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Topic Review
Development of Antifouling Strategies for Marine Applications
Marine biofouling is an undeniable challenge for aquatic systems since it is responsible for several environmental and ecological problems and economic losses. Several strategies have been developed to mitigate fouling-related issues in marine environments, including thermal stress, osmotic shock, deoxygenation, and the development of marine coatings using nanotechnology and biomimetic models, as well as the incorporation of natural compounds, peptides, bacteriophages, or specific enzymes on surfaces. 
  • 1.3K
  • 07 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Chlamydiae
The Chlamydiae are a bacterial phylum and class whose members are remarkably diverse, including pathogens of humans and animals, symbionts of ubiquitous protozoa, and marine sediment forms not yet well understood. All of the Chlamydiae that humans have known about for many decades are obligate intracellular bacteria; in 2020 many additional Chlamydiae were discovered in ocean-floor environments, and it is not yet known whether they all have hosts. Historically it was believed that all Chlamydiae had a peptidoglycan-free cell wall, but studies in the 2010s demonstrated a detectable presence of peptidoglycan, as well as other important proteins. Among the Chlamydiae, all of the ones long known to science grow only by infecting eukaryotic host cells. They are as small as or smaller than many viruses. They are ovoid in shape and stain Gram-negative. They are dependent on replication inside the host cells; thus, some species are termed obligate intracellular pathogens and others are symbionts of ubiquitous protozoa. Most intracellular Chlamydiae are located in an inclusion body or vacuole. Outside cells, they survive only as an extracellular infectious form. These Chlamydiae can grow only where their host cells grow, and develop according to a characteristic biphasic developmental cycle. Therefore, clinically relevant Chlamydiae cannot be propagated in bacterial culture media in the clinical laboratory. They are most successfully isolated while still inside their host cells. Of various Chlamydiae that cause human disease, the two most important species are Chlamydia pneumoniae, which causes a type of pneumonia, and Chlamydia trachomatis, which causes chlamydia. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States, and 2.86 million chlamydia infections are reported annually.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Formation of Biofilms
Biofilms are matrix-enclosed bacterial populations that are adherent to each other and to surfaces and/or interfaces and are mainly composed of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and extracellular DNA.
  • 1.3K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Nivalenol Mycotoxin Concerns in Foods
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi that infect a wide range of foods worldwide. Nivalenol (NIV), a type B trichothecene produced by numerous Fusarium species, has the ability to infect a variety of foods both in the field and during post-harvest handling and management. NIV is frequently found in cereal and cereal-based goods, and its strong cytotoxicity poses major concerns for both human and animal health. 
  • 1.3K
  • 18 Aug 2022
Topic Review
The Necrobiome of Deadwood
Sustainable forest management has been increasingly recognized, promoting the diffusion of silvicultural practices aimed at considering all components of the forest system. Deadwood is an important component of the forest ecosystem. It plays a fundamental role in providing nutrients and habitats for a wide variety of saprotrophic and heterotrophic organisms and significantly contributes to soil formation and carbon storage. Deadwood is inhabited by a plethora of organisms from various kingdoms that have evolved the ability to utilize decaying organic matter. This community, consisting of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic species, can be defined as “necrobiome”. Through the interactions between its various members, the necrobiome influences the decay rates of deadwood and plays a crucial role in the balance between organic matter decomposition, carbon sequestration, and gas exchanges (e.g., CO2) with the atmosphere. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Klebsiella pneumoniae in Clinical Settings and the Environment
The increasing reports of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged as a public health concern, raising questions about the potential routes for the evolution and dissemination of the pathogenic K. pneumoniae into environmental reservoirs. Potential drivers of the increased incidence of antimicrobial-resistant environmental K. pneumoniae include the eminent global climatic variations as a direct or indirect effect of human activities. 
  • 1.3K
  • 16 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Probiotics Influence the Gut–Brain Link
The effect of the intestinal microbiome on the gut–brain axis has received considerable attention, strengthening the evidence that intestinal bacteria influence emotions and behavior. The colonic microbiome is important to health and the pattern of composition and concentration varies extensively in complexity from birth to adulthood. That is, host genetics and environmental factors are complicit in shaping the development of the intestinal microbiome to achieve immunological tolerance and metabolic homeostasis from birth. Given that the intestinal microbiome perseveres to maintain gut homeostasis throughout the life cycle, epigenetic actions may determine the effect on the gut–brain axis and the beneficial outcomes on mood.
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation
Anaerobic soil disinfection (ASD) has been identified as an alternative soil-borne pathogen control strategy to chemical fumigation. ASD involves the application of an easily liable carbon source followed by irrigation to field capacity and maintenance of an anaerobic condition for a certain period.
