1 3120 143 GESTATIONAL HYPOXIA AND BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER PERMEABILITY: EARLY ORIGINS OF CEREBROVASCULAR DYSFUNCTION INDUCED BY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. FETAL CHRONIC HYPOXIA LEADS TO INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION (IUGR), WHICH IS LIKELY TO REDUCE OXYGEN DELIVERY TO THE BRAIN AND INDUCE LONG-TERM NEUROLOGICAL IMPAIRMENTS. THESE INDICATE A MODULATORY ROLE FOR OXYGEN IN CEREBROVASCULAR DEVELOPMENT. DURING INTRAUTERINE HYPOXIA, THE FETAL CIRCULATION SUFFERS MARKED ADAPTATIONS IN THE FETAL CARDIAC OUTPUT TO MAINTAIN OXYGEN AND NUTRIENT DELIVERY TO VITAL ORGANS, KNOWN AS THE "BRAIN-SPARING PHENOTYPE." THIS IS A WELL-CHARACTERIZED RESPONSE; HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE POSTNATAL COURSE AND OUTCOMES OF THIS FETAL CEREBROVASCULAR ADAPTATION. IN ADDITION, SEVERAL NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS HAVE THEIR ORIGINS DURING GESTATION. STILL, FEW STUDIES HAVE FOCUSED ON HOW INTRAUTERINE FETAL HYPOXIA MODULATES THE NORMAL BRAIN DEVELOPMENT OF THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER (BBB) IN THE IUGR NEONATE. THE BBB IS A CELLULAR STRUCTURE FORMED BY THE NEUROVASCULAR UNIT (NVU) AND IS ORGANIZED BY A MONOLAYER OF ENDOTHELIAL AND MURAL CELLS. THE BBB REGULATES THE ENTRY OF PLASMA CELLS AND MOLECULES FROM THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION TO THE BRAIN. A HIGHLY SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY SYSTEM ACHIEVES THIS THROUGH INTEGRAL MEMBRANE PROTEINS IN BRAIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. BBB BREAKDOWN AND DYSFUNCTION IN CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES LEAD TO LEAKAGE OF BLOOD COMPONENTS INTO THE BRAIN PARENCHYMA, CONTRIBUTING TO NEUROLOGICAL DEFICITS. THE FETAL BRAIN CIRCULATION IS PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE IN IUGR AND IS PROPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MAIN PATHOLOGICAL PROCESSES DERIVING BBB DISRUPTION. IN THE LAST DECADE, SEVERAL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ACTIVATED BY IU HYPOXIA HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO REGULATE THE POSTNATAL BBB PERMEABILITY. HOWEVER, FEW MECHANISTIC STUDIES ABOUT THIS TOPIC ARE AVAILABLE, AND LITTLE EVIDENCE SHOWS CONTROVERSY. THEREFORE, IN THIS MINI-REVIEW, WE ANALYZE THE BBB PERMEABILITY-ASSOCIATED EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN THE BRAIN EXPOSED TO CHRONIC INTRAUTERINE HYPOXIA. 2021 2 5280 26 PROMOTING SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS; PHARMACOLOGICAL, NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL, AND SURGICAL STRATEGIES. ACCUMULATED EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) DYSFUNCTION MAY BE THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF MANY MS CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS, INCLUDING NEURODEGENERATION AND REDUCED RESPONSE TO IMMUNOMODULATORY THERAPIES, DEPRESSION, FATIGUE AND SLEEP DISORDERS, MIGRAINE, OSTEOPOROSIS, AND CHRONIC CEREBROSPINAL VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY, THE NEWER MS VASCULAR ETIOLOGY. WE HAVE RECENTLY DESCRIBED THE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS WITH THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCING ANS ACTIVITY, AND THE INTERACTIONS AMONG THESE FACTORS. THIS REVIEW EXPANDS UPON PREVIOUS ONES, DESCRIBING THE PHARMACOLOGICAL, NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL, AND SURGICAL STRATEGIES THAT COULD BE ADOPTED TO PREVENT AND MINIMIZE THE DETERIORATION IN ANS FUNCTION, PROMOTING A STATE OF SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE. HOWEVER, THESE STRATEGIES SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED AS "ONE SIZE FITS ALL", BUT SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE NATURE AND THE DEGREE OF ANS DYSFUNCTION. THESE STRATEGIES WOULD BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING ANS FUNCTION NOT ONLY IN MS, BUT ALSO IN OTHER AUTOIMMUNE AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, WHERE THE DYSFUNCTION OF THIS SYSTEM PLAYS A ROLE. 2016 3 6893 27 [SLEEP AND DEMENTIA]. AGING IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN SLEEP STRUCTURE AND CEREBRAL DEPOSITION OF AMYLOID BETA AND TAU PROTEINS. SLEEP DISTURBANCES PRECEDE THE ONSET OF DEMENTIA BY YEARS. COMORBID SLEEP DISORDERS, SUCH AS INSOMNIA AND SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING, A FAMILY HISTORY OF DEMENTIA AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEMENTIA. THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES THE QUESTION OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SLEEP AND DEMENTIA BASED ON THE EXISTING LITERATURE. ALTERATIONS CAUSED BY SLOW WAVE SLEEP LEAD TO CHANGES IN THE GLYMPHATIC CLEARANCE OF AMYLOID BETA, TAU PROTEINS AND OTHER PROTEINS. TRANSIENT AND CHRONIC SLEEP DISORDERS CAUSE DISTURBANCES IN THE BRAIN AREAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COGNITION AND BEHAVIOR. SLEEP-REGULATING BRAIN AREAS ARE THE FIRST TO BE AFFECTED IN THE NEURODEGENERATIVE PROCESS AND ACCELERATE THE RISK OF DEMENTIA. CIRCADIAN AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN AMYLOID BETA AND TAU PROTEINS AFFECT THE AMOUNT AND DEPTH OF SLEEP AND VICE VERSA. AMYLOID BETA IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID SHOWS AN INVERSE CORRELATION WITH SLEEP. OREXINS MODULATE AMYLOID BETA AND SLEEP. 