1 5033 135 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 2 6375 30 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 3 30 39 A BRIEF LOOK AT HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE, ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS, OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE-COULD ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS BE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME COIN? HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE (HD) IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF HYPOTHYROIDISM IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THE EXACT PATHOMECHANISM BEHIND IT HAS NOT BEEN CLEARLY ESTABLISHED; HOWEVER, AN INTERPLAY OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS (INCLUDING DIET) AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS SEEMS TO BE INVOLVED. AMONG THE LATTER, INCREASINGLY MORE ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO SOME HORMONALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES, KNOWN AS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, WHICH ARE COMMONLY USED WORLDWIDE. HD HAS BECOME A CONDITION WIDELY REPORTED IN THE MEDIA, ACTING AS A CULPRIT FOR INEXPLICABLE WEIGHT GAIN, CHRONIC FATIGUE OR WEAKNESS. NEVERTHELESS, THE RECOGNITION OF HD IS UNDENIABLY INCREASING AND REPRESENTS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN. AT THE SAME TIME, IMPROVING ACCESS TO IMAGING TESTS HAS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTALLY DIAGNOSED ADRENAL TUMORS. ABOVE ALL, THE WIDESPREAD USE OF CHEST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT) DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CONTRIBUTED TO FREQUENT INCIDENTAL DETECTION OF ADRENAL LESIONS. FORTUNATELY, A VAST MAJORITY OF THESE FINDINGS ARE ASYMPTOMATIC BENIGN TUMORS WITH NO EXCESSIVE HORMONAL ACTIVITY, AND THEREFORE, THEY ARE DEFINED AS ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS (AIS). INTERESTINGLY, RECENT STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT PATIENTS WITH AIS ARE MORE PRONE TO OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. ALTHOUGH MUTUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE THYROID AND THE ADRENAL GLANDS HAVE BEEN STUDIED WIDELY, STILL, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THYROID AUTOIMMUNITY AND THE OCCURRENCE OF ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE COMMON ENDOCRINE DISORDERS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE FREQUENTLY COEXISTING INSULIN RESISTANCE AND/OR OBESITY. FURTHERMORE, IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT GROWING INTEREST IN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, WITH THEIR TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC EFFECTS THAT INFLUENCE HORMONAL SYSTEM FUNCTION, A CONCISE OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC HAS ALSO BEEN INCLUDED. 2023 4 3021 31 GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS OF PRIMARY SJOGREN SYNDROME: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE THERAPIES. IN PRIMARY SJOGREN SYNDROME (PSS), CHRONIC INFLAMMATION OF EXOCRINE GLANDS RESULTS IN TISSUE DESTRUCTION AND SICCA SYMPTOMS, PRIMARILY OF THE MOUTH AND EYES. FATIGUE, ARTHRALGIA AND MYALGIA ARE ALSO COMMON SYMPTOMS, WHEREAS EXTRAGLANDULAR MANIFESTATIONS THAT INVOLVE THE RESPIRATORY, NERVOUS AND VASCULAR SYSTEMS OCCUR IN A SUBSET OF PATIENTS. THE DISEASE PREDOMINANTLY AFFECTS WOMEN, WITH AN ESTIMATED FEMALE TO MALE RATIO OF 14 TO 1. THE AETIOLOGY OF PSS, HOWEVER, REMAINS INCOMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD, AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT IS LACKING. LARGE-SCALE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC INVESTIGATIONS HAVE REVEALED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PSS AND GENES IN BOTH INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE PATHWAYS. THE GENETIC VARIANTS MEDIATE CONTEXT-DEPENDENT EFFECTS, AND BOTH SEX AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME. AS SUCH, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC STUDIES CAN PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE DYSREGULATED MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, WHICH IN TURN MIGHT REVEAL NEW THERAPEUTIC POSSIBILITIES. