Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota in Obesity Prevalence
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of gut microbiota on the prevalence of obesity and associated morbidities, taking into consideration underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition to exploring the relationship between obesity and fecal microorganisms with their metabolites, the study also focused on the factors that would be able to stimulate growth and remodeling of microbiota.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Engineering Microbial Phenotypes
Microbial strains are being engineered for an increasingly diverse array of applications, from chemical production to human health. While traditional engineering disciplines are driven by predictive design tools, these tools have been difficult to build for biological design due to the complexity of biological systems and many unknowns of their quantitative behavior. However, due to many recent advances, the gap between design in biology and other engineering fields is closing.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Bacteria and Biofilm
Bacteria are fascinating microscopic cells that can live by themselves or be extremely social. Indeed, they can establish social interactions with other microorganisms to form highly organized communities known as biofilms. These consortia consist of adherent aggregates of microorganisms arranged within a matrix of a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composed of a mixture of polysaccharides, proteins and extracellular DNA. Biofilm-forming activity is a widespread bacterial feature found on natural and artificial surfaces. In natural environments, biofilms represent the preeminent lifestyle of bacteria which can have beneficial effects on plant growth promotion, organic compound degradation, including different aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, microbial biofilms have been found useful in food fermentation, the production of many bio-based materials, bioremediation, wastewater treatment and microbial fuel cells.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Cystic Echinococcosis
Hydatid cyst or cystic echinococcosis (CE) is well-known as one of the most common universal parasitic infections, which infects a wide range of hosts such as humans, wild animals, and domestic livestock. Therefore, CE can be considered as an important challenge both from medical and economic points of view.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Skin Microbiota
Many relatively common chronic inflammatory skin diseases manifest on the face (seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, acne, perioral/periorificial dermatitis, periocular dermatitis, etc.), thereby significantly imparing patient appearance and quality of life. Given the as yet unexplained pathogenesis and numerous factors involved, these diseases often present therapeutic challenges. Changes in human skin microbiota composition and/or functionality are believed to trigger immune dysregulation and, consequently, an inflammatory response, thereby playing a potentially significant role in the clinical manifestations and treatment of these diseases. Although cultivation methods have traditionally been used in studies of bacterial microbiome species, a large number of bacterial strains cannot be grown in the laboratory. Since standard culture-dependent methods detect fewer than 1% of all bacterial species, a metagenomic approach could be used to detect bacteria that cannot be cultivated. Studies on the possible association between changes in the microbiome and their association with skin diseases have improved understanding of disease development, diagnostics and therapeutics. Identification of the bacterial markers associated with particular inflammatory skin diseases would significantly accelerate the diagnostics and reduce treatment costs. Microbiota research and determination could facilitate the identification of potential causes of skin diseases that cannot be detected by simpler methods, thereby contributing to the design and development more effective therapies.
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Essential Oil-Based Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Agents in Food
The use of essential oils (EO) loaded with nanoparticles is the most promising alternative to increase food quality and safety. Their association with different nanosystems allows novel developments in the micronutrition, health promotion, and pathogen control fields, preventing the aggravation of bacterial microevolution and combating antibiotic resistance. Benefits to the environment are also provided, as they are biodegradable and biocompatible. 
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Metabolic Engineering of Yeast for Bioethanol Production
Increased human population and the rapid decline of fossil fuels resulted in a global tendency to look for alternative fuel sources. Ethanol has been the primary fossil fuel alternative due to its low carbon emission rates, high octane content and comparatively facile microbial production processes. As a well-known platform microorganism and native ethanol producer, baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been the primary subject of interest for both academic and industrial perspectives in terms of enhanced ethanol production processes. Metabolic engineering strategies have been primarily adopted for direct manipulation of genes of interest responsible in mainstreams of ethanol metabolism. To overcome limitations of rational metabolic engineering, an alternative bottom-up strategy called inverse metabolic engineering has been widely used. In this context, evolutionary engineering, also known as adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), which is based on random mutagenesis and systematic selection, is a powerful strategy to improve bioethanol production of S. cerevisiae. Metabolic and evolutionary engineering strategies are intertwined and many metabolically engineered strains for bioethanol production can be further improved by powerful evolutionary engineering strategies as well as the recent advancements in directed genome evolution, including CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Anthrax Toxin Detection
       Bacillus anthracis is a Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium, considered one of the most potent and critical bioterrorist agents. It is still as important to quickly diagnose this disease, a rapid diagnosis improving the effective management of the patient. Significant progress has been made in the detection of toxins produced by Bacillus anthracis. These toxins appear as early targets for diagnosis, predictive tools for host survival, and they help to monitor the efficiency of treatment.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Extremophilic Fungi from Marine Environments
Marine environments are underexplored terrains containing fungi that produce a diversity of natural products given unique environmental pressures and nutrients. While bacteria are commonly the most studied microorganism for natural products in the marine world, marine fungi are also abundant but remain an untapped source of bioactive metabolites. Given that their terrestrial counterparts have been a source of many blockbuster antitumor agents and anti-infectives, including camptothecin, the penicillins, and cyclosporin A, marine fungi also have the potential to produce new chemical scaffolds as leads to potential drugs. Fungi are more phylogenetically diverse than bacteria and have larger genomes that contain many silent biosynthetic gene clusters involved in making bioactive compounds. However, less than 5% of all known fungi have been cultivated under standard laboratory conditions. While the number of reported natural products from marine fungi is steadily increasing, their number is still significantly lower compared to those reported from their bacterial counterparts.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Human and Animal Brucellosis in Nigeria
Brucellosis caused by Brucella spp. is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their secretions and through the consumption of infected animal meat and unpasteurized milk/milk products. Brucellosis is classified as one of the top neglected zoonosis by the World Health Organization (WHO), and despite this, it does not attract the appropriate attention it requires from both the Federal and State ministries of health in Nigeria. 15.8% (7178/45,363) seroprevalence of brucellosis was recorded in northern Nigeria as against 8.7% (1902/21,740) in the southern part. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis, and B. canis were reported in 27 of the 36 states.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Applications of Probiotic Bacteria
A probiotic is a live microorganism that improves the host's health when administrated in adequate amounts. 
