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Topic Review
ACSL4 Directs Intramuscular Adipogenesis
In the livestock industry, intramuscular fat content is an important indicator of the meat quality of domestic animals. The variations of the Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-Chain Family Member 4 (ACSL4) gene locus are associated with intramuscular fat content in different pig populations, but the detailed molecular function of ACSL4 in pig intramuscular adipogenesis remains obscure.
  • 964
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Microbial Toxins in Insect/Nematode Biocontrol
Invertebrate pests, such as insects and nematodes, not only cause or transmit human and livestock diseases but also impose serious crop losses by direct injury as well as vectoring pathogenic microbes. This is amply demonstrated by the successful and widespread use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to control mosquitos and many plant pests, the latter by the transgenic expression of Bt-insecticidal proteins in crop plants. Identifying as well as characterizing the molecular nature and regulation of the biocidal activity has led to the enormous success of Bt as a biocontrol agent, which serves as a great model for advancing nascent biocontrol agents into commercial products. 
  • 964
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Weed Seed Bank Changes and RW Cropping System
The WSB, comprised of the weed seeds in the different soil profiles as well as lying on the soil surface, is the principal source of annual weed infestation in field crops.
  • 963
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota and Probiotics on Metabolism in Fish,Shrimp
Bacteria colonizing the gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiota in fish and shellfish consists of allochthonous- and autochthonous bacteria. The GI tract is colonized by numerous bacteria, which stimulate metabolic functions, GI development, improve digestion, enhance the immune response, and protect against exogenous bacteria and diseases, the development of metabolic syndrome, underpin host metabolic plasticity, and vitamin synthesis and affect host health. The gut immune system involves three important defense mechanisms, (i) gut barriers, (ii) innate immunity, and (iii) acquired or adaptive immunity, which work together to improve disease resistance.
  • 962
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Fertilizers with Regional Climate Variability
Climate change affects global crop production year after year. Authors try to explore the effects of various fertilization regimes with climate variability on yield stability for sweet corn production in southern Taiwan. Three fertilization treatments composed of chemical fertilizer only (CF), integrated fertilizer (half organic/half chemical fertilizer) (IF), and organic fertilizer only (OF) were implemented from 2009 to 2018. While the same amounts of these fertilizers were applied during the period, we found that different fertilization changed the marketable yields of fresh fruit (ear), which slightly increased for organic fertilizer, but substantially decreased for both chemical and integrated fertilizer. Above all, we show for the first time that chemical fertilizer had the lowest yield resilience in response to regional relative humidity change compared to organic and integrated fertilizers. Our results also indicate that specific soil microbes have the potential to help sweet corn face environmental vulnerability in subtropical regions.
  • 961
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Field Application of ZnO and TiO2 Nanoparticles
Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have potential application in precision farming and sustainable agriculture. Studies have shown that ENPs enhance the efficiency of the delivery of agrochemicals and thus, have the potential to positively affect the environment, thereby improving the growth and health of the crops. 
  • 961
  • 09 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Inflammatory Skin Disease Treatment
Treatment goals of inflammatory skin diseases are mainly symptom control and improving quality of life. The treatment options for inflammatory skin diseases include corticosteroids; vitamin D3 analogues; disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate and cyclosporine; and newly developed biological-targeted drugs targeting on the IL-23/Th-17 axis, such as brodalumab and risankizumab . Both expensive biologics and systemic treatment may cause serious side effects.
  • 960
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
One Health, Food-Borne Zoonoses and EU Green Policies
Zoonotic agents are pathogens with an unrestricted host spectrum. In nature, their survival occurs in reservoir animal species, which generally do not present clinical symptoms and, therefore, are difficult to identify. Promiscuity between farmed animals and wildlife increases the risk of transmission of pathogens and their consequent adaptation to new host species, including human beings. Therefore, promiscuity increases the risk of emergence of new zoonoses. According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), zoonoses represent 60% of human infectious diseases and 75% of the emerging ones; 80% of pathogens of animal origin have strong potential as bioterrorism agents. Deforestation and destruction of natural areas produce promiscuity, pushing wild species to invade new areas and to arrive in anthropic environments. In high-income countries, domesticated animals are as much a potential reservoir of high-risk zoonoses as the wildlife animals in equatorial rainforests or wet markets.
  • 959
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Symbiodiniaceae in Antipatharians (Black Corals)
Antipatharians are understudied ecosystem engineers of shallow (<30 m depth), mesophotic (30–150 m) and deep-sea (>200 m) reefs. They provide habitat to numerous organisms, enhancing and supporting coral reef biodiversity globally. Nonetheless, little biological and ecological information exists on antipatharians, including the extent to which global change disturbances are threatening their health. The previous assumption that they were exempted from threats related to the phenomenon known as bleaching was challenged by the recent findings of high densities of dinoflagellates within three antipatharian colonies. 
  • 958
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Fluorescent Tracers by Soybean
Systemic seed treatment uptake was investigated in seeds and seedlings using fluorescent tracers to mimic systemic agrochemicals. Soybean was used as the model as soybean has the permeable seed coat characteristic to both charged and noncharged molecules. The purpose of the paper is to (1) screen 32 fluorescent tracers and then use optimal tracers for seed and seedling uptake, (2) investigate varietal differences in seed uptake, (3) examine the distribution of tracer uptake into 14-day-old seedlings, and (4) study the relationship between seed treatment lipophilicity, measured as log P on seed and root uptake. The major chemical families that displayed both seed and seedling uptake were coumarins and xanthenes. Seed uptake of coumarin 120 ranged from 1.1% to 4.8% of the applied seed treatment tracer from 15 yellow-seeded varieties. Rhodamine B, a xanthene compound uptake in seedlings, showed translocation from the applied seed treatment to all seedling tissues. Most of the tracer was measured in the hypocotyl and root, with lesser amounts in the epicotyl and true leaves. Log P is well documented in the literature to model systemic uptake by roots, but log P of the tracers were not related to seed uptake.
