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Topic Review
Occurrence of Triclosan in the Water Environment
Triclosan (TCS), a kind of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), is widely used and has had a large production over years. It is an emerging pollutant in the water environment that has attracted global attention due to its toxic effects on organisms and aquatic ecosystems, and its concentrations in the water environment are expected to increase since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
  • 1.5K
  • 09 Sep 2022
Topic Review
HEV infectivity in water samples
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a non-enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus, belonging to the Hepeviridae family, resistant to environmental conditions, and transmitted by the consumption of contaminated water. This virus is responsible for both sporadic and epidemic outbreaks, leading to thousands of infections per year in several countries, and is thus considered an emerging disease in Europe and Asia. This study refers to a survey in Portugal during 2019, targeting the detection and eventual quantification of enteric viruses in surface and drinking water sources. Samples positive for HEV RNA were recurrently found by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), in both matrices. The infectivity of these samples was evaluated in cultured Vero E6 cells and RNA from putative viruses produced in cell cultures was subjected to RT-qPCR targeting HEV genomic RNA. Our results evidenced the existence of samples positive either for HEV RNA (77.8% in surface water and 66.7% in drinking water) or for infectious HEV (23.0% in surface water and 27.7% in drinking water). These results highlight the need of effective virological control of water for human consumption and activities.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Fungal Endophytes Associated with Plants
Diverse microbial domains inhabiting the plant endosphere can be beneficial or pathogenic. The beneficial types are referred to as plant growth-promoting endophytic microbes. In agricultural sustainability, the exploration of the beneficial type is utmost of interest in ensuring sustainable plant health. Fungal interactions within the plant endosphere can be modulated by the synthesis of attachment organelle (hyphae) which enable them to create an interdependent ecological balance within the host plants. The impact of fungal endophytes in plant growth promotion can be linked to their potential in various plant physiological functions, directly or indirectly. Also, the production of invaluable bioactive metabolic compounds by fungal endophytes has contributed to their biocontrol efficacy against plant pathogens. Therefore, exploration of fungal endophytes can be promising in agriculture, and interest in endosphere biology will contribute to harnessing them as bioinoculants in developing eco-friendly agriculture.
  • 1.5K
  • 05 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Latent Tuberculosis
Latent tuberculosis (LTB), also called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is when a person is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but does not have active tuberculosis. Active tuberculosis can be contagious while latent tuberculosis is not, and it is therefore not possible to get TB from someone with latent tuberculosis. The main risk is that approximately 10% of these people (5% in the first two years after infection and 0.1% per year thereafter) will go on to develop active tuberculosis. This is particularly true, and there is added risk, in particular situations such as medication that suppresses the immune system or advancing age. The identification and treatment of people with latent TB is an important part of controlling this disease. Various treatment regimens are in use for latent tuberculosis. They generally need to be taken for several months.
  • 1.5K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Resistance Assessment in Aquacultures
Aquaculture is a new food production sector that has been increasing dramatically over the last two decades due to the high demand for a healthy protein source. The aquaculture production figures indicate a substantial increase in the relative contribution of aquaculture to total fish consumption from 5% in 1962 to 49% in 2002. The use of antimicrobials in aquaculture, even at subinhibitory concentrations, has been promoting antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from the aquatic environment. New omics tools and approaches pave the way for the assessment of antimicrobial resistance in these environments.
  • 1.5K
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Properties of Lignocellulosic Materials
Pathogenic microbes are a major source of health and environmental problems, mostly due to their easy proliferation on most surfaces. Currently, new classes of antimicrobial agents are under development to prevent microbial adhesion and biofilm formation. However, they are mostly from synthetic origin and present several disadvantages. The use of natural biopolymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, derived from lignocellulosic materials as antimicrobial agents has a promising potential. Lignocellulosic materials are one of the most abundant natural materials from renewable sources, and they present attractive characteristics, such as low density and biodegradability, are low-cost, high availability, and environmentally friendly.