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN ROBUSTLY CONNECTED WITH PSS, PUTTING THEM INTO THE CONTEXT OF CELLULAR FUNCTION, CARRIER SEX AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. IN ALL, THE OBSERVATIONS POINT TO SEVERAL NOVEL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARLY DETECTION, TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT AND THE PATHWAY TOWARDS PERSONALIZED MEDICINE. 2023 5 6329 32 THE ROLE OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN BIPOLAR DISORDERS. THIS REVIEW WILL DISCUSS THE ROLE OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN BIPOLAR DISORDERS. RELEVANT STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED VIA MEDLINE (PUBMED) AND PSYCINFO DATABASES PUBLISHED UP TO AND INCLUDING JULY 2015. THIS REVIEW CONTRIBUTES TO A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY LIFE STRESS, AS WELL AS SETTING CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN A BIOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SUSCEPTIBILITY AND DISCUSSING NOVEL LONG-TERM PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES IN BIPOLAR DISORDERS. CHILDHOOD TRAUMATIC EVENTS ARE RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING BIPOLAR DISORDERS, IN ADDITION TO A MORE SEVERE CLINICAL PRESENTATION OVER TIME (PRIMARILY AN EARLIER AGE AT ONSET AND AN INCREASED RISK OF SUICIDE ATTEMPT AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE). CHILDHOOD TRAUMA LEADS TO ALTERATIONS OF AFFECT REGULATION, IMPULSE CONTROL, AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING THAT MIGHT DECREASE THE ABILITY TO COPE WITH LATER STRESSORS. CHILDHOOD TRAUMA INTERACTS WITH SEVERAL GENES BELONGING TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS [HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS, SEROTONERGIC TRANSMISSION, NEUROPLASTICITY, IMMUNITY, CALCIUM SIGNALING, AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS] TO DECREASE THE AGE AT THE ONSET OF THE DISORDER OR INCREASE THE RISK OF SUICIDE. EPIGENETIC FACTORS MAY ALSO BE INVOLVED IN THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN BIPOLAR DISORDER. BIOLOGICAL SEQUELAE SUCH AS CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, OR TELOMERE SHORTENING ARE POTENTIAL MEDIATORS OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN BIPOLAR DISORDERS, IN PARTICULAR WITH REGARD TO PHYSICAL HEALTH. THE MAIN CLINICAL IMPLICATION IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA IN PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDERS, OR AT LEAST IN THOSE WITH A SEVERE OR INSTABLE COURSE. THE CHALLENGE FOR THE NEXT YEARS WILL BE TO FILL THE GAP BETWEEN CLINICAL AND FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH AND ROUTINE PRACTICE, SINCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGING THIS SPECIFIC POPULATION ARE LACKING. IN PARTICULAR, LITTLE IS KNOWN ON WHICH PSYCHOTHERAPIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED OR WHICH TARGETS THERAPISTS SHOULD FOCUS ON, AS WELL AS HOW CHILDHOOD TRAUMA COULD EXPLAIN THE RESISTANCE TO MOOD STABILIZERS. 