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Topic Review
Factors Influencing CO2 Biofixation by Microalgae
The production of microalgal biomass is highly influenced by the suitability of microalgae strains, CO2, light, pH, culture system, temperature, and nutrients. The sources of CO2 and nutrients for microalgal cultivation can be flue gas and wastewater, respectively. Therefore, many studies have investigated whether flue gas and wastewater can be integrated with microalgal cultivations, to achieve not only CO2 reduction, but also CO2 reuse for microalgal biomass conversion to produce biofuels. Flue gas and wastewater can also be treated by microalgal cultivations to obtain environmentally friendly and health-friendly effects. In the process of microalgae cultivation, one single factor does not affect the growth of microalgae; it is often the interaction of multiple factors. Therefore, keeping the performance of long-term and stable microalgal cultivation will determine the microalgal growth, especially outdoor cultivation.
  • 1.5K
  • 10 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Biofilms and Bacterial Recalcitrance
Biofilms are associations of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix. They create particular environments that confer bacterial tolerance and resistance to antibiotics by different mechanisms that depend upon factors such as biofilm composition, architecture, the stage of biofilm development, and growth conditions. The biofilm structure hinders the penetration of antibiotics and may prevent the accumulation of bactericidal concentrations throughout the entire biofilm. In addition, biofilm can induce a variety of physiological states involving different metabolism (aerobic, microaerobic, and fermentative) and growth rates (fast and slow growth, dormant cells, and persister cells). Thus, some bacteria are less vulnerable to antibiotics as a consequence of the inactivity of antibiotic targets, a phenomenon called “drug indifference”. Also, cells in biofilms enhance efflux-pump production that excretes antibiotics. Moreover, the biofilm environment enhance interbacterial communication, horizontal gene transfer and spontaneous mutations that ultimately increase resistance to antibiotics. Thus, the tolerance and resistance to antibiotics conferred by biofilms is multifactorial.
  • 1.5K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Techniques for Editing Phage Genome
Bacteriophages, abbreviated as “phages”, have been developed as emerging nanoprobes for the detection of a wide variety of biological species, such as biomarker molecules and pathogens. Nanosized phages can display a certain length of exogenous peptides of arbitrary sequence or single-chain variable fragments (scFv) of antibodies that specifically bind to the targets of interest, such as animal cells, bacteria, viruses, and protein molecules. Metal nanoparticles generally have unique plasmon resonance effects. Metal nanoparticles such as gold, silver, and magnetism are widely used in the field of visual detection. A phage can be assembled with metal nanoparticles to form an organic–inorganic hybrid probe due to its nanometer-scale size and excellent modifiability. Due to the unique plasmon resonance effect of this composite probe, this technology can be used to visually detect objects of interest under a dark-field microscope.
  • 1.5K
  • 28 Feb 2022
Topic Review
ProFatigue Software
The program was developed by the IEMES (Structural Integrity: Materials and Structures) Research Group at the University of Oviedo, in collaboration with Prof. Castillo of the University of Cantabria and Empa-Dübendorf (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology). ProFatigue is based on the Weibull’s regression model proposed by Castillo-Canteli in order to satisfy the physical and statistical conditions required by any valid fatigue model.
  • 1.5K
  • 27 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Rhizosphere Bacteria
Rhizosphere bacterial inoculants are indisputably necessary for the augmentation of plant growth and maintenance of soil output. As reported, rhizosphere bacterial inoculants benefit plants through various mechanisms, although some studies indicate adverse effects. In this entry, the pros and cons of rhizosphere bacterial biofertilizers are compared, and a comparison of such biofertilizers is presented in and demonstrated in.
  • 1.5K
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Bacteria on 2-keto-L-gulonic Acid Production
Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin with strong reducing power, cannot be synthesized by the human body and participates in a variety of important biochemical reactions. Vitamin C is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, health care, beverage, cosmetics, and feed industries, with a huge market demand. The classical two-step fermentation method is the mainstream technology for vitamin C production. D-sorbitol is transformed into L-sorbose by Gluconobacter oxydans in the first step of fermentation; then, L-sorbose is transformed into 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KGA) by a coculture system composed of Ketogulonicigenium vulgare and associated bacteria; and finally, 2-KGA is transformed into vitamin C through chemical transformation.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Point of Care Diagnostics
Point of care (PoC) diagnostics have been a hot topic for many decades now. In high-income countries they have the potential to streamline diagnostics, making healthcare more personal, cheaper, faster and more efficient in general. However, in resource-limited settings such as low-income countries, the need for PoC implementation is much more pronounced as professional laboratories are often hours away from patients which makes it hard to accurately diagnose them. Therefore, research on and implementation of PoC diagnostics in local health care systems in LICs will be essential in order to alleviate suffering due to infectious disease. This entry discusses the entire value chain of the development of PoC diagnostic tool. Bottlenecks that hinder the implementation of PoC in LICs are highlighted at every step of the value chain. We will provide examples of PoC success stories to illustrate how potential bottlenecks can be overcome. Finally, the entry provides a recommendation on how we can avoid these typical ‘leaks in the pipeline’ in the future and prevent a promising technology being abandoned before it can even have an impact on healthcare. 
