Immunotherapies for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The current treatments for neurodegenerative diseases are mostly symptomatic without affecting the underlying cause of disease. Emerging evidence supports a potential role for immunotherapy in the management of disease progression. Numerous reports raise the exciting prospect that either the immune system or its derivative components could be harnessed to fight the misfolded and aggregated proteins that accumulate in several neurodegenerative diseases. Passive and active vaccinations using monoclonal antibodies and specific antigens that induce adaptive immune responses are currently under evaluation for their potential use in the development of immunotherapies. In this review, we aim to shed light on prominent immunotherapeutic strategies being developed to fight neuroinflammation-induced neurodegeneration, with a focus on innovative immunotherapies such as vaccination therapy.

Dental pulp stem cells and osteogenesis: an update.

Dental pulp stem cells constitute an attractive source of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells owing to their high proliferation rate and multilineage differentiation potential. Osteogenesis is initiated by osteoblasts, which originate from mesenchymal stem cells. These cells express specific surface antigens that disappear gradually during osteodifferentiation. In parallel, the appearance of characteristic markers, including alkaline phosphatase, collagen type I, osteocalcin and osteopontin characterize the osteoblastic phenotype of dental pulp stem cells. This review will shed the light on the osteogenic differentiation potential of dental pulp stem cells and explore the culture medium components, and markers associated with osteodifferentiation of these cells.

Epigenetic changes in mesenchymal stem cells differentiation.

Epigenetic factors are known to play a major role in determining stem cell fate and differentiation. Mesenchymal stem cells are the most studied population of stem cells due to their important applications in experimental biology and regenerative medicine. After a brief overview on mesenchymal stem cells, this review aims to highlight the role of epigenetic changes on mesenchymal stem cells biology and differentiation protocols with a focus on osteocytic, chondrocytic and adipocytic differentiation. Chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modifications and miRNA expression will be investigated. The impact of epigenetics on transdifferentiation of mesenchymal stem cells will also be discussed. Indeed, epigenetic modulation appears to constitute a promising experimental target in stem cell basic and translational research.

Dental Pulp Stem Cells and Neurogenesis.

Recent advances in regenerative medicine and cell-based therapy are bringing promising perspectives for the use of stem cells in clinical trials. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of multilineage differentiation and available in numerous sources in the human body. Dental pulp constitutes an attractive source of these cells since collecting mesenchymal stem cells from this site is a noninvasive procedure which can be done following a common surgical extraction of supernumerary or wisdom teeth. Thus tissue sacrifice is very low and several cytotypes can be obtained owing to these cells' multipotency, in addition to the fact that they can be cryopreserved and stored for long periods. Mesenchymal stem cells have high proliferation rates making them favorable for clinical application. These multipotent cells present in a biological waste constitute an appropriate support in the management of many neurological disorders. After a brief overview on the different types of dental stem cells, this chapter will focus on the characteristics of dental pulp stem cells, their handling and applications in neural tissue engineering, as well as neural induction protocols leading to their potential therapeutic use in the management of neurological diseases.

Dental pulp stem cells and the management of neurological diseases: An update.

Medical research in regenerative medicine has brought promising perspectives for the use of stem cells in clinical trials. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of multilineage differentiation and available in numerous sources in the human body. Dental pulp constitutes an attractive source of these cells since collecting mesenchymal stem cells from this site is a noninvasive practice that can be performed after a common surgical extraction of supernumerary or wisdom teeth. Thus, tissue sacrifice is very low and several cytotypes can be obtained owing to these cells' multipotency, in addition to the fact that they can be cryopreserved and stored for long periods. Mesenchymal stem cells have high proliferation rates, making them favorable for clinical application. These multipotent cells, present in biological waste, constitute an appropriate resource in the treatment of many neurological diseases.