2023 4 4589 22 NANOPARTICLES IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF VASCULAR AGING AND RELATED DISEASES. AGING-INDUCED ALTERNATIONS OF VASCULATURE STRUCTURES, PHENOTYPES, AND FUNCTIONS ARE KEY IN THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF VASCULAR AGING-RELATED DISEASES. MULTIPLE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR EVENTS, SUCH AS OXIDATIVE STRESS, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, VASCULAR INFLAMMATION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS ARE HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WITH VASCULAR AGING PHYSIOPATHOLOGY. ADVANCES IN NANOPARTICLES AND NANOTECHNOLOGY, WHICH CAN REALIZE SENSITIVE DIAGNOSTIC MODALITIES, EFFICIENT MEDICAL TREATMENT, AND BETTER PROGNOSIS AS WELL AS LESS ADVERSE EFFECTS ON NON-TARGET TISSUES, PROVIDE AN AMAZING WINDOW IN THE FIELD OF VASCULAR AGING AND RELATED DISEASES. THROUGHOUT THIS REVIEW, WE PRESENTED CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON CLASSIFICATION OF NANOPARTICLES AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VASCULAR AGING AND RELATED DISEASES. IMPORTANTLY, WE COMPREHENSIVELY SUMMARIZED THE POTENTIAL OF NANOPARTICLES-BASED DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES IN VASCULAR AGING AND RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES, AS WELL AS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES, AND DISCUSSED THE ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF THEIR CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. 2022 5 4982 38 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER: ANIMAL MODELS AND METHODS. THE SPECIALIZED CEREBRAL MICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM INTERACTS WITH THE CELLULAR MILIEU OF THE BRAIN AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX TO FORM A NEUROVASCULAR UNIT, ONE ASPECT OF WHICH IS A REGULATED INTERFACE BETWEEN THE BLOOD AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). THE CONCEPT OF THIS BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER (BBB) AS A DYNAMICALLY REGULATED SYSTEM RATHER THAN A STATIC BARRIER HAS WIDE-RANGING IMPLICATIONS FOR PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE CNS. WHILE IN VITRO MODELS OF THE BBB ARE USEFUL FOR SCREENING DRUGS TARGETED TO THE CNS AND INDISPENSABLE FOR STUDIES OF CEREBRAL ENDOTHELIAL CELL BIOLOGY, THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF THE NEUROVASCULAR UNIT MAKE ANIMAL-BASED MODELS AND METHODS ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE BBB. BBB DYSFUNCTION IS A COMPLICATION OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE AND BRAIN INJURY. STUDIES ON ANIMAL MODELS HAVE SHOWN THAT DISEASES OF THE PERIPHERY, SUCH AS DIABETES AND INFLAMMATORY PAIN, HAVE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON THE BBB WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO NEUROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE CONDITIONS. FURTHERMORE, GENETIC AND/OR EPIGENETIC ABNORMALITIES IN CONSTITUENTS OF THE BBB MAY BE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN DISEASE ETIOLOGY. RESEARCH THAT APPROACHES THE BBB AS A DYNAMIC SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH BOTH THE CNS AND THE PERIPHERY IS THEREFORE CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING DISEASES OF THE CNS. HEREIN, WE REVIEW VARIOUS METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES USED TO STUDY BBB FUNCTION IN THE CONTEXT OF DISEASE. THESE INCLUDE MEASUREMENT OF TRANSPORT BETWEEN BLOOD AND BRAIN, IMAGING-BASED TECHNOLOGIES, AND GENOMIC/PROTEOMIC APPROACHES. 2008 6 5580 36 ROLE OF NEUROTOXICANTS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: A MECHANISTIC INSIGHT. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) IS THE MOST CONSPICUOUS CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE SYNDROME, WHICH HAS BECOME A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR THE GLOBAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE CORROBORATED A CLEAR ASSOCIATION OF NEUROTOXICANTS WITH AD PATHOGENICITY, SUCH AS AMYLOID BETA (ABETA) PROTEINS AND NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES (NFTS), SIGNALLING PATHWAY MODIFICATIONS, CELLULAR STRESS, COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTIONS, NEURONAL APOPTOSIS, NEUROINFLAMMATION, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION, AND SO ON. THIS REVIEW, THEREFORE, AIMED TO ADDRESS SEVERAL ESSENTIAL MECHANISMS AND SIGNALLING CASCADES, INCLUDING WNT (WINGLESS AND INT.) SIGNALLING PATHWAY, AUTOPHAGY, MAMMALIAN TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (MTOR), PROTEIN KINASE C (PKC) SIGNALLING CASCADES, CELLULAR REDOX STATUS, ENERGY METABOLISM, GLUTAMATERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSIONS, IMMUNE CELL STIMULATIONS (E.G. MICROGLIA, ASTROCYTES) AS WELL AS AN AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN (APP), PRESENILIN-1 (PSEN1), PRESENILIN-2 (PSEN2) AND OTHER AD-RELATED GENE EXPRESSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRETENTIOUS AND MODULATED BY THE VARIOUS