New and emerging risk factors for CVD

Morphological and immunocytochemical studies have elucidated the complex processes involved in atherogenesis. The notion of plaque instability has emerged from this work and underscored the importance of inflammation in determining clinical complications associated with atherosclerosis, such as acute coronary syndrome. Cells of the immune system have been detected within atherosclerotic lesions and auto-antibodies directed against modified LDL and heat-shock proteins have been identified in the blood of individuals with atherosclerosis. The use of risk 'engines', e.g. the Framingham coronary risk score, has facilitated the identification of individuals at high risk, but the constituent classical risk factors used in these algorithms do not adequately differentiate individuals at moderate risk. As age is a major component of the equations used in these algorithms they are not particularly useful in young adults, and their applicability to non-Caucasian populations has been questioned. Biomarkers of early disease and plaque instability have therefore both been sought. Although some of these markers have been shown individually to be associated with a significant hazard ratio, no substantial improvement in discrimination has been demonstrated when they are incorporated into a risk 'engine'. The latter has generally been assessed by receiver operator characteristic curve analysis, although this approach has been criticised. Other modalities, including imaging and functional assessments of vascular function, are now being developed for clinical use

Multiple step-variable pathway hypothesis: a reason why predictions fail in atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular risk factors are individually only modest predictors of events, and whilst more sophisticated algorithms appear to improve their prediction, a significant proportion of the population is miscategorised and therefore managed inappropriately. It is proposed that atherogenesis is a multi-step process, and that the critical transitions between steps requires 'bundles' of risk factors that may differ for each step. These bundles may not always contain a classical risk factor and may differ between individuals. This hypothesis would predict that the impact of specific risk factors is non-uniform during atherogenesis and therefore the efficacy of interventions will vary with stage. New therapeutic opportunities exist if the factors that promote progression between particular stages could be identified and targeted. The staging of disease using modalities such as imaging and functional assessment may be necessary to deliver the most effective treatment. Finally, risk assessment will invariably be inaccurate, even using complex algorithms

Metabolic syndrome in Iran: a review

This overview of the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in Iran considers the reports on regional and ethnic variation, international comparisons, and within specific groups, including children, diabetics and women at different stages of their life-course. The reported impact of lifestyle is also discussed. One particular controversy has been the definition of MetS, and this remains a difficulty across ethic groups and in children and adolescents. The changes in the criteria being applied to determine the presence of MetS, also makes trends in prevalence difficult to interpret

Correlation of MIR-24-3P and MIR-595 expression with CCL3, CCL4, IL-1?, TNF?IP3, and NF-?BI? genes in PBMCS of patients with coronary artery disease

Inflammation has been well recognized to play an important role in developing coronary artery disease (CAD). By regulating essential genes in this pathway post-transcriptionally, MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may help or hinder the development of atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1ß, TNFaIP3, and NF-?BIa in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of CAD and control groups and to examine whether any correlation exists between the expression of miRs and genes in CAD group. A total of 168 subjects (84 CAD subjects and 84 control subjects) were examined in this research. Expression levels of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1ß, TNFaIP3, and NF-?BIa in PBMCs were measured using the real-time PCR technique. A comparison of the CAD group with the control group indicated significantly increased expression levels of CCL3, CCL4, and IL-1ß (Fold Change (FC) =4, P=0.009; FC=2.9, P=0.01; FC=1.8, P=0.019, respectively) and remarkably reduced expression levels of TNFaIP3 and NF?BIa (FC=-1.4, P=0.03 and FC=-5.9, P=0.001, respectively). Moreover, the expression levels of miR-24-3p downregulated (FC=-2.5, P=0.005) and miR-595 upregulated (FC=1.9, P=0.009) in the CAD group. There was a statistical correlation between the number of clogged arteries with expression levels of miR-24-3p, miR-595, CCL3, CCL4, IL-1ß, TNFaIP3, and NF-?BIa in the CAD group. Also, there was a statistical correlation between expression levels of miR-24-3p and miR-595 with CCL3, CCL4, IL-1ß, TNFaIP3, and NF-?BIa gene expression in the CAD group. In CAD patients, decreased expression of miR-24-3p and increased expression of miR-595 may aid the progression of atherosclerotic plaques by regulating CCL3, CCL4, IL-1ß, TNFaIP3, and NF?BIa gene expression

