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Topic Review
Cancer Biomarkers
Cancer is one of the major public health issues in the world. It has become the second leading cause of death, with approximately 75% of cancer deaths transpiring in low- or middle-income countries. It causes a heavy global economic cost estimated at more than a trillion dollars per year. The conventional diagnostic technologies such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computerized tomography) scan, ultrasound and biopsy were not effective for cancer detection at primary stages; this is because of their dependency on tumorigenic properties or phenotypic characters of a tumor. Cancer is a very complex disease, with many epigenetic as well as genetic modifications which might alter the cell signaling process, related to development and resulting in tumorigenic transformation and malignancy. For almost all cancer patients, researchers and clinicians expect tests or methods that might diagnose cancer significantly earlier, provide better prognosis, and that can allow for increased survival rates. Cancer markers have been used in the oncology field. Biomarkers are molecules of biologic emergence found in blood, tissues, various body fluids such as urine, cerebrospinal fluid, or different body tissues that are elevated is the indicative of an abnormal disease or condition with cancer. 
  • 5.1K
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Family in Medieval Society
One of the periods with the greatest social, cultural, and religious changes was, without a doubt, the European medieval period. The concept of “Family” was one of the fields that gradually evolved, from individuals who shared the same biological lineage, to members of the same “House”. One of the ways to study the concept of “Family” in ancient periods is through a bioarchaeological perspective, where both anthropology and genetics have proven to be essential disciplines for studying “Families”. Through burial rituals, observing whether the graves were single or multiple, as is carried out in the study of human remains, it discusses the profound contribution of anthropology to the “Family” investigation, through mobility studies, the investigation of biological sex, observing certain congenital anomalies or, even, the study of certain ancient infectious diseases. Concerning genetics, the study of bones or teeth allows us to determine whether individuals were from the same close family or if they belonged to the same lineage through the maternal and paternal sides, being one of the only scientific ways of proposing social relationships between individuals, such as that created through adoption.
  • 4.9K
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Derived Peptides
Mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs) are translated peptides encoded by short open reading frames (sORFs) within known mitochondrial (mt) DNA genes.
  • 4.8K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Fungal Efficacy of Flavonoids
The prevalence of fungal infections is growing at an alarming pace and the pathogenesis is still not clearly understood. Recurrence of these fungal diseases is often due to their evolutionary avoidance of antifungal resistance. The development of suitable novel antimicrobial agents for fungal diseases continues to be a major problem in the current clinical field. Hence, it is urgently necessary to develop surrogate agents that are more effective than conventional available drugs. Among the remarkable innovations from earlier investigations on natural-drugs, flavonoids are a group of plant-derived substances capable of promoting many valuable effects on humans. The identification of flavonoids with possible antifungal effects at small concentrations or in synergistic combinations could help to overcome this problem. A combination of flavonoids with available drugs is an excellent approach to reduce the side effects and toxicity.
  • 4.7K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Application of Natural Coagulants in Water Treatment
The most popular and conventional method for water treatment (WT)  is the use of chemical-based coagulants including ferric chloride (FeCl3), alum (AlCl3), synthetic polymers (polyacrylamide), and poly aluminum. However, the use of this approach is not sustainable as it leads to the production of a large volume of non-biodegradable sludge. Natural coagulants, on the other hand, serve as an alternative sustainable strategy for the removal of turbidity and WT, as they are cheap, safe, and biodegradable. Natural coagulants are derived from three major sources, which include plants, animals, and microorganisms.
  • 4.7K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Muscle Tone Physiology
The simple definition of tone as the resistance to passive stretch is physiologically a complex interlaced network encompassing neural circuits in the brain, spinal cord, and muscle spindle. Disorders of muscle tone can arise from dysfunction in these pathways and manifest as hypertonia or hypotonia. The loss of supraspinal control mechanisms gives rise to hypertonia, resulting in spasticity or rigidity. On the other hand, dystonia and paratonia also manifest as abnormalities of muscle tone, but arise more due to the network dysfunction between the basal ganglia and the thalamo-cerebello-cortical connections. 
  • 4.6K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Genome Organization
In higher-order organisms, the genome is assembled into a protein-dense structure called chromatin. Chromatin is spatially organized in the nucleus through hierarchical folding, which is tightly regulated both in cycling cells and quiescent cells. Assembly and folding are not one-time events in a cell’s lifetime; rather, they are subject to dynamic shifts to allow changes in transcription, DNA replication, or DNA damage repair.  Chromatin is regulated at many levels and recent tools have permitted the elucidation of specific factors involved in the maintenance and regulation of the three-dimensional (3D) genome organization.
