https://bmrat.biomedpress.org/index.php/BMRAT <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Biomedical Research and Therapy - Vietnamese Journal for Medical Biotechnology and Medicine Incorporating Advances in Regenerative Medicine publishes 12 peer-reviewed issues each year, covering a wide range of biomedical and clinical sciences. Unlike many open-access journals, which charge authors for publication while providing free reader access, Biomedical Research and Therapy does not require fees for subscription, submission, processing, publication, or color image reproduction. Recognized internationally, this journal is committed to disseminating high-quality research in an open-access format, emphasizing basic, translational, and clinical studies on molecular therapeutics and cellular therapies. It includes research involving animal models and clinical trials. The rigorous peer-review process ensures that only scientifically, technically, and ethically sound articles adhering to standard reporting guidelines are published. The journal’s editorial policies are in strict alignment with standards set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), upholding the highest principles of publication ethics.</p> Biomedpress en-US Biomedical Research and Therapy 2198-4093 <p>Copyright The Author(s) 2017. This article is published with open access by <a href="http://www.biomedpress.org/" target="_blank">BioMedPress</a>. This article is distributed under the terms of the&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0)</a> which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.&nbsp;</p> https://bmrat.biomedpress.org/index.php/BMRAT/article/view/975 <p>Nipah virus (NiV) is a deadly zoonotic virus that has caused multiple outbreaks since it was first identified in Malaysia in 1998. It is primarily transmitted by fruit bats and can spread among humans, leading to severe neurological and respiratory complications. With fatality rates ranging from 40% to 75%, NiV poses a serious public health threat, and there are currently no approved treatments or vaccines. The virus enters human cells via ephrin-B2 and ephrin-B3 receptors, causing extensive harm while evading the immune system, which complicates treatment efforts. Environmental changes, including deforestation and increased human–wildlife contact, have heightened the likelihood of NiV outbreaks. Preventing future outbreaks necessitates early detection, strict biosecurity measures, and concerted global efforts to develop antiviral therapies and vaccines. This review comprehensively examines NiV's virology, transmission dynamics, clinical manifestations, and the latest advances in therapeutic care, encompassing One Health strategies and preventive measures.</p> Venkatakrishnan Kiran Koyeli Girigoswami Agnishwar Girigoswami ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-05-31 2025-05-31 12 5 7350 7371 10.15419/bmrat.v12i5.975 title description none g https://bmrat.biomedpress.org/index.php/BMRAT/article/view/976 <p><strong>Introduction</strong>: Blood transfusions are essential for maintaining oxygen delivery to tissues in cases of severe blood loss. However, challenges such as limited donor availability, short storage lifespans, blood-type incompatibility, and infection risks necessitate alternative solutions. Stem cell-derived red blood cell (RBC) substitutes offer a promising approach to address these limitations. Multiple stem cell sources, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs), hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have been explored for RBC generation. ESCs pose ethical and immunogenicity concerns; HSCs exhibit limited proliferation potential and variable outcomes; iPSCs face safety, standardization, and scalability challenges for RBC generation. Despite significant research in this area, no comprehensive mapping of the evidence exists. This scoping review aims to systematically map the literature on stem cell-derived RBC substitutes and identify key reported parameters.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework for scoping reviews, encompassing five key stages: defining research questions, identifying relevant studies, selecting eligible articles, data charting, and summarizing findings. A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed and Scopus databases. From 11,074 identified articles, 15 studies met the eligibility criteria. Extracted data focused on stem cell sources, culture conditions, RBC maturation (enucleation rate and hemoglobin composition), and expansion efficiency.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: The analysis revealed that ESCs were the most frequently utilized stem cell source, followed by HSCs and iPSCs. HSCs demonstrated the most favorable outcomes, with faster culture times (fewer than 21 days) and higher enucleation rates, ranging from 50% to 98% in some studies. ESCs exhibited higher RBC yields but showed lower enucleation efficiency. In contrast, iPSCs had the lowest enucleation rates, indicating challenges in their use for RBC generation. Key culture parameters, including cytokine supplementation, oxygen tension, and differentiation protocols, significantly influenced RBC yield and maturation.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: Stem cell-derived RBCs represent a viable alternative to conventional blood transfusions, offering an unlimited source of RBCs while addressing donor-related challenges. Among the examined stem cell types, HSCs demonstrated the most promising characteristics in terms of culture efficiency and enucleation rates. This review provides a comprehensive overview of essential parameters for advancing RBC generation and serves as a valuable resource for future research in the development of stem cell-based blood substitutes.</p> Siti Salmah Noordin Bashaer Hassan Omar Al-Amoudi Rafeezul Mohamed Mohd Yusmaidie Aziz Siti Noor Fazliah Mohd Noor Muhammad Azrul Zabidi ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-05-31 2025-05-31 12 5 7372 7385 10.15419/bmrat.v12i5.976 title description none g https://bmrat.biomedpress.org/index.php/BMRAT/article/view/977 <p><strong>Introduction</strong>: Due to the complexity of the malaria parasite’s life cycle, together with the limited knowledge of its intricate immunological response, this study was conducted. This study aims to evaluate the ability of a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist, CRX-527, to enhance the production of intracellular and inflammatory cytokines in lymphocyte-derived tissues of malaria vaccine candidates.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: A total of forty-eight male Balb/c mice was randomly divided into eight groups (n = 6 per group). Two groups of mice were immunized intraperitoneally with 2 × 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU) of parent Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) in 200 µl of 1 × phosphate-buffered saline–Tween 80 (PBS-T80) in the presence or absence of 0.5 mg/kg of CRX-527. Another two groups of mice were immunized with 2 × 10⁶ CFU of Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette–Guérin expressing the C-terminus merozoite surface protein-1 of Plasmodium falciparum (BCG-MSP1C) in 200 µl of 1 × PBS-T80 in the presence or absence of 0.5 mg/kg of CRX-527. Meanwhile, another two groups of mice were immunized with 200 µl of 1 × PBS-T80, whereas the remaining two groups were immunized with 200 µl of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence or absence of 0.5 mg/kg of CRX-527, serving as control groups. The lymphoid tissues obtained from the spleen, lymph nodes, and liver were harvested from the euthanized mice and were cultured for 24 hours. Then, the supernatant was collected to detect the production of selected intracellular and inflammatory cytokines using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: There was a significant increase (p &lt; 0.05) in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in the presence of CRX-527, with the highest levels observed in the spleen, followed by the lymph nodes and liver from the BCG-MSP1C groups, followed by the parent BCG-immunized groups.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: These findings demonstrate that the increased production of several intracellular and inflammatory cytokines by the developed malaria vaccine candidate (BCG-MSP1C) in the presence of CRX-527 plays an important role in triggering innate immune responses in lymphocyte-derived tissues.</p> Norlaily Hanifi Nor Munirah Zakaria Rapeah Suppian ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-05-31 2025-05-31 12 5 7386 7395 10.15419/bmrat.v12i5.977 title description none g