Alice Gerges Geagea

The Use of Stem Cells in Burn Wound Healing: A Review

Burn wound healing involves a series of complex processes which are subject to intensive investigations to improve the outcomes, in particular, the healing time and the quality of the scar. Burn injuries, especially severe ones, are proving to have devastating effects on the affected patients. Stem cells have been recently applied in the field to promote superior healing of the wounds. Not only have stem cells been shown to promote better and faster healing of the burn wounds, but also they have decreased the inflammation levels with less scar progression and fibrosis. This review aims to highlight the beneficial therapeutic effect of stem cells in burn wound healing and to discuss the involved pathways and signaling molecules. The review covers various types of burn wound healing like skin and corneal burns, along with the alternative recent therapies being studied in the field of burn wound healing. The current reflection of the attitudes of people regarding the use of stem cells in burn wound healing is also stated.

Adiponectin and Inflammation in Health and Disease: An Update

Adiponectin, a protein secreted by adipocytes, gained a special medical attention in the past two decades mostly due to its relation to obesity, a major health problem worldwide. Moreover, adiponectin has shown to have a preventive effect on insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Lately, obesity has been classified as a chronic inflammatory state, whereby dysregulated adipocytes and high infiltration of macrophages shift toward the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-6 among others. This status contributes to a decrease in adiponectin levels, thus leading to the emergence of obesity related complications. This review will focus on the hormone adiponectin and its mechanisms of action in relation to insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular effect and atherosclerosis. It will also cover the various therapeutic approaches aiming to increase the levels of this important cytokine, and to highlight the promising role of AdipoRon, an adiponectin receptor agonist, and of diet.

Kidney Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is profoundly associated with extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) that can involve almost every organ in our body. Although the exact etiology of IBD is still poorly understood, it is generally characterized by an overly aggressive inflammatory response in the intestinal mucosa. Renal damage is one of the manifestations encountered in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and it accounts for 4% - 23% of IBD patients. The common renal complications of IBD include: glomerulonephritis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, nephrolithiasis, amyloidosis and iatrogenic complications of IBD treatment. Several hypotheses have emerged to explain the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the prevalence of IBD-induced kidney injuries. The present work aims to elucidate the pathological principles that drive secondary renal injury in individuals with IBD and highlight the currently used therapeutic strategies for evaluating, monitoring and treating kidney complications-related IBD.