Adv Exp Med Biol
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Mitochondria are essential double-membraned cytoplasmic organelles to support aerobic respiration and produce cellular energy by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Mitochondrial functions are controlled by mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear genomes (nDNA). Mutations of mtDNA result in mitochondrial dysfunction and multisystem diseases through compromising OXPHOS function directly by a point mutation or a large-scale mtDNA rearrangement. ⋯ Unlike diploid nDNA, mtDNA is a multi-copy genome transmitted and maternally inherited through oocyte. The multi-copy nature of mtDNA easily causes the heteroplasmy as a unique aspect of mtDNA, making mitochondrial diseases more complex and heterogeneous. mtDNA-associated mitochondrial dysfunction plays the important role in the development of multisystemic primary mitochondrial disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer. The present article overviews the occurrence of mtDNA mutation, interactions with other factors, and molecular mechanisms of mtDNA-associated diseases.
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Physiological data from wearable sensors and smartphone are accumulating rapidly, and this provides us the chance to collect dynamic and personalized information as phenotype to be integrated to genotype for the holistic understanding of complex diseases. This integration can be applied to early prediction and prevention of disease, therefore promoting the shifting of disease care tradition to the healthcare paradigm. ⋯ We discuss the challenges of physiological informatics about the storage, the standardization, the analyses, and the applications of the physiological data from the wearable sensors and smartphone. At last, we present our perspectives on the models for disentangling the complex relationship between early disease prediction and the mining of physiological phenotype data.
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With rapid urbanization and development of transport infrastructure, air pollution caused by multiple-pollutant emissions and vehicle exhaust has been aggravated year by year in China. In order to improve air quality, the Chinese authorities have taken a series of actions to control air pollution emission load within a permissible range. However, although China has made positive progress on tackling air pollution, these actions have not kept up with its economy growth and fossil-fuel use. ⋯ In this chapter, we first review the past and current circumstances of China's responses to air pollution. Then we discuss the control challenges and future options for a better air quality in China. Finally, we begin to unravel links between air pollution and climate change, providing new opportunities for integrated research and actions in China.
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is a severe complication in critically ill patients generally affected by multiorgan disfunction associated with immobilization also prolonged. Nowadays, VTE prophylaxis is included in the requirements of hospital accreditation and evaluation of the maintenance of standards of quality of care. ICU patients are characterized by a dynamic day-to-day variation both of thromboembolic that bleeding risk and DVT incidence in presence of thromboprophylaxis ranges between 5 and 15 %. ⋯ DVT diagnosis is not clinical but imaging-based and in each ICU data on DVT incidence (DVT diagnosed 72 h after ICU admission) should be obtained by weekly ultrasound screening standardized for the anatomical sites of compression used, taking into account the persistence of DVT-risk throughout ICU stay. A role for mechanical thromboprophylaxis by elastic stockings or pneumatic compression was reported but no general consensus was reached about its use at the best. Much work has to be done but ICU remain the last frontier for VTE prophylaxis.
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Several factors must be considered to successfully integrate immunotherapy with radiation into clinical practice. One such factor is that concepts arising from preclinical work must be tested in combination with radiation in preclinical models to better understand how combination therapy will work in patients; examples include checkpoint inhibitors, tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β) inhibitors, and natural killer (NK) cell therapy. ⋯ Traditional forms of radiation in particular pose challenges for combination trials with immunotherapy. This chapter explores these issues in more detail and provides insights as to how radiation therapy can be optimized to combine with immunotherapy.