NEUROTOXICANTS. THIS REVIEW CONCLUDED THAT NEUROTOXICANTS PLAY A MOMENTOUS ROLE IN DEVELOPING AD THROUGH MODULATING VARIOUS SIGNALLING CASCADES. NEVERTHELESS, COMPREHENSION OF THIS RISK AGENT-INDUCED NEUROTOXICITY IS FAR TOO LITTLE. MORE IN-DEPTH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATIONS ARE NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS BETTER TO ADDRESS THESE NEUROTOXICANTS AND IMPROVE APPROACHES TO THEIR RISK EXPOSURE THAT AID IN AD PATHOGENESIS.KEY MESSAGESINEVITABLE CASCADE MECHANISMS OF HOW ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE-RELATED (AD-RELATED) GENE EXPRESSIONS ARE MODULATED BY NEUROTOXICANTS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED.INVOLVEMENT OF THE NEUROTOXICANTS-INDUCED PATHWAYS CAUSED AN EXTENDED RISK OF AD IS EXPLICITED.INTEGRATION OF CELL CULTURE, ANIMALS AND POPULATION-BASED ANALYSIS ON THE CLINICAL SEVERITY OF AD IS ADDRESSED. 2021 7 465 30 ARE TARGETED THERAPIES FOR DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY ON THE HORIZON? DIABETES INCREASES THE RISK OF HEART FAILURE APPROXIMATELY 2.5-FOLD, INDEPENDENT OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND OTHER COMORBIDITIES. THIS PROCESS, TERMED DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY, IS CHARACTERIZED BY INITIAL IMPAIRMENT OF LEFT VENTRICULAR (LV) RELAXATION FOLLOWED BY LV CONTRACTILE DYSFUNCTION. POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION REVEALS THAT HUMAN DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH LV DAMAGE, INCLUDING CARDIOMYOCYTE HYPERTROPHY, APOPTOSIS AND FIBROSIS, WITH IMPAIRED CORONARY MICROVASCULAR PERFUSION. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERPINNING THE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD, ALTHOUGH MULTIPLE FACTORS INCLUDING ALTERED LIPID METABOLISM, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER) STRESS, INFLAMMATION, AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ARE IMPLICATED. DESPITE A RECENT RISE IN RESEARCH INTERROGATING THESE MECHANISMS AND AN INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY, THERE REMAINS A LACK OF SPECIFIC TREATMENT STRATEGIES. HOW THE CHRONIC METABOLIC DISTURBANCES OBSERVED IN DIABETES LEAD TO STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES REMAINS A PERTINENT QUESTION, AND IT IS HOPED THAT RECENT ADVANCES, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF EPIGENETICS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS. THIS REVIEW HENCE EXPLORES THE TEMPORAL ONSET OF THE PATHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY, AND THEIR RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE RESULTANT DISEASE PHENOTYPE, AS WELL AS BOTH CURRENT AND POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS. THE EMERGENCE OF GLUCOSE-OPTIMIZING AGENTS, NAMELY GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 (GLP-1) AGONISTS AND SODIUM/GLUCOSE CO-TRANSPORTER (SGLT)2 INHIBITORS THAT CONFER BENEFITS ON CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES, TOGETHER WITH NOVEL EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES, HIGHLIGHT A NEW AND EXCITING ERA IN DIABETES RESEARCH, WHICH IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN MAJOR CLINICAL IMPACT. 2017 8 3975 44 LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF PLACENTAL VASCULAR PATHOLOGY ON THE MATERNAL AND OFFSPRING CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS. OVER THE LAST THIRTY YEARS, EVIDENCE HAS BEEN ACCUMULATING THAT HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY (HDP) AND, SPECIFICALLY, PREECLAMPSIA (PE) PRODUCE NOT ONLY LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON THE PREGNANT WOMAN, BUT HAVE ALSO LASTING CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FETUS. AT THE CORE OF THESE CONSEQUENCES IS THE PHENOMENON KNOWN AS DEFECTIVE DEEP PLACENTATION, BEING PRESENT IN VIRTUALLY EVERY MAJOR OBSTETRICAL SYNDROME. THE PROFOUND PLACENTAL VASCULAR LESIONS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS PATHOLOGY CAN INDUCE LONG-TERM ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN'S ENTIRE ARTERIAL SYSTEM. IN ADDITION, PLACENTAL GROWTH RESTRICTION AND FUNCTION CAN, IN TURN, CAUSE A DECREASED BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE FETUS, WITH LONG-LASTING EFFECTS. WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF HDP HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD) COMPARED WITH WOMEN WITH NORMAL PREGNANCIES. SPECIFICALLY, THESE SUBJECTS ARE AT A FUTURE HIGHER RISK OF: HYPERTENSION; CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE; HEART FAILURE; PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE; CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENTS (STROKE); CVD-RELATED MORTALITY. VASCULAR PATHOLOGY IN PREGNANCY AND CVD MAY SHARE A COMMON ETIOLOGY AND MAY HAVE COMMON RISK FACTORS, WHICH ARE UNMASKED BY THE "STRESS" OF PREGNANCY. