Preface [Hot Topic: Agents Acting on Cardiac and Smooth Muscles (Executive Editor: Valeria Kecskemeti)]

This thematic issue will emphasize the recent breakthroughs in the mechanisms of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis and devotes some understanding of both Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. It is expected to include studies about cellular and genetic aspects, which help to precipitate the disease, and the immune system-gut microbiome relations ...read more

Disease biomarkers are necessary tools that can be employ in several clinical context of use (COU), ranging from the (early) diagnosis, prognosis, prediction, to monitor of disease state and/or drug efficacy. Regarding neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a battery of well-validated biomarkers are available, such as cerebrospinal fluid ...read more

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic degenerative metabolic disease with ever increasing prevalence worldwide which is now an epidemic disease affecting 500 million people worldwide. Insufficient insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells unable to maintain blood glucose homeostasis is the main feature of this disease. Multifactorial and complex nature of ...read more

Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, have become a great threat to the human health in recent decades due to the excessive food consumption and the prevalence of sedentary lifestyle. As a class of natural compounds, food-derived bioactive peptides have been demonstrated to possess great potential for ...read more