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
Vitamin D for COVID-19 Vaccination
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a new, highly pathogenic virus that has recently elicited a global pandemic called the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 is characterized by significant immune dysfunction, which is caused by strong but unregulated innate immunity with depressed adaptive immunity. Reduced and delayed responses to interferons (IFN-I/IFN-III) can increase the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and extensive immune cell infiltration into the airways, leading to pulmonary disease. The development of effective treatments for severe COVID-19 patients relies on our knowledge of the pathophysiological components of this imbalanced innate immune response. Strategies to address innate response factors will be essential. Significant efforts are currently underway to develop vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 vaccines, such as inactivated DNA, mRNA, and protein subunit vaccines, have already been applied in clinical use. Various vaccines display different levels of effectiveness, and it is important to continue to optimize and update their composition in order to increase their effectiveness. However, due to the continuous emergence of variant viruses, improving the immunity of the general public may also increase the effectiveness of the vaccines. Many observational studies have demonstrated that serum levels of vitamin D are inversely correlated with the incidence or severity of COVID-19. Extensive evidence has shown that vitamin D supplementation could be vital in mitigating the progression of COVID-19 to reduce its severity. Vitamin D defends against SARS-CoV-2 through a complex mechanism through interactions between the modulation of innate and adaptive immune reactions, ACE2 expression, and inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). 
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Rab Proteins in Mitophagy
Mitochondrial dysfunction and vesicular trafficking alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. It has become clear that pathogenetic pathways leading to neurodegeneration are often interconnected. Indeed, growing evidence suggests a concerted contribution of impaired mitophagy and vesicles formation in the dysregulation of neuronal homeostasis, contributing to neuronal cell death. Among the molecular factors involved in the trafficking of vesicles, Ras analog in brain (Rab) proteins seem to play a central role in mitochondrial quality checking and disposal through both canonical PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy and novel alternative pathways. In turn, the lack of proper elimination of dysfunctional mitochondria has emerged as a possible causative/early event in some neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Aerobic Glycolysis in Cancer Cells
Aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells, which involves the production of lactate as the end product of glucose breakdown even in the presence of adequate oxygen, is the foundation for the current interest in the cancer-cell-specific reprograming of metabolic pathways. The renewed interest in cancer cell metabolism has now gone well beyond the original Warburg effect related to glycolysis to other metabolic pathways that include amino acid metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide synthesis, antioxidant machinery, etc. Since glucose and amino acids constitute the primary nutrients that fuel the altered metabolic pathways in cancer cells, the transporters that mediate the transfer of these nutrients and their metabolites not only across the plasma membrane but also across the mitochondrial and lysosomal membranes have become an integral component of the expansion of the Warburg effect.
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Didymo
Didymosphenia geminata diatoms, or Didymo, was first found to be an invasive species that could have negative impacts on the environment due to the aggressive growth of its polysaccharide-based stalks.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Role of Coenzyme Q
Coenzyme Q is a unique lipidic molecule highly conserved in evolution and essential to maintaining aerobic metabolism. It is endogenously synthesized in all cells by a very complex pathway involving a group of nuclear genes that share high homology among species. This pathway is tightly regulated at transcription and translation, but also by environment and energy requirements. Dysfunction in CoQ synthesis produces mitochondrial diseases that can partially reverted by CoQ supplementation. The main function of CoQ10 in human metabolism and antioxidant protection of membranes against oxidation and ferroptosis makes CoQ10 as an essential factor in many metabolic, chronic diseases and also in aging.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs)
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a major component of the immune cells of the TME. They play a prominent role by secreting cytokines and chemokines and coordinating with inflammatory mechanisms to promote tumor development, invasion, metastasis, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, and drug tolerance. Different subtypes of TAMs have different functions, which can be dynamically changed in response to various signals from cancer cells or the TME.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Neurofibromin Functions
