive properties of the crude extract of Inulae Flos (XFH) and britanin were then evaluated with in vitro and in vivo assays. Nineteen active ingredients were obtained from Inulae Flos, and 20 DEGs were identified as the targets of Inulae Flos in glioma treatment. Britanin, luteolin and 1-O-Acetylbritannilactone were identified as the key ingredients. PIK3R1, CDK2, CCNB1, MAPK1, MAPK8, CCNA2, and AR were considered to be the hub target genes of Inulae Flos in glioma treatment. Good binding affinity was observed between the key components and hub targets. In addition, in vitro studies showed that XFH and britanin, a key component of Inulae Flos, could inhibit the growth, migration and invasion glioma cell lines U87 and U138, and repress the tumorigenesis of U138 cells in nude mice. Inulae Flos is promising for glioma treatment, and it exerts its anti-tumor activities via multiple components, targets and pathways.

Understanding COVID-19: An overview of the virus, variants, vaccines, and treatment strategies

Asia Manzoor — 2024-07-19

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly impacted society and health care worldwide. This narrative review provides an in-depth understanding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including its structure, life cycle, possible origins and mechanisms of infection. The potential pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease and the comparison of various detection techniques are discussed, highlighting the effectiveness of RT-PCR tests. In particular, this paper examined the treatments options available for COVID-19, with a focus on antiviral agents and immune modulators. Vaccine strategies are discussed, with mRNA vaccines, particularly Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, being the most promising. Finally, the review analyzed the emergence of new variants and their impacts on the effectiveness of immunization against this specific pandemic disease. We can only understand COVID-19 when we unmask its intricacies in our fight against it, which requires a multi-pronged approach, such as continued research into viral variants and targeted therapeutics while maintaining effective therapies and mass vaccination campaigns in addition to other public health interventions aimed at controlling the pandemic.