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE FUTURE OCCURRENCE OF A CVD MAY BE THE CONSEQUENCE OF ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION GENERATED BY PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION THAT PERSISTS AFTER DELIVERY. ALTHOUGH BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL MARKERS OF PE ABOUND, INFORMATION ON MARKERS FOR A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION IN THE VARIOUS GROUPS IS STILL LACKING. LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES FOR THE FETUS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE THEORY OF A FETAL ORIGIN OF A NUMBER OF ADULT DISEASES, KNOWN AS THE BARKER HYPOTHESIS. INDEED, INTRAUTERINE MALNUTRITION AND FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION REPRESENT SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTORS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, STROKE AND DEATH FROM CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE IN ADULTS. OTHER FACTORS WILL ALSO INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT LATER IN LIFE OF HYPERTENSION, CORONARY AND MYOCARDIAL DISEASE; THEY INCLUDE PARENTAL GENETIC DISPOSITION, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION, CONCURRENT INTRAUTERINE EXPOSURES, AND THE LIFESTYLE OF THE AFFECTED INDIVIDUAL. 2021 9 1459 38 DISORDERED APP METABOLISM AND NEUROVASCULATURE IN TRAUMA AND AGING: COMBINED RISKS FOR CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI), ADVANCED AGE, AND CEREBRAL VASCULAR DISEASE ARE FACTORS CONFERRING INCREASED RISK FOR LATE ONSET ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD). THESE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO RELATED PATHOLOGICALLY THROUGH MULTIPLE INTERACTING MECHANISMS. THE HALLMARK PATHOLOGY OF AD CONSISTS OF PATHOLOGICAL AGGREGATES OF AMYLOID-BETA (ABETA) PEPTIDES AND TAU PROTEINS. THESE MOLECULES ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN NEUROPATHOLOGY OF SEVERAL OTHER CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND ARE UNDER INTENSE INVESTIGATION IN THE AFTERMATH OF TBI AS POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE RISK FOR DEVELOPING AD AND CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY (CTE). THE PATHOLOGY OF TBI IS COMPLEX AND DEPENDENT ON INJURY SEVERITY, AGE-AT-INJURY, AND LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN INJURY AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL EVALUATION. IN ADDITION, THE MECHANISMS INFLUENCING PATHOLOGY AND RECOVERY AFTER TBI LIKELY INVOLVE GENETIC/EPIGENETIC FACTORS AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL DISORDERS OR COMORBID STATES RELATED TO AGE AND CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL VASCULAR HEALTH. IN THIS REGARD, DYSFUNCTION OF THE AGING NEUROVASCULAR SYSTEM COULD BE AN IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN TBI AND CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, EITHER AS A PRECIPITATING EVENT OR RELATED TO ACCUMULATION OF AD-LIKE PATHOLOGY WHICH IS AMPLIFIED IN THE CONTEXT OF AGING. THUS WITH ADVANCED AGE AND VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION, TBI CAN TRIGGER SELF-PROPAGATING CYCLES OF NEURONAL INJURY, PATHOLOGICAL PROTEIN AGGREGATION, AND SYNAPTIC LOSS RESULTING IN CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE. IN THIS REVIEW WE DISCUSS EVIDENCE SUPPORTING TBI AND AGING AS DUAL, INTERACTING RISK FACTORS FOR AD, AND THE ROLE OF ABETA AND CEREBRAL VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION IN THIS RELATIONSHIP. EVIDENCE IS DISCUSSED THAT ABETA IS INVOLVED IN CYTO- AND SYNAPTO-TOXICITY AFTER SEVERE TBI, AND THAT ITS CHRONIC EFFECTS ARE POTENTIATED BY AGING AND IMPAIRED CEREBRAL VASCULAR FUNCTION. FROM A THERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVE, WE EMPHASIZE THAT IN THE FIELDS OF TBI- AND AGING-RELATED NEURODEGENERATION PROTECTIVE STRATEGIES SHOULD INCLUDE PRESERVATION OF NEUROVASCULAR FUNCTION. 2017 10 5033 32 PESTICIDES AND HUMAN CHRONIC DISEASES: EVIDENCES, MECHANISMS, AND PERSPECTIVES. ALONG WITH THE WIDE USE OF PESTICIDES IN THE WORLD, THE CONCERNS OVER THEIR HEALTH IMPACTS ARE RAPIDLY GROWING. THERE IS A HUGE BODY OF EVIDENCE ON THE RELATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES AND ELEVATED RATE OF CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS, DIABETES, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS LIKE PARKINSON, ALZHEIMER, AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS), BIRTH DEFECTS, AND REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS. THERE IS ALSO CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE ON THE ASSOCIATION OF EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES WITH SOME OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE SUCH AS ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, CHRONIC NEPHROPATHIES, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES LIKE SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOUS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, AND AGING. THE COMMON FEATURE OF CHRONIC DISORDERS IS A DISTURBANCE IN CELLULAR HOMEOSTASIS, WHICH CAN BE INDUCED VIA PESTICIDES' PRIMARY ACTION LIKE PERTURBATION OF ION CHANNELS, ENZYMES, RECEPTORS, ETC., OR CAN AS WELL BE MEDIATED VIA PATHWAYS OTHER THAN THE MAIN MECHANISM. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PRESENT THE HIGHLIGHTED EVIDENCE ON THE ASSOCIATION OF PESTICIDE'S EXPOSURE WITH THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC DISEASES AND INTRODUCE GENETIC DAMAGES, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS AND UNFOLDED PROTEIN RESPONSE (UPR), IMPAIRMENT OF UBIQUITIN PROTEASOME SYSTEM, AND DEFECTIVE AUTOPHAGY AS THE EFFECTIVE MECHANISMS OF ACTION. 