  • 1.5K
  • 08 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Schizochytrium.: Game-Changer in Rumen Bacteriome
The inclusion of microalgae on ruminants' diets appears to be a promising feeding strategy to enrich milk with beneficial biomolecules such as ω3 fatty acids. However, radical alterations could occur in both structure and biochemistry potential of the rumen microbiome.
  • 1.5K
  • 16 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Biotechnological Importance of Torulaspora delbrueckii
Torulaspora delbrueckii has attracted interest in recent years, especially due to its biotechnological potential, arising from its flavor- and aroma-enhancing properties when used in wine, beer or bread dough fermentation, as well as from its remarkable resistance to osmotic and freezing stresses.    
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Motility of Helicobacter spp.
Helicobacter spp., including the well-known human gastric pathogen H. pylori, can cause gastric diseases in humans and other mammals. They are Gram-negative bacteria that colonize the gastric epithelium and use their multiple flagella to move across the protective gastric mucus layer. Different Helicobacter spp. differ in the number and arrangement of flagella, as well as in the size and shape of their cell body. The most well-studied of these is H. pylori, which is unipolar and lophotrichous (multiple flagella at one pole). Some of these bacteria are bipolar, e.g., the lophotrichous H. suis, and the monotrichous H. cetorum. The motility of H. pylori, H. suis, and H. cetorum was described in the review in Microorganisms 2023 linked above. 
  • 1.5K
  • 20 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Spirochetes as Causative Agents of Alzheimer’s Disease
Spirochetes are bacteria that can also form biofilms, and there is increasing evidence regarding infections with specific species. Borrelia burgdorferi, and several species of treponemes are some of the most studied spirochetes regarding Alzheimer’s Disease. Spirochetes were visualized in the neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques in the brains of individuals with AD, and peptidoglycan was also located near Aβ deposits.
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Adipocytokines Produced by Adipose Tissue
The alterations of adipocyte-derived signal mediators strongly influence the regulation of inflammation, resulting in chronic low-grade inflammation.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels
Bacteria accumulate osmolytes to prevent cell dehydration during hyperosmotic stress. A sudden change to a hypotonic environment leads to a rapid water influx, causing swelling of the protoplast. To prevent cell lysis through osmotic bursting, mechanosensitive channels detect changes in turgor pressure and act as emergency-release valves for the ions and osmolytes, restoring the osmotic balance.
  • 1.5K
  • 11 Jul 2022
Topic Review
PP2A during Mitosis in Yeasts
Cell cycle regulation is largely based on protein phospho-dephosphorylation events, catalyzed by cyclin dependent kinases (Cdks) and phosphatases (PPases), respectively. During many years the Cdks were considered the main component of the cell cycle control system. Recently, the importance of the counteracting PPases has emerged. Research on yeast has provided many insights into such contribution. Here we present an overview of the protein phosphatase 2A family's roles during mitosis.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Brain–Gut–Microbiome Axis
Beginning with the concept of the brain–gut axis, the importance of the interaction between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract has been extended to the microbiome with increasing clinical applications. With the recent development of various techniques for microbiome analysis, the number of relevant preclinical and clinical studies on animals and human subjects has rapidly increased. Various psychotic symptoms a ect the intestinal microbiome through the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal gland axis. Conversely, the intestinal microbiome regulates the gastrointestinal tract environment and affects psychological factors by means of the microorganisms or their metabolites, either acting directly on the brain or through the synthesis of various neurotransmitters.
  • 1.5K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota in the Elderly
Gut microbiota is involved in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis, thus the alteration of its composition and functionality, called dysbiosis, has been associated with many pathologies, and could also be linked with the progressive degenerative process in aging. Specific gut microbiota taxa could be associated to the development of inflammation underlying aging, but also it has been identified some beneficial profiles related to a healthy status in the elderly. Thus, gut microbiota emerges as a therapeutic target with a double impact in the elderly, counteracting both aging itself and associated diseases. 
