Introduction: Globally, Myocardial Ischemia or Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) inflicts 126 million individuals, totaling an estimated nine million deaths annually. IHD injury and healing are characterized by recruitment of several immune cell types to the cardiac tissue. In addition, atherosclerosis, a common causative factor of IHD, is initiated by mediators of innate and adaptive immunity, thus providing the rationale for studying the role of immune cell types in myocardial ischemia. Clarifying the functions and interactions among these cell types will inform drug targeting studies and ultimately facilitate development of IHD treatment and prevention approaches. Methods: This systematic review highlights and summarizes pertinent studies evidencing the function and interaction of macrophages, monocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, and endothelial cells in IHD pathology. Electronic databases searched consist of Ovid, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. Keywords include: “immune cells”, “innate immunity”, “inflammation”, “cardiac macrophages”, “adaptive immunity”, “lymphocytes”, “B cells”, “T cells”, “T-regulatory cells”, “myocardial infarction”, “reperfusion”, and additional related keywords. Results: Macrophages, monocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, and endothelial cells interact under innate and adaptive immune responses to initiate and sustain inflammation in cardiac tissue. Sustained inflammation signals for the recruitment of associated molecules to the site of ischemic heart damage which instigate injury and healing processes. Discussion: Building a comprehensive picture of interacting cell types enables the identification of druggable targets and potential treatment and prevention options. Here, we propose several steps of IHD pathology during which further studies with agonist and inhibitor molecules may yield fruitful treatment directions. Lastly, we discuss study limitations and future research avenues. Conclusions: Overall, explicating the immune cell type function and interactions will build a connective understanding of IHD pathology. In turn, elucidating the molecular and cell-specific mechanisms of the inflammatory immune response in cardiomyopathies will aid in the modelling of IHD disease progression as well as facilitate the identification of potential biomarkers and druggable targets to alleviate heart failure disease burden.
Introduction: As a result of climate change, increased drought incidence significantly affects the crop yield of rice, Oryza sativa. Given that rice serves as a staple food, adaptation strategies to combat climate change-induced drought are critical. Water retention is regulated by stomata size, stomata density, and the opening and closing of the stomata central pore. Previous studies have identified relevant developmental genes in the Arabidopsis thaliana model system, encoding for epidermal patterning factor (EPFs) and EPF-like (EPFL) signaling peptides, and their orthologs across various plant species. In barley (Hordeum vulgare), genetic manipulation of EPF1 has been shown to reduce stomatal density, resulting in improved drought tolerance. In rice, overexpression of OsEPF1 yields a similar phenotype. The purpose of our study is to develop a proposal for a method to increase drought tolerance of Oryza sativa in an effort to battle climate change. Methods: It has been shown that CRISPR-mediated editing successfully generated knockouts (KOs) of EPFL9-a positive regulator of stomatal development-in Oryza sativa. As such, we propose to downregulate EPFL9 via CRISPR-Cpfb1 gene editing in Oryza sativa. Our proposal includes the growth of genetically altered and control Oryza sativa under specific conditions, including drought conditions, in order to simulate a natural environment. Following the growth of the plants, we propose conducting tests to determine yield and growth in order to assess drought tolerance. Discussion: We expect to observe reduced stomatal densities and better drought tolerance in the mutant Oryza sativa samples. This should be observed in increased yield and growth from genetically altered samples. Potential implications of our proposal could include improvements in proto-plants developed in the agricultural sector, as well as providing a foundation for future studies to be conducted on drought tolerance. Conclusion: Our proposal uniquely addresses the impact of climate change on rice by potentially providing an opportunity to scale-up, generating a drought-tolerant rice plant for comparison with previous prototypes, and secondarily, the elucidation of stomatal development. Our proposal may open further opportunities to address and alter plant resistance to climate change.
Introduction: Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) can result in memory dysfunction and cognitive impairments. Bilingualism and multilingualism have been shown to have preventative effects on AD due to influence on brain regions and the improvement of cognitive reserve (CR). The paper analyses studies explicating the role of bilingualism and multilingualism in AD progression by evaluating their effects on CR, brain pathology, and behavioral function. We hypothesize that both bilingualism and multilingualism delay onset of AD and help prevent symptoms related to AD by improving cognitive functioning. Methods: For this comprehensive comparative analysis, we reviewed empirical research articles found through PubMed and other databases to investigate the effects of bilingualism and multilingualism on AD manifestation. Keywords such as ageing, multilingualism, bilingualism and AD were used, and research published before 2000 was excluded. Specific focus was placed on AD onset time and symptoms as a framework for severity evaluation. A total of 13 studies were chosen to be included in this review. Results: Results suggest bilingualism and multilingualism play a role in the strengthening of different preventative factors, such as CR. Improved effects are evident throughout various brain structures, such as improved resistance to grey matter deterioration in bilinguals and multilinguals with AD. These protective effects are also observed in behavioural functionality, with improved executive function present in bilinguals and multilinguals. The effects of multilingualism on AD seem to be stronger than those of bilingualism. Discussion: Bilinguals and multilinguals have a stronger CR, which is linked to improved neuroplasticity and neural circuit efficiency; these contribute to ameliorated memory retention. By analyzing the effect of bilingualism and multilingualism on AD progression, we aim to improve the understanding of therapeutic targets to alleviate the impact of symptoms and provide further avenues for testing. Conclusion: Our review will aid in establishing alternative means of treatment and preventative methods to decrease cognitive impairment in AD patients. Elucidating bilingualism and multilingualism mechanisms of action in AD progression will strengthen our understanding of its protective measures. This analysis will allow exploration into new avenues with the ultimate goal of reducing the incidence and impact of AD.
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