2016 6 465 39 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 7 2617 34 EPIGENOME TARGETING BY PROBIOTIC METABOLITES. BACKGROUND: THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOSTASIS. A DISTURBED MICROBIOTA DURING EARLY INFANCY IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING INFLAMMATORY AND ALLERGIC DISEASES LATER IN LIFE. THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THESE EFFECTS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD BUT ARE LIKELY TO INVOLVE ALTERATIONS IN MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES, WHICH HAVE POTENT IMMUNE MODULATING PROPERTIES AND ARE REQUIRED FOR MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSES. PROBIOTICS ARE BENEFICIAL BACTERIA THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO ALTER THE COMPOSITION OF BACTERIAL SPECIES IN THE INTESTINE THAT CAN IN TURN INFLUENCE THE PRODUCTION OF FERMENTATION-DERIVED METABOLITES. PRINCIPAL AMONG THESE METABOLITES ARE THE SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS BUTYRATE AND ACETATE THAT HAVE POTENT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT IN REGULATING IMMUNE FUNCTION AT THE INTESTINAL MUCOSAL SURFACE. THEREFORE STRATEGIES AIMED AT RESTORING THE MICROBIOTA PROFILE MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: PROBIOTIC BACTERIA HAVE DIVERSE EFFECTS INCLUDING ALTERING MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION, REGULATING EPITHELIAL CELL BARRIER FUNCTION AND MODULATING OF IMMUNE RESPONSES. THE PRECISE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS MEDIATING THESE PROBIOTIC EFFECTS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS SUCH AS BUTYRATE ARE A CLASS OF HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS IMPORTANT IN THE EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF HOST CELL RESPONSES. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF PROBIOTICS MAY BE A RESULT OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE WIDE RANGE OF EFFECTS OBSERVED. STUDIES DELINEATING THE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS ON SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACID PRODUCTION AND THE EPIGENETIC ACTIONS OF SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS WILL ASSIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MICROBIOTA AND ALLERGIC OR AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: WE PROPOSE THAT TREATMENT WITH SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC BACTERIA UNDER IN VIVO CONDITIONS WOULD OFFER THE IDEAL CONDITIONS TO EXAMINE THE MICROBIOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF ACTION. ADVANCES IN EPIGENETIC TECHNOLOGY NOW ALLOW INVESTIGATORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PROBIOTICS AND THEIR METABOLITES. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: DETERMINING THE PRECISE MECHANISMS OF PROBIOTIC ACTION WILL LEAD TO MORE SPECIFIC AND EFFICACIOUS THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. 2010 8 5308 31 PSORIASIS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A REVIEW. PSORIASIS IS A COMMON, CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY SKIN DISEASE THAT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DISCOMFORT AND IMPAIRMENT TO QUALITY OF LIFE. RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH MODERATE-TO-SEVERE PSORIASIS ARE LIKELY AT GREATER RISK FOR CHRONIC CARDIOMETABOLIC CO-MORBIDITIES SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, TYPE 2 DIABETES, OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE PRIMARY AND ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR THESE MALADIES IN OTHER POPULATIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN PSORIASIS, WHICH ARE LIMITED BY POOR DESIGN AND LACK OF VALIDATED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES. A VARIETY OF DATA SUGGEST SHARED PHYSIOLOGIC PATHWAYS BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PSORIASIS, AND PSORIASIS CARDIOMETABOLIC CO-MORBIDITIES. INCREASED ADIPOSITY, INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ADHESION MOLECULES AND LIPIDS ARE PHYSIOLOGICALLY LINKED TO PSORIASIS, THE RISK OF PSORIASIS CARDIOMETABOLIC CO-MORBIDITIES, AND LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION, EPIGENETIC PATHWAYS ARE INVOLVED IN PSORIASIS AND COULD BE INFLUENCED BY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPAIRMENTS COMMON IN PSORIASIS MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO PARTICIPATE IN REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD AIM TO DETERMINE IF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IMPROVE FUNCTIONING AND REDUCE CO-MORBIDITIES IN PSORIASIS. 