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Topic Review
Discoveries on Ras Therapeutics
It has been over forty years since the isolation of the first human oncogene (HRAS), a crucial milestone in cancer research made possible through the combined efforts of a few selected research groups at the beginning of the 1980s. Those initial discoveries led to a quantitative leap in our understanding of cancer biology and set up the onset of the field of molecular oncology. The following four decades of RAS research have produced a huge pool of new knowledge about the RAS family of small GTPases, including how they regulate signaling pathways controlling many cellular physiological processes, or how oncogenic mutations trigger pathological conditions, including developmental syndromes or many cancer types. However, despite the extensive body of available basic knowledge, specific effective treatments for RAS-driven cancers are still lacking. Hopefully, recent advances involving the discovery of novel pockets on the RAS surface as well as highly specific small-molecule inhibitors able to block its interaction with effectors and/or activators may lead to the development of new, effective treatments for cancer. 
  • 1.2K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Legume Nodule Senescence
Delaying the nodule senescence of legume crops can prolong the time of nitrogen fixation and attenuate the lack of fertilizer in the later stage of legume crop cultivation, resulting in improved crop yield and reduced usage of nitrogen fertilizer. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Long Non-Coding RNA Epigenetics
Long noncoding RNAs exceeding a length of 200 nucleotides play an important role in ensuring cell functions and proper organism development by interacting with cellular compounds such as miRNA, mRNA, DNA and proteins. However, there is an additional level of lncRNA regulation, called lncRNA epigenetics, in gene expression control.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Smartphone-Enabled Personalized Diagnostics
Smartphones are increasingly versatile thanks to the wide variety of sensor and actuator systems packed in them. Mobile devices today go well beyond their original purpose as communication devices, and this enables important new applications, ranging from augmented reality to the Internet of Things. Personalized diagnostics is one of the areas where mobile devices can have the greatest impact.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Commonalities in Amyloid Prefibrillar Oligomers
It has been proposed that a “common core” of pathologic pathways exists for the large family of amyloid-associated neurodegenerations, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes and Creutzfeldt–Jacob’s Disease. Aggregates of the involved proteins, independently from their primary sequence, induced neuron membrane permeabilization able to trigger an abnormal Ca2+ influx leading to synaptotoxicity, resulting in reduced expression of synaptic proteins and impaired synaptic transmission. Emerging evidence is now focusing on low-molecular-weight prefibrillar oligomers (PFOs), which mimic bacterial pore-forming toxins that form well-ordered oligomeric membrane-spanning pores. At the same time, the neuron membrane composition and its chemical microenvironment seem to play a pivotal role. However, up to now the existence of a specific “common structure” of the toxic aggregate, and a “common mechanism” by which it induces neuronal damage, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission, is still an open hypothesis. In this review, we gathered information concerning this hypothesis, focusing on the proteins linked to several amyloid diseases. We noted commonalities in their structure and membrane activity, and their ability to induce Ca2+ influx, neurotoxicity, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnology-facilitated Bacterial Therapy
In recent years, advancing nanotechnology has extended bacterial therapies to a higher level through tailoring bacteria on a nanoscale, such as bacteria-derived nanovesicles and bacterial membrane-coated nanoparticles, or endowing bacteria with abilities to serve as drug carriers, photosensitizers, and sonosensitizers.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Cell-to-Cell Communication and Information Transfer
Crucial events are generated by criticality, namely by the processes of phase transition from disorder to correlated disorder, affecting key organismal network functions. There is, as suggested by, “a subtle connection between informational exchange within and between networks and the complexity (non-simplicity) of those networks”. West and Grigolini replaced the term complexity with non-simplicity and explain their reasoning by stating that in physics it is easier to understand how phenomena function by the properties or characteristics that are missing, rather than those that are present.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Climatic Consequences on Bactrocera oleae
Worldwide, the exclusive key insect pest of the olive tree is the tephritid fly Bactrocera oleae. Bactrocera oleae is a monophagous pest on the genus Olea that causes direct damage to olive yield since its larval stages feed on drupe pulp. It causes serious economic losses that have been estimated at more than USD 1 billion per year in the Mediterranean alone. In this area, B. oleae can complete several generations that vary from one to four depending on temperature and area characteristics (e.g., elevation, distance to sea). Among the environmental factors, temperature is the key parameter influencing B. oleae phenology and the relation with O. europaea. High temperatures in summer induce B. oleae mortality and slowdown on pest activity, since adult physiological processes cease at 35 °C. However, other patterns such as weather conditions, season extension and crop–pest synchrony impact temporal changes in pest abundance. The tight relation that links B. oleae to Olea species makes this system a proper scenario for studying the climatic change in the Mediterranean Basin. 
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Quinoa)
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudocereal belonging to the Amaranthaceae family that is native to the Andean region in South America. Peru is the leading quinoa-exporting country, exporting quinoa with a value of $98.5 million dollars, followed by Bolivia, the Netherlands, the United States, Spain, Germany, Canada, France, Ecuador, and Belgium.
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Protein One-Dimensional Sliding
One-dimensional (1D) sliding of DNA-binding proteins has been observed by numerous kinetic studies. It appears that many of these sliding events play important roles in a wide range of biological processes. However, one challenge is to determine the physiological relevance of these motions in the context of the protein’s biological function. Here, we discuss methods of measuring protein 1D sliding by highlighting the single-molecule approaches that are capable of visualizing particle movement in real time. We also present recent fifindings that show how protein sliding contributes to function. 