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Francisella Tularensis Virulence
Regulation of gene transcription is the initial step in the complex process that controls gene expression within bacteria. Transcriptional control involves the joint effort of RNA polymerases and numerous other regulatory factors. Whether global or local, positive or negative, regulators play an essential role in the bacterial cell. For instance, some regulators specifically modify the transcription of virulence genes, thereby being indispensable to pathogenic bacteria. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of important transcription factors and DNA-binding proteins described for the virulent bacterium Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia. This is an unexplored research area, and the poorly described networks of transcription factors merit additional experimental studies to help elucidate the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in this bacterium, and how they contribute to disease.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Basonym Lactobacillus plantarum) is a good candidate for developing oral vaccines because it survives gastrointestinal conditions transiently colonizing the intestinal tract, it beneficially modulates the mucosal immune responses not only locally (intestinal mucosa) but in distant mucosal sites as well (respiratory mucosa) and there are molecular techniques available for the manipulation of its genome.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Measles Incidence and Eradication
Measles is an RNA virus infectious disease mainly seen in children. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine against measles, it remains a health issue in children. Although it is a self-limiting disease, it becomes severe in undernourished and immune-compromised individuals. Measles infection is associated with secondary infections by opportunistic bacteria due to the immunosuppressive effects of the measles virus. 
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Mycobacterium avium
In this study we characterized adhesins  heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) and laminin-binding proteins (LBP) from M. intracellulare subsp chimaera intracellulare complex (MCIC) species isolated from patients with a variety of disease expression, examined the role of these adhesins in binding of M. intracellulare to lung epithelial cells and their degree of conservation within the M. intracellulare subsp chimaera intracellulare complex
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Aug 2020
Topic Review
Probiotic Bacteria
Probiotic bacteria are widely accepted as therapeutic agents against inflammatory bowel diseases for their immunostimulating effects. 
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Distribution of eDNA in Different Environments
In nature, DNA is ubiquitous, existing not only inside but also outside of the cells of organisms. Intracellular DNA (iDNA) plays an essential role in different stages of biological growth, and it is defined as the carrier of genetic information. In addition, extracellular DNA (eDNA) is not enclosed in living cells, accounting for a large proportion of total DNA in the environment. Both the lysis-dependent and lysis-independent pathways are involved in eDNA release, and the released DNA has diverse environmental functions.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Antarctic Soil Fungi for Bioprospecting
Antarctica, one of the harshest environments in the world, has been successfully colonized by extremophilic, psychrophilic, and psychrotolerant microorganisms, facing a range of extreme conditions. Fungi are the most diverse taxon in the Antarctic ecosystems, including soils. Genetic adaptation to this environment results in the synthesis of a range of metabolites with different functional roles in relation to the biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Cold-adapted enzymes and other bioactive secondary metabolites with new biological properties of potential biotechnological interest have been reported to date from filamentous fungi and yeasts inhabiting Antarctic soils, and further could be recovered. Antarctic fungi are a source of enzymes and secondary metabolites with an incredible application potential, deserving to be studied always in agreement with the provisions of Article III.1 of the Antarctic Treaty, concerning scientific exchanges and the availability of scientific observations and results from the continent.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Ibrexafungerp in Development for Treatment of Mold Infections
Ibrexafungerp, an orally bioavailable glucan synthase inhibitor, is the first in a new class of triterpenoid antifungals and shares a similar target to the well-established echinocandins. Ibrexafungerp has a very favorable pharmacokinetic profile for the treatment of fungal infections with excellent tissue penetration in organs targeted by molds, such as the lungs, liver, and skin. Ibrexafungerp has demonstrated in vitro activity against Aspergillus spp. as well as efficacy alone and in combination with other antifungals in in animal models of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis. Furthermore, ibrexafungerp is approved for use in the USA for the treatment of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis and for the reduction in the incidence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Apr 2023
Topic Review
The Roles of the Virome in Cancer
Viral infections as well as changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota and virome have been linked to cancer. Moreover, the success of cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has been correlated with the intestinal microbial composition of patients. The transfer of feces—which contain mainly bacteria and their viruses (phages)—from immunotherapy responders to non-responders, known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), has been shown to be able to convert some non-responders to responders. Since phages may also increase the response to immunotherapy, for example by inducing T cells cross-reacting with cancer antigens, modulating phage populations may provide a new avenue to improve immunotherapy responsiveness.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Dec 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 52
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback