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Topic Review
Renal Nanomedicine
The kidneys are vital organs performing several essential functions. Their primary function is the filtration of blood and the removal of metabolic waste products as well as fluid homeostasis. Renal filtration is the main pathway for drug removal, highlighting the importance of this organ to the growing field of nanomedicine. The kidneys (i) have a key role in the transport and clearance of nanoparticles (NPs), (ii) are exposed to potential NPs’ toxicity, and (iii) are the targets of diseases that nanomedicine can study, detect, and treat. 
  • 939
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
New treatment strategies for β-thalassemia
Beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia) is an autosomal recessive inherited disease characterized by decreased production of the β-globin chains of hemoglobin (Hb) A. The normal structure of HbA is two α- and two β-globin chains. Individuals with β-thalassemia are either homozygous or double heterozygotes for mutations in the β-globin gene.
  • 932
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
KRAS
The RAS family consists of membrane-associated small GTPases which play essential roles in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. There are four RAS protein isoforms in humans: HRAS, NRAS, and two splice variants, KRAS4A and KRAS4B. 
  • 931
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Nanostructured Antibiotics
Bacterial strains resistant to antimicrobial treatments, such as antibiotics, have emerged as serious clinical problems, necessitating the development of novel bactericidal materials. Nanostructures with particle sizes ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers have appeared recently as novel antibacterial agents, which are also known as “nanoantibiotics”. Nanomaterials have been shown to exert greater antibacterial effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria across several studies. Antibacterial nanofilms for medical implants and restorative matters to prevent bacterial harm and antibacterial vaccinations to control bacterial infections are examples of nanoparticle applications in the biomedical sectors. The development of unique nanostructures, such as nanocrystals and nanostructured materials, is an exciting step in alternative efforts to manage microorganisms because these materials provide disrupted antibacterial effects, including better biocompatibility, as opposed to minor molecular antimicrobial systems, which have short-term functions and are poisonous.
  • 929
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Natural Bioactive Compounds: Toxicity/Safety Concerns
Although synthetic bioactive compounds are approved in many countries for food applications, they are becoming less and less welcome by consumers. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in replacing these synthetic compounds by natural bioactive compounds. These natural compounds can be used as food additives to maintain the food quality, food safety and appeal, and as food supplements or nutraceuticals to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain a suitable intake of nutrients, or to support physiological functions, respectively. Recent studies reveal that numerous food wastes, particularly fruit and vegetables byproducts, are a good source of bioactive compounds that can be extracted and reintroduced into the food chain as natural food additives or in food matrices for obtaining nutraceuticals and functional foods. This entry addresses general questions concerning the use of fruit and vegetables byproducts as new sources of natural bioactive compounds that are being addressed to foods as natural additives and supplements. Those bioactive compounds must follow the legal requirements and evaluations to assess the risks for human health and their toxicity must be considered before being launched into the market. To overcome the potential health risk while increasing the biological activity, stability and biodistribution of the supplements’ technological alternatives have been studied such as encapsulation of bioactive compounds into micro or nanoparticles or nanoemulsions. This will allow enhancing the stability and release along the gastrointestinal tract in a controlled manner into the specific tissues. This review summarizes the valorization path that a bioactive compound recovered from an agro-food waste can face from the moment their potentialities are exhibited until it reaches the final consumer and the safety and toxicity challenges, they may overcome.
  • 927
  • 23 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Blockchain for Future Wireless Networks
The emerging need for high data rate, low latency, and high network capacity encourages wireless networks (WNs) to build intelligent and dynamic services, such as intelligent transportation systems, smart homes, smart cities, industrial automation, etc. The WN is impeded by several security threats, such as data manipulation, denial-of-service, injection, man-in-the-middle, session hijacking attacks, etc., that deteriorate the security performance of the aforementioned WN-based intelligent services. Toward this goal, various security solutions, such as cryptography, artificial intelligence (AI), access control, authentication, etc., are proposed by the scientific community around the world.