2012 9 5280 29 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 10 6607 33 TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC LINKS. TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) IS A COMMON METABOLIC DISORDER PREDISPOSING TO DIABETIC CARDIOMYOPATHY AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD), WHICH COULD LEAD TO HEART FAILURE THROUGH A VARIETY OF MECHANISMS, INCLUDING MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND CHRONIC PRESSURE OVERLOAD. PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS, MAINLY LINKED TO HYPERGLYCEMIA AND CHRONIC SUSTAINED HYPERINSULINEMIA, INCLUDE CHANGES IN METABOLIC PROFILES, INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING PATHWAYS, ENERGY PRODUCTION, REDOX STATUS, INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ISCHEMIA, AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX REMODELING. THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPE 2 DM AND CVD HAS LED TO THE COMMON SOIL HYPOTHESIS, POSTULATING THAT BOTH CONDITIONS SHARE COMMON GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THIS ASSOCIATION. HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH THE COMMON RISK FACTORS OF BOTH CVD AND TYPE 2 DM, SUCH AS OBESITY, INSULIN RESISTANCE, DYSLIPIDEMIA, INFLAMMATION, AND THROMBOPHILIA, CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE MAJORITY OF AFFECTED PATIENTS, LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW THESE FACTORS INFLUENCE BOTH CONDITIONS, SO THAT EFFORTS ARE STILL NEEDED FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS RELATIONSHIP. THE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUNDS OF BOTH TYPE 2 DM AND CVD HAVE BEEN MORE RECENTLY STUDIED AND UPDATED. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS HAVE SELDOM BEEN INVESTIGATED WITHIN THE BROADER SHARED BACKGROUND, BUT RATHER STUDIED IN THE SPECIFIC CONTEXT OF TYPE 2 DM OR CVD, SEPARATELY. AS THE PRECISE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL LINKS BETWEEN TYPE 2 DM AND CVD ARE NOT ENTIRELY UNDERSTOOD AND MANY ASPECTS STILL REQUIRE ELUCIDATION, AN INTEGRATED DESCRIPTION OF THE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES INVOLVED IN THE CONCOMITANT DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH DISEASES IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE INTERLINKS BETWEEN TYPE 2 DM AND CVD. THIS REVIEW ADDRESSES THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF OVERLAPPING GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ASPECTS IN TYPE 2 DM AND CVD, INCLUDING MICRORNAS AND LONG NON-CODING RNAS, WHOSE ABNORMAL REGULATION HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN BOTH DISEASE CONDITIONS, EITHER ETIOLOGICALLY OR AS CAUSE FOR THEIR PROGRESSION. UNDERSTANDING THE LINKS BETWEEN THESE DISORDERS MAY HELP TO DRIVE FUTURE RESEARCH TOWARD AN INTEGRATED PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL APPROACH AND TO PROVIDE FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN THE FIELD. 2018 11 2816 35 FIBROMYALGIA: PATHOGENESIS, MECHANISMS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS UPDATE. FIBROMYALGIA IS A SYNDROME CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC AND WIDESPREAD MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY OTHER SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS FATIGUE, INTESTINAL DISORDERS AND ALTERATIONS IN SLEEP AND MOOD. