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Topic Review
Phorbas Sponges
Porifera, commonly referred to as marine sponges, are acknowledged as major producers of marine natural products (MNPs). Sponges of the genus Phorbas have attracted much attention over the years. They are widespread in all continents, and several structurally unique bioactive compounds have been identified from this species. 
  • 905
  • 30 Nov 2021
Topic Review
History of Emerging Infectious Diseases
The discovery of disease-causing pathogens is an important activity in the field of medical science. Many viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, helminthes and prions are identified as a confirmed or potential pathogen. In the United States, a Centers for Disease Control program, begun in 1995, identified over a hundred patients with life-threatening illnesses that were considered to be of an infectious cause, but that could not be linked to a known pathogen. The association of pathogens with disease can be a complex and controversial process, in some cases requiring decades or even centuries to achieve.
  • 897
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Imaging of Biofilms and Diversity of Detection Methods
Bacterial biofilms are defined as complex aggregates of bacteria that grow attached to surfaces or are associated with interfaces. Bacteria within biofilms are embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix made of polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and proteins. It is recognized that bacterial biofilms are responsible for the majority of microbial infections that occur in the human body, and that biofilm-related infections are extremely difficult to treat. This is related with the fact that microbial cells in biofilms exhibit increased resistance levels to antibiotics in comparison with planktonic (free-floating) cells. 
  • 894
  • 20 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Induced Protection
Vaccine candidates against COVID-19 have been developed at an unprecedented speed, with more than 200 vaccine candidates currently under investigation. Among those, 20 candidates have entered the clinical Phase 3 to evaluate efficacy, and three have been approved by the European Medicines Agency. The aim of immunization is to act against infection, disease and/or transmission. However, the measurement of vaccine efficacy is challenging, as efficacy trials need to include large cohorts with verum and placebo cohorts. In the future, this will be even more challenging as further vaccine candidates will receive approval, an increasing number of humans will receive vaccinations and incidence might decrease. To evaluate novel and second-generation vaccine candidates, randomized placebo-controlled trials might not be appropriate anymore. Correlates of protection (CoP) could be an important tool to evaluate novel vaccine candidates, but vaccine-induced CoP have not been clearly defined for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. 
  • 892
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Biofilm Lifestyle in Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent one of the most common infections that are frequently encountered in health care facilities. One of the main mechanisms used by bacteria that allows them to survive hostile environments is biofilm formation. Biofilms are closed bacterial communities that offer protection and safe hiding, allowing bacteria to evade host defenses and hide from the reach of antibiotics. Inside biofilm communities, bacteria show an increased rate of horizontal gene transfer and exchange of resistance and virulence genes.
  • 892
  • 16 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Distribution and Diagnostics of Invasive Candidiasis
Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a systemic life-threatening infection of immunocompromised humans, but remains a relatively neglected disease among public health authorities. Ongoing assessments of disease epidemiology are needed to identify and map trends of importance that may necessitate improvements in disease management and patient care. Well-established incidence increases, largely due to expanding populations of patients with pre-disposing risk factors, has led to increased clinical use and pressures on antifungal drugs. This has been exacerbated by a lack of fast, accurate diagnostics that have led treatment guidelines to often recommend preventative strategies in the absence of proven infection, resulting in unnecessary antifungal use in many instances. The consequences of this are multifactorial, but a contribution to emerging drug resistance is of primary concern, with high levels of antifungal use heavily implicated in global shifts to more resistant Candida strains.
  • 890
  • 24 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Sustainable Development Goals in the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, close the gender gap, protect the planet, and improve the lives of people around the world. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted 17 goals as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets out a plan to achieve the goals in 15 years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been a turning point in the achievement of these goals, due to all its consequences at the political, economic, and socio-cultural levels.
