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Topic Review
Heavy Metal Accumulation in Rice and Aquatic Plants
Aquatic ecosystems are contaminated with heavy metals by natural and anthropogenic sources. Among heavy metals, cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) cause significant damage to aquatic ecosystems and can invariably affect human health. These metals can enter the human body through food chains, and the presence of heavy metals in food can lead to numerous human health consequences. Heavy metals in aquatic plants can affect plant physicochemical functions, growth, and crop yield. 
  • 1.7K
  • 10 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Engineered Bacteriophages
Engineered bacteriophages (phages) are bacteriophages that have been genetically or chemically altered in some way to create or improve a property for an application, although it would be equally valid to use this term for phages altered for research.   Application-directed properties can include: enhanced bacterial killing to improve phage therapy; insertion of reporter genes to facilitate biosensor-mediated detection; insertion of targeting peptides to a virion surface protein to enhance binding properties to bacteria or other types of cells; attachment of non-protein molecules (e.g. antibiotics or nanoparticles) to phage capsid surface proteins to facilitate phage-mediated delivery; anchoring of phages to a surface to improve target capture.  It is also possible to combine modifications to develop, for example, a phage-based cancer treatment that has binding peptides for cancer cell targeting and is conjugated to either a radioisotope nanoparticle or chemotherapy drug to improve delivery.
  • 1.7K
  • 14 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Review of Ionic Liquids Toxicity
Ionic liquids (more accurately room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs)) can be defined as materials composed of organic or inorganic cations (like imidazolium or pyridinium) and anions (e.g., nitrate, acetate, tetrafluoroborate, dicyanamide, bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and lactate) that are liquid at or below 100 °C. The number of possible combinations of a cation and anion is estimated to reach 106, making it theoretically possible to synthesize an IL targeted for a specific application or property.
  • 1.7K
  • 29 Jun 2021
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.
  • 1.7K
  • 23 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Epithelial Cells in Environmental-Associated Airway Diseases
People are exposed to contaminants through the respiratory tract and skin; they first reach the bloodstream and, subsequently, the organs, causing more or less serious damage to health. Thus, the effects of atmospheric pollution affect the respiratory tract with acute symptoms and the circulatory system with cardiovascular events, leading to hospitalizations and mortality. In addition to the acute effects, long-term effects can also be had, including an alteration of lung function in adults, children, and adolescents. Specifically, in children and adolescents, chronic exposure to air pollution is associated with a reduction in forced vital capacity (FVC), which correlates with age and can be interpreted as a reduction in the lung growth and respiratory function of the lower airways. Children, together with elderly persons, are the most sensitive subjects to environmental pollution; to these are added subjects with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Emerging contaminants induce pulmonary toxicity by promoting an inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells.
  • 1.7K
  • 15 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Nanoplastic and the Gut-Brain Axis
The widespread usage of plastic places a significant burden on the environment and impacts numerous aquatic and terrestrial species. Humans in particular can be affected by plastic pollution, predominantly via inhalation and ingestion, as well as trophic transfer along the food chain. Under natural conditions synthetic materials undergo degradation into micro- and nanoparticles, especially prone to interact with biological systems. Organisms exposed to nanoplastic accumulate it in multiple tissues, including the gut and the brain. The scarce but consistent evidence shows that exposure to plastic nanoparticles can indeed affect both the digestive and the nervous system, therefore, potentially pose a threat to the complex network of mutual interactions between them, known as the gut-brain axis.
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Constituents and Biological Activities of Bee Venom
Bee products consist of many substances that have long been known for their medicinal and health-beneficial properties. Venom is the one that has attracted the most interest due to the complexity of its chemical composition. Several types of research have been conducted utilizing biological (cellular) systems to figure out the properties of bee venom in vitro.
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Shiga Toxins
Shiga toxins (Stxs) are classic bacterial toxins and major virulence factors of toxigenic Shigella dysenteriae and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). These toxins recognize a glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3/CD77) as their receptor and inhibit protein synthesis in cells by cleaving 28S ribosomal RNA. They are the major cause of life-threatening complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), associated with severe cases of EHEC infection, which is the leading cause of acute kidney injury in children.
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Ageritin from Pioppino Mushroom
Ageritin is a specific ribonuclease, extracted from the edible mushroom Cyclocybe aegerita (synonym Agrocybe aegerita), which cleaves a single phosphodiester bond located within the universally conserved alpha-sarcin loop (SRL) of 23–28S rRNAs.This toxin is the prototype of ribotoxin-like protein family present in edible mushroom and possesses antifungal/antiviral activities and selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells with potential use in biotechnological applications (as bio-insecticides or antitumor agents).
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Potential Mechanisms of Poly- and Perfluoroalkylated Substances Carcinogenesis
Poly- and perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are chemicals that persist and bioaccumulate in the environment and are found in nearly all human populations through several routes of exposure. Human occupational and community exposure to PFAS has been associated with several cancers, including cancers of the kidney, testis, prostate, and liver.
  • 1.5K
  • 18 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Bryophyte Heavy-Metal Tolerance
The biological effects of heavy metals have been studied in both animals and plants, ranging from oxidative stress to genotoxicity. Plants, above all metal-tolerant species, have evolved a wide spectrum of strategies to counteract exposure to toxic metal concentrations. 
