Shedding Light on the Interaction Between Rif1 and Telomeres in Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer, more precisely high-grade serous ovarian cancer, is one of the most lethal age-independent gynecologic malignancies in women worldwide, regardless of age. There is mounting evidence that there is a link between telomeres and the RIF1 protein and the proliferation of cancer cells. Telomeres are hexameric (TTAGGG) tandem repeats at the tip of chromosomes that shorten as somatic cells divide, limiting cell proliferation and serving as an important barrier in preventing cancer. RIF1 (Replication Time Regulation Factor 1) plays, among other factors, an important role in the regulation of telomere length. Interestingly, RIF1 appears to influence the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway. However, detailed knowledge regarding the interplay between RIF1 and telomeres and their degree of engagement in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is still elusive, despite the fact that such knowledge could be of relevance in clinical practice to find novel biomarkers. In this review, we provide an update of recent literature to elucidate the relation between telomere biology and the RIF1 protein during the development of ovarian cancer in women.

Oocyte Aging: A Multifactorial Phenomenon in A Unique Cell.

The oocyte is considered to be the largest cell in mammalian species. Women hoping to become pregnant face a ticking biological clock. This is becoming increasingly challenging as an increase in life expectancy is accompanied by the tendency to conceive at older ages. With advancing maternal age, the fertilized egg will exhibit lower quality and developmental competence, which contributes to increased chances of miscarriage due to several causes such as aneuploidy, oxidative stress, epigenetics, or metabolic disorders. In particular, heterochromatin in oocytes and with it, the DNA methylation landscape undergoes changes. Further, obesity is a well-known and ever-increasing global problem as it is associated with several metabolic disorders. More importantly, both obesity and aging negatively affect female reproduction. However, among women, there is immense variability in age-related decline of oocytes' quantity, developmental competence, or quality. Herein, the relevance of obesity and DNA-methylation will be discussed as these aspects have a tremendous effect on female fertility, and it is a topic of continuous and widespread interest that has yet to be fully addressed for the mammalian oocyte.

DNA Methylation and Telomeres-Their Impact on the Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation during Cardiac Aging.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by irregular and increased atrial muscle activation. This high-frequency activation obliterates the synchronous work of the atria and ventricles, reducing myocardial performance, which can lead to severe heart failure or stroke. The risk of developing atrial fibrillation depends largely on the patient's history. Cardiovascular diseases are considered aging-related pathologies; therefore, deciphering the role of telomeres and DNA methylation (mDNA), two hallmarks of aging, is likely to contribute to a better understanding and prophylaxis of AF. In honor of Prof. Elizabeth Blackburn's 75th birthday, we dedicate this review to the discovery of telomeres and her contribution to research on aging.

Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Coatings for Stents in Veterinary Medicine-State of the Art and Perspectives.

Microbial colonization in veterinary stents poses a significant and concerning issue in veterinary medicine. Over time, these pathogens, particularly bacteria, can colonize the stent surfaces, leading to various complications. Two weeks following the stent insertion procedure, the colonization becomes observable, with the aggressiveness of bacterial growth directly correlating with the duration of stent placement. Such microbial colonization can result in infections and inflammations, compromising the stent's efficacy and, subsequently, the animal patient's overall well-being. Managing and mitigating the impact of these pathogens on veterinary stents is a crucial challenge that veterinarians and researchers are actively addressing to ensure the successful treatment and recovery of their animal patients. In addition, irritation of the tissue in the form of an inserted stent can lead to overgrowth of granulation tissue, leading to the closure of the stent lumen, as is most often the case in the trachea. Such serious complications after stent placement require improvements in the procedures used to date. In this review, antibacterial or antibiofilm strategies for several stents used in veterinary medicine have been discussed based on the current literature and the perspectives have been drawn. Various coating strategies such as coating with hydrogel, antibiotic, or other antimicrobial agents have been reviewed.

Periodontitis Disease in Farmed Ruminants-Current State of Research.

Periodontal disease in ruminants is common and occurs in farmed and wild animals. Periodontal lesions can result from the secretion of endotoxins by pathogenic bacteria and as consequences of immune system activity. Three main types of periodontitis have been described. The first is chronic inflammation involving mainly premolars and molars-periodontitis (PD). The second type is an acute inflammatory reaction occurring with calcification of the periosteum of the jawbone and swelling of the surrounding soft tissues (Cara inchada, CI-"swollen face"). Finally, a third type, similar to the first but located in the incisor area, is called "broken mouth" (BM). Etiological variation between the different types of periodontitis is indicated. This particularly manifests in the composition of the microbiome, which is characteristic of the different forms of periodontitis. The widespread detection of lesions has drawn attention to the current nature of the problem.

