title: DNA damage in non-communicable diseases: A clinical and epidemiological perspective.
abstract: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of death and disability, representing 63% of the total death number worldwide. A characteristic phenotype of these diseases is the accelerated aging, which is the result of phenomena such as accumulated DNA damage, telomere capping loss and subcellular irreversible/nonrepaired oxidative damage. DNA damage, mostly oxidative, plays a key role in the development of most common NCDs. The present review will gather some of the most relevant knowledge concerning the presence of DNA damage in NCDs focusing on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, and discussing a selection of papers from the most informative literature. The challenge of comorbidity and the potential offered by new systems approaches for introducing these biomarkers into the clinical decision process will be discussed. Systems Medicine platforms represent the most suitable approach to personalized medicine, enabling to identify new patterns in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and prognosis of chronic diseases.
authors.affiliation: IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, 00166 Rome, Italy; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Mutagenesis Unit, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Mirta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milic
authors.affiliation: IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, 00166 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frustaci
authors.affiliation: IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, 00166 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Bufalo
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Facultad de Agrobiología, Evaluación de Riesgos Ambientales, 90062 Tlaxcala, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Alarcón
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Facultad de Agrobiología, Evaluación de Riesgos Ambientales, 90062 Tlaxcala, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valencia-Quintana
authors.affiliation: IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, 00166 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Area of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology, 00166 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: stefano.bonassi@sanraffaele.it.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonassi
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D004249:DNA Damage; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000235:genetics
keywords: Comet assay; Micronucleus assay; Non-communicable diseases; Oxidative damage; Sister chromatid exchange; Telomere length