  • 926
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Seed Yield in Red Clover
Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a perennial forage legume which is valued for its yield, nitrogen fixation and forage quality. However, seed yield is often unsatisfactory in red clover. Seed production has been the objective of various studies with different approaches. This review paper summarizes and discusses recent results from various studies on seed yield and fertility in red clover, and opens perspectives for future research.
  • 925
  • 22 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Cathepsin K
Cathepsin K is a papain-like cysteine protease with high matrix-degrading activity. Among several cathepsins, cathepsin K is the most potent mammalian collagenase, mainly expressed by osteoclasts. This review summarizes most of the recent findings of cathepsin K expression, highlighting its role in renal tumors for diagnostic purposes and as a potential molecular target. Indeed, cathepsin K is a recognized diagnostic tool for the identification of TFE3/TFEB-rearranged renal cell carcinoma, TFEB-amplified renal cell carcinoma, and pure epithelioid PEComa/epithelioid angiomyolipoma. More recently, its expression has been observed in a subgroup of eosinophilic renal neoplasms molecularly characterized by TSC/mTOR gene mutations. Interestingly, both TSC mutations or TFE3 rearrangement have been reported in pure epithelioid PEComa/epithelioid angiomyolipoma. Cathepsin K seems to be a downstream marker of TFE3/TFEB rearrangement, TFEB amplification, and mTOR pathway activation. Given the established role of mTOR inhibitors as a pharmacological option in renal cancers, cathepsin K could be of use as a predictive marker of therapy response and as a potential target. In the future, uropathologists may implement the use of cathepsin K to establish a diagnosis among renal tumors with clear cells, papillary architecture, and oncocytic features. 
  • 924
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Galectin-3 as Biomarker
Galectin-3, predominantly located in the cytoplasm and expressed on the cell surface, is a β-galactoside-binding lectin which is important in numerous biological activities in various organs, including cell proliferation, apoptotic regulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and host defense. Galectin-3 is often secreted into biological fluids, like serum and urine, thus used as a biomarker. It is also released from injured cells and inflammatory cells under various pathological conditions. Galectin-3 plays an important role as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for certain types of heart disease, kidney disease, viral infection, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and tumor formation. In particular, galectin-3 is extremely useful for detecting many of these diseases in their early stages.
  • 923
  • 08 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Traditional Management of Cancer
Cancer, a generic term for a large group of diseases, may affect any part of the body. It is one of the world’s most horrifying diseases triggered by uncontrolled cellular proliferation. The development and progression of cancer are caused by an oncogene, the tumor suppressor gene (TSG), and alterations of the microRNA gene.
  • 920
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Rabbit Sperm Cryopreservation
Sperm cryopreservation is one of the most efficient ways to preserve rabbit strains because it is easy to collect ejaculate repeatedly from a single male and inseminate artificially into multiple females. During the cooling, freezing and thawing process of sperms, the plasma membrane, cytoplasm and genome structures could be damaged by osmotic stress, cold shock, intracellular ice crystal formation, and excessive production of reactive oxygen species.
  • 919
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Secondary Aroma
Aroma profile is one of the main features for the acceptance of wine. Yeasts and bacteria are the responsible organisms to carry out both, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation is in turn, responsible for transforming grape juice into wine and providing secondary aromas. Secondary aroma can be influenced by different factors; however, the influence of the microorganisms is one of the main agents affecting final wine aroma profile. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has historically been the most used yeast for winemaking process for its specific characteristics: high fermentative metabolism and kinetics, low acetic acid production, resistance to high levels of sugar, ethanol, sulfur dioxide and also, the production of pleasant aromatic compounds. Nevertheless, in the last years, the use of non-saccharomyces yeasts has been progressively growing according to their capacity to enhance aroma complexity and interact with S. cerevisiae, especially in mixed cultures.
