This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Estrogen receptor α, or ERα, is believed to play a central role in controlling inflammation. Research suggests that ERα does that by regulating anti-inflammatory signaling in the microglia, the only immune cells that reside in the brain. Now, a new study confirms ERα’s beneficial role in the brains of mice. The work explored one mechanism believed to prime ERα to fight inflammation, the attachment of a phosphoryl group to a specific amino acid in ERα’s structure -- a process known as “phosphorylation”. To test that mechanism, researchers blocked the phosphorylation of ERα in microglia from mice. That absence, it turned out, compromised the cells’ defenses against inflammation – leaving mice vulnerable to negative effects. For example, some mice with blocked ERα phosphorylation were obese and showed weakened motor skills. Further study could help explain how phosphorylated ERα regulates brain immunity and inflammation in brain diseases..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Microbiome changes are linked to health in many animals, but the exact mechanisms are not known particularly in non-model organisms, like ostriches. Farmed ostriches have high neonatal mortality, primarily driven by gastrointestinal disease. A new study explored the possible role of microbiome patterns in growing captive ostriches. To do this, researchers examined the gut flora of several intestinal regions and sampled environmental bacteria. Individuals that succumbed to gastroenteritis had dramatically lower microbial diversity than age-matched controls, particularly in the ileum. The cecal and colon microbiomes of healthy individuals were similar to each other across hosts and ages, but diseased individuals had major disruptions. There was no evidence the taxa associated with mortality infiltrated from the environment at the onset of disease. Instead, they were present in the gut shortly after hatching and proliferated in individuals with low microbial diversity..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Liver ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of liver transplant failure. Such injuries involve many inflammatory processes and activate liver macrophages. Activation of the Notch1 protein and the Notch pathway modulate inflammatory responses, but the exact molecular mechanisms at play are not yet understood. To narrow this gap, a recent study investigated macrophage Notch1 in a mouse model of liver IRI. Liver ischemia and reperfusion activated the Notch1 protein in liver macrophages, and knocking out the Notch1 gene from macrophage precursors worsened the damage and increased inflammation. Macrophage Notch1 deficiency also inhibited the expression of β-catenin. This led to a TAK1-mediated inflammatory response and RIK3-mediated hepatocyte necroptosis, a type of inflammatory cell rupture. Restoring Notch1 to macrophages using lentivirus alleviated the liver damage in this knockout model and reduced some of the inflammatory response..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Diseases like epilepsy and diabetes are linked to inflammation and oxidative stress which can be further complicated by persistent high blood glucose levels Drug-based treatments can help, but issues of tolerance, effectiveness, and compliance can complicate treatment The ketogenic diet (KD) reduces blood glucose and insulin, helping individuals to manage their condition But adherence to a strict KD can be difficult A recent study at the University of South Florida identified a promising possible alternative to KD adherence Using rodent models of epilepsy and glucose intolerance as well as non-disease models Researchers evaluated blood glucose levels after administration of exogenous ketone supplements Animals given exogenous ketones had lower blood glucose levels, both when resting and after exercise This treatment was effective for all of the disease models evaluated, and it also helped reduce blood glucose in rodents without pathology at different age ranges Further preclinical and clin.."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Most strokes are classified as ischemic, meaning they involve blockage of blood supply. There are no effective treatments for ischemic stroke or its complications, but several types of cells naturally produce molecules that can help heal ischemic tissue. These molecules are packaged and released within sacs called exosomes that can deliver them to other cells, making exosomes promising targets for stroke therapy. For example, some exosomes can exert anti-inflammatory effects, promote blood vessel formation, and support the development of new neurons. Beneficial exosomes can also suppress cell death and regulate immune responses. Studies on rat and rabbit stroke models have supported the clinical potential of exosomes to promote healing after stroke and a few clinical trials in humans are currently underway..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multifunctional cells with the ability to reduce inflammation and repair tissue when injected directly. But MSC use is controversial, especially in patients with cancer or in cancer remission, as MSCs can release growth factors that can promote tumor growth. Fortunately, new research is showing that certain MSC contents can exert targeted beneficial effects without these drawbacks, most notably, microRNAs packaged inside exosomes. These loaded exosomes can accumulate at sites of tissue damage, and many studies suggest that MSC exosomes can be applied to cancer therapy, gene therapy, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and other biomedical applications. Further research could reveal new and more effective ways of packaging and transferring exosomes from MSCs to recipient cells, and thereby lead to new methods of treating and monitoring various diseases..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Fetal cell-derived exosomes are known to induce inflammatory changes in maternal decidual and myometrial cells to signal parturition. However, maternal cell-derived exosomes and their effects on fetal cells are not well understood. To learn more, researchers recently characterized exosomes from decidual and myometrial cells grown under normal or oxidative stress/inflammatory conditions and assessed these exosomes’ impacts on fetal amnion epithelial cells (AECs) and chorion trophoblast cells (CTCs). The exosomes from both maternal cell types were round and expressed exosome markers. Neither exosome size nor quantity differed between the control group and the groups treated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or TNF-α. Numerous proteins were common to all kinds of exosomes, while others were associated with exosomes from a specific cell type or treatment group. Compared with control exosomes, exosomes from exposed maternal cells increased the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from fetal cells..