  • 1.3K
  • 07 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Dinoflagellate Amphiesmal Dynamics
Dinoflagellates are a major aquatic protist group with amphiesma, multiple cortical membranous “cell wall” layers that contain large circum-cortical alveolar sacs (AVs). AVs undergo extensive remodeling during cell- and life-cycle transitions, including ecdysal cysts (ECs) and resting cysts that are important in some harmful algal bloom initiation–termination. AVs are large cortical vesicular compartments, within which are elaborate cellulosic thecal plates (CTPs), in thecate species, and the pellicular layer (PL). AV-CTPs provide cellular mechanical protection and are targets of vesicular transport that are replaced during EC-swarmer cell transition, or with increased deposition during the cellular growth cycle.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Nanotechnology-Based Delivery Systems for Antimicrobial Peptides
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant threat to global health. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown potential as alternative diagnostic and therapeutic agents in biomedical applications. Their clinical applications are limited to topical application due to their systemic toxicity, susceptibility to protease degradation, short half-life, and rapid renal clearance. To circumvent these challenges and improve AMP’s efficacy, different approaches such as peptide chemical modifications and the development of AMP delivery systems have been employed. Nanomaterials have been shown to improve the activity of antimicrobial drugs by providing support and synergistic effect against pathogenic microbes. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Antiviral Bioactive Compounds of Mushrooms
Mushrooms are used in their natural form as a food supplement and food additive. In addition, several bioactive compounds beneficial for human health have been derived from mushrooms. Among them, polysaccharides, carbohydrate-binding protein, peptides, proteins, enzymes, polyphenols, triterpenes, triterpenoids, and several other compounds exert antiviral activity against DNA and RNA viruses. Their antiviral targets were mostly virus entry, viral genome replication, viral proteins, and cellular proteins and influenced immune modulation, which was evaluated through pre-, simultaneous-, co-, and post-treatment in vitro and in vivo studies. In particular, they treated and relieved the viral diseases caused by herpes simplex virus, influenza virus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Some mushroom compounds that act against HIV, influenza A virus, and hepatitis C virus showed antiviral effects comparable to those of antiviral drugs. Therefore, bioactive compounds from mushrooms could be candidates for treating viral infections. 
  • 1.3K
  • 24 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Communication Mode between Microorganisms
Various processes such as rhizospheric competence, antibiosis, release of enzymes, and induction of systemic resistance in host plants are all used by microbes to influence plant-microbe interactions. These processes are largely founded on chemical signalling. Producing, releasing, detecting, and responding to chemicals are all part of chemical signalling. Different microbes released distinct sorts of chemical signal molecules which interacts with the environment and hosts. 
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Genus Nocardiopsis
Actinomycetes are currently one of the major sources of bioactive secondary metabolites used for medicine development. Accumulating evidence has shown that Nocardiopsis, a key class of actinomycetes, has the ability to produce novel bioactive natural products. 
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Nitrogen-Fixing Legume Symbionts
It is now widely recognized that genetic regulation of bacterial physiology cannot be fully understood without considering the possible participation of small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs). However, current genome annotations for most bacterial species unaccountably overlook sRNA genes. Here, we describe strategies undertaken to characterize the noncoding transcriptome of rhizobia, a group of soil bacteria that are well-known for their ability to establish agriculturally and environmentally relevant mutualistic nitrogen-fixing symbioses with legumes.
  • 1.3K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Hidden World of Gut Microbiota
Metabolites generated from the gut microbiota play an essential role in the host’s health by regulating metabolic homeostasis. A disruption in this equilibrium can lead to the emergence of numerous illnesses and their etiology. Pesticides have been shown in a few recent studies to harm the host’s gut microbiome.
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Occupational Exposure to Mycotoxins
In occupational settings where exposure to organic dust occurs (e.g., intensive animal production, waste management, farming) workers can be exposed to mycotoxins. However, the recognition of mycotoxins in workplace environments and as an occupational risk factor is still not performed. In the last decade, work developed in different occupational settings, using different sampling approaches reported that occupational exposure to mycotoxins occurs and it is of upmost importance to be considered as an occupational concern that needs to be tackled.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli
E. coli is a versatile microorganism, and even if the invasive infections are those that are more likely to evolve with life threatening complications, the diarrheagenic strains of E. coli are still important pathogens, especially in the pediatric departments.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Clostridium thermocellum
Clostridium thermocellum, a Gram-positive, thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, exhibits an outstanding capability for degrading cellulolytic biomass to release fermentable sugars of different lengths by means of its powerful cellulosomes. 
  • 1.3K
  • 30 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Fungi Affecting Wall Paintings of Historical Value
Wall paintings have been a cultural expression of human creativity throughout history. Their degradation or destruction represents a loss to the world’s cultural heritage, and fungi have been identified as a major contributor to their decay. For this reason, is of utmost importance to know the species involved, their distribution, the method used for their identification, and the possible relation with the environment.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Microorganisms in the Nucleation of Carbonates
Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an important process in the synthesis of carbonate minerals, and thus, it is widely explored as a novel approach with potential for many technological applications. The processes and mechanisms involved in carbonate mineral formation in the presence of microbes are not yet fully understood. This research covers the current knowledge regarding the role of microbial cells and metabolic products (e.g., extracellular polymeric substances, proteins and amino acids) on the adsorption of divalent metals, adsorption of ionic species and as templates for crystal nucleation. Moreover, they can play a role in the mineral precipitation, size, morphology and lattice. By understanding how microbes and their metabolic products promote suitable physicochemical conditions (pH, Mg/Ca ratio and free carbonate ions) to induce carbonate nucleation and precipitation, the manipulation of the final mineral precipitates could be a reality for (geo)biotechnological approaches. The applications and implications of biogenic carbonates in areas such as geology and engineering are presented and discussed in this research, with a major focus on biotechnology.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Jan 2023
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