Recent Submissions

A pilot study on the feasibility of European harmonized human biomonitoring: Strategies towards a common approach, challenges and opportunities 

In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized approach for Human Biomonitoring surveys throughout Europe. The main objective was to sustain environmental health policy by building a coherent and sustainable framework and by increasing the comparability ...

Plasma levels of α1-antitrypsin-derived C-terminal peptides in PiMM and PiZZ COPD patients 

Plasma levels of α1-antitrypsin-derived C-terminal peptides might be valid as novel biomarkers to predict and/or characterise exacerbations in PiMM and PiZZ COPD patients, or to reflect the efficiency of augmentation therapy in PiZZ patients https://bit.ly/3rNJeLd.

Immunodetection of Truncated Forms of the α6 Subunit of the nAChR in the Brain of Spinosad Resistant Ceratitis capitata Phenotypes 

The α6 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) has been proposed as the target for spinosad in insects. Point mutations that result in premature stop codons in the α6 gene of Ceratitis capitata flies have been previously associated with spinosad resistance, but it is unknown if thes...

Effects of maternal modafinil treatment on fetal development and neonatal growth parameters - a multicenter case series of the European Network of Teratology Information Services (ENTIS) 

Objective: In recent years, safety concerns about modafinil exposure during pregnancy have emerged. In particular, increased risks for major congenital anomalies (MCA) and impaired fetal growth were reported, although study results were conflicting. Our investigation aims to examine previously repo...

Bronchoalveolar cytokine profile differentiates Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis patients from other smoking-related interstitial lung diseases 

Background: Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is a rare interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with smoking, whose definitive diagnosis requires the exclusion of other forms of ILD and a compatible surgical lung biopsy. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is commonly proposed for the diag...

Phenolic and quinone methide nor-triterpenes as selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors 

Dysregulated inflammasome activity, particularly of the NLRP3 inflammasome, is associated with the development of several inflammatory diseases. The study of molecules directly targeting NLRP3 is an emerging field in the discovery of new therapeutic compounds for the treatment of inflammatory disor...

Dehydrohispanolone Derivatives Attenuate the Inflammatory Response through the Modulation of Inflammasome Activation 

The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a critical role in inflammation-mediated human diseases and represents a promising drug target for novel anti-inflammatory therapies. Hispanolone is a labdane diterpenoid isolated from the aerial parts of Ballota species. This diterpenoid and some derivatives have demon...

Current status of terpenoids as inflammasome inhibitors 

Increasing evidence supports NLRP3 inflammasome as a new target to control inflammation. Dysregulation of NLRP3 inflammasome has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of several human inflammatory diseases. However, no NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors are available in clinic. Terpenoids are...

A hispanolone-derived diterpenoid inhibits M2-Macrophage polarization in vitro via JAK/STAT and attenuates chitin induced inflammation in vivo 

Macrophages are highly plastic cells that adopt different functional phenotypes in response to environmental signals. Classically activated macrophages (M1) exhibit a pro-inflammatory role, mediating host defense against microorganisms or tumor cells; whereas alternatively activated macrophages (M2...

Mice inflammatory responses to inhaled aerosolized LPS: effects of various forms of human alpha1-antitrypsin 

Rodent models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pulmonary inflammation are used for anti-inflammatory drug testing. We aimed to characterize mice responses to aerosolized LPS alone or with intraperitoneal (i.p.) delivery of alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT). Balb/c mice were exposed to clean air or aeroso...

De novo small deletion affecting transcription start site of short isoform of AUTS2 gene in a patient with syndromic neurodevelopmental defects 

Disruption of the autism susceptibility candidate 2 (AUTS2) gene through genomic rearrangements, copy number variations (CNVs), and intragenic deletions and mutations, has been recurrently involved in syndromic forms of developmental delay and intellectual disability, known as AUTS2 syndrome. The A...

miR-320c Regulates SERPINA1 Expression and Is Induced in Patients With Pulmonary Disease 

Introduction: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition resulting in lung and liver disease with a great clinical variability. MicroRNAs have been identified as disease modifiers; therefore miRNA deregulation could play an important role in disease heterogeneity. Members of miR-3...

Genome-wide profiling of non-smoking-related lung cancer cells reveals common RB1 rearrangements associated with histopathologic transformation in EGFR-mutant tumors 

Background: The etiology and the molecular basis of lung adenocarcinomas (LuADs) in nonsmokers are currently unknown. Furthermore, the scarcity of available primary cultures continues to hamper our biological understanding of non-smoking-related lung adenocarcinomas (NSK-LuADs). Patients and method...

New cis-Acting Variants in PI*S Background Produce Null Phenotypes Causing Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency 

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is an inherited condition characterized by reduced levels of serum AAT due to mutations in the SERPINA1 (Serpin family A member 1) gene. The Pi*S (Glu264Val) is one of the most frequent deficient alleles of AATD, showing high incidence in the Iberian Peninsula....

Familial retinoblastoma due to intronic LINE-1 insertion causes aberrant and noncanonical mRNA splicing of the RB1 gene 

Retinoblastoma (RB, MIM 180200) is the paradigm of hereditary cancer. Individuals harboring a constitutional mutation in one allele of the RB1 gene have a high predisposition to develop RB. Here, we present the first case of familial RB caused by a de novo insertion of a full-length long interspers...

Identification of genetic variants in pharmacokinetic genes associated with Ewing Sarcoma treatment outcome 

Background: Despite the effectiveness of current treatment protocols for Ewing sarcoma (ES), many patients still experience relapse, and survival following recurrence is <15%. We aimed to identify genetic variants that predict treatment outcome in children diagnosed with ES. Patients and methods: W...

Clinical Significance of SERPINA1 Gene and Its Encoded Alpha1-antitrypsin Protein in NSCLC 

High expression of SERPINA1 gene encoding acute phase protein, alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT), is associated with various tumors. We sought to examine the significance of SERPINA1 and AAT protein in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and NSCLC cell lines. Tumor and adjacent non-tumor lung tissue...

Mitochondrial RNA methyltransferase TRMT61B is a new, potential biomarker and therapeutic target for highly aneuploid cancers 

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is an important source of genetic and phenotypic variation that has been extensively reported as a critical cancer related property that improves tumor cell adaptation and survival. CIN and its immediate consequence, aneuploidy, provoke adverse effects on cellular home...

Unmet needs in countries participating in the undiagnosed diseases network international: an international survey considering national health care and economic indicators 

Background: Patients, families, the healthcare system, and society as a whole are all significantly impacted by rare diseases (RDs). According to various classifications, there are currently up to 9,000 different rare diseases that have been recognized, and new diseases are discovered every month. ...

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Centro region of Portugal: a population based study of school age children within the ASDEU project 

Introduction: Accurate prevalence estimates for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are fundamental to adequately program medical and educational resources for children. However, estimates vary globally and across Europe, and it is therefore wise to conduct epidemiological studies in defined geo-cultura...