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT TWO TO EIGHT PERCENT OF THE WORLD POPULATION IS AFFECTED BY FIBROMYALGIA. FROM A MEDICAL POINT OF VIEW, THIS PATHOLOGY STILL PRESENTS INEXPLICABLE ASPECTS. IT IS KNOWN THAT FIBROMYALGIA IS CAUSED BY A CENTRAL SENSITIZATION PHENOMENON CHARACTERIZED BY THE DYSFUNCTION OF NEURO-CIRCUITS, WHICH INVOLVES THE PERCEPTION, TRANSMISSION AND PROCESSING OF AFFERENT NOCICEPTIVE STIMULI, WITH THE PREVALENT MANIFESTATION OF PAIN AT THE LEVEL OF THE LOCOMOTOR SYSTEM. IN RECENT YEARS, THE PATHOGENESIS OF FIBROMYALGIA HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED TO OTHER FACTORS, SUCH AS INFLAMMATORY, IMMUNE, ENDOCRINE, GENETIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS. A RHEUMATOLOGIST TYPICALLY MAKES A DIAGNOSIS OF FIBROMYALGIA WHEN THE PATIENT DESCRIBES A HISTORY OF PAIN SPREADING IN ALL QUADRANTS OF THE BODY FOR AT LEAST THREE MONTHS AND WHEN PAIN IS CAUSED BY DIGITAL PRESSURE IN AT LEAST 11 OUT OF 18 ALLOGENIC POINTS, CALLED TENDER POINTS. FIBROMYALGIA DOES NOT INVOLVE ORGANIC DAMAGE, AND SEVERAL DIAGNOSTIC APPROACHES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING THE ANALYSIS OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND SEROLOGICAL BIOMARKERS. SYMPTOMS OFTEN BEGIN AFTER PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA, BUT IN MANY CASES, THERE APPEARS TO BE NO OBVIOUS TRIGGER. WOMEN ARE MORE PRONE TO DEVELOPING THE DISEASE THAN MEN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL THERAPIES THAT TARGET THIS PATHOLOGY PRODUCE LIMITED BENEFITS. THEY REMAIN LARGELY PHARMACOLOGICAL IN NATURE AND TEND TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMATIC ASPECTS OF VARIOUS DISORDERS REPORTED BY THE PATIENT. THE STATISTICS, HOWEVER, HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT 90% OF PEOPLE WITH FIBROMYALGIA ALSO TURN TO COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE TO MANAGE THEIR SYMPTOMS. 2021 12 2192 32 EPIGENETIC METHODS AND TWIN STUDIES. GENOMIC PREDISPOSITION FAILS TO FULLY EXPLAIN THE ONSET OF COMPLEX DISEASES, WHICH IS WELL ILLUSTRATED BY THE LARGELY INCOMPLETE CONCORDANCE AMONG MONOZYGOTIC TWINS. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, CHROMATIN REMODELING, AND NON-CODING RNA, ARE THE LINK BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI AND DISEASE ONSET ON A PERMISSIVE GENETIC BACKGROUND IN AUTOIMMUNE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES NOW INCLUDE ALMOST 100 CONDITIONS AND ARE ESTIMATED TO CUMULATIVELY AFFECT UP TO 5% OF THE WORLD POPULATION WITH A HEALTHCARE EXPENDITURE SUPERIOR TO CANCER WORLDWIDE. MANY ADVANCES IN MEDICINE HAVE BEEN MADE TO TREAT THESE CONDITIONS BUT THERE ARE STILL GAPS, AND AN INNOVATIVE AND EFFICIENT THERAPY IS NEEDED. SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES INCLUDE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS, SJOGREN SYNDROME, POLYMYOSITIS, AND DERMATOMYOSITIS. MONOZYGOTIC TWINS DISCORDANT FOR ANY DISEASE OFFER AN IDEAL STUDY DESIGN AS THEY ARE MATCHED FOR MANY FACTORS, INCLUDING GENETIC VARIATION AND THIS IS A REAL ADVANTAGE FOR EPIGENETICS STUDY. WE WILL HEREIN DISCUSS THE AVAILABLE DATA IN THE EPIGENETIC DIFFERENCES LEADING TO DISEASE DISCORDANCE IN MZ TWINS FOR SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, AND SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS. 2020 13 1257 31 CURRENT TRENDS IN EPIGENETIC, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PATHWAYS IN MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IS A SYSTEMIC CHRONIC POLYARTICULAR AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER OF JOINTS AND JOINT MEMBRANE MAINLY AFFECTING FEET AND HANDS. THE PATHOLOGICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE DISEASE INCLUDES INFILTRATION OF IMMUNE CELLS, HYPERPLASIA OF THE LINING OF SYNOVIUM, FORMATION OF PANNUS AND BONE AND CARTILAGE DESTRUCTION. IF LEFT