  • 888
  • 28 Jun 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
COVID-19-Associated Encephalopathy (COVEP): Basic Aspects of Neuropathology
SARS-CoV-2, a member of the betacoronavirus group and causative agent of COVID-19, is a virus affecting multiple systems, not only the respiratory. One of the systems affected by the virus is the central nervous system, with neuropathological studies reporting a wide set of morphological phenomena—neuroinflammation, vascular and blood-brain barrier alterations, neurodegeneration, and accelerated aging, while contradicting data is present on the direct neuroinvasive potential of the virus and active viral replication within neurons. The depicted changes, other than an acute effect (which may contribute to the death of the patient) also have chronic sequelae in the context of post-COVID syndrome cognitive impediments, sleep, and mood disorders. The following chapter describe the basic neuropathological aspects of SARS-CoV-2 as based on the present evidence in scientific literature and propose the term COVEP—COVID-associated encephalopathy—to unite the undisputed effects of the infection on nervous system morphology and function.
  • 886
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
SARS, MERS and COVID-19-Associated Renal Pathology
Coronaviruses are a large group of RNA viruses, the most notable representatives of which are SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Human coronavirus infections were first documented in the 1960s, when members causing seasonal common colds were successfully replicated in human embryonal trachea and kidney cell cultures and classified based on electron microscopy. The history of coronaviruses stretched far back to that point, however, with some representatives causing disease in animals identified several decades prior and evolutionary data pointing towards the origin of this viral group more than 55 million years ago. In the short time period of research since they were discovered, coronaviruses have shown significant diversity, genetic peculiarities and varying tropism, resulting in the three identified causative agents of severe disease in humans—SARS, MERS and the most recent one, COVID-19, which has surpassed the previous two due to causing a pandemic resulting in significant healthcare, social and political consequences. Coronaviruses are likely to have caused pandemics long before, such as the so-called Asian or Russian influenza. Despite being epitheliotropic viruses and predominantly affecting the respiratory system, these entities affect multiple systems and organs, including the kidneys. In the kidneys, they actively replicate in glomerular podocytes and epithelial cells of the tubules, resulting in acute kidney injury, seen in a significant percentage of severe and fatal cases. Furthermore, the endothelial affinity of the viruses, resulting in endotheliitis, increases the likelihood of thrombotic microangiopathy, damaging the kidneys in a two-hit mechanism. As such, recently, COVAN has been a suggested nomenclature change indicating renal involvement in coronavirus infections and its long-lasting consequences. 
  • 883
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Dental Patients’ Perspective on COVID-19: A Systematic Review
The COVID-19 epidemic has changed patients’ approach to dental treatments. While dentists worldwide have shown an excellent level of adaptability to face the new challenges presented by the unprecedented situation due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, dental patients have witnessed a sudden suspension of elective treatments and a slow resumption of dental care activities after several national lockdowns. In addition, the general climate of anxiety and fear due to the high COVID-19 risk and the high level of mortality has influenced the perception and attitudes of people towards dental activity, inducing many dental patients to avoid appointments to the dentist if not highly urgent. We present an overview of the current state of knowledge about dental patients’ perception, perspective, attitude, and expectations towards a full resumption of regular dental treatments.
  • 869
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Trypanothione Reductase: Structural Analysis for Drug Discovery
Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, are vector borne zoonosis that affect millions of people worldwide and lead to the death of about 100,000 humans per year. Among several molecular targets proposed, trypanothione reductase (TR) is of particular interest for its critical role in controlling the parasite’s redox homeostasis. 
  • 866
  • 25 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Photobiomodulation Therapy and COVID-19
COVID-19 is a viral disease characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Since then, researchers from all over the world have been looking for ways to fight this disease. Many cases of complications arise from insufficient immune responses due to low immunity, with intense release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can damage the structure of organs such as the lung. Thus, the hypothesis arises that photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) with the use of a low-level laser (LLLT) may be an ally approach to patients with COVID-19 since it is effective for increasing immunity, helping tissue repair, and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. This systematic entry was performed with the use of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases with the following keywords: “low-level laser therapy OR photobiomodulation therapy AND COVID-19”. 