2013 11 6786 28 [CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY ON RESEARCH PROGRESS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION]. VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IS AN ACTIVE AND COMPLEX PATHOLOGICAL PROCESS REGULATED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND OTHER DISEASES, WHICH AFFECTS MULTIPLE ORGANS AND SYSTEMS, THUS AFFECTING PEOPLE'S HEALTH. THEREFORE, MORE AND MORE ATTENTION IS PAID TO VASCULAR CALCIFICATION. AT PRESENT, THE PATHOGENESIS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION HAVE BEEN CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVED, WHICH MAINLY INCLUDES CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS IMBALANCE THEORY, VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL TRANSDIFFERENTIATION THEORY, BONE HOMEOSTASIS IMBALANCE THEORY, EPIGENETIC REGULATION THEORY, INFLAMMATION THEORY, EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX THEORY, NEW CELL FATE THEORY AND SO ON. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL MANY UNSOLVED PROBLEMS. SINCE THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION AFFECT MULTIPLE ORGANS AND SYSTEMS, THIS EXPERT CONSENSUS GATHERED CLINICIANS AND BASIC RESEARCH EXPERTS ENGAGED IN THE STUDY OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN ORDER TO SUMMARIZE THE PROGRESS OF VARIOUS DISCIPLINES RELATED TO VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN RECENT YEARS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONSENSUS IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY SUMMARIZE THE LATEST RESEARCH PROGRESS, TREATMENT CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION FROM THE ASPECTS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, SO AS TO PROVIDE THEORETICAL BASIS AND CLINICAL ENLIGHTENMENT FOR IN-DEPTH RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD. 2022 12 4585 27 NAD(+) AND VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION: FROM MECHANISMS TO THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES. NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+)) IS AN ESSENTIAL AND PLEIOTROPIC COENZYME INVOLVED NOT ONLY IN CELLULAR ENERGY METABOLISM, BUT ALSO IN CELL SIGNALING, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND POST-TRANSLATIONAL PROTEIN MODIFICATIONS. VASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ABERRANT NAD(+) METABOLISM. CONVERSELY, THE THERAPEUTIC INCREASE OF NAD(+) LEVELS THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF NAD(+) PRECURSORS OR INHIBITORS OF NAD(+)-CONSUMING ENZYMES REDUCES CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, REACTIVATES AUTOPHAGY AND MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS, AND ENHANCES OXIDATIVE METABOLISM IN VASCULAR CELLS OF HUMANS AND RODENTS WITH VASCULAR PATHOLOGIES. AS SUCH, NAD(+) HAS EMERGED AS A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR COMBATTING AGE-RELATED CARDIOVASCULAR AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES NAD(+)-REGULATED MECHANISMS CRITICAL FOR VASCULAR HEALTH AND SUMMARIZES NEW ADVANCES IN NAD(+) RESEARCH DIRECTLY RELATED TO VASCULAR AGING AND DISEASE, INCLUDING HYPERTENSION, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, AND AORTIC ANEURYSMS. FINALLY, WE ENUMERATE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NAD(+) REPLETION THERAPY WHILE ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE OF THIS EXCITING RESEARCH FIELD, WHICH WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON VASCULAR MEDICINE. 2022 13 5945 34 TARGETING THE "HALLMARKS OF AGING" TO SLOW AGING AND TREAT AGE-RELATED DISEASE: FACT OR FICTION? AGING IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR A NUMBER OF CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING NEURODEGENERATIVE AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS. AGING PROCESSES HAVE THEREFORE BEEN DISCUSSED AS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL AND BROADLY EFFECTIVE PREVENTATIVES OR THERAPEUTICS FOR AGE-RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING THOSE AFFECTING THE BRAIN. MECHANISMS THOUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE TO AGING HAVE BEEN SUMMARIZED UNDER THE TERM THE "HALLMARKS OF AGING" AND INCLUDE A LOSS OF PROTEOSTASIS, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, ALTERED NUTRIENT SENSING, TELOMERE ATTRITION, GENOMIC INSTABILITY, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS AND ALTERED INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION. WE HERE EXAMINE KEY CLAIMS ABOUT THE "HALLMARKS OF AGING". OUR ANALYSIS REVEALS IMPORTANT WEAKNESSES THAT PRECLUDE STRONG AND DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING A POSSIBLE ROLE OF THESE PROCESSES IN SHAPING ORGANISMAL AGING RATE. SIGNIFICANT AMBIGUITY ARISES FROM THE OVERRELIANCE ON LIFESPAN AS A PROXY MARKER FOR AGING, THE USE OF MODELS WITH UNCLEAR RELEVANCE FOR ORGANISMAL AGING, AND THE USE OF STUDY DESIGNS THAT DO NOT ALLOW TO PROPERLY ESTIMATE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON AGING RATE. WE ALSO DISCUSS FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN TO CLARIFY IF AND TO WHAT EXTENT PUTATIVE