UNTREATED, THE APPEARANCE OF SMALL FOCAL NECROSIS, ADHESION OF GRANULATION, AND FORMATION OF FIBROUS TISSUE ON THE SURFACE OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE IS NOTED. THE DISEASE PRIMARILY AFFECTS NEARLY 1% OF THE POPULATION GLOBALLY, WOMEN BEING MORE AFFECTED THAN MEN WITH A RATIO 2:1 AND CAN INITIATE REGARDLESS OF ANY AGE. THE SYNOVIAL FIBROBLAST IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS INDIVIDUALS EXHIBITS AN AGGRESSIVE PHENOTYPE WHICH UPREGULATES THE MANIFESTATION OF PROTOONCOGENES, ADHESIVE COMPOUNDS, INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND MATRIX-DETERIORATING ENZYMES. APART FROM THE INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF CYTOKINES, CHEMOKINES ARE ALSO NOTED TO INDUCE SWELLING AND PAIN IN ARTHRITIC INDIVIDUALS BY RESIDING IN SYNOVIAL MEMBRANE AND FORMING PANNUS. THE CURRENT TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS INCLUDES TREATMENT WITH NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS, DISEASE-MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS, TREATMENT WITH BIOLOGICS SUCH AS INHIBITORS OF TNF-ALPHA, INTERLEUKINS, PLATELET ACTIVATING FACTOR, ETC. WHICH PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT RELIEF FROM SYMPTOMS AND AIDS IN MANAGEMENT OF THE DISEASE. THE CURRENT REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE PATHOGENESIS INVOLVED IN THE ONSET OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND ALSO COVERS EPIGENETIC, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH IT TO AID BETTER AND ADVANCED THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE DEBILITATING DISEASE. 2023 14 6021 24 THE BENEFICIAL AND DEBILITATING EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND MICROBIAL TOXINS, DRUGS, ORGANIC SOLVENTS AND HEAVY METALS ON THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS), A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IS COMMON AMONGST YOUNG ADULTS, LEADING TO MAJOR PERSONAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC BURDENS. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL CONSIDERED COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING TO UNDERSTAND AND TREAT, IN SPITE OF THE EFFORTS MADE TO EXPLAIN ITS ETIOPATHOLOGY. DESPITE THE DISCOVERY OF MANY GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT MIGHT BE RELATED TO ITS ETIOLOGY, NO CLEAR ANSWER WAS FOUND ABOUT THE CAUSES OF THE ILLNESS AND NEITHER ABOUT THE DETAILED MECHANISM OF THESE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS THAT MAKE INDIVIDUALS SUSCEPTIBLE TO MS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO MS AUTOIMMUNITY INCLUDING GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON TOXINS, CHEMICALS OR DRUGS THAT MAY TRIGGER, MODIFY OR PREVENT MS DISEASE. 2019 15 5778 19 SPINAL CORD INJURY INDUCED NEUROPATHIC PAIN: MOLECULAR TARGETS AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES. NEUROPATHIC PAIN, ESPECIALLY THAT RESULTING FROM SPINAL CORD INJURY, IS A TREMENDOUS CLINICAL CHALLENGE. A MYRIAD OF BIOLOGICAL CHANGES HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN PRODUCING THESE PAIN STATES INCLUDING CELLULAR INTERACTIONS, EXTRACELLULAR PROTEINS, ION CHANNEL EXPRESSION, AND EPIGENETIC INFLUENCES. PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THESE CHANGES ARE VARIED AND INCLUDE FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS AND PAIN RESPONSES. DEVELOPING THERAPIES THAT EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE CAUSE OF THESE SYMPTOMS REQUIRE A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF ALTERATIONS IN THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS. MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES AND TISSUE INHIBITORS OF METALLOPROTEINASES ARE TWO PROMISING THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES INTERACT WITH AND INFLUENCE MANY OF