  • 849
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Peptide Libraries with Antimicrobial Activity
Authors describe how by coupling emerging in silico and experimental tools it is possible to create novel peptide libraries with potential antimicrobial activity. This is in response to the growing public health concern pose by multiresistant microbial strains that take millions of lives annually on a global scale. The in silico tools include emerging artificial intelligence algorithms that allow searching for novel sequences in extremely large databases. Once identified, the required membrane activity can be estimated by looking at the interactions with model lipid bilayers via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Experimentally, the sequences can be expressed on the surface of yeasts by the surface display technology and subsequently screened in a high-throughput manner aided by microfluidic systems capable of separating out the most active peptides by precisely monitoring changes in optical properties in-line and real-time. 
  • 843
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Psychological Symptoms in COVID-19 Patients
There is growing evidence of studies associating COVID-19 survivors with increased mental health consequences. Mental health implications related to a COVID-19 infection include both acute and long-term consequences. Here we discuss COVID-19-associated psychiatric sequelae, particularly anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drawing parallels to past coronavirus outbreaks. A literature search was completed across three databases, using keywords to search for relevant articles. The cause may directly correlate to the infection through both direct and indirect mechanisms, but the underlying etiology appears more complex and multifactorial, involving environmental, psychological, and biological factors. Although most risk factors and prevalence rates vary across various studies, being of the female gender and having a history of psychiatric disorders seem consistent. Several studies will be presented, demonstrating COVID-19 survivors presenting higher rates of mental health consequences than the general population. The possible mechanisms by which the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters the brain, affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and causing these psychiatric sequelae, will be discussed, particularly concerning the SARS-CoV-2 entry via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors and the implications of the immune inflammatory signaling on neuropsychiatric disorders. Some possible therapeutic options will also be considered. 
  • 840
  • 05 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Drug Delivery Technologies for mRNA Vaccines
mRNA vaccine molecules are large (104–106 Da) in size and are negatively charged. They are unable to pass through the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. Naked mRNA would be destroyed and degraded by the nucleases present in the bloodstream. In addition, naked mRNA is also attached and engulfed by immune cells in the tissue and the serum. Methods to deliver mRNA molecules into the cells include techniques such as gene gun, electroporation, and ex vivo transfection. The in vivo methods of delivering mRNA involves transfection of immune or non-immune cells using lipids or transfecting agents.
  • 839
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Covalent Reversible Inhibitors of Cysteine Proteases
Serine and cysteine proteases are a class of drug targets that could greatly benefit from the features of the nitrile group as a warhead for the design and discovery of innovative and effective drugs.
  • 836
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Border Disease Virus
Border disease virus (BDV) belongs to the genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae. Interspecies transmission of BDV between sheep, cattle, and pigs occurs regularly, sometimes making diagnosis a challenge.
  • 832
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Cytoskeletal Filaments in Coronaviridae
The cytoskeleton is an intricate network of filaments running through the cytoplasm that helps cells to maintain their shape and internal organization. Coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are intimately involved in cytoskeleton-related physiological and pathological processes. The discovery of the exact mechanisms of the subversion of host cells by SARS-CoV-2 is critical to the validation of specific drug targets and effective treatments.
  • 819
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Vesicular Systems for Advanced Drug Delivery
Erythromycin (ERY) is a macrolide compound with a broad antimicrobial spectrum which is currently being used to treat a large number of bacterial infections affecting the skin, respiratory tract, intestines, bones and other systems, proving great value from a clinical point of view. Despite this major advantage, ERY has low water solubility and is not stable under acidic conditions which leads to a limited efficacy and bioavailability. Apart from this, higher doses promote drug resistance and undesirable effects. In order to overcome these disadvantages, during the past decades, a large variety of ERY formulations, including nanoparticles, have emerged. This work presents the preparation and performances reported for ERY vesicles, such as liposomes, ethosomes, niosomes, micelles, cubosomes and solid lipid nano(micro) particles. 
  • 816
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Vaccination Recommendations for Patients with Systemic Sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease. Vaccines represent one of the safest and most effective means of disease control. 
  • 813
  • 14 Dec 2021
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