Aging is a complex process that is linked to an increased incidence of major diseases such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, but also cancer and immune disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which post-transcriptionally control gene expression by inhibiting translation or inducing degradation of targeted mRNAs. MiRNAs target up to hundreds of mRNAs, thereby modu...

Cigarette smoke, a toxic collection of thousands of chemicals generated from combustion of tobacco, is recognized as the primary causative agent of certain diffuse interstitial and bronchiolar lung diseases. Most patients afflicted with these disorders are cigarette smokers, and smoking cessation has been shown to be capable of inducing disease remission and should occupy a pivotal role in the ...

1School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA 2Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Touro College of Pharmacy, New York, 230 W 125th St., New York, NY 10027, USA *Corresponding author Xuesong He, DDS, PhD Assistant Adjunct Professor School of Dentistry University of California Los Angeles 10833 Le Conte Ave., Los Ang...

Primary osteoporosis is the disease’s most common form and results from the progressive loss of bone mass related to aging and unassociated with other illness, a natural process in adult life; its etiology is considered multifactorial and polygenic. This form currently represents a growing worldwide health problem due in part, to the contemporary environmental condi‐ tions of modern civilizatio...

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is dedicated to reducing human diseases through a multidisciplinary approach focused on prevention of environmentally related illnesses. A central question is how best to focus our research and other activities to have the greatest impact on human health. Current research activities at the NIEHS are directed toward these goals, but improve...

i mmunoglobulins, produced by plasma cells, are the effector arm of the humoral immune system [1]. Each immunoglobulin consists of two identical heavy chains (α, β, γ, δ or ε – all encoded by chromosome 14) and two identical light chains (either κ or λ, encoded by chromosome 2 and 22, respectively) [2]. The immunoglobulins have constant (C) regions (similar within the same isotype) and variable...