THE STUDIED PAIN PATHWAYS. GENE EXPRESSION OF ION CHANNELS AND INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS CLEARLY CONTRIBUTES TO NEUROPATHIC PAIN. LOCALIZED AND TIME DEPENDENT TARGETING OF THESE PROTEINS COULD ALLEVIATE AND EVEN PREVENT NEUROPATHIC PAIN FROM DEVELOPING. CURRENT THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS FOR NEUROPATHIC PAIN ARE LIMITED PRIMARILY TO ANALGESICS TARGETING THE OPIOID PATHWAY. THERAPIES DIRECTED AT MOLECULAR TARGETS ARE HIGHLY DESIRABLE AND IN EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. THESE INCLUDE TRANSPLANTATION OF EXOGENOUSLY ENGINEERED CELL POPULATIONS AND TARGETED GENE MANIPULATION. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES SPECIFIC MOLECULAR TARGETS AMENABLE TO THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION USING CURRENTLY AVAILABLE DELIVERY SYSTEMS. 2015 16 676 36 BRAIN AGING: A IANUS-FACED PLAYER BETWEEN HEALTH AND NEURODEGENERATION. NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES ARE INCURABLE DEBILITATING DISORDERS CHARACTERIZED BY STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL NEURONAL LOSS. APPROXIMATELY 30 MILLION PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED WORLDWIDE, AND THIS NUMBER IS PREDICTED TO REACH MORE THAN 150 MILLION BY 2050. NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS INCLUDE ALZHEIMER'S, PARKINSON'S, AND PRION DISEASES AMONG OTHERS. THESE DISORDERS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY THE ACCUMULATION OF AGGREGATING PROTEINS FORMING AMYLOID, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISEASE-ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGICAL LESIONS. THE AGGREGATION OF AMYLOIDOGENIC PROTEINS CAN RESULT EITHER IN GAINING OF TOXIC FUNCTIONS, DERIVED FROM THE DAMAGE PROVOKED BY THESE DEPOSITS IN AFFECTED TISSUE, OR IN A LOSS OF FUNCTIONS, DUE TO THE SEQUESTRATION AND THE CONSEQUENT INABILITY OF THE AGGREGATING PROTEIN TO ENSURE ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE. WHILE IT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED THAT AGING REPRESENTS THE MAIN RISK FACTOR FOR NEURODEGENERATION, THERE IS STILL NO CLEAR CUT-OFF LINE BETWEEN THE TWO CONDITIONS. INDEED, MANY OF THE PATHWAYS THAT ARE COMMONLY ALTERED IN NEURODEGENERATION-MISFOLDED PROTEIN ACCUMULATION, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, IMPAIRED IRON HOMEOSTASIS, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS-HAVE BEEN OFTEN CORRELATED ALSO WITH HEALTHY AGING. THIS OVERLAP COULD BE EXPLAINED BY THE FACT THAT THE CONTINUOUS ACCUMULATION OF CELLULAR DAMAGES, TOGETHER WITH A PROGRESSIVE DECLINE IN METABOLIC EFFICIENCY DURING AGING, MAKES THE NEURONS MORE VULNERABLE TO TOXIC INJURIES. WHEN A GIVEN THRESHOLD IS EXCEEDED, ALL THESE ALTERATIONS MIGHT GIVE RISE TO PATHOLOGICAL PHENOTYPES THAT ULTIMATELY LEAD TO NEURODEGENERATION. 2020 17 4716 25 NON-GENETIC RATS MODELS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS RESEARCH: FROM PAST TO PRESENT. ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS AN INFLAMMATORY, PROGRESSIVE, AND CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT INVOLVES SEVERAL MOLECULAR AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. DESPITE TREATMENT LIMITATIONS, CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES HAVE UNDENIABLY CHANGED RADICALLY IN RECENT DECADES THROUGH BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE DISEASE, WHICH HAS CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED PATIENTS' SURVIVAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SOME OF THESE ADVANCES ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO BASIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR TARGETS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH RODENT MODELS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS, THE ACCURACY OF THESE MODELS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. RESEARCH THAT UTILIZES GENETIC RODENT MODELS IS WELL ESTABLISHED, BUT THE USE OF SPECIFIC DIETS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER RISK FACTORS (E.G., HYPERTENSION, HORMONE DEPRIVATION, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TOOLS) IS STILL DEBATABLE. THE PRESENT REVIEW PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON NON-GENETIC RAT MODELS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. 