  • 957
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment on Seed
The use of non-thermal plasmas in agriculture or plant biology has also been widely reported in the last few years. The topics, related to the decontamination of seeds, modification of surface properties, metabolomic pathways, and enzymatic activity, enhancing seed germination and the initial growth, are summarized e.g., in Plants 2021, 10, 1616; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081616. Disease control and mycotoxin degradation were also reported.
  • 957
  • 31 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Endomembrane System and Abiotic Stress in Plants
The sustainable exploitation of agri-environmental systems focuses more and more on practices where crops and plant species are adapted to edaphoclimatic conditions. Recent studies have shown that increased stress tolerance is related to the reorganization of cell membranes that sometimes lead to major changes in the solutes’ homeostasis and water transfer. When under stress, protein trafficking in plants is compromised, usually leading to changes in the endomembrane system that may include protein transport through unconventional routes and alteration of morphology, activity and content of key organelles, as the ER and the vacuole. Such events provide the tools for cells to adapt and overcome the challenges brought on by stress.
  • 954
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Urban Public Food Procurement
Urban public food procurement can address malnutrition and improve the beneficiary experience at public institutions whilst reshaping food systems to be healthier and more sustainable. By developing, improving, and scaling public food procurement, urban governments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can reach the most vulnerable whilst improving farmer livelihoods, creating business opportunities, and addressing environmental concerns. 
  • 952
  • 24 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Genome Editing for Improving Tolerance of Crop Plants
Genome editing aims to revolutionise plant breeding and could assist in safeguarding the global food supply. Plant genomes can be effectively modified using genome-editing technologies to enhance characteristics without introducing foreign DNA into the genome. Next-generation plant breeding will soon be defined by these exact breeding methods.  This method also has great potential for enhancing crops’ resistance to various abiotic stressors.
  • 950
  • 17 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Cathepsin S in Rabbits's cells
In goat and sheep, CTSS is reported to be important for the development and maturation of oocytes by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of CTSS in regulating cell apoptosis and hormone secretion in rabbit granulosa cells. Our results suggested that the CTSS gene can promote the proliferation of granulosa cells and reduce its apoptosis in vitro, while overexpression of CTSS promoted the secretion of progesterone and estrogen in rabbit granulosa cells. Therefore, manipulation of CTSS may improve development of oocytes, and thus provide an approach for better manipulation of rabbit reproductive performance.  
  • 946
  • 01 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Impact of Heat-Stress-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis
Heat stress represents a pervasive global concern with far-reaching implications for the reproductive efficiency of both animal and human populations. An extensive body of published research on heat stress effects utilizes controlled experimental environments to expose cells and tissues to heat stress and its disruptive influence on the physiological aspects of reproductive phenotypic traits, encompassing parameters such as sperm quality, sperm motility, viability, and overall competence. Beyond these immediate effects, heat stress has been linked to embryo losses, compromised oocyte development, and even infertility across diverse species. One of the primary mechanisms underlying these adverse reproductive outcomes is the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels precipitating oxidative stress and apoptosis within mammalian reproductive cells. Oxidative stress and apoptosis are recognized as pivotal biological factors through which heat stress exerts its disruptive impact on both male and female reproductive cells. In a concerted effort to mitigate the detrimental consequences of heat stress, supplementation with antioxidants, both in natural and synthetic forms, has been explored as a potential intervention strategy. Furthermore, reproductive cells possess inherent self-protective mechanisms that come into play during episodes of heat stress, aiding in their survival. 
  • 946
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Soil Nitrogen
Freshwater nitrogen (N) pollution is a significant sustainability concern in agriculture. In the U.S. Midwest, large precipitation events during winter and spring are a major driver of N losses. Uncertainty about the fate of applied N early in the growing season can prompt farmers to make additional N applications, increasing the risk of environmental N losses. New tools are needed to provide real-time estimates of soil inorganic N status for corn (Zea mays L.) production, especially considering projected increases in precipitation and N losses due to climate change.
  • 945
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Metal Nanoparticles against Viruses
This study is an actual review about of recent studies using metal nanocomposites as antivirals against coronavirus and structurally similar viruses. We wrote this review in a new perspective, within the scope of nanomaterials, the purpose of the review is to demonstrate the potential of nanoparticles in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 943
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Heat Stress-Induced Responses in Dairy Cattle
Next-generation numerical approaches, such as machine learning techniques and big data analytics, are also increasingly applied in the animal production sector. In the dairy cattle sector, the evaluation of the effects induced by heat stress is still one of the most impactful and investigated aspects as it is strongly connected to both sustainability of the production and animal welfare. On the other hand, more recently, the possibility of collecting a large dataset made available by the increasing technology diffusion is paving the way for the application of advanced numerical techniques based on machine learning or big data approaches. In this scenario, driven by rapid change, there could be the risk of dispersing the relevant information represented by the physiological animal component, which should maintain the central role in the development of numerical models and tools.
  • 943
  • 21 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Antimicrobials and Food-Related Stresses
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation uses physical energy, and it is a non-thermal and non-chemical technology used by the food industry for liquid and solid surface decontamination, to control foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, as well as viruses and protozoa. UV radiations at short wavelengths, in the range of from 220 to 280 nm, result in physical damage to the nucleic acids and inhibit bacterial replication by induction of the formation of cyclobutene pyrimidine dimers, which blocks DNA replication and transcription, leading to cell death . However, the repair mechanism of UV damage, especially by photoreactivation, is a major disadvantage of UV disinfection .
  • 942
  • 10 Jun 2021
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