  • 1.5K
  • 09 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Production and Application of Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan widely distributed in the human body, especially in body fluids and the extracellular matrix of tissues. It plays a crucial role not only in maintaining tissue hydration but also in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and the inflammatory response. HA has demonstrated its efficacy as a powerful bioactive molecule not only for skin antiaging but also in atherosclerosis, cancer, and other pathological conditions.
  • 1.5K
  • 25 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Biofilms in Cystic Fibrosis
Biofilm-associated infections pose a huge burden on healthcare systems worldwide, with recurrent lung infections occurring due to the persistence of biofilm bacteria populations. In cystic fibrosis (CF), thick viscous mucus acts not only as a physical barrier, but also serves as a nidus for infection. Increased antibiotic resistance in the recent years indicates that current therapeutic strategies aimed at biofilm-associated infections are “failing”, emphasizing the need to develop new and improved drug delivery systems with higher efficacy and efficiency. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have unique and favourable properties encompassing biocompatibility, biodegradability, magnetic and heat-mediated characteristics, making them suitable drug carriers. Additionally, an external magnetic force can be applied to enhance drug delivery to target sites, acting as “nano-knives”, cutting through the bacterial biofilm layer and characteristically thick mucus in CF.
  • 1.5K
  • 01 May 2021
Topic Review
Pluripotent Stem Cells in Livestock and Wildlife
Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology is an emerging technique to reprogram somatic cells into iPSCs that have revolutionary benefits in the fields of drug discovery, cellular therapy, and personalized medicine. In both mice and humans, embryonic stem cell lines (ESCs) have been established. However, this is not the case for farm and wild animals. Cryopreservation is an important and useful approach to preserve endangered wild and domestic species as well as their genetic material. Several studies have shown the potential of iPSCs to prevent the extinction of several valuable species, such as the snow leopard, Bengal tiger, drill monkey, and white rhinoceros
  • 1.5K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
MicroRNA
MicroRNA (miRNAs) are short, single-stranded ncRNAs that can be measured in biofluids as minimally invasive biomarkers of disease, including cancer. Their reliable measurement however is challenging, therefore several methods are being developed for miRNA quantitation. Here the technologies currently in use or being developed for quantitation of miRNAs are described.
  • 1.5K
  • 05 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Carotenoid Production via Optimized Fermentation
Carotenoid production from oleaginous red yeast has been considered as a safe alternative to chemically synthesized carotenoids commonly used in the food industry, since plant-based carotenoids are expensive and an irregular source for obtaining pigments. 
  • 1.5K
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Biomedical Applications of Microfluidic Devices
Both passive and active microfluidic chips are used in many biomedical and chemical applications to support fluid mixing, particle manipulations, and signal detection. Passive microfluidic devices are geometry-dependent, and their uses are rather limited. Active microfluidic devices include sensors or detectors that transduce chemical, biological, and physical changes into electrical or optical signals. Also, they are transduction devices that detect biological and chemical changes in biomedical applications, and they are highly versatile microfluidic tools for disease diagnosis and organ modeling. Microfluidic devices are fabricated using a range of techniques, including molding, etching, three-dimensional printing, and nanofabrication. Their broad utility lies in the detection of diagnostic biomarkers and organ-on-chip approaches that permit disease modeling in cancer, as well as uses in neurological, cardiovascular, hepatic, and pulmonary diseases. Biosensor applications allow for point-of-care testing, using assays based on enzymes, nanozymes, antibodies, or nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). 