2019 18 541 28 ATOPIC DERMATITIS: THE FATE OF THE FAT. ATOPIC DERMATITIS (AD) IS A CHRONIC AND RELAPSING INFLAMMATORY SKIN DISEASE IN WHICH DRY AND ITCHY SKIN MAY DEVELOP INTO SKIN LESIONS. AD HAS A STRONG GENETIC COMPONENT, AS CHILDREN FROM PARENTS WITH AD HAVE A TWO-FOLD INCREASED CHANCE OF DEVELOPING THE DISEASE. GENETIC RISK LOCI AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS REPORTED IN AD MAINLY LOCATE TO GENES INVOLVED IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND EPIDERMAL BARRIER FUNCTION. HOWEVER, AD PATHOGENESIS CANNOT BE FULLY EXPLAINED BY (EPI)GENETIC FACTORS SINCE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS SUCH AS STRESS, POLLUTION, MICROBIOTA, CLIMATE, AND ALLERGENS ALSO PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE. ALTERATIONS OF THE EPIDERMAL BARRIER IN AD, OBSERVED AT ALL STAGES OF THE DISEASE AND WHICH PRECEDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF OVERT SKIN INFLAMMATION, MANIFEST AS: DRY SKIN; EPIDERMAL ULTRASTRUCTURAL ABNORMALITIES, NOTABLY ANOMALIES OF THE LAMELLAR BODY CARGO SYSTEM; AND ABNORMAL EPIDERMAL LIPID COMPOSITION, INCLUDING SHORTER FATTY ACID MOIETIES IN SEVERAL LIPID CLASSES, SUCH AS CERAMIDES AND FREE FATTY ACIDS. THUS, A COMPELLING QUESTION IS WHETHER AD IS PRIMARILY A LIPID DISORDER EVOLVING INTO A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE DUE TO GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY LOCI IN IMMUNOGENIC GENES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUS ON LIPID ABNORMALITIES OBSERVED IN THE EPIDERMIS AND BLOOD OF AD PATIENTS AND EVALUATE THEIR PRIMARY ROLE IN ELICITING AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. 2022 19 3846 28 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 20 506 34 ASSOCIATION OF ENDOMETRIOSIS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: GENETIC ASPECTS (REVIEW). CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) COMPRISES A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT THE HEART OR BLOOD VESSELS, INCLUDING SEQUELAE THAT ARISE FROM DAMAGED VASCULATURE IN OTHER ORGANS OF THE BODY, SUCH AS THE BRAIN, KIDNEYS OR EYES. ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE ARTERIAL INTIMA AND IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE, HEART ATTACK, STROKE AND RENAL PATHOLOGY. IT REPRESENTS A LEADING CAUSE OF MORTALITY WORLDWIDE AND THE LOSS OF HUMAN PRODUCTIVITY THAT IS MARKED BY AN ALTERED IMMUNE RESPONSE. ENDOMETRIOSIS IS A HERITABLE, HETEROGENEOUS, COMMON GYNECOLOGICAL CONDITION INFLUENCED BY MULTIPLE GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AFFECTING UP TO 10% OF THE FEMALE POPULATION OF CHILDBEARING AGE, CAUSING PAIN AND INFERTILITY; IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE ECTOPIC GROWTH OF ENDOMETRIAL TISSUE OUTSIDE THE UTERINE CAVITY. OF NOTE, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA OBTAINED THUS FAR HAVE SUGGESTED A LINK BETWEEN ENDOMETRIOSIS AND THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CVD. THE SIMILARITIES OBSERVED IN SPECIFIC MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR PATHWAYS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS AND CVD MAY BE PARTIALLY EXPLAINED BY A SHARED GENETIC BACKGROUND. THE PRESENT REVIEW PRESENTS AND DISCUSSES THE SHARED GENETIC FACTORS WHICH HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH DISORDERS. 2023