Role of the NF-?B signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

The NF-?B signaling pathway is a key regulator of CRC cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Over-activation of the NF-?B pathway is a feature of colorectal cancer (CRC). While new combinatorial treatments have improved overall patient outcome; quality of life, cost of care, and patient survival rate have seen little improvement. Suppression of the NF-?B signaling pathway using biological or specific pharmacological inhibitors is a potential therapeutic approach in the treatment of colon cancer. This review summarizes the regulatory role of NF-?B signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of CRC for a better understanding and hence a better management of the disease

An integrated bioinformatics analysis of the potential regulatory effects of mir-21 on t-cell related target genes in multiple sclerosis

Background Overexpression of miR-21 is a characteristic feature of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is involved in gene regulation and the expression enhance-ment of pro-inflammatory factors including IFN? and TNF-a following stimulation of T-cells via the T Cell Receptor (TCR). In this study, a novel integrated bioinformatics analysis was used to obtain a better understanding of the involvement of miR-21 in the development of MS, its protein biomarker signatures, RNA levels, and drug interactions through existing microarray and RNA-seq datasets of MS. Methods In order to obtain data on the Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) in patients with MS and normal controls, the GEO2R web tool was used to analyze the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, and then Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks of co-expressed DEGs were designed using STRING. A molecular network of miRNA-genes and drugs based on differentially expressed genes was created for T-cells of MS patients to identify the targets of miR-21, that may act as important regu-lators and potential biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and, potential therapeutic targets for MS. Results It found that seven genes (NRIP1, ARNT, KDM7A, S100A10, AK2, TGFßR2, and IL-6R) are regulated by drugs used in MS and miR-21. Finally, three overlapping genes (S100A10, NRIP1, KDM7A) were identified between miRNA-gene-drug network and nineteen genes as hub genes which can reflect the pathophysiology of MS. Conclusion Our findings suggest that miR-21 and MS-related drugs can act synergisti-cally to regulate several genes in the existing datasets, and miR-21 inhibitors have the potential to be used in MS treatment

Role of regulatory miRNAs of the Wnt/ ß-catenin signaling pathway in tumorigenesis of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide. Recently, uncontrolled expression of microRNAs was detected in several human disorders like cardiovascular, neurological, intestinal and autoimmunity diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are now investigated as novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for several solid tumors like breast, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers. Current data suggest that miRNAs are implicated in various oncogenic processes implicated in breast cancer carcinogenesis trough modulating canonical Wnt pathway. Aberrant activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling was shown to be significantly associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. This review presents recent findings on the molecular mechanism of microRNAs in regulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling involved in tumorigenesis of breast cancer

Genetic determinants of response to statins in cardiovascular diseases

Despite extensive efforts to identify patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who could most benefit from the treatment approach, patients vary in their benefit from therapy and propensity for adverse drug events. Genetic variability in individual responses to drugs (pharmacogenetics) is considered an essential determinant in responding to a drug. Thus, understanding these pharmacogenomic relationships has led to a substantial focus on mechanisms of disease and drug response. In turn, understanding the genomic and molecular bases of variables that might be involved in drug response is the main step in personalized medicine. There is a growing body of data evaluating drug-gene interactions in recent years, some of which have led to FDA recommendations and detection of markers to predict drug responses (e.g., genetic variant in VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes for prediction of drug response in warfarin treatment). Also, statins are widely prescribed drugs for the prevention of CVD. Atorvastatin, fluvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, and lovastatin are the most common statins used to manage dyslipidemia. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the pharmacogenetics of statins, which are being used to treat cardiovascular diseases.</p

The potential therapeutic applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in colorectal cancer

The application of the CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) system in tumor studies has led to the discovery of several new treatment strategies for colorectal cancer (CRC), including the recognition of novel target genes, the construction of animal mass models, and the identification of genes related to chemotherapy resistance. CRISPR/Cas9 can be applied to genome therapy for CRC, particularly regarding molecular-targeted medicines and suppressors. This review summarizes some aspects of using CRISPR/Cas9 in treating CRC. Further in-depth and systematic research is required to fully realize the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 in CRC treatment and integrate it into clinical practice

The potential therapeutic applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in colorectal cancer

The application of the CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) system in tumor studies has led to the discovery of several new treatment strategies for colorectal cancer (CRC), including the recognition of novel target genes, the construction of animal mass models, and the identification of genes related to chemotherapy resistance. CRISPR/Cas9 can be applied to genome therapy for CRC, particularly regarding molecular-targeted medicines and suppressors. This review summarizes some aspects of using CRISPR/Cas9 in treating CRC. Further in-depth and systematic research is required to fully realize the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 in CRC treatment and integrate it into clinical practice