Macrophage Polarization in Metabolism and Metabolic Disease

BACKGROUND: Obesity is now recognized as the main cause of the worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Obesity-associated chronic inflammation is a contributing key factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Numbers of studies have clearly demonstrated that the immune system and metabolism are highly integrated.CONTENT: Macrophages are an essential component of innate immunity and play a central role in inflammation and host defense. Moreover, these cells have homeostatic functions beyond defense, including tissue remodeling in ontogenesis and orchestration of metabolic functions. Diversity and plasticity are hallmarks of cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. In response to interferons (IFNs), toll-like receptor (TLR), or interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 signals, macrophages undergo M1 (classical) or M2 (alternative) activation. Progress has now been made in defining the signaling pathways, transcriptional networks, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying M1, M2 or M2-like polarized activation.SUMMARY: In response to various signals, macrophages may undergo classical M1 activation (stimulated by TLR ligands and IFN-γ) or alternative M2 activation (stimulated by IL-4/IL-13); these states mirror the T helper (Th)1–Th2 polarization of T cells. Pathology is frequently associated with dynamic changes in macrophage activation, with classically activated M1 cells implicate in initiating and sustaining inflammation, meanwhile M2 or M2-like activated cells associated with resolution or smoldering chronic inflammation. Identification of the mechanisms and molecules that are associated with macrophage plasticity and polarized activation provides a basis for macrophage centered diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Brown and Beige Fat: Therapeutic Potential in Obesity

BACKGROUND: The epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes presents a serious challenge to scientific and biomedical communities worldwide. There has been an upsurge of interest in the adipocyte coincident with the onset of the obesity epidemic and the realization that adipose tissue plays a major role in the regulation of metabolic function.CONTENT: Adipose tissue, best known for its role in fat storage, can also suppress weight gain and metabolic disease through the action of specialized, heat-producing adipocytes. Brown adipocytes are located in dedicated depots and express constitutively high levels of thermogenic genes, whereas inducible ‘brown-like' adipocytes, also known as beige cells, develop in white fat in response to various activators. The activities of brown and beige fat cells reduce metabolic disease, including obesity, in mice and correlate with leanness in humans. Many genes and pathways that regulate brown and beige adipocyte biology have now been identified, providing a variety of promising therapeutic targets for metabolic disease.SUMMARY: The complexity of adipose tissue presents numerous challenges but also several opportunities for therapeutic intervention. There is persuasive evidence from animal models that enhancement of the function of brown adipocytes, beige adipocytes or both in humans could be very effective for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. Moreover, there are now an extensive variety of factors and pathways that could potentially be targeted for therapeutic effects. In particular, the discoveries of circulating factors, such as irisin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 and natriuretic peptides, that enhance brown and beige fat function in mice have garnered tremendous interest. Certainly, the next decade will see massive efforts to use beige and brown fat to ameliorate human metabolic disease

Identification of Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) was the second most common type of cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. The great challenge for physicians is being able to accurately predict PCa prognosis and treatment response in order to reduce PCa-speciic mortality while avoiding overtreatment by identifying of when to intervene, and in which patients.CONTENT: Currently, PCa prognosis and treatment decision of PCa involved digital rectal examination, Prostate-Speciic Antigens (PSA), and subsequent biopsies for histopathological staging, known as Gleason score. However, each procedure has its shortcomings. Efforts to find a better clinically meaningful and non-invasive biomarkers still developed involving proteins, circulating tumor cells, nucleic acids, and the ‘omics\u27 approaches.SUMMARY: Biomarkers for PCa will most likely be an assay employing multiple biomarkers in combination using protein and gene microarrays, containing markers that are differentially expressed in PCa

A Closer Look at Cardioprotective Function of HDL: Revise the HDL – Cholesterol Hypothesis?