Advances in the Production and Application of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

BACKGROUND: Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the capacity to selfrenew and to differentiate into cells of the 3 germ layers. In 2006, Takahashi et al. reprogrammed somatic cells into stem cells using exogenetic gene expression. These new cells became known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Research continues to develop new tools and techniques in order to reprogram cells with higher output and quality, so that iPSCs can be used in modeling of human disorders, drug discovery and of course, regenerative medicine. OBJECTIVE: After a brief overview of the basic characteristics of iPSCs, this article will cover the production and processing techniques of these cells, with a focus on new innovations, as well as their different uses and potential role in future research. CONCLUSION: Progress over the last few years regarding the efficient and safe ways to produce iPSCs has been tremendous. These cells might open doors regarding the future of precision medicine practices and research.

Hyperuricemia, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Hypertension: an Emerging Association.

Uric acid is the final oxidation product of purine metabolism in circulation and has been associated with the occurrence of gout and kidney stones. Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension are two important public health challenges, and both are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular events. Hyperuricemia has recently emerged as an independent risk factor in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension through several proposed mechanisms. Few clinical trials investigated the use of uric acid lowering agents in the management of these two disease entities; however, their results provided encouraging evidence to a potential role for these agents in fighting disease burden. Larger randomized controlled trials are therefore warranted to establish the role of uric acid as a promising target for novel therapeutic interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Onychomadesis in a 9-month-old boy with hand-foot-mouth disease.

BACKGROUND: Nail abnormalities in childhood are generally uncommon. Recently, onychomadesis is described as a rare, late complication of hand-foot-mouth disease, which is a viral illness commonly seen in the pediatric age group. It is therefore important to elucidate the presentation of this entity, especially in the context of the hand-foot-mouth disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of onychomadesis in a 9-month old Lebanese boy who presented to the emergency department with rapidly progressing nail changes involving all four extremities. These changes appeared few days after the healing of cutaneous lesions of hand-foot-mouth disease. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of recognizing the association between onychomadesis and hand-foot-mouth disease in order to avoid unnecessary treatment and to reassure the patient's parents.

Hyperbilirubinemia, Hypertension, and CKD: the Links.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to highlight recent advances on the role of hyperbilirubinemia in hypertension and chronic kidney disease, with a focus on the pathophysiological mechanisms explaining the protective effects of bilirubin. An overview of pharmacologic induction of hyperbilirubinemia will also be discussed. RECENT FINDINGS: The findings depict a protective role of bilirubin in the development of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Hyperbilirubinemia is also negatively correlated with the development and progression of chronic kidney disease. Commonly used drugs play a role in pharmacologic induction of hyperbilirubinemia. Bilirubin is therefore an exciting target for new therapeutic interventions for its antioxidant properties can be pivotal in the management of hypertension and in preventing and halting the progression of chronic kidney disease. Longitudinal studies are warranted to evaluate the prospective association between bilirubin levels and incident hypertension and chronic kidney disease in the general population. Interventions to induce hyperbilirubinemia need to be explored as a novel therapeutic approach in fighting disease burden.

Assessing the Lebanese population for their knowledge, attitudes and practices of antibiotic usage.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a global phenomenon, mainly due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics. There are no studies in Lebanon to assess the public's knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of antibiotic usage. A cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire completed by a random convenience sample of 500 people. Nearly half of the respondents (46.1%) demonstrated moderate knowledge levels, while 40.6% demonstrated moderate attitudes. Although 80.2% knew that antibiotics are anti-bacterial, 73.5% did not know that antibiotics are not anti-viral. Moreover, 68.3% of respondents reported consuming antibiotics 1-3 times per year, while 22.4% consumed antibiotics on their own accord. Approximately 66.7% realized that abusing antibiotics could lead to resistance. Participant knowledge and attitudes were significantly associated with monthly family income, educational level, place of residency, having medical insurance, working in the health sector or having a relative working in the health sector. Nation-wide awareness campaigns targeting susceptible demographics should be initiated.