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Topic Review
Ion Channels Involved in Oxidative Stress-Related Gastrointestinal Diseases
Ion channels (ICs) are integral membrane proteins that play a crucial role in regulating the ions’ flow across cell membranes. They are essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and are involved in various physiological processes. The pathogenesis of various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cancer, can be linked to oxidative stress. It is known that reactive species carry out a crucial role in the genesis and progression of these pathologies; however, the contribution of ionic channels in their development is still under discussion. The function of ion channels in the gastrointestinal tract influences a variety of cellular processes.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 Aug 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Safeguarding Traditional Crafts in Europe
This entry discusses the challenge of safeguarding crafts in Europe. Safeguarding is defined herein as the systematic process of understanding, representing, preserving, and valorizing crafts following the recommendations of UNESCO and the UN-World Tourism Organization. The abovementioned challenges are discussed through a multidisciplinary prism starting from the scientific challenges in the information and communication technologies sector and expanding the discussion to ethical, legal, and policy-making measures and recommendations to safeguard crafts as a form of tangible and intangible cultural heritage but also as a source of growth and impact for the communities that practice them. To this end, the role of education and training for craft preservation is discussed, considering that the declining number of practitioners and apprentices is considered today the main threat to their preservation.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Metabolic Engineering of Yeast for Bioethanol Production
Increased human population and the rapid decline of fossil fuels resulted in a global tendency to look for alternative fuel sources. Ethanol has been the primary fossil fuel alternative due to its low carbon emission rates, high octane content and comparatively facile microbial production processes. As a well-known platform microorganism and native ethanol producer, baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been the primary subject of interest for both academic and industrial perspectives in terms of enhanced ethanol production processes. Metabolic engineering strategies have been primarily adopted for direct manipulation of genes of interest responsible in mainstreams of ethanol metabolism. To overcome limitations of rational metabolic engineering, an alternative bottom-up strategy called inverse metabolic engineering has been widely used. In this context, evolutionary engineering, also known as adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), which is based on random mutagenesis and systematic selection, is a powerful strategy to improve bioethanol production of S. cerevisiae. Metabolic and evolutionary engineering strategies are intertwined and many metabolically engineered strains for bioethanol production can be further improved by powerful evolutionary engineering strategies as well as the recent advancements in directed genome evolution, including CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Underwater Image Enhancement
The complex underwater environment and light scattering effect lead to severe degradation problems in underwater images, such as color distortion, noise interference, and loss of details. To address the color distortion, noise interference, and loss of detail problems in underwater images, researchers propose a triple-branch dense block-based generative adversarial network (TDGAN) for the quality enhancement of underwater images.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Conjugated Linoleic Acids
Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are distinctive polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are present in food produced by ruminant animals and they are accumulated in seeds of certain plants. These naturally occurring substances have demonstrated to have anti-carcinogenic activity. Their potential effect to inhibit cancer has been shown in vivo and in vitro studies. In this study, we present the multiple effects of CLA isomers on cancer development such as anti-tumor efficiency, anti-mutagenic and anti-oxidant activity. 
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
GenisteinSupplementation, CardiacFunction in Postmenopausal-Women with MetabolicSyndrome: Results from Pilot-Strain-Echo Study
Genistein, a soy-derived isoflavone, may improve cardiovascular risk profile in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MetS), but few literature data on its cardiac effects in humans are available. The aim of this sub-study of a randomized double-blind case-control study was to analyze the effect on cardiac function of one-year genistein dietary supplementation in 22 post-menopausal patients with MetS. Participants received 54 mg/day of genistein (n = 11) or placebo (n = 11) in combination with a Mediterranean-style diet and regular exercise. Left ventricular (LV) systolic function was assessed as the primary endpoint, according to conventional and strain-echocardiography measurements. Also, left atrial (LA) morphofunctional indices were investigated at baseline and at the final visit. Results were expressed as median with interquartile range (IQ). A significant improvement of LV ejection fraction (20.3 (IQ 12.5) vs. -1.67 (IQ 24.8); p = 0.040)), and LA area fractional change (11.1 (IQ 22.6) vs. 2.8 (9.5); p = 0.034)) were observed in genistein patients compared to the controls, following 12 months of treatment. In addition, body surface area indexed LA systolic volume and peak LA longitudinal strain significantly changed from basal to the end of the study in genistein-treated patients. One-year supplementation with 54 mg/day of pure genistein improved both LV ejection fraction and LA remodeling and function in postmenopausal women with MetS.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Gelatin-Based Hybrid Scaffolds