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Giant cell arteritis, or G-C-A, is a disease of the blood vessels, especially those on the side of the head. In G-C-A, inflammation can decrease blood flow, causing headaches and other symptoms, including blurry vision, which sometimes even leads to permanent blindness. The disease, which affects people over 50, is treated immediately with high doses of glucocorticoids, such as prednisone, to lessen inflammation and reduce the risk of vision loss. But patients often need to stay on these powerful drugs for years, and doctors don’t have good information about how well this strategy works. Now, researchers from around the world have completed the first large randomized clinical trial of a newer drug, tocilizumab, or T-C-Z, in combination with long-term prednisone tapers in patients with G-C-A. The results show that disease flares are common, even when patients are taking prednisone, although adding T-C-Z reduces that risk. In the trial, researchers evaluated four sets of patients..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Our gut microbiome has far-reaching effects on our bodies - including on our brain. Gut microbes primarily communicate with the brain via metabolites that are carried in the bloodstream. However, to influence neuronal cells, these metabolites must first interact with the blood-brain barrier (BBB). While diet influencing the brain has been well documented, the impacts of specific metabolites on the BBB are not. To close this gap, researchers combined cell culture and mouse models to examine two metabolites: trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its precursor trimethylamine (TMA). In humans, both TMAO and TMA are generated by the microbiota from dietary fish and seafood. At physiologically relevant concentrations, TMAO enhanced the integrity of the BBB and protected it from inflammatory damage. In fact, long-term exposure to TMAO in mice protected cognitive function from inflammatory challenge. In contrast, TMA impaired BBB function and disrupted the tight junctions between endothelial cells..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"B-cells are a type of white blood cell that play an important role in the immune system, and some of these cells secrete a protein known as IL-35, which has been shown to regulate inflammation. Because the microorganisms living in the digestive system can have critical effects on the immune system of their host, scientists recently set out to uncover the link between these microbes and IL-35 production. The team found that certain microbes inhabiting the guts of mice, such as Lactobacillus bacteria, can promote the generation of IL-35-secreting B-cells and that they do this by producing 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA) in the presence of lipopolysaccharides. They also found that IL-35 may help prevent mice fed a high-fat diet from becoming obese and observed lower levels of IAA in obese mice than in nonobese mice..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"HIV is a lifelong illness that affects millions of people worldwide and in the US disproportionally affects men who have sex with men. Past research has shown that men who have sex with men have a distinct microbiome from other groups. Additionally, the lymphoid tissue invaded by HIV-1 after infection is partially regulated by the gut microbiome. However, little is known about the microbiome’s role in HIV-1 susceptibility and progression. In a recent study, researchers found bacteria that enhance inflammation were more abundant in the gut as well as a decrease in important commensal bacteria that are protective, months before HIV-1 infection. Increased prevalence of certain Prevotella species and decreased prevalence of Bacteroides species in particular could result in inflammation. As other research has shown, some species of Prevotella and Bacteroides can play pro- and anti-inflammatory roles, respectively..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"P-glycoprotein (P-gp) plays a critical role in gut health by transporting foreign substances and aiding communication between the innate immune system and the gut mucus barrier. However, the exact P-gp regulation mechanisms and the influence of the microbiome remain unclear. To learn more, a recent study investigated how the microbiome drives P-gp expression and function. In mice, specific vancomycin-sensitive gut bacteria were found to be necessary for normal P-gp expression, and recolonizing germ-free mice with these bacteria from donor mice restored gut P-gp levels. Certain metabolites produced by these bacteria synergistically increased P-gp expression and function in mice and a human cell line. In samples from humans with ulcerative colitis (UC), P-gp expression was reduced, particularly in lesion (involved) samples, and the levels of the anti-inflammatory P-gp substrate AEA 20:2, an endocannabinoid (eCB), were decreased..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Type 2 diabetes currently affects approximately 425 million people across the world. One long-term complication of diabetes is diabetic vasculopathy, inflammation that affects blood vessel walls and can lead to cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism by which diabetic vasculopathy develops has remained unclear. Now, research points to the protein HDAC3 as an important part of this process. Researchers found that diabetic mice (db/db) had increased levels of HDAC3 activity versus nondiabetic mice (db/m), which resulted in endothelial damage and increased oxidative stress. Treating mice with the HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966 had a protective effect, reducing endothelial damage induced by diabetes. In cell models of human diabetes, silencing HDAC3 altogether decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, and other damage. The mechanism controlling this effect was shown to involve the Keap1–Nrf2–Nox4 signaling pathway..