BACKGROUND: The strong inverse association of plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol with coronary heart disease (CHD) found in human epidemiological studies led to the development of the ‘HDL cholesterol hypothesis', which posits that intervention to raise HDL cholesterol will result in reduced risk of CHD. A number of recent developments have brought the potential protective role of HDL into question. Several clinical trials of agents that substantially raise HDL-C have been demonstrated to not reduce CHD event rates.CONTENT: For decades, HDL and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were viewed as synonymous, and modulation of HDL-C levels by drug therapy held great promise for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, recent failures of drugs that raise HDL-C to reduce cardiovascular risk and the now greater understanding of the complexity of HDL composition and biology have prompted researchers in the field to redefine HDL. As such, the focus of HDL has now started to shift away from a cholesterol-centric view toward HDL particle number, subclasses, and other alternative metrics of HDL. Many of the recently discovered functions of HDL are, in fact, not strictly conferred by its ability to promote cholesterol flux but by the other molecules it transports, including a diverse set of proteins, small RNAs, hormones, carotenoids, vitamins, and bioactive lipids. Based on HDL's ability to interact with almost all cells and deliver fat-soluble cargo, HDL has the remarkable capacity to affect a wide variety of endocrine-like systems.SUMMARY: There is a significant need to redefine HDL and its benefit. HDL transports a diverse set of functional proteins, including many binding proteins. HDL transports and deliver vitamins, carotenoids, and other small molecules. Moreover, HDL transports hormones, steroids and bile acids, and can modulate multiple endocrine pathways. HDLs also transport and deliver microRNAs to recipient cells and control gene expression. Likewise, HDLs carry bioactive lipids and can activate signaling cascades and receptors that control endothelial apoptosis, migration, survival and activation. Many of HDL's alternative noncholesterol cargo likely confer many of HDL's alternative functions

Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Cardiometabolic Disease

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are incompletely understood. Microvascular dysfunction may play an important role in the pathogenesis of both insulin resistance and hypertension in obesity.CONTENT: Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is a local deposit of adipose tissue surrounding the vasculature. PVAT is present throughout the body and has been shown to have a local effect on blood vessels. The influence of PVAT on the vasculature changes with increasing adiposity. PVAT similarly to other fat depots, is metabolically active, secreting a wide array of bioactive substances, termed ‘adipokines'. Adipokines include cytokines, chemokines and hormones that can act in a paracrine, autocrine or endocrine fashion. Many of the proinflammatory adipokines upregulated in obesity are known to influence vascular function, including endothelial function, oxidative stress, vascular stiffness and smooth muscle migration. Adipokines also stimulate immune cell migration into the vascular wall, potentially contributing to the inflammation found in atherosclerosis. Finally, adipokines modulate the effect of insulin on the vasculature, thereby decreasing insulin-mediated muscle glucose uptake. This leads to alterations in nitric oxide signaling, insulin resistance and potentially atherogenesis.SUMMARY: PVAT surrounds blood vessels. PVAT and the adventitial layer of blood vessels are in direct contact with each other. Healthy PVAT secretes adipokines and regulates vascular function. Obesity is associated with changes in adipokine secretion and the resultant inflammation of PVAT. The dysregulation of adipokines changes the effect of PVAT on the vasculature. Changes in perivascular adipokines secretion in obesity appear to contribute to the development of obesity-mediated vascular disease

Application of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine

BACKGROUND: Since the first umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplant, performed 25 years ago, UCB banks have been established worldwide for the collection and cryopreservation of UCB for autologous and allogeneic transplants.CONTENT: Much has been learned in a relatively short time on the properties of UCB hematopoietic progenitors and their clinical application. More interestingly, non-hematopoietic stem cells have been isolated from UCB. These cells can be grown and differentiated into various tissues including bone, cartilage, liver, pancreas, nerve, muscle and so on. The non-hematopoietic stem cells have an advantage over other sources of stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, because their supply is unlimited, they can be used in autologous or allogeneic situations, they need minimal manipulation and they raise no ethical concerns. Future studies will test the potential of UCB cells for the treatment of several diseases including, among other possibilities, diabetes, arthritis, burns, neurological disorder and myocardial infarction.SUMMARY: In addition to hematopoietic stem cells, UCB contain a large number of non-hematopoietic stem cells. In the absence of ethical concern, the unlimited supply of UCB cells explains the increasing interest of using UCB for developing regenerative medicine

