Abstract: Identification of the genetic determinants that underlie autoimmune diseases implicates new biochemical pathways in disease pathogenesis. The authors describe how recent advances in genetic knowledge of autoimmunity have pointed to aberrant negative regulation of autoreactive T-cells as a key step in autoimmunity. The tissue specificity of autoimmune attack is also under genetic control and variations in tissue-specific factors also appear to have a role. ... Read more

Abstract: Nearly all antibiotics aim at killing the bacteria, which eventually develop antibiotic resistance under 'survival pressure'. The pathology exerted by many pathologic bacteria is through secreting toxins. Probiotics, either harmless live bacteria or dead ones, can be molecularly engineered to express receptors for the toxins and absorb and eliminate them from binding to their natural receptors, thus reducing or eliminating the pathological impact of bacterial infection. ... Read more

Abstract: Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative conditions that affect humans and a wide variety of animals. To date there is no therapeutic or prophylactic approach against prion diseases available. The causative infectious agent is the prion, also termed PrP^Sc, which is a pathological conformer of the cellular prion protein PrP^c. As passive immunization studies with PrP^c-specific antibodies indicated that immunotherapeutic strategies can prevent prion replication, researchers are now aiming at the development of active prion vaccines. ... Read more

Abstract: Treatments, mostly combination chemotherapies, have been remarkably effective in managing many childhood leukemia cases. However, childhood leukemia is a heterogeneous (mixed) disease originating from different cell lineages and with distinct mechanisms. Authors described hypotheses of "population mixing" and "delayed infection" as causes of childhood leukemia. ... Read more

Abstract: Multiple resistance to cytotoxic cancer drugs dramatically reduces the effectiveness of these drugs on many occasions. ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters pump out cytotoxic cancer drugs from cells, preventing them from reaching therapeutic levels. However, co-administration ABC transporter inhibitors with cytotoxic cancer drugs did not effectively improve the treatment outcome. The mechanisms and remedies are discussed. ... Read more

Abstract: It is commonly thought that bacterial endotoxin such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes sepsis. Authors argue that LPS is merely a disease marker. The real mechanism of sepsis lies in the Toll-like receptors that suppress sepsis caused by tissue injury or endotoxin. When Toll-like receptors' initial suppression role is overwhelmed, sepsis ensues. ... Read more

Early diagnosis and improved treatments have reduced the mortality and morbidity of many cancers. However, a major obstacle to achieving more effective cancer treatment or even a cure, is the ability of cancer cells to develop multi-drug resistance to cancer drugs in a wholesale fashion.

The new “weapons” to defeat cancer drug resistance, as described by Dr. Gottesman et al. starting from page 18, are 3P’s and 3E’s - Predictive, Personalized, and Preemptive, and Engage, Exploit, and Evade, respectively.

Among them, personalization stands out. The primary culprit behind the multi-drug resistance is P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a transmembrane protein encoded by the MDR1 gene ... Read more