93 research outputs found
The mitochondrial genome in aging and senescence
No full textAging is characterized by a progressive decline in organism functions due to the impairment of all organs. The deterioration of both proliferative tissues in liver, skin and the vascular system, as well as of largely post-mitotic organs, such as the heart and brain could be attributed at least in part to cell senescence.In this review we examine the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and mtDNA mutations in cell aging and senescence. Specifically, we address how p53 and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activity switch their roles from cytoprotective to detrimental and also examine the role of microRNAs in cell aging. The proposed role of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), both as mutating agents and as signalling molecules, underlying these processes is also described
Power Is Nothing Without Control : The Enduring Search for the Best Cell in Cardiac Cell Therapy at a Crossroads
No full textCardiac cell-based therapy, after a peak of untimely expectations of miraculous efficacy exceeding standard clinical practice, has faced the cardiological community and funding bodies with a predictable trough of disillusionment. In the light of more recent progresses, the field is by contrast moving toward a competitive differentiation phase, in which the resolution of the complex matching between potency of cell therapeutics and heart disease pathophysiology has the potential to make a difference for the most challenging unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular medicine
Cyclophilin A : a key player for human disease
No full textCyclophilin A (CyPA) is a ubiquitously distributed protein belonging to the immunophilin family. CyPA has peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity, which regulates protein folding and trafficking. Although CyPA was initially believed to function primarily as an intracellular protein, recent studies have revealed that it can be secreted by cells in response to inflammatory stimuli. Current research in animal models and humans has provided compelling evidences supporting the critical function of CyPA in several human diseases. This review discusses recently available data about CyPA in cardiovascular diseases, viral infections, neurodegeneration, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, asthma, periodontitis and aging. It is believed that further elucidations of the role of CyPA will provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases and will help develop novel pharmacological therapies
IL FEUDALESIMO CITTADINO NELLA INTERPRETAZIONE WEBERIANA DELLE SOCIETA' ANTICHE
No full text• The author, in reply to Edouard Will's criticism, studies once again the use of 'city feudalism' concept in Weber's contribution on Agrarverhaltnisse for the third edition of Handworterbuch des Staatswissenschaften. A thorough analysis of weberian texts seems to confirm the original interpretation of Weber's idea of the origin of western city-state already proposed in Capogrossi's Economie antiche and consequently can contribute to a better understanding of the differences considered by Weber between Roman and Greek societies and medieval European cities.• Uno dei punti di novità dell'analisi weberiana délie società antiche introdotta nel saggio sugli Agrarverhaltnisse del 1909 è senz'altro la nozione di 'feudalesimo cittadino'. E' quanto l'a. aveva avuto occasione di mettere a luce nelle sue precedenti ricerche sull'opera weberiana : oggetto tuttavia di una diretta critica da parte di Edouard Will, che tende ad escludere che il grande tedesco avesse mai utilizzato questo paradigma. Attraverso un sistematico riesame dei testi di Weber Га. tende a dimostrare la legittimità délia sua precedente interpretazione. Partendo da questa precisa- zione egli poi analizza la perdita di rilevanza di questo concetto nelle successiva opere di Weber : sia in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft che in Die Stadt, mettendo a fuoco gli ulteriori sviluppi délia rifles- sione weberiana sul mondo antico.• Weber dans les versions successives de ses Agrarverhaltnisse pour YHandwôrterbuch des Staatswissenschaften introduit la notion de 'féodalisme citoyen'. Dans ces pages l'a. tente de montrer la légitimité de cette lecture, répliquant ainsi aux critiques d'Edouard Will, qui niait que Weber eût jamais employé cette expression dans son ouvrage. Après avoir montré que Weber jusqu'à la troisième rédaction de ses Agrarverhaltnisse a bien employé cette notion, l'a. tente d'expliquer les raisons qui ont conduit le savant allemand à renoncer à utiliser cette notion dans le reste de son œuvre.Capogrossi Colognesi Luigi. Il 'feudalesimo cittadino' nella interpretazione weberiana delle società antiche. In: Dialogues d'histoire ancienne, vol. 27, n°1, 2001. pp. 7-32
Cardiac stem cells: Tales, mysteries and promises in heart generation and regeneration
No full textFor long time, the heart was categorized as a post-mitotic organ, unable to undergo substantial renewal during the adult life. The heart scenario was opposite to the situation of other organs such as the liver, the skin and the bone marrow, whose ability to regenerate has been known for longtime. Today, several proofs exist that the heart has a self renewal capacity similar to that in other organs due to the discovery of resident stem cells that have been shown to produce new myocytes throughout the adult life. If the discovery of stem cells in the heart has resolved the issue of myocardial renewal, it has not resolved yet the issue of the best biological treatment to efficiently repair myocardium after ischemic damage. In fact, up to date, no clear indication exists about the identity of progenitor cells that are best suited as biological drugs for myocardial repair. In addition, despite the always growing number of publications describing the ability of cardiac and non-cardiac derived cells to repair the ischemic heart in preclinical models, the limited, although remarkable, clinical benefits obtained in first generation clinical trials in patients, have raised the issue of stem cell-mediated cardiac repair efficiency. In this contribution, the present and the future of heart repair will be outlined in the view of the most recent advancements in the understanding of basic biology, preclinical testing and clinical translation
Long-lasting improvement of myocardial perfusion and chronic refractory angina after autologous intramyocardial PBSC transplantation
No full textWe report the case of a 60-year-old man with patent coronary by-pass grafts on the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries, who experienced recurrent Canadian class IV angina refractory to medical and interventional treatments for a dominant right coronary artery occlusion. He underwent autologous PBSC transplant into the inferior ventricular wall through a minimally invasive approach as a stand-alone therapy, in an attempt to induce therapeutic angiogenesis. Six months after the operation, angina significantly ameliorated; scintigraphy and coronary angiography showed a marked improvement in perfusion of the target injection area. These benefits had persisted at 25 months after stem cell transplant
Endothelial progenitor cells: a potential versatile tool for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathies -- a clinician's point of view
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