Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders) - Volume 20, Issue 5, 2020

Background: Food is indispensable for human life and determines the health and wellbeing of the consumer. As food is the source of energy for humans, it also emerges as one of the most important sources of exposure to deleterious chemicals both natural and synthetic. The food exposed chemicals cause a number of detrimental health effects in humans, with endocrine disruption being of serious concern amongst these e Read More

Background: Both the morbidity and mortality rates from congestive heart failure (CHF) remain elevated despite the medical and non-medical management of the disease, thus suggesting the existence of residual risk factors such as thyroid dysfunction. Particularly, the 15-30% of patients with CHF, especially those with severe ventricular dysfunction, display the so-called low T3 syndrome (LT3S), which seems to negatively Read More

Mast cells (MCs) have recently been re-interpreted in the context of the immune scenario in the sense that their pro-allergic role is no longer exclusive. In fact, MCs even in steady state conditions maintain homeostatic functions, producing mediators and intensively cross-talking with other immune cells. Here, emphasis will be placed on the array of receptors expressed by MCs and the variety of cytokines they produce. The Read More

Mast cells (MCs) bear many receptors that allow them to respond to a variety of exogenous and endogenous stimuli. However, MC function is dual since they can initiate pathological events or protect the host against infectious challenges. The role of MCs in disease will be analyzed in a broad sense, describing cellular and molecular mechanisms related to their involvement in auto-inflammatory diseases, asthma, autoimmune Read More

Background: The present study aims to compare the relative efficacy and safety of different uses of cyclophosphamide (CYC) in lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Global Health, MEDLINE and PubMed for articles from the database till June 2018. Results: 12 randomized controlled trials with 994 participants were included. The meta-analysis indicated that the short-interval lower-dose intraven Read More

Background: Metabolic syndrome worsens complications in psoriasis patients by predisposing them to cardiovascular diseases. Psoriasis has been widely associated with metabolic syndrome; however, it has still not been proven owing to a limited number of studies and some of those reporting conflicting results. Objective: Psoriasis has reportedly been associated with metabolic syndrome; however, it has yet not been establishe Read More

Objective: Recent trial studies have found that resveratrol supplementation beneficially reduces oxidative stress marker, but, there is no definitive consensus on this context. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of resveratrol supplementation on oxidative stress parameters. Methods: We searched databases of Pubmed, Scopus and Cochrane Library up to December 2018 with no l Read More

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is considered a chronic noncommunicable disease in which oxidative stress is expected as a result of hyperglycaemia. One of the most recent approaches is the study of microalgae fatty acids and their possible antioxidant effect. Objective: This study aimed to analyse the effect of supplementation with n-3 fatty acids extracted from microalgae on the total antioxidant capacity (T Read More

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the antihypertensive activity of Asteriscus graveolens. Methods: L-NAME hypertensive and normotensive rats have received orally the aqueous extract of Asteriscus graveolens aerial parts (AGAPE) (100 mg/kg) during six hours for the acute experiment and during seven days for the sub-chronic treatment. Thereafter, blood pressure parameters were evaluated. Concer Read More

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. IR predisposes to metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Meanwhile, little evidence exists about the effect of levothyroxine replacement treatment (LRT) on IR in hypothyroid patients. Objective: To investigate metabolic and anthropometric indices of IR in hypothyroid patients before and after 8 weeks of LRT. Methods: This pre-post study evalua Read More

Objective: To investigate the relationship between Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) using animal models. Methods: The rat model of diabetic neuropathy was induced by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) at 65mg/kg. Diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups (10 each), one treated with 0.9% saline (DMS group) and the other with interleukin- Read More

Aims: Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrate that progesterone hormone and its nuclear receptor, the Progesterone Receptor (PR), play critical role in controlling mammary gland tumorigenesis and breast cancer development. Hormonal therapy (Tomaxifen) is the frontline treatment for hormone-dependent breast cancers. Progesterone hormone induces its action on the target cells by binding with its Progesterone re Read More

Background: Previous clinical studies have suggested that apolipoprotein M (apoM) is involved in glucose metabolism and plays a causative role in insulin sensitivity. Objective: The potential mechanism of apoM on modulating glucose homeostasis is explored and differentially expressed genes are analyzed by employing ApoM deficient (ApoM-/- ) and wild type (WT) mice. Methods: The metabolism of glucose in the hepatic tissue Read More

Background and Objective: Endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) not only occurs during embryonic development, but also contributes to various diseases including cardiovascular diseases, fibrosis, and even cancer. However, the specific molecular biological mechanism and relationship of related pathways have not been fully elucidated. This study aims to explore the inhibitory effect of HGF on EndMT and the Read More

Background: Potassium status has been found to affect glucose homeostasis. Objective: This study therefore aimed at investigating relationships between potassium status or dietary intake and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in a sample of Austrian adults (18-80 years, n = 421, 61% women) from the Austrian Study on Nutritional Status 2012. Methods: Dietary potassium intake was obtained by Read More

Background: Limited studies have been carried out with prednisone (PRED) in treatment by glucose intolerant individuals, even in this model the animals presented low blood glucose levels at adulthood, by the high regenerative capacity of β-cell. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effects of the treatment of PRED in mild diabetes on biochemical and immunological biomarkers. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into fou Read More