AGING REGULATORS DO IN FACT INTERACT WITH AGING. THESE INCLUDE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORKS AS WELL AS DESIGNS THAT FACILITATE THE PROPER ASSESSMENT OF INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON AGING RATE. 2023 14 3846 26 IS ATHEROSCLEROSIS A NEUROGENIC PHENOMENON? IDENTIFIED RISK FACTORS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS INCLUDE DIET, AGE, GENDER, FAMILY HISTORY, STRESS, LIFESTYLE, SMOKING, DIABETES, DYSLIPIDEMIAS, HYPERTENSION, AND HIV. THE MECHANISTIC RATIONALE TO EXPLAIN THESE ASSOCIATIONS REMAINS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. WE BELIEVE THAT THESE SEEMINGLY UNRELATED ENTITIES MAY PROMOTE ATHEROSCLEROSIS THROUGH A COMMON PATHWAY BY INDUCING ADVENTITIAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION, SPECIFICALLY AS AN ADVENTITIAL STRESS DYSFUNCTION OF NEUROGENIC ORIGIN. ATHEROSCLEROSIS MAY REPRESENT A LOCAL VASCULAR MANIFESTATION OF THE GLOBAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION INDUCED BY AGE, SMOKING, HYPERTENSION, HIV, AND DIABETES. ATHEROSCLEROSIS MAY ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A FEED-FORWARD CYCLE AS AGING, DIABETES, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND HYPERTENSION MAY ALSO REPRESENT INDEPENDENT DOWNSTREAM CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL SYMPATHETIC BIAS. CHRONIC PHYSIOLOGIC STRESS AND BEHAVIORAL STRESS CAN SHIFT THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE TOWARDS A STATE OF SYMPATHETIC PREDOMINANCE. THE HIGHLY COMMUNICABLE NATURE OF BEHAVIORAL STRESS MAY PARTIALLY IMPLICATE THE FAMILIAL ASSOCIATION OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AS AN EPIGENETIC PHENOMENON, INDEPENDENT OF PUTATIVE GENETIC MECHANISMS. HOST STRESS, GLOBAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION, AND SYMPATHETIC BIAS MAY ALSO ARISE FROM CHRONIC MALADAPTIVE CONSUMPTION OF STRESSED FOODS, AS ORGANISMS DETECT AND ASSIMILATE THE STRESS PHENOTYPES OF THEIR DIETARY CONSTITUENTS THROUGH A PROCESS CALLED XENOHORMESIS. THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE MAY OPERATE THROUGH REDUCTION OF CHRONIC PHYSIOLOGIC STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH GLOBAL SYMPATHETIC BIAS. THE NEUROGENIC ADVENTITIAL STRESS RESPONSE MAY EXPLAIN THE LOCAL TISSUE REMODELING SEEN IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS, INCLUDING ADVENTITIAL ADIPOSE DYSFUNCTION, INFLAMMATION, ADVENTITIAL ANGIOGENESIS, THROMBOSIS, AND ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION. WE BELIEVE THAT THE LOCATIONS OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC LESIONS CORRESPOND TO REGIONS OF NEUROGENIC ADVENTITIAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION, IN SIMILAR FASHION TO THE SEGMENTAL PATTERNS OF INVOLVEMENT FOUND IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. THE DIFFUSE ATHEROSCLEROSIS EXHIBITED IN TRANSPLANTED HEARTS MAY REFLECT A DIFFUSE SYMPATHETIC BIAS OF THE DONOR HEART, SINCE TISSUES AND ORGANS EXHIBIT AN INTRINSIC SYMPATHETIC BIAS IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EXTRINSIC SOURCE OF AUTONOMIC HEGEMONY. ONCE WE REGARD ATHEROSCLEROSIS AS A NEUROGENIC PHENOMENON MANIFESTED IN ADVENTITIAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION, NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC PARADIGMS BECOME EVIDENT. 2007 15 4663 31 NEW HORIZONS: NOVEL APPROACHES TO ENHANCE HEALTHSPAN THROUGH TARGETING CELLULAR SENESCENCE AND RELATED AGING MECHANISMS. THE ELDERLY POPULATION IS INCREASING FASTER THAN OTHER SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AGE IS THE LEADING PREDICTOR FOR MOST CHRONIC DISEASES AND DISORDERS, MULTIMORBIDITY, GERIATRIC SYNDROMES, AND IMPAIRED ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM ACCIDENTS OR ILLNESSES. ENHANCING THE DURATION OF HEALTH AND INDEPENDENCE, TERMED HEALTHSPAN, WOULD BE MORE DESIRABLE THAN EXTENDING LIFESPAN MERELY BY PROLONGING THE PERIOD OF MORBIDITY TOWARD THE END OF LIFE. THE GEROSCIENCE HYPOTHESIS POSITS THAT HEALTHSPAN CAN BE EXTENDED BY TARGETING FUNDAMENTAL AGING MECHANISMS, RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS EACH AGE-RELATED DISEASE ONE AT A TIME, ONLY SO THE AFFLICTED INDIVIDUAL SURVIVES DISABLED AND DIES SHORTLY AFTERWARD OF ANOTHER AGE-RELATED DISEASE. THESE FUNDAMENTAL AGING MECHANISMS INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, FIBROSIS, STEM CELL/ PROGENITOR DYSFUNCTION, DNA DAMAGE, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, METABOLIC SHIFTS, DESTRUCTIVE METABOLITE GENERATION, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, MISFOLDED OR AGGREGATED PROTEIN ACCUMULATION, AND CELLULAR SENESCENCE. THESE PROCESSES APPEAR TO BE TIGHTLY INTERLINKED, AS TARGETING ANY ONE APPEARS TO AFFECT MANY OF THE REST, UNDERLYING OUR UNITARY THEORY OF FUNDAMENTAL AGING MECHANISMS. INTERVENTIONS TARGETING MANY FUNDAMENTAL AGING PROCESSES ARE BEING DEVELOPED, INCLUDING DIETARY MANIPULATIONS, METFORMIN, MTOR (MECHANISTIC TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN) INHIBITORS, AND SENOLYTICS, WHICH ARE IN EARLY HUMAN TRIALS. THESE INTERVENTIONS COULD LEAD TO GREATER HEALTHSPAN BENEFITS THAN TREATING AGE-RELATED DISEASES ONE AT A TIME. TO ILLUSTRATE THESE POINTS, WE FOCUS ON CELLULAR SENESCENCE AND THERAPIES IN DEVELOPMENT TO TARGET SENESCENT CELLS. COMBINING INTERVENTIONS TARGETING AGING MECHANISMS WITH DISEASE-SPECIFIC DRUGS COULD RESULT IN MORE THAN ADDITIVE BENEFITS FOR CURRENTLY DIFFICULT-TO-TREAT OR INTRACTABLE DISEASES. MORE RESEARCH ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE DEVOTED TO TARGETING FUNDAMENTAL AGING PROCESSES. 