  • 1.5K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Adhesins of Brucella
A central aspect of Brucella pathogenicity is its ability to invade, survive, and replicate in diverse phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, leading to chronic infections and chronic inflammatory phenomena. Adhesion to the target cell is a critical first step in the invasion process. Several Brucella adhesins have been shown to mediate adhesion to cells, extracellular matrix components (ECM), or both. These include the sialic acid-binding proteins SP29 and SP41, the BigA and BigB proteins that contain an Ig-like domain, the monomeric autotransporters BmaA, BmaB, and BmaC, the trimeric autotransporters BtaE and BtaF, and Bp26.
  • 1.5K
  • 05 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Heavy Metals Bioremediation
Cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) are heavy metals that have been classified as priority pollutants in aqueous environment while methane-oxidizing bacteria as a biofilter arguably consume up to 90% of the produced methane in the same aqueous environment before it escapes into the atmosphere. However, the underlying kinetics and active methane oxidizers are poorly understood for the hotspot of epipelon that provides a unique micro-ecosystem containing diversified guild of microorganisms including methane oxidizers for potential bioremediation of heavy metals. In the present study, the Pb2+, Cd2+and Cr6+ bioremediation potential of epipelon biofilm was assessed under both high (120,000 ppm) and near-atmospheric (6 ppm) methane concentrations. Epipelon biofilm demonstrated a high methane oxidation activity following microcosm incubation amended with a high concentration of methane, accompanied by the complete removal of 50 mg L−1 Pb2+ and 50 mg L−1 Cd2+ (14 days) and partial (20%) removal of 50 mg L−1 Cr6+ after 20 days. High methane dose stimulated a faster (144 h earlier) heavy metal removal rate compared to near-atmospheric methane concentrations. DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) following 13CH4 microcosm incubation revealed the growth and activity of different phylotypes of methanotrophs during the methane oxidation and heavy metal removal process. High throughput sequencing of 13C-labelled particulate methane monooxygenase gene pmoA and 16S rRNA genes revealed that the prevalent active methane oxidizers were type I affiliated methanotrophs, i.e., Methylobacter. Type II methanotrophs including Methylosinus and Methylocystis were also labeled only under high methane concentrations. These results suggest that epipelon biofilm can serve as an important micro-environment to alleviate both methane emission and the heavy metal contamination in aqueous ecosystems with constant high methane fluxes.
  • 1.5K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
β-Lactam Resistance Genes in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the largest global concerns due to its influence in multiple areas, which is consistent with One Health’s concept of close interconnections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environments. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) circulate constantly in various niches, sediments, water sources, soil, and wastes of the animal and plant sectors, and is linked to human activities. Sewage of different origins gets to the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where ARB and ARG removal efficiency is still insufficient, leading to their transmission to discharge points and further dissemination. Thus, WWTPs are believed to be reservoirs of ARGs and the source of spreading AMR. According to a World Health Organization report, the most critical pathogens for public health include Gram-negative bacteria resistant to third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems (last-choice drugs), which represent β-lactams, the most widely used antibiotics. Therefore, this research presents the available research data for ARGs in WWTPs that confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, with a particular emphasis on clinically important life-threatening mechanisms of resistance, including extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenemases (KPC, NDM).
  • 1.5K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Food Bio-Based Packaging
Recently, academic research and industries have gained awareness about the economic, environmental, and social impacts of conventional plastic packaging and its disposal. This consciousness has oriented efforts towards more sustainable materials such as biopolymers, paving the way for the “green era” of food packaging.
  • 1.5K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Hepatitis B Virus Infection Understanding
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects 292 million people worldwide and is associated with a broad range of clinical manifestations including cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the availability of an effective vaccine HBV still causes nearly 900,000 deaths every year. Current treatment options keep HBV under control, but they do not offer a cure as they cannot completely clear HBV from infected hepatocytes. The recent development of reliable cell culture systems allowed for a better understanding of the host and viral mechanisms affecting HBV replication and persistence. Recent advances into the understanding of HBV biology, new potential diagnostic markers of hepatitis B infection, as well as novel antivirals targeting different steps in the HBV replication cycle are summarized in this review article.
  • 1.5K
  • 29 Sep 2020
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