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Topic Review
3D Bioprinting for Cartilage Tissue Engineering
Cartilage is an avascular tissue with extremely limited self-regeneration capabilities. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted constructs for cartilage repair applications. 3D bioprinting is an evolutionary additive manufacturing technique that enables the precisely controlled deposition of a combination of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive molecules, collectively known as bioink, layer-by-layer to produce constructs that simulate the structure and function of native cartilage tissue.
  • 493
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Chondrosarcoma Resistance to Radiation Therapy
Chondrosarcoma is a malignant cartilaginous tumor that is particularly chemoresistant and radioresistant to X-rays. The first line of treatment is surgery, though this is almost impossible in some specific locations. Such resistances can be explained by the particular composition of the tumor, which develops within a dense cartilaginous matrix, producing a resistant area where the oxygen tension is very low. 
  • 491
  • 19 Apr 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Oleaginous Red Yeasts: Concomitant Producers of Triacylglycerides and Carotenoids
Oleaginous red yeast species are colourful (usually having orange-pink-red hues) single cell microorganisms capable of producing valuable bioproducts including triacylglycerides (TAGs) for biodiesel and carotenoids for nutraceuticals. The name “oleaginous yeasts” is conferred based on their ability to synthesize and accumulate TAGs to over 20% of their dry cell weight. Their colours are indicative of the presence of the major carotenoids present in them.
  • 490
  • 19 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Prevention of Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) represent one of the worst complications following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in general, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in particular. The clinical impact on patients is dramatic: the 5-year mortality rate following PJI equals the one of oncologic patients. On the other side, hospital readmission rates following explants already double those of many cardiac and oncologic procedures, leading to a significant burden on healthcare systems. At current times, the combination of increasing antibiotic resistance and the growth in the number of culture-negative PJI makes preventing infection a key aspect of adult reconstruction practices in order to avoid an epidemic escalation of PJI and musculoskeletal infections in general.
  • 488
  • 23 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Cold Acclimation in Brachypodium
As sessile organisms, plants are at the mercy of an array of abiotic stresses, and, as winter approaches in mid- to high-latitudes and altitudes, one such stress is low temperature. Plants employ various strategies that allow them to recognise and cope with the cold. As autumn progresses, perennials undergo a period of cold acclimation, which in a few days of low temperature exposure allows them to physiologically prepare for freezing conditions. Such preparations include changed levels of hundreds of proteins, the accumulation of fatty acids, lipid remodelling for plasma membrane protection, increased production of cryoprotective metabolites, such as soluble sugars and amino acids, as well as chaperones and reactive oxygen scavengers. The perennial grass and model cereal, Brachypodium distachyon (hereinafter, Brachypodium), is capable of cold acclimation, reaching peak freezing tolerance after two days at 4 °C, and is associated with changes in the abundance of multiple plasma membrane proteins at 2–6 days
  • 488
  • 04 Mar 2022
Topic Review
In Vitro Models of Head and Neck Cancer
For several decades now, researchers have been trying to answer the demand of clinical oncologists to create an ideal preclinical model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that is accessible, reproducible, and relevant. Over the past years, the development of cellular technologies has naturally allowed people to move from primitive short-lived primary 2D cell cultures to complex patient-derived 3D models that reproduce the cellular composition, architecture, mutational, or viral load of native tumor tissue. Depending on the tasks and capabilities, a scientific laboratory can choose from several types of models: primary cell cultures, immortalized cell lines, spheroids or heterospheroids, tissue engineering models, bioprinted models, organoids, tumor explants, and histocultures. HNSCC in vitro models make it possible to screen agents with potential antitumor activity, study the contribution of the tumor microenvironment to its progression and metastasis, determine the prognostic significance of individual biomarkers (including using genetic engineering methods), study the effect of viral infection on the pathogenesis of the disease, and adjust treatment tactics for a specific patient or groups of patients. Promising experimental results have created a scientific basis for the registration of several clinical studies using HNSCC in vitro models.
  • 488
  • 20 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Melatonin Treatment of Pomegranate Trees
With the aim to study the effect of melatonin treatment of pomegranate trees on crop yield and fruit quality at harvest and during storage, two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years: 2017 and 2018. In the first year, trees were treated with melatonin (at 0.1 and 1 mM) along the developmental growth cycle and fruit quality parameters were evaluated at harvest and during storage at 10 °C for 90 days. Treatments with melatonin led to an increase of crop yield (number of fruits per tree and kg per tree), as well as higher fruit quality attributes, such as fruit size (diameter and weight), color, total soluble solids (TSS), and total acidity (TA), especially with the 0.1 mM dose. Then, in the second year, melatonin at 0.1 mM was selected for repeating the pre-harvest treatments with similar results in terms of crop yield and fruit quality parameters. During storage, pomegranate fruit treated with 0.1 mM melatonin maintained higher quality attributes than controls, such as TSS, TA, and firmness and lower weight losses were observed in fruit from treated trees, in both trials. In addition, the content of the major sugars (glucose and fructose) and organic acids (malic, succinic and ascorbic acid) were higher in melatonin-treated than in non-treated fruit. These results suggest that pre-harvest melatonin treatment could be a useful tool to increase pomegranate crop yield as well as fruit quality parameters at harvest and their maintenance during storage due to an effect of melatonin on reducing the postharvest ripening process.