Persepsi Pekerja Terhadap Sistem Manajemen Keselamatan Pada Proyek Konstruksi Di Surabaya

Budaya keselamatan kerja merupakan hal yang harus diterapkan pada industry konstruksi. Budaya keselamatan terdiri dari tiga aspek yang saling tergantung satu sama lain. Salah satu aspeknya adalah aspek person. Aspek person meliputi persepsi pekerja yang merefleksikan budaya keselamatan di tempat kerja. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui persepsi pekerja terhadap sistem manajemen keselamatan pada proyek konstruksi di Surabaya. Persepsi pekerja sendiri terdiri empat dimensi yaitu awareness, acceptance, accountability, dan others. Untuk mengetahui persepsi pekerja di proyek konstruksi, peniliti melakukan penyebaran kusioner berisi 27 butir pertanyaan yang mencakup keempat dimensi persepsi. Di peroleh data sebanyak 226 kusioner dari empat proyek konstruksi di Surabaya. Dengan menggunakan analisa rata-rata (mean) jawaban responden didapatkan bahwa persepsi pekerja pada proyek konstruksi di Surabaya sudah sama dengan tujuan dari sistem manajemen keselamatan. Hal ini berarti persepsi pekerja sudah baik, namun untuk dimensi accountability perlu ditingkatkan lebih lagi. Dimensi accountability dapat ditingkatkan dengan penyampaian sistem manajemen keselamatan yang tegas oleh kontraktor

MicroRNAs in Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are mediators of post-transcriptional gene expression that likely regulate most biological pathways and networks. The study of miRNAs is a rapidly emerging field; recent findings have revealed a significant role for miRNAs in atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism.CONTENT: Results from recent studies demonstrated a role for miRNAs in endothelial integrity, macrophage inflammatory response to oxidized low-density lipoprotein, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and cholesterol synthesis. These mechanisms are all vital to the initiation and proliferation of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The importance of miRNAs has recently been recognized in cardiovascular sciences and miRNAs will likely become an integral part of our fundamental comprehension of atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism. The extensive impact of miRNA mediated gene regulation and the relative ease of in vivo applicable modifications highlight the enormous potential of miRNA-based therapeutics in cardiovascular diseases.SUMMARY: miRNA studies in the field of lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis are in their infancy, and thus there is tremendous opportunity for discovery in this understudied area. The ability to target miRNAs in vivo through delivery of miRNA-mimics to enhance miRNA function, or antimiRNAs which inhibit miRNAs, has opened new avenues for the development of therapeutics for dyslipidemias and atherosclerosis, offers a unique approach to treating disease by modulating entire biological pathways. These exciting findings support the development of miRNA antagonists as potential therapeutics for the treatment of dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis and related metabolic diseases

Dividend and Agency Conflict in Indonesian Manufacturing Firms

Firm's investment and financing decision had been empirically proven to have a certain influence on firm value, as changes in investment and financing policies will result in alterations of the firm risk profile. In the case of Indonesia, where the degree of investor protection was poor, and minority shareholders were at risk of expropriation of majority shareholders, increase in investment and debt addition was ill-favored and hence, result in a lower firm value. To mitigate the risk of expropriation, firms might choose to apply cash rights to its shareholders by distributing dividends. Using panel data with moderation on 86 Indonesian manufacturing firms, we found that dividend policy positively moderates the effect of the investment decision in firm value and negatively moderates the effect of financing decision on the value of the firm. Our finding act as empirical evidence that dividend policy was an effective tool to mitigate expropriation risk, albeit its used also sent a negative signal to the shareholder when a firm increases loans to paid out dividends.JEL Classification: G31, G32.DOI: https://doi.org/10.26905/jkdp.v22i3.182