  • 4.5K
  • 14 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Resveratrol and Human Skin Lightening
Resveratrol is a polyphenol compound found in many edible plants such as Vitis vinifera, and its inhibitory effects on the catalytic activity, gene expression, and posttranslational modifications of tyrosinase, a key enzyme in the melanin biosynthetic pathway, provide a mechanistic basis for its antimelanogenic effects seen in melanocytic cells, three-dimensionally reconstituted skin models, and in vivo animal models. Recent clinical studies have supported the efficacy of resveratrol and its analogs, such as resveratryl triacetate (RTA) and resveratryl triglycolate (RTG), in human skin lightening. These findings suggest that resveratrol and its analogs are potentially useful as skin lightening agents in cosmetics.
  • 4.2K
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Metabolism and Role of Creatine
Creatine is a key player in  energy metabolism of excitable cells. This is an essential outline of its role and procurement by the organism, adapted by the author (Balestrino M, University of Genoa, Italy) from his Open Access paper  Role of Creatine in the Heart: Health and Disease, that was published in Nutrients, 2021; 13(4):1215. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041215.
  • 4.2K
  • 27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Electric Organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue. The electric discharge from this organ is used for navigation, communication, mating, defense and also sometimes for the incapacitation of prey.
  • 4.2K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Runx2 and Osteoblasts
Runx2 is essential for osteoblast differentiation, chondrocyte maturation, and transdifferentiation of terminally differentiated chondrocytes into osteoblasts. During osteoblast differentiation, Runx2 is weakly expressed in uncommitted mesenchymal cells, and its expression is upregulated in preosteoblasts, reaches the maximal level in immature osteoblasts, and is down-regulated in mature osteoblasts. Runx2 enhances the proliferation of osteoblast progenitors by directly regulating Fgfr2 and Fgfr3. Runx2 enhances the proliferation of suture mesenchymal cells and induces their commitment into osteoblast lineage cells through the direct regulation of hedgehog (Ihh, Gli1, and Ptch1), Fgf (Fgfr2 and Fgfr3), Wnt (Tcf7, Wnt10b, and Wnt1), and Pthlh (Pthr1) signaling pathway genes, and Dlx5. Runx2 heterozygous mutation causes open fontanelle and sutures because more than half of the Runx2 gene dosage is required for the induction of these genes in suture mesenchymal cells. Runx2 induces the proliferation of osteoblast progenitors and their differentiation into osteoblasts through reciprocal regulation via major signaling pathways, including Fgf, hedgehog, Wnt, and Pthlh, and transcription factors, including Sp7 and Dlx5. Runx2 also regulates the expression of bone matrix protein genes, including Col1a1, Col1a2, Spp1, and Bglap/Bglap2. Bglap/Bglap2 (osteocalcin) aligns biological apatite parallel to the collagen fibrils, which is important for bone strength, but osteocalcin does not play a role as a hormone in the pancreas, testis, and muscle. 
  • 4.2K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
DKK1 in Hair Regeneration
Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) is distinctly identified as an inhibitor of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
  • 4.1K
  • 22 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Grazing
Grazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture, grazing is one method used whereby domestic livestock are used to convert grass and other forage into meat, milk and other products. Many small selective herbivores follow larger grazers, who skim off the highest, tough growth of plants, exposing tender shoots. For terrestrial animals, grazing is normally distinguished from browsing in that grazing is eating grass or forbs, and browsing is eating woody twigs and leaves from trees and shrubs. Grazing differs from true predation because the organism being grazed upon is not generally killed. Grazing differs from parasitism as the two organisms live together in a constant state of physical externality (i.e. low intimacy). Water animals that feed for example on algae found on stones are called grazers-scrapers. Grazers-scrapers feed also on microorganisms and dead organic matter on various substrates.
  • 4.0K
  • 16 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Gut–Brain Axis and the Microbiome Physiology
Human microbiome has not been at the center of scientific research until recent years, when the scientific approach to the gut–brain axis and its medical involvement in multiple pathologies has revealed the decisive role of the intestinal flora.
  • 4.0K
  • 14 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Infrared Spectroscopy in Biological Studies
Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation with wavenumbers ranges of 12,500–10 cm−1. The IR region in the electromagnetic spectrum can be subdivided into three spectral regions, namely near-IR (NIR, 12,500–4000 cm−1), mid-IR (MIR, 4,000–400 cm−1), and far-IR (FIR, 400–10 cm−1). Accumulating evidence has shown that IR radiation has been widely investigated for biological studies and effects. The interaction between IR radiation and biomolecules enables to study the specific molecular vibrations of the sample constituents. IR spectroscopy, specifically MIR, has been used to investigate large numbers of biological samples such as cells, tissues, organ, and biofluids, providing qualitative and quantitative information that could be used for detection and classification. Notably, FTIR spectroscopy is considered a promising tool to study and analyze biological samples using MIR radiation. 