  • 487
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Mammalian Extracellular Matrix and Microgravity
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a constituent of all tissues, representing an integrating network that consists of specific and similar attributes. The ECM always includes collagen and noncollagen proteins, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans. The molecular composition of these structures demonstrates a huge diversity determined by the functional needs of a particular tissue. Meanwhile, it is the structural uniformity that ensures the operation of the ECM as a putative gravity detector. It is reasonable to assume that ECM components can act as an extracellular “mechanical sensor”.
  • 487
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Impact of Special Diets on Infants Gut Microbiome
Gut microbiota is a complex system that starts to take shape early in life. Several factors influence the rise of microbial gut colonization, such as term and mode of delivery, exposure to antibiotics, maternal diet, presence of siblings and family members, pets, genetics, local environment, and geographical location. Breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and later dietary patterns during infancy and toddlerhood are major players in the proper development of microbial communities. Nonetheless, if dysbiosis occurs, gut microbiota may remain impaired throughout life, leading to deleterious consequences, such as greater predisposition to non-communicable diseases, more susceptible immune system and altered gut–brain axis. 
  • 487
  • 28 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Nanozymes in Pesticide Residues and Veterinary Drugs
Food safety issues caused by foodborne pathogens, chemical pollutants, and heavy metals have aroused widespread concern because they are closely related to human health. Nanozyme-based biosensors have excellent characteristics such as high sensitivity, selectivity, and cost-effectiveness and have been used to detect the risk factors in foods. 
  • 487
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Proto-Neurons from Abiotic Polypeptides
To understand the origins of life, we must first gain a grasp of the unresolved emergence of the first informational polymers and cell-like assemblies that developed into living systems. Heating amino acid mixtures to their boiling point produces thermal proteins that self-assemble into membrane-bound protocells, offering a compelling abiogenic route for forming polypeptides. Recent research has revealed the presence of electrical excitability and signal processing capacities in proteinoids, indicating the possibility of primitive cognitive functions and problem-solving capabilities. This review examines the characteristics exhibited by proteinoids, including electrical activity and self-assembly properties, exploring the possible roles of such polypeptides under prebiotic conditions in the emergence of early biomolecular complexity. Experiments showcasing the possibility of unconventional computing with proteinoids as well as modelling proteinoid assemblies into synthetic proto-brains are given. Proteinoids’ robust abiogenic production, biomimetic features, and computational capability shed light on potential phases in the evolution of polypeptides and primitive life from the primordial environment.
  • 487
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Wet Stormwater Ponds
Stormwater ponds, especially wet stormwater ponds, are a common way to handle stormwater and are used to retain pollutants through sedimentation. The ponds resemble small natural lakes and will be colonized by flora and fauna.
  • 487
  • 10 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Host Factors Affect the Gut Microbiome
Living organisms in nature exist as communities of various species, interacting closely with each other. Microbial organisms are also present as heterogeneous populations. Microbial organisms frequently appear as a dense mixture of various species to interact with each other in nature.
  • 486
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Natural Compounds as Metabolic Modulators
The tumor microenvironment (TME) comprises a heterogenous assemblage of malignant and non-malignant cells, including infiltrating immune cells and other stromal cells, together with extracellular matrix and a variety of soluble factors. This complex and dynamic milieu strongly affects tumor differentiation, progression, immune evasion, and response to therapy, thus being an important therapeutic target. The phenotypic and functional features of the various cell types present in the TME are largely dependent on their ability to adopt different metabolic programs. Hence, modulating the metabolism of the cells in the TME, and their metabolic crosstalk, has emerged as a promising strategy in the context of anticancer therapies. Natural compounds offer an attractive tool in this respect as their multiple biological activities can potentially be harnessed to ‘(re)-educate’ TME cells towards antitumoral roles. 