The Possible Influence of Vitamin D Levels on the Development of Atrial Fibrillation-An Update.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a severe and most common supraventricular arrhythmia in humans, which, if left untreated or treated ineffectively, can lead to ischemic stroke or heart failure. It has been suggested that serum vitamin D (VitD) deficiency may be one of the critical factors influencing the onset of AF, especially in the period after cardiac surgery, such as coronary artery bypass grafting. Several papers have indicated that VitD supplementation reduces the risk of AF, significantly reducing the proportion of patients between the control and study groups in both the pre- and postoperative periods. Factors that increase the risk of AF from VitD deficiency are also further indicated, and these are age, gender, weight, season or comorbidities. In addition, the cardiodepressive mechanism of VitD is not fully understood; however, it is suggested that it acts through at least two pathways. The first indicates a direct effect of VitD on atrial muscle degradation, while the second is related to the modulation of cardiovascular depression factors. Despite many reports showing correlations between no VitD concentrations on the development of AF, this topic is still widely debated and the results from these papers are still subject to doubt. Therefore, this review aims at describing in detail the problem of correlation between VitD deficiency and the development of AF associated mainly with the postoperative period, i.e., after cardiac surgery, especially pathogenesis, and results of this correlation, taking into account recent studies, limitations and future perspectives. Due to the fact that this is still a topical problem, we believe that the collection of the latest reports and a detailed description of the problem is most appropriate in this case.

Stents in Veterinary Medicine.

Stenting in veterinary medicine has been a rapidly growing method of interventional surgery for several years. This procedure is usually performed in the respiratory and urinary tracts, but there are cases of stenting of blood vessels or gastrointestinal structures. It is based on maintaining the permeability of a given tubular structure, thus allowing the passage of gas or liquid. This procedure is often performed as a first-line treatment in situations where pharmacological agents do not work and as an alternative method, often cheaper than the classically performed ones. There are also cases where stenting is used as a palliative treatment, e.g., to enable defecation in colonic obstruction due to tumour infiltration of the colon wall. Stenting is often a life-saving or comfort-improving procedure for animals, but one should also be aware of possible postoperative complications and be prepared for any adversity. For this reason, this review provides an insight into the current knowledge in veterinary medicine about stenting and the consequences associated with this procedure.

Relevance of Vitamin D and Its Deficiency for the Ovarian Follicle and the Oocyte: An Update.

For many years, vitamin D (VD) has been known to be an essential micronutrient with important relevance not only for the skeletal system, but also for numerous other mammalian organ systems. Low levels of VD result in a VD deficiency, which is a global health problem. Moreover, VD deficiencies are linked to several pathologies, for instance, diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus, or sub- and infertility. In the past two decades, an increasing body of evidence has shown that adequate physiological levels of VD are crucial for the female gamete and its microenvironment, and VD deficiency has been associated with decreased live birth rates among women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). With regard to the female reproductive tract, VD receptors (VDRs) have been detected in the ovary, endometrium, and the placenta. Although it has been reported that VD seems to be relevant for both calcium-dependent and independent pathways, its relevance for the oocyte's developmental competence and life span remains elusive. Therefore, herein, we aim to provide an update on the importance of VD and VD deficiency for the oocyte and the follicular microenvironment.

A novel method for rapid and quantitative detection of bisphenol A in urine.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is classified as an endocrine disruptor (ED) and it can interact with variety of hormone receptors leading to hormonal disruption and increased risk of various adverse health effects. Reducing human exposure to BPA is one of the main challenges of public health, as it is constantly present in daily life. A low-cost and commonly applied method to enable determination of BPA in the patient's body has yet to be developed. Currently available techniques are expensive, time-consuming, and require access to highly equipped analytical chemistry laboratories. Here we describe a fast and cheap engineered lateral flow assay of our design, to detect of BPA in urine samples. The technology not only provides an opportunity to perform rapid medical diagnostics without the need for an access to the central laboratory but also a means for self-diagnosis by the patient. The addition of ß-glucuronidase improves the sensitivity of detection as it releases the free BPA from glucuronide complexes in urine. This invention may become a demonstrated analytical means for lowering human exposure to BPA and probably also to other EDs and consequently, may be useful in decrease of the risk for several lifestyle diseases.