  • 916
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Amygdala Neuroinflammation and Psychiatric Disorders
Depression and anxiety disorder are the most common mental diseases affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The comorbidity rate of anxiety disorder and depression is very high, with 74% of depressed patients having anxiety symptoms, while 61% of anxious patients have depression symptoms. Stress exposure is widely accepted as a critical contributing factor to psychological and neuropathological disorders. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the high pressure of increasingly demanding work and life has led to a sharp rise in the incidence of mental diseases. Inflammation induces psychological and neuropathological disorders by influencing neuronal excitability, neurotransmitter release, receptor, and transporter expression through peripheral hormones and autonomic responses. A number of animal and human studies have revealed that the amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are extensively involved in the occurrence of anxiety, depression, and related behavioral regulation. Among them, the amygdala, one of the kernel brain regions mediating stress-coping located in the deep temporal lobe, is considered the hub center for processing emotionally salient stimuli and implementing appropriate behavioral responses.
  • 916
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Arachidonic Acid and Its Metabolites
Studies concerning the role of arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites in kidney disease are scarce, and this applies in particular to idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). INS is one of the most frequent glomerular diseases in childhood; it is characterized by T-lymphocyte dysfunction, alterations of pro- and anti-coagulant factor levels, and increased platelet count and aggregation, leading to thrombophilia. AA and its metabolites are involved in several biological processes. Herein, we describe the main fields where they may play a significant role, particularly as it pertains to their effects on the kidney and the mechanisms underlying INS. AA and its metabolites influence cell membrane fluidity and permeability, modulate platelet activity and coagulation, regulate lymphocyte activity and inflammation, preserve the permeability of the glomerular barrier, influence podocyte physiology, and play a role in renal fibrosis. 
  • 914
  • 08 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Toxicity of meta-Tyrosine
meta-Tyrosine (m-Tyr) is a non-proteinogenic isomer of p-tyrosine (Tyr) and is an antimetabolite of proteinogenic amino acid phenylalanine (Phe). This compound can be found in animal and plant cells.
  • 914
  • 02 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Microglia in Neurogenesis
Certain pools of microglia are determinant cells in different phases of the generation of new neurons. This sheds light on how cells cooperate in order to fine tune brain organization.
  • 913
  • 01 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Primnoa
Primnoa (Lamororux, 1812) also known as red tree coral, is a genus of soft corals and the type genus of the family Primnoidae (Milne Edwards, 1857). They are sessile, benthic cnidarians that can be found in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Subantarctic South Pacific, and its members often play a vital ecological role as keystone species within their environment as a habitat and refuge for the megafauna that also inhabit those regions. This, in combination with their slow growth, makes the increasing disturbance to their habitats caused by fishing activities particularly impactful and difficult to recover from.
  • 906
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Role of Enteric Nervous System in Parkinson’s Disease
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a nerve network composed of neurons and glial cells that regulates the motor and secretory functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There is abundant evidence of mutual communication between the brain and the GI tract. Dysfunction of these connections appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Alterations in the ENS have been shown to occur very early in PD, even before central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Post-mortem studies of PD patients have shown aggregation of α-synuclein (αS) in specific subtypes of neurons in the ENS. Subsequently, αS spreads retrogradely in the CNS through preganglionic vagal fibers to this nerve’s dorsal motor nucleus (DMV) and other central nervous structures.
  • 905
  • 02 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Adenosine Signaling in Mast Cells
Adenosine is a nucleoside involved in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Its effects are mediated through its binding to G protein-coupled receptors: A1, A2a, A2b and A3. The receptors differ in the type of G protein they recruit, in the effect on adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity and the downstream signaling pathway triggered. Adenosine can produce both an enhancement and an inhibition of mast cell degranulation, indicating that adenosine effects on these receptors is controversial and remains to be clarified.
  • 899
  • 01 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Natural Fiber-Reinforced Biocomposites
In the last ten years, environmental consciousness has increased worldwide, leading to the development of eco-friendly materials to replace synthetic ones. Natural fibers are extracted from renewable resources at low cost. Their combination with synthetic polymers as reinforcement materials has been an important step forward in that direction. The sustainability and excellent physical and biological (e.g., biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity) properties of these biocomposites have extended their application to the biomedical field. 
  • 899
  • 30 Jun 2021
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