Cytokines are important mediators of the inflammatory response, and during infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 it has been suggested that there is a cytokine storm syndrome. In this study, a meta‐analysis was performed to investigate whether the IL‐6/IFN‐γ ratio can help predict clinical severity in patients with COVID‐19.

There is a growing awareness that the large number of environmental pollutants we are exposed to on a daily basis are causing major health problems. Compared to traditional studies that focus on individual pollutants, there are relatively few studies on how pollutants mixtures interact. Several studies have reported a relationship between environmental pollutants and the development of cancer, even when pollutant levels are below toxicity reference values. The possibility of synergistic interactions between different pollutants could explain how even low concentrations can cause major health problems. These intricate that molecular interactions can occur through a wide variety of mechanisms, and our understanding of the physiological effects of mixtures is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent reports that address possible synergistic interactions between different types of environmental pollutants that could promote cancer development. Our literature studies suggest that key biological pathways are frequently implicated in such processes. These include increased production of reactive oxygen species, activation by cytochrome P450, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling, among others. We discuss the need to understand individual pathological vulnerability not only in relation to basic genetics and gene expression, but also in terms of measurable exposure to contaminants. We also mention the need for significant improvements in future studies using a multitude of disciplines, such as the development of high‐throughput study models, better tools for quantifying pollutants in cancer patients, innovative pharmacological and toxicological studies, and high‐efficiency computer analysis, which allow us to analyze the molecular mechanisms of mixtures.

Aging is the result of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This has been associated with a number of features termed hallmarks of aging, including genomic instability, loss of proteostasis, telomere attrition, dysregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, and impaired intercellular communication. On the other hand, sirtuins are enzymes with an important role in aging and life extension, of which humans have seven paralogs (SIRT1 to SIRT7). SIRT7 is the least studied sirtuin to date, but it has been reported to serve important functions, such as promoting ribosomal RNA expression, aiding in DNA damage repair, and regulating chromatin compaction. Several studies have established a close relationship between SIRT7 and age-related processes, but knowledge in this area is still scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to analyze how SIRT7 is associated with each of the hallmarks of aging, as well as with some of age-associated diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, and cancer.