2021 16 5025 23 PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS. PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS (CVD), ALSO REFERRED TO AS PERSONALIZED OR PRECISION CARDIOLOGY IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, IS SELECTION OF THE BEST TREATMENT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT. IT INVOLVES THE INTEGRATION OF VARIOUS "OMICS" TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS AS WELL AS OTHER NEW TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY. MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS AND BIOMARKERS ARE IMPORTANT FOR LINKING DIAGNOSIS WITH THERAPY AND MONITORING THERAPY. BECAUSE CVD INVOLVE PERTURBATIONS OF LARGE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL NETWORKS, A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH TO CVD RISK STRATIFICATION MAY BE USED FOR IMPROVING RISK-ESTIMATING ALGORITHMS, AND MODELING OF PERSONALIZED BENEFIT OF TREATMENT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR GUIDING THE CHOICE OF INTERVENTION. BIOINFORMATICS TOOLS ARE HELPFUL IN ANALYZING AND INTEGRATING LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. PERSONALIZED THERAPY IS CONSIDERED DURING DRUG DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING METHODS OF TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY AND CLINICAL TRIALS. INDIVIDUALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS CONSIDER MULTIPLE FACTORS - GENETIC AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC - FOR PATIENTS' RISK OF HEART DISEASE. EXAMPLES OF PERSONALIZED TREATMENT ARE THOSE OF CHRONIC MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA, HEART FAILURE, AND HYPERTENSION. SIMILAR APPROACHES CAN BE USED FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA, AS WELL AS THE USE OF ANTICOAGULANTS. PERSONALIZED MANAGEMENT INCLUDES PHARMACOTHERAPY, SURGERY, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, AND COMBINATIONS THEREOF. FURTHER PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PATHOMECHANISM OF COMPLEX CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND IDENTIFICATION OF CAUSATIVE FACTORS AT THE INDIVIDUAL PATIENT LEVEL WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED CARDIOLOGY. APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE WILL IMPROVE THE CARE OF THE PATIENTS WITH CVD. 2017 17 6026 27 THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS INTOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN-STATE OF THE ART AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. STRESS HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY LINKED TO NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. MORE SPECIFICALLY, PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN EXPERIENCE STRESS INTOLERANCE, WHICH IS AN EXACERBATION OR OCCURRENCE OF SYMPTOMS IN RESPONSE TO ANY TYPE OF STRESS. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THIS PHENOMENON REMAIN UNSOLVED. IN THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART PAPER, WE SUMMARISED THE ROLE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) AND HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS, THE TWO MAJOR STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS IN STRESS INTOLERANCE. WE PROVIDED INSIGHTS INTO SUCH MECHANISMS BASED ON EVIDENCE FROM CLINICAL STUDIES IN BOTH PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN, SHOWING DYSREGULATED STRESS SYSTEMS, AND HEALTHY CONTROLS SUPPORTED BY PRECLINICAL STUDIES, HIGHLIGHTING THE LINK BETWEEN THESE SYSTEMS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS INTOLERANCE. FURTHERMORE, WE EXPLORED THE POSSIBLE REGULATING ROLE FOR (EPI)GENETIC MECHANISMS INFLUENCING THE ANS AND HPA AXIS. THE LINK BETWEEN STRESS AND CHRONIC PAIN HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT AREA OF RESEARCH AS IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN. AS STRESS HAS BECOME A PREVALENT CONCERN IN MODERN SOCIETY, UNDERSTANDING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STRESS, HPA AXIS, ANS, AND CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS CHRONIC PAIN IS CRUCIAL TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. 2023 18 1722 28 DYSREGULATION OF BRAIN DOPAMINE SYSTEMS IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD OR DEPRESSION) IS A DEBILITATING NEUROPSYCHIATRIC SYNDROME WITH GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS. DEPRESSION IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO CHRONIC DISEASE BURDEN; IT AFFECTS MORE THAN ONE IN SIX INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES. A WIDE ARRAY OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MODIFICATIONS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS A VARIETY OF NEURONAL PROCESSES AND CIRCUITS UNDERLIE THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION-NO ESTABLISHED MECHANISM CAN EXPLAIN ALL ASPECTS OF THE DISEASE. MDD SUFFERS FROM A VAST TREATMENT GAP WORLDWIDE, AND LARGE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO REQUIRE TREATMENT DO NOT RECEIVE ADEQUATE CARE. THIS MINI-REVIEW FOCUSES ON DYSREGULATION OF BRAIN DOPAMINE (DA) SYSTEMS IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF MDD AND DESCRIBING NEW CELLULAR TARGETS FOR POTENTIAL MEDICATION DEVELOPMENT FOCUSED ON DA-MODULATED MICRO-CIRCUITS. WE ALSO EXPLORE HOW NEURODEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS MAY MODIFY RISK FOR LATER EMERGENCE OF MDD, POSSIBLY THROUGH DOPAMINERGIC SUBSTRATES IN THE BRAIN. 