Gelatin is a biopolymer with interesting properties that have greatly attracted the attention of many biomedical researchers, such as low antigenicity, good biodegradability, and biocompatibility in the physiological environment. The gelatin-based materials offer excellent characteristics of wound dressings. The fast degradation time and highly hydrophilic surface make gelatin inappropriate as a base material for the development of wound dressings.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Carbon Emissions and Firm Performance
: This paper examines the effects of carbon emissions on the accounting and market-based performance of financial and non-financial firms in emerging economies. Data for 104 financial and 328 non-financial firms constituting 2591 observations operating in 22 emerging economies were collected from the Datastream database for the period 2011–2020. We applied OLS and 2SLS regression techniques to analyze the data. The results show that financial firms emit less carbon than their non-financial counterparts. The results further show that carbon emissions reduce firms’ return on equity, Tobin’s Q, Z-score, and credit rating. Our findings remain robust in different estimation techniques and alternative proxies of performance. Our results have some important policy implications for emerging economies.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Embedding Cultivated Diversity in Society
Agroecology calls for a global approach, integrating scientific, practical, and advocacy dimensions, to redesign agricultural systems based on ecological and socio-cultural processes and emphasizing biodiversity. This review is grounded on the results of DIVERSIFOOD, an European H2020 multi-actor research project, and explores the concept of cultivated diversity using various dimensions relevant to foster sustainable organic food systems and agro-ecological transition. From the evaluation of underutilized genetic resources and forgotten crops, DIVERSIFOOD has proposed plant breeding strategies, on-farm experimentation, and statistical tools to create new populations, landraces, and organic cultivars with intra-varietal diversity. The added value of Community Seed Banks and forms of collective seed management in Europe have been described in terms of goals and activities, and their value for improving seed regulations, treaties, and genetic resources management is discussed. In the context of the current agro-food system characterized by standardization, DIVERSIFOOD raised awareness of qualities of ‘biodiverse food systems’ in which all actors have a role to play. It highlighted the critical capacity to preserve a diversity of cultural values embodied in ‘biodiverse products’, thereby involving consumers in collective strategies for reviving diversity, and empowering all actors of organic food systems to really and efficiently implement research within their farms and networks.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Silicon-Based Nanomaterials
Laser ablation is a technique by which a laser beam is focused on a substrate to remove part of the material from the irradiated surface. Under the right conditions, nanomaterials of the desired size and in the absence of additional substances are obtained. This green methodology applied to a silicon substrate produces silicon-based nanomaterials, which include the characteristic advantages of these materials and reduce the potential toxicity. The applicability of these nanomaterials for nanomedicine is incalculable. This review highlights the latest advances in the treatment of bacterial infection with silicon-based nanomaterials and points out the future challenges in this field.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Microfabricated Gas Sensors
In recent years, advancements in micromachining techniques and nanomaterials have enabled the fabrication of highly sensitive devices for the detection of odorous species. Recent efforts done in the miniaturization of gas sensors have contributed to obtain increasingly compact and portable devices. Besides, the implementation of new nanomaterials in the active layer of these devices is helping to optimize their performance and increase their sensitivity close to humans' olfactory system. Nonetheless, a common concern of general-purpose gas sensors is their lack of selectivity towards multiple analytes. In recent years, advancements in microfabrication techniques and microfluidics have contributed to create new microanalytical tools, which represent a very good alternative to conventional analytical devices and sensor-array systems for the selective detection of odors.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Deep-Brain Stimulation for Essential Tremor
Tremor is a prevalent symptom associated with multiple conditions, including essential tremor (ET), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke and trauma. The surgical management of tremor evolved from stereotactic lesions to deep-brain stimulation (DBS), which allowed safe and reversible interference with specific neural networks. 
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Microbiome-Associated Metabolomics Profiling in LD
Advances in high-throughput screening of metabolic stability in liver and gut microbiota are able to identify and quantify small-molecule metabolites (metabolome) in different cellular microenvi-ronments that are closest to their phenotypes. Metagenomics and metabolomics are largely recog-nized to be the “-omics” disciplines for clinical therapeutic screening. Here, metabolomics activity screening in liver disease (LD) and gut microbiomes has significantly delivered the integration of metabolomics data (i.e., a set of endogenous metabolites) with metabolic pathways in cellular en-vironments that can be tested for biological functions (i.e., phenotypes).