  • 484
  • 22 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Application of Barley Tweaky Spike Mutants
Barley developmental mutants tweaky spike (tw) with disturbed auxin pathways possess a unique feature of an increased level of mouldy germinating grains (MGG), which serves as a convenient model to investigate the effects of plant immunity-related substances. The effects of the auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), auxin inhibitors, salicylic acid (SA), and trans-cinnamic acid (TCA) were studied using the tw-WT system in surface-sterilized and unsterilized germinating grains under high rates of natural infection. Significant differences among the allelic tw mutants were revealed at the natural MGG level and in response to 2,4-D, SA, and TCA. The most effective means against MGG were sterilization and TCA. 2,4-D inhibited root growth in tw and tw2 mutants, occurring only in unsterilized and not sterilized germinating grains, while the opposite was observed for TCA and SA. The tw mutations influenced variations in the seed-borne fungal spectra, decreasing the frequency of Bipolaris sorokiniana and increasing Fusarium spp. Hypochlorite-based surface sterilization methods should be used with caution in studies where the action of exogenous 2,4-D will be analysed in germinating grains. Auxin pathway disturbances specific for pleiotropic tw mutants are generally restricted to organogenesis but not to germination events. 
  • 484
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Oncoproteomics Technologies
Proteomics continues to forge significant strides in the discovery of essential biological processes, uncovering valuable information on the identity, global protein abundance, protein modifications, proteoform levels, and signal transduction pathways. Cancer is a complicated and heterogeneous disease, and the onset and progression involve multiple dysregulated proteoforms and their downstream signaling pathways. These are modulated by various factors such as molecular, genetic, tissue, cellular, ethnic/racial, socioeconomic status, environmental, and demographic differences that vary with time. The knowledge of cancer has improved the treatment and clinical management; however, the survival rates have not increased significantly, and cancer remains a major cause of mortality. Oncoproteomics studies help to develop and validate proteomics technologies for routine application in clinical laboratories for (1) diagnostic and prognostic categorization of cancer, (2) real-time monitoring of treatment, (3) assessing drug efficacy and toxicity, (4) therapeutic modulations based on the changes with prognosis and drug resistance, and (5) personalized medication. Investigation of tumor-specific proteomic profiles in conjunction with healthy controls provides crucial information in mechanistic studies on tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. 
  • 484
  • 01 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Use of Native Versus Modified Hyaluronan in Products
Hyaluronan (HA) plays a fundamental role in maintaining the homeostasis on skin health. ative HA has a half-life of only 24–48 h in tissue and skin due to a fast-enzymatic degradation, making it unsuitable for internal use. The use of chemically modified HA improves stability, shelf-life, and viscoelasticity. Chemical derivatization and crosslinking impart appropriate mechanical properties and create an adequate macromolecular architecture.
  • 483
  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Metformin and Breast Cancer
Interest has grown in studying the possible use of well-known anti-diabetic drugs as anti-cancer agents individually or in combination with, frequently used, chemotherapeutic agents and/or radiation, owing to the fact that diabetes heightens the risk, incidence, and rapid progression of cancers, including breast cancer, in an individual. In this regard, metformin (1, 1-dimethylbiguanide), well known as ‘Glucophage’ among diabetics, was reported to be cancer preventive while also being a potent anti-proliferative and anti-cancer agent. While meta-analysis studies reported a lower risk and incidence of breast cancer among diabetic individuals on a metformin treatment regimen, several in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical studies reported the efficacy of using metformin individually as an anti-cancer/anti-tumor agent or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs or radiation in the treatment of different forms of breast cancer. 
  • 482
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Interaction of Antibiotic Mixing and Temperature
Use of antibiotics for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections in humans, agri- and aquaculture as well as livestock rearing leads to antibiotic pollution of fresh water and these antibiotics have an impact on free-living bacteria. While we know which antibiotics are most common in natural environments such as rivers and streams, there is considerable uncertainty regarding antibiotics’ interactions with one another and the effect of abiotic factors such as temperature. 
  • 482
  • 27 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Insights and Strategies of Melanoma Immunotherapy
Despite the successes and durable responses with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), many cancer patients, including those with melanoma, do not derive long-term benefits from ICI therapies. The lack of predictive biomarkers to stratify patients to targeted treatments has been the driver of primary treatment failure and represents an unmet medical need in melanoma and other cancers. Understanding genomic correlations with response and resistance to ICI will enhance cancer patients’ benefits. Building on insights into interplay with the complex tumor microenvironment (TME), the ultimate goal should be assessing how the tumor ’instructs’ the local immune system to create its privileged niche with a focus on genomic reprogramming within the TME. It is hypothesized that this genomic reprogramming determines the response to ICI. Furthermore, emerging genomic signatures of ICI response, including those related to neoantigens, antigen presentation, DNA repair, and oncogenic pathways, are gaining momentum. 
  • 482
  • 31 Jan 2023
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