2021 19 4985 29 PATHWAYS TO AGING: THE MITOCHONDRION AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SCIENCES. COMPELLING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT BOTH BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IMPACT THE PROCESS OF AGING. HOWEVER, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DYNAMIC INTERPLAY AMONG BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE IS STILL FRAGMENTARY. FOR EXAMPLE, IT NEEDS TO BE ESTABLISHED HOW THE INTERACTION OF INDIVIDUAL FACTORS (E.G., GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ENDOWMENT AND PERSONALITY), BEHAVIORAL FACTORS (E.G., PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, DIET, AND STRESS MANAGEMENT), AND PSYCHOSOCIAL EXPERIENCES (E.G., SOCIAL SUPPORT, WELL-BEING, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND MARRIAGE) IN PERINATAL, CHILDHOOD, AND ADULTHOOD INFLUENCE HEALTH ACROSS THE AGING CONTINUUM. THIS PAPER AIMS TO OUTLINE POTENTIAL INTERSECTION POINTS SERVING AS AN INTERFACE BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE MITOCHONDRION. MITOCHONDRIA ARE CELLULAR ORGANELLES WHICH PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN CELLULAR SENESCENCE. BOTH CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS AND GENETIC-BASED MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION HAVE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR BIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES; BOTH PREDISPOSE INDIVIDUALS TO ADVERSE AGE-RELATED HEALTH DISORDERS AND EARLY MORTALITY. EXPLORING THE INTERACTIVE NATURE OF THE FACTORS RESULTING IN PATHWAYS TO NORMAL HEALTHY AGING, AS WELL AS THOSE LEADING TO MORBIDITY AND EARLY MORTALITY, WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO TRANSLATE RESEARCH INTO EFFECTIVE PRACTICES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT THE LIFE COURSE TO OPTIMISE THE AGING PROCESS. 2011 20 6375 31 THE ROLE OF NEURO-IMMUNE INTERACTION IN CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS; FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYNDROME, NEUROGENIC INFLAMMATION, AND PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY. FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYNDROMES ARE INCREASINGLY DIAGNOSED IN CHRONICALLY ILL PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH AN ARRAY OF SYMPTOMS NOT ATTRIBUTED TO PHYSICAL AILMENTS. CONDITIONS SUCH AS CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME, OR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME ARE COMMON DISORDERS THAT BELONG IN THIS BROAD CATEGORY. SUCH SYNDROMES ARE CHARACTERISED BY THE PRESENCE OF ONE OR MULTIPLE CHRONIC SYMPTOMS INCLUDING WIDESPREAD MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP DISORDERS, AND ABDOMINAL PAIN, AMONGST OTHER ISSUES. SYMPTOMS ARE BELIEVED TO RELATE TO A COMPLEX INTERACTION OF BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS, WHERE A DEFINITE AETIOLOGY HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THEORIES SUGGEST CAUSATIVE PATHWAYS BETWEEN THE IMMUNE AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERAL RISK FACTORS IDENTIFIED IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH ONE OR MORE FUNCTIONAL SYNDROMES. RISK FACTORS INCLUDING STRESS AND CHILDHOOD TRAUMA ARE NOW RECOGNISED AS IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS. EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND SEXUAL ABUSE DURING CHILDHOOD IS CONSIDERED A SEVERE STRESSOR HAVING A HIGH PREVALENCE IN FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYNDROME SUFFERS. SUCH TRAUMA PERMANENTLY ALTERS THE BIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE OF THE SUFFERS LEADING TO NEUROEXCITATORY AND OTHER NERVE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN IN ADULTS. TRAUMATIC AND CHRONIC STRESS RESULTS IN EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN STRESS RESPONSE GENES, WHICH ULTIMATELY LEADS TO DYSREGULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY AXIS, THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM MANIFESTING IN A BROAD ARRAY OF SYMPTOMS. IMPORTANTLY, THESE SYSTEMS ARE KNOWN TO BE DYSREGULATED IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYNDROME. FUNCTIONAL SOMATIC SYNDROMES ARE ALSO HIGHLY PREVALENT CO-MORBIDITIES OF PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS, MOOD DISORDERS, AND ANXIETY. CONSEQUENTLY, THIS REVIEW AIMS TO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE ROLE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND IMMUNE SYSTEM IN CHRONIC PAIN DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM, AND CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS. 2022