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Submarine Tailings in Chile
In several countries, and especially in northern Chile, most mining operations and tailings disposal are carried out near the mine. However, the tailings disposal has turned out to have certain exceptions in managing waste from ores processing by froth flotation. Countries like Chile, Peru, Norway, Canada, the Philippines, Spain, and Indonesia have active or abandoned underwater tailings on the coasts and at the submarine level. The underwater tailings of Chañaral Bay, Chile, and Ite Bay, Peru, are examples of the lack of scientific studies that can damage the marine environment. Potential environmental disasters caused a change towards the surface disposal of the tailings. Nowadays, society’s pressures on surface tailing dumps have driven research on sustainable mining waste discharge to the seabed.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Zebrafish Models of Fibrotic Disease
Zebrafish models of fibrotic disease include, among others, cardiovascular disease models, liver disease models (categorized into Alcoholic Liver Diseases (ALD) and Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease (NALD)), and chronic pancreatitis models.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Gut–Brain Axis in Neuropsychological Disease Model of Obesity
Obesity is a multifactorial disorder in which various elements (genetic, host, and environment), play a definite role, even if none of them satisfactorily explains its etiology. A number of neurological comorbidities, such as anxiety and depression, charges the global obesity burden, and evidence suggests the hypothesis that the brain could be the seat of the initial malfunction leading to obesity. The gut microbiome plays an important role in energy homeostasis regulating energy harvesting, fat deposition, as well as feeding behavior and appetite. Dietary patterns, like the Western diet, are known to be a major cause of the obesity epidemic, probably promoting a dysbiotic drift in the gut microbiota. 
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Advanced Sham Coil for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) neurophysiology has been widely applied worldwide, but it is often contaminated by confounders other than cortical stimulus-evoked activities. Although advanced sham coils that elaborately mimic active stimulation have recently been developed, their performance is not examined in detail. Developing such sham coils is crucial to improve the accuracy of TMS neurophysiology. Herein, we examined the specifications of the sham coil by comparison with the active coil. The magnetic flux and click sound pressure changes were measured when the stimulus intensity was varied from 10% to 100% maximum stimulator output (MSO), and the changes in coil surface temperature over time with continuous stimulation at 50% MSO for each coil. The magnetic flux change at the center of the coil showed a peak of 12.51 (kT/s) for the active coil, whereas it was 0.41 (kT/s) for the sham coil. Although both coils showed a linear change in magnetic flux as the stimulus intensity increased, due to the difference in coil winding structure, the sham coil took less than half the time to overheat and had 5 dB louder coil click sounds than the active coil. The sham coil showed a sufficiently small flux change at the center of the coil, but the flux change from the periphery of the coil was comparable to that of the active coil. Future use of high-quality sham coil will extend our understanding of the TMS neurophysiology of the cortex at the stimulation site. 
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Alzheimer′s Disease
The most common form of dementia is accounted for by Alzheimer′s disease (AD) that includes between 50% and 75% of the cases of dementia with a doubling of its prevalence every five years after the age of 65 years. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by several cells of the innate and adaptive immune system, as well as non-immune cells. Dismantling the exact role of MIF and its receptors in AD may offer novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities in AD. 
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Carbon in Agricultural Soil
Carbon in agricultural soils is chemically classified as either soil organic carbon (SOC) or soil inorganic carbon (SIC). Globally, the naturally occurring SOC and SIC pools are estimated to be 1500 Gt C and 950 Gt C, respectively. The SOC includes humus, decomposed plant and animal residues, charcoal and microorganisms. The SIC pool includes primary and secondary carbonates, such as calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), and can be classified into lithogenic and pedogenic carbonates. Lithogenic carbonates are the primary carbonates that refer to the detrital particle derived from the carbonate bedrock (especially limestone) that are formed in marine environments. Pedogenic carbonates refer to the secondary carbonates formed in the soil and is further classified as calcitic pedogenic carbonates (formed by calcite remobilization) and silicatic pedogenic carbonates (formed by silicate weathering). Calcitic pedogenic carbonates are derived from pre-existing carbonates; hence, it does not result in net carbon sequestration. On the other hand, carbonation of alkaline earth elements derived from silicate minerals results in net positive sequestration through the formation of silicatic pedogenic carbonates.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Insights into Acute Pancreatitis Associated COVID-19
Pancreatic injury can manifest from an asymptomatic elevation of amylase and lipase to severe acute pancreatitis (AP).
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Jan 2022
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