  • 1.5K
  • 04 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Targets of Toxicity in Environmental Exposure to Cadmium
Dietary assessment reports and population surveillance programs show that chronic exposure to low levels of environmental cadmium (Cd) is inevitable for most people, and adversely impacts the health of children and adults.
  • 1.5K
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Methylmercury Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation
Methylmercury (MeHg) toxicity is a major environmental concern. In the aquatic reservoir, MeHg bioaccumulates along the food chain until it is consumed by riverine populations. The central nervous system is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of MeHg, as evidenced by clinical symptoms and histopathological changes in poisoned humans. In vitro and in vivo studies have been crucial in deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying MeHg-induced neurotoxicity. A collection of cellular and molecular alterations including cytokine release, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, Ca2+ and glutamate dyshomeostasis, and cell death mechanisms are important consequences of brain cells exposure to MeHg. 
  • 1.4K
  • 24 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Effects of Waterborne Cadmium Exposure on Zebrafish intestine
Cadmium (Cd) is an extremely toxic heavy metal released in the environment due to a plethora of anthropic processes. Here focused on the effects of two sublethal cadmium concentrations on cells of the gastrointestinal surface epithelium with particular attention to changes in the distribution of glycan residues and the morphological features of the intestine. To evaluate the defense response of the mucosa, the expression of metallothionein was investigated. Data demonstrate that cadmium modifies the presence and/or distribution of glycans in the brush border and cytoplasm of enterocytes and in the goblet cells cytoplasm. Results suggest a significant interference of cadmium, in dose and site-dependent manner, with mucosal efficiency. This effect could be a direct health risk for the organism exposed to the contamination and indirectly a risk for the trophic chain.
  • 1.4K
  • 08 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Antioxidant Properties of Taxifolin
Polyphenols are the most numerous and widely distributed compounds of plant origin. They are involved in various processes of the growth and development of plants, and their protection against unfavorable environmental factors. They enter the body of humans and animals with plant food. The intake of polyphenols or polyphenol-rich food products might be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and other diseases. More than 8000 polyphenols have been identified; of these, more than 4000 compounds belong to the group of flavonoids. In nature, polyphenols occur as monomers, oligomers, and polymers (proanthocyanidins, condensed tannins). There is also evidence indicating that, during the storage and aging of food products and beverages with a high content of flavonoids, the latter react with carbonyl compounds such as acetaldehyde, methylglyoxal, glyoxylic acid, and furfurol, which results in the formation of monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric adducts.
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Tetrodotoxin for Neuropathic&Cancer Pain Relief
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin found mainly in puffer fish and other marine and terrestrial animals. TTX blocks voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) which are typically classified as TTX-sensitive or TTX-resistant channels. VGSCs play a key role in pain signaling and some TTX-sensitive VGSCs are highly expressed by adult primary sensory neurons. During pathological pain conditions, such as neuropathic pain, upregulation of some TTX-sensitive VGSCs, including the massive re-expression of the embryonic VGSC subtype NaV1.3 in adult primary sensory neurons, contribute to painful hypersensitization. In addition, people with loss-of-function mutations in the VGSC subtype NaV1.7 present congenital insensitive to pain. TTX displays a prominent analgesic effect in several models of neuropathic pain in rodents. According to this promising preclinical evidence, TTX is currently under clinical development for chemo-therapy-induced neuropathic pain and cancer-related pain.
  • 1.4K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Plant Cytogenetics in the Micronuclei Investigation
Cytogenetics is the branch of genetics, cytology, and cell biology that analyses the nuclear genomes at the chromosome level. Cytogenetics makes the chromosome a substantial target in elementary plant cell biology and other fields such as mutagenesis and genotoxicity studies. Standard cytogenetic methods were, and are still, commonly used. Modern cytogenetic technologies involving advanced microscopy and imaging methods, that progress in the analyses on epigenetic DNA and histone modifications as well as DNA damage by using fluorescent antibodies benefit plant genome structure, dynamics, and evolution. They have also served the comprehensive evaluation of the effects of various mutagens on the plant genome that are observed as chromosome aberrations, including micronuclei (MN).
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Indirect Effect of Pesticides
Pesticides can indirectly affect target and non-target species in ways that are often contrary to their intended use. Such effects are mediated through interactions with other species or the physical environment and depend on ecological mechanisms. Typical mechanisms are the release of herbivores from predation and release from competition among species with similar niches. 
  • 1.3K
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Environmental Contaminants and Disparities in Women's Health
Environmental contaminants generally fall into three categories: persistent organic pollutants (POPs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and heavy metals.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Dried Blood Spot in Toxicology
Dried Blood Spot (DBS) is becoming very popular in various medical fields, especially in toxicology. Nowadays, it is commonly used in newborn screening for inherited or congenital diseases. DBS does not require trained medical staff to collect the samples and can be effortlessly transported to the laboratory, which makes it an easy and quick procedure. A venous blood spot, collected from a finger or a heel, is put on the special paper card, which can result in a different distribution of blood and concentration of detecting substances. DBS enables drugs analysis, detecting substances of abuse as well as  trace elements. It also serves its purpose in newborn screening and testing in SARS-CoV-2 serology. DBS is certain to develop rapidly and become even more worldwide used.
  • 1.3K
  • 16 Sep 2021
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