  • 3.9K
  • 09 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Senescence in Physiological Processes and Age-Related Diseases
Cellular senescence is a physiological mechanism that has both beneficial and detrimental consequences. Senescence limits tumorigenesis, lifelong tissue damage, and is involved in different biological processes, such as morphogenesis, regeneration, and wound healing. 
  • 3.9K
  • 28 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Tissue
In biology, tissue is a biological organizational level between cells and a complete organ. A tissue is an ensemble of similar cells and their extracellular matrix from the same origin that together carry out a specific function. Organs are then formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues. The English word "tissue" derives from the French word "tissu", the past participle of the verb tisser, "to weave". The study of tissues is known as histology or, in connection with disease, as histopathology. Xavier Bichat is considered as the "Father of Histology". Plant histology is studied in both plant anatomy and physiology. The classical tools for studying tissues are the paraffin block in which tissue is embedded and then sectioned, the histological stain, and the optical microscope. Developments in electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and the use of frozen tissue-sections have enhanced the detail that can be observed in tissues. With these tools, the classical appearances of tissues can be examined in health and disease, enabling considerable refinement of medical diagnosis and prognosis.
  • 3.8K
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Roof Plate in Neural Development
The roof plate is the most dorsal region of the neural tube. The Roof plate serves as an organizing center that controls proliferation and differentiation of dorsal interneurons. In addition, this region is involved in development of neural crest cells, which are the source of migratory neural crest cells. During early development of the spinal cord, roof plate cells secrete signaling molecules, such as Wnt and BMP family proteins, which regulate development of neural crest cells and dorsal spinal cord. After the dorso-ventral pattern is established, spinal cord dynamically changes its morphology. With this morphological transformation, the lumen of the spinal cord gradually shrinks to form the central canal. Accompanied by formation of the central canal, roof plate cells dramatically stretch along the dorso-ventral axis. During this stretching process, the tips of roof plate cells maintain contact with cells surrounding the shrinking lumen of the spinal cord, eventually exposed to the inner surface of the central canal. In this late stage of the spinal cord development, Wnt secreted by stretched roof plate cells regulates transformation of roof plate cells themselves and promotes proliferation of ependymal cells surrounding the central canal, including neural progenitor cells, in the spinal cord.
  • 3.8K
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Baddeley's Model of Working Memory
Baddeley's model of working memory is a model of human memory proposed by Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch in 1974, in an attempt to present a more accurate model of primary memory (often referred to as short-term memory). Working memory splits primary memory into multiple components, rather than considering it to be a single, unified construct. Baddeley & Hitch proposed their three-part working memory model as an alternative to the short-term store in Atkinson & Shiffrin's 'multi-store' memory model (1968). This model is later expanded upon by Baddeley and other co-workers to add a fourth component, and has become the dominant view in the field of working memory. However, alternative models are developing, providing a different perspective on the working memory system. The original model of Baddeley & Hitch was composed of three main components: the central executive which acts as a supervisory system and controls the flow of information from and to its slave systems: the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad. The phonological loop stores verbal content, whereas the visuo-spatial sketchpad caters to visuo-spatial data. Both the slave systems only function as short-term storage centers. In 2000, Baddeley added a third slave system to his model, the episodic buffer. Baddeley & Hitch's argument for the distinction of two domain-specific slave systems in the older model was derived from experimental findings with dual-task paradigms. Performance of two simultaneous tasks requiring the use of two separate perceptual domains (i.e. a visual and a verbal task) is nearly as efficient as performance of the tasks individually. In contrast, when a person tries to carry out two tasks simultaneously that use the same perceptual domain, performance is less efficient than when performing the tasks individually. A fourth component of Baddeley's model was added 25 years later to complement the central executive system. The third slave system was designated as episodic buffer. It is considered a limited-capacity system that provides temporary storage of information by conjoining information from the subsidiary systems, and long-term memory, into a single episodic representation.
  • 3.8K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has a number of important roles in the cell that are required for optimal functioning of the immune system. These include its essential role as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, enabling the process of oxidative phosphorylation to occur with the concomitant production of ATP, together with its role as a potential lipid-soluble antioxidant, protecting the cell against free radical-induced oxidation. Furthermore, CoQ10 has also been reported to have an anti-inflammatory role via its ability to repress inflammatory gene expression. Recently, CoQ10 has also been reported to play an important function within the lysosome, an organelle central to the immune response.
  • 3.7K
  • 27 May 2021
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