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Cholesteatoma is abnormal skin growth in the middle section of the ear. The resulting damage can lead to hearing loss and even facial paralysis. Unfortunately, no medical cure for cholesteatoma currently exists, and while surgical removal of excess tissue can be effective, 12 to 30% of patients show a recurrence of cholesteatoma. To understand how this abnormality forms and returns in some cases, researchers examined cholesteatoma tissue in the lab. Experiments showed that inflammatory signaling caused overactive skin cell growth. That signaling was largely mediated by the transmembrane protein TLR4, a molecule that helps orchestrate the innate immune response during infection and injury. Signs of cholesteatoma were effectively reduced by suppressing TLR4 activity with LPS-RS, a TLR4 antagonist and toxin derived from photosynthetic bacteria..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Blood transfusions these days are generally very safe. But they can still cause serious harm with a condition called transfusion-related acute lung injury, or TRALI. TRALI is a leading cause of death related to the use of blood products. A new review in the journal Anesthesiology provides an overview of the condition and makes the case for why anesthesiologists should be on the front lines fighting it. Classically, TRALI is defined as a lung injury occurring within 6 hours of a blood transfusion. Onset can also be delayed 24 to 72 hours in critically-ill patients in the I-C-U or O-R. TRALI is not fully understood, but is frequently described as a 2-hit process. Baseline inflammation within the recipient establishes increased risk, in part due to neutrophils in the lungs..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can damage the liver, resulting in a type of scarring called fibrosis. Fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death, so it’s important to understand exactly how HBV causes it. One important event in fibrosis is the activation of liver cells called hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HBV can activate HSCs directly by interacting with or possibly infecting them to alter gene and protein expression. It can also activate HSCs indirectly by infecting other liver cells and causing them to release inflammatory molecules like TGF-β and CTGF. These mediators can then bind to receptors on HSCs and trigger numerous signaling pathways. The inflammatory molecules also recruit immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, T cells, and natural killer cells to the liver. These cells perpetuate the inflammatory state and can secrete more HSC-activating molecules like interleukins..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Krill oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids which numerous studies have shown to be effective in reducing intestinal inflammation like that associated with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. But exactly how krill oil helps has remained unclear. Now, researchers have discovered a few mechanisms that might explain krill oil’s anti-inflammatory effects. Test-tube experiments showed that krill oil suppressed the NF-κB and NOD signaling pathways, which are critical to the innate immune response. Krill oil also enhanced the killing capacity of macrophages, bacteria-fighting cells that help reduce inflammation. In pigs, krill oil reduced the abundance of Rickettsiales, pathogenic bacteria found in humans and livestock. Computational analyses also revealed distinct microbial signatures associated with adding krill oil to the diet..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Critically ill COVID-19 patients under invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) are at greatly increased risk of death compared to the general population. While some drivers of COVID-19 disease progression, such as inflammation and hypercoagulability, have been identified, they do not completely explain the mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients, making a search for overlooked factors necessary. A recent study examined the virome of tracheal aspirates from 25 COVID-19 patients under IMV. These samples were compared to tracheal aspirates from non-COVID patients and nasopharyngeal swabs from individuals with mild COVID-19. Critically ill COVID-19 patients had elevated expression of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K), and elevated HERV-K expression in tracheal aspirate and plasma was associated with early mortality in those same patients. Among deceased patients, HERV-K expression was associated with IL-17-related inflammation, monocyte activation, and increased consumption of clotting factors..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Gastric cancer remains difficult to treat, but a better understanding of its mechanism might lead to better therapies. An inflammatory state characterized by neutrophil activity is known to promote gastric cancer progression. However, it’s unclear how neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the tumor immune microenvironment influence tumor growth. To learn more, researchers recently analyzed NET formation in gastric cancer. Serum NET markers were elevated in patients with gastric cancer, and higher NET marker levels were associated with worse survival. In addition, more NETs formed in gastric cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. In vitro, a hypoxic environment (like that in tumors) caused gastric cancer cells to release neutrophil-recruiting factors. Hypoxia also triggered the cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 in gastric cancer cells and subsequent HMGB1 release. This extracellular HMGB1 then activated the TLR4/p38 MAPK pathway in neutrophils to induce NET formation..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of only 9%. Inflammation-mediated tissue damage plays a role in pancreatic cancer, and chronic pancreatitis is a risk factor for cancer development. Unfortunately, exactly how inflammation drives cancer initiation remains unclear. A recent study identified a novel signaling pathway connecting inflammation to pancreatic cancer. In a mouse model of chronic pancreatitis, repeatedly inducing pancreatic inflammation accelerated tumor development. Immune cells including M2 macrophages and eosinophils were recruited to fibrotic regions of the pancreas, and expression of the cytokine IL-5, which can recruit these inflammatory cells, increased in response to inflammation. Pancreatic cells upregulated the receptor for IL-5 upon transformation to tumor cells, which increased tumor cell motility..."

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