  • 1.5K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Syngas Fermentation to Bio-Alcohols
Biomass gasification produces syngas, mainly comprised of CO and H2 along with H2S, CO2, N2, and tar compounds. Inorganic carbon present in syngas as CO and CO2 can be utilized for the production of several value-added chemicals including ethanol, higher alcohols, fuels, and hydrogen using microbial sysytem.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Adjuvants for New Anti-Tuberculosis Vaccines
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that sits in the top 10 leading causes of death in the world today and is the current leading cause of death among infectious diseases. Although there is a licensed vaccine against TB, the Mycobacterium bovis bacilli Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, it has several limitations, namely its high variability of efficacy in the population and low protection against pulmonary tuberculosis. New vaccines for TB are needed. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the development and implementation of new TB vaccines to be a priority. Subunit vaccines are promising candidates since they can overcome safety concerns and optimize antigen targeting. Nevertheless, these vaccines need adjuvants in their formulation in order to increase immunogenicity, decrease the needed antigen dose, ensure a targeted delivery and optimize the antigens delivery and interaction with the immune cells. 
  • 1.5K
  • 10 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Lactic Acid Bacteria in Fermentation
The term fermentation derives from the Latin ‘fervere’, which means to boil, due to the appearance produced by yeast on fruit or malt extracts, as a result of the production of carbon dioxide bubbles caused by the catabolism of the sugars in the extract. The most common concept of fermentation is the conversion of sugar into an organic acid, then into alcohol. It occurs naturally in many food types, and humans have used it since ancient times to improve the preservation and the organoleptic properties of food. This term is only used when referring to microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, and fungi) to make useful products for humans such as biomasses, enzymes, primary and secondary metabolites, recombinant products, and biotransformed products used in industry. Fermentation is a catabolic process of incomplete oxidation, completely anaerobic, and its final product is an organic compound, where in the absence of oxygen, the final acceptor of the NADH electrons produced in glycolysis is not oxygen, but an organic compound that will be reduced to oxidize NADH to NAD+ . There are different types of fermentation, e.g., alcoholic, acetic, butyric, and lactic. The fermentation processes have some main purposes: (1) the enrichment of the diet by developing flavors, aromas, and textures; (2) food preservation through lactic acid, ethanol, acetic acid, and alkaline fermentations; (3) enrichment of foods with protein, amino acids, lipids, and vitamins; (4) decrease in cooking time and fuel requirements so that the loss of nutrients is less; and (5) it can produce nutrients or eliminate anti-nutrients; being the final product an organic compound that characterizes the types of fermentation.
  • 1.5K
  • 13 May 2021
Topic Review
Brassica Bioactives May Ameliorate Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, hormone-dependent disease characterized by histological lesions produced by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Despite the fact that an estimated 176 million women are affected worldwide by this gynecological disorder, risk factors that cause endometriosis have not been properly defined and current treatments are not efficient. Although the interaction between diet and human health has been the focus of many studies, little information about the correlation of foods and their bioactive derivates with endometriosis is available. In this framework, Brassica crops have emerged as potential candidates for ameliorating the chronic inflammatory condition of endometriosis, due to their abundant content of health-promoting compounds such as glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products, isothiocyanates.
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Multiplex Tissue Imaging
Multiplex spatial analysis methods have recently been developed; these have offered insight into how cellular crosstalk dynamics and heterogeneity affect cancer prognoses and responses to treatment. Multiplex (imaging) technologies and computational analysis methods allow for the spatial visualization and quantification of cell–cell interactions and properties. These technological advances allow for the discovery of cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment and provide detailed single-cell information on properties that define cellular behavior.
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccine-Induced Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Infections
SARS-CoV-2 is attached to host cells via binding to the viral spike (S) proteins and its cellular receptors angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Consequently, the S protein is primed with serine proteases TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS4, which facilitate the fusion of viral and cellular membranes result in the entry of viral RNA into the host cell. The long-term protective immunity is provided by the vaccine antigen (or pathogen)-specific immune effectors and the activation of immune memory cells that can be efficiently and rapidly reactivated upon pathogen exposure.
  • 1.4K
  • 29 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Nanomaterials for Wound Healing and Infection Control
Wound healing has been intensely studied in order to develop an "ideal" technique that achieves expeditious recovery and reduces scarring to the minimum, thus ensuring function preservation. The classic approach to wound management is represented by topical treatments, such as antibacterial or colloidal agents, in order to prevent infection and promote a proper wound-healing process. Nanotechnology studies submicroscopic particles (maximum diameter of 100 nm), as well as correlated phenomena. Metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver, gold, zinc) are increasingly being used in dermatology, due to their beneficial effect on accelerating wound healing, as well as treating and preventing bacterial infections. Other benefits include: ease of use, less frequent dressing changes and a constantly moist wound environment. This entry highlights recent findings regarding nanoparticle application in wound management.
  • 1.4K
  • 18 Jan 2022
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