The liver has the unique ability to rapidly regenerate and restore function following tissue damage. This has been recognized as far back as the ancient Greeks, who described it in the myth of Prometheus. However, the precise mechanisms controlling regene
Gender dysphoria (GD) is diagnosed at increasingly young ages. In children who have GD, puberty
suppression with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists is a widely accepted intervention to
avoid development of unwanted sex characteristics. Around the age of 16, cross-sex hormones are
added. Although very often applied, studies on the long-term consequences of this treatment for
general health (growth, bone, body ...
Paracetamol is a common household medication used to relieve pain. While it is safe and effective
in therapeutic doses, when these doses are exceeded this can lead to acute liver failure as one of
the breakdown products of paracetamol is toxic to the liver. This leads to the death of hepatocytes,
the structural cells of the liver which in turn causes activation of the local immune system and local
inflammation. This ...
An overdose of acetaminophen (APAP), known as paracetamol, can cause severe liver damage and
acute liver failure. Excessive intake of APAP exceeds normal metabolic pathways, results in
glutathione depletion within hepatocytes and formation of cytotoxic protein adducts which lead to
hepatocyte death and liver inflammation. To date, N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor,
is the only pharmacological therapy. ...
The human gut forms a complex ecosystem where the intestinal barrier faces the resident microbiota. This microbiota is involved in maintaining gut homeostasis, occupying luminal and mucosal niches to outcompete pathogenic bacteria, providing a protective biofilm, contributing to the digestion of foods and energy metabolism, and also actively modulating immune processes. Microbe-host crosstalk is hence considered a crucial determinant of human ...
Colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression is regulated by mechanisms of both innate and acquired immunity. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) support growth, survival, migration, and metastatic spread of cancer cells. While the interaction between cancer cells and immune cells, including TAMs, has well been established, the presence and role of innervation in the colonic tumor microenvironment represent an unexplored field. I have ...
Developing drugs is a time- and cost-intensive process. During drug development, different phasesare required for a drug to finally reach the market. During the discovery and development phase, thousands of compounds are synthesized, of which the most appropriate reach the preclinical phase. During this phase, in vitro and in vivo tests are performed in an attempt to track toxicity. Due to ethical as well as economic constraints, there is a ...