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Sulfotransferase (SOT) Gene Family in Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Various kinds of primary metabolisms in plants are modulated through sulfate metabolism, and sulfotransferases (SOTs), which are engaged in sulfur metabolism, catalyze sulfonation reactions. In this study, a genome-wide approach was utilized for the recognition and characterization of SOT family genes in the significant nutritional crop potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Twenty-nine putative StSOT genes were identified in the potato genome and were mapped onto the nine S. tuberosum chromosomes. The protein motifs structure revealed two highly conserved 5′-phosphosulfate-binding (5′ PSB) regions and a 3′-phosphate-binding (3′ PB) motif that are essential for sulfotransferase activities. The protein–protein interaction networks also revealed an interesting interaction between SOTs and other proteins, such as PRTase, APS-kinase, protein phosphatase, and APRs, involved in sulfur compound biosynthesis and the regulation of flavonoid and brassinosteroid metabolic processes. This suggests the importance of sulfotransferases for proper potato growth and development and stress responses. Notably, homology modeling of StSOT proteins and docking analysis of their ligand-binding sites revealed the presence of proline, glycine, serine, and lysine in their active sites. An expression essay of StSOT genes via potato RNA-Seq data suggested engagement of these gene family members in plants’ growth and extension and responses to various hormones and biotic or abiotic stimuli. Our predictions may be informative for the functional characterization of the SOT genes in potato and other nutritional crops.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Sports Policing and Tourism Safety in Summer Olympics
Held every four years, the Summer Olympics are the world’s biggest sporting events, posing a significant challenge for tourism and law enforcement professionals. Ensuring the safety of tourists and athletes on-site is the host country’s responsibility. In many cases, the target of terrorists is the tourism sector, which in some countries, accounts for a significant share of annual revenue. 
  • 1.2K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Natural Killer Cells: Tumor Surveillance and Signaling
Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in cancer immunotherapy due to their innate ability to detect and kill tumorigenic cells. The decision to kill is determined by the expression of a myriad of activating and inhibitory receptors on the NK cell surface. Cell-to-cell engagement results in either self-tolerance or a cytotoxic response, governed by a fine balance between the signaling cascades downstream of the activating and inhibitory receptors. 
  • 1.2K
  • 04 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Advanced Microsamples
Although the application of microsamples in metabolic phenotyping exists, it is still in its infancy, with whole blood being overwhelmingly the primary biofluid collected through the collection method of dried blood spots. Research into the metabolic phenotyping of microsamples is limited; however, with advances in commercially available microsampling devices, common barriers such as volumetric inaccuracies and the ‘haematocrit effect’ in dried blood spot microsampling can be overcome.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Biological and Pharmacological Properties of Pinosylvin
Pinosylvin (3,5-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a natural pre-infectious stilbenoid toxin, is a terpenoid polyphenol compound principally found in the Vitaceae family in the heartwood of Pinus spp. (e.g., Pinus sylvestris) and in pine leaf (Pinus densiflora). It provides defense mechanisms against pathogens and insects for many plants. Stilbenoids are mostly found in berries and fruits but can also be found in other types of plants, such as mosses and ferns. As evidenced in several investigations, pinosylvin was found to exhibit a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, and anti-allergic effects.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Ultimate Issue (Law)
An ultimate issue in criminal law is a legal issue at stake in the prosecution of a crime for which an expert witness is providing testimony.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Sulphur Mountain Formation
The Sulphur Mountain Formation is a geologic formation of Early to Middle Triassic age. It is present on the western edge of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the foothills and Rocky Mountains of western Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. It includes marine fossils from the time shortly after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. The Sulphur Mountain Formation was first described as a member of the Spray River Formation by P.S. Warren in 1945, who named it for Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. It was later raised to formation status. Its type section is located in the Spray River gorge at the southern end of Sulphur Mountain.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
NIR-II Emissive Semiconducting Polymer Dots
Much effort has been devoted to developing Pdots with emission bands located in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) region, which hold great advantages of higher spatial resolution, better signal-to-background ratios (SBR), and deeper tissue penetration for solid-tumor imaging in comparison with the visible region (400–680 nm) and the first near-infrared (NIR-I, 680–900 nm) window, by virtue of the reduced tissue autofluorescence, minimal photon scattering, and low photon absorption.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Training vs. Tolerance of the Innate Immune System
Trained immunity represents a functional state of the innate immune cells and tissue-resident stem cells adjusting their response to subsequent insults, characterized particularly by a prolonged activation after a resting period, orchestrated mainly by epigenetic reprogramming and the metabolic rewiring of cells. It describes a property of innate immune system to mount memory-like responses against past microbial and non-microbial challenges. In contrast, the refractory state of endotoxin tolerance as opposing reaction of trained immunity has been extensively elaborated and defined as an immunosuppressive state of myeloid cells portrayed by a significant reduction in the inflammatory capacity. Both opposing adaptive reactions of the innate immune system are of fundamental interest since they may represent a double-edged sword counteracting each other, protecting or driving the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory diseases. 
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review
The Functionalization of Alkenes
The functionalization of alkenes is one of the most important conversions in synthetic chemistry to prepare numerous fine chemicals. Typical procedures, such as hydrosilylation and hydroformylation, are traditionally catalyzed using homogeneous noble metal complexes, while the highly reactive and stable heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) now provide alternative approaches to fulfill these conversions by combining the advantages of both homogeneous catalysts and heterogeneous nanoparticle catalysts. 
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Apr 2023
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