Neurofibromin is a large and multifunctional protein encoded by the tumor suppressor gene NF1, mutations of which cause the tumor predisposition syndrome neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by inherited or de novo germline mutations in the NF1 tumor suppressor gene. It is the most common tumor-predisposing disease in humans. It affects approximately one in 3000 live births and patients present widely heterogeneous clinical manifestations, even within the same family.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Gene annotation for 'Flaviviridae' genomes
Responding to the ongoing and severe public health threat of viruses of the family Flaviviridae, including dengue, hepatitis C, West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika, demands a greater understanding of how these viruses emerge and spread. Updated phylogenies are central to this understanding. Most cladograms of Flaviviridae focus on specific lineages and ignore outgroups, thus hampering the efficacy of the analysis to test ingroup monophyly and relationships. This is due to the lack of annotated Flaviviridae genomes, which has gene content variation among genera. This variation makes analysis without partitioning difficult. Therefore, we developed an annotation pipeline for the genera of Flaviviridae (Flavirirus, Hepacivirus, Pegivirus, and Pestivirus), named “Fast Loci Annotation of Viruses” (FLAVi: flavi-web.com), that combines ab initio and homology-based strategies. FLAVi recovered 100% of the genes in Flavivirus and Hepacivirus genomes. In Pegivirus and Pestivirus, annotation efficiency was 100% except for one partition each. There were no false positives. The combined phylogenetic analysis of multiple genes made possible by annotation has clear impacts over the tree topology compared to phylogenies that we inferred without outgroups or data partitioning. The final tree is largely congruent with previous hypotheses and adds evidence supporting the close phylogenetic relationship between dengue and Zika.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Non-Coding RNAs in Nervous System
Oxidative stress (OS) is defined as an imbalance between free radicals biogenesis and the cell antioxidant capacity to eliminate them. In neurodegenerative diseases, OS play a central role altering mitochondrial metabolism, protein synthesis, and inducing cellular malfunctioning. Most part of the human genome encodes for non-coding protein genes, which are transcribed into non-coding RNA (ncRNA). Most of these ncRNAs are involved transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene and their deregulation has been linked to diverse neurodegenerative disorders. In this review we compiled most recent evidences reporting a role of main types of ncRNAs in the regulation and management of oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. 
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Ceramide Transport Protein CERT and Its Inhibitors
Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are recognized as key players in the inter-organelle trafficking of lipids and are rapidly gaining attention as a novel molecular target for medicinal products. In mammalian cells, ceramide is newly synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and converted to sphingomyelin in the trans-Golgi regions. The ceramide transport protein CERT, a typical LTP, mediates the ER-to-Golgi transport of ceramide at an ER-distal Golgi membrane contact zone. A potent inhibitor of CERT, named (1R,3S)-HPA-12, was found by coincidence among ceramide analogs. Since then, various ceramide-resembling compounds have been found to act as CERT inhibitors. Nevertheless, the inevitable issue remains that natural ligand-mimetic compounds might directly bind both to the desired target and to various undesired targets that share the same natural ligand. To resolve this issue, a ceramide-unrelated compound named E16A, or (1S,2R)-HPCB-5, that potently inhibits the function of CERT has been developed, employing a series of in silico docking simulations, efficient chemical synthesis, quantitative affinity analysis, protein–ligand co-crystallography, and various in vivo assays. (1R,3S)-HPA-12 and E16A together provide a robust tool to discriminate on-target effects on CERT from off-target effects. 
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Cancer Chemoprevention
Carcinogenesis is a multistep process characterized by a progression of molecular changes that ultimately transform a cell to undergo uncontrolled proliferation.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Apr 2021
Topic Review
E3s That Target Wild-Type p53
p53 plays a role in different biological processes such as proliferation, invasion, pluripotency, metabolism, cell cycle control, ROS (reactive oxygen species) production, apoptosis, inflammation and autophagy. In the nucleus, p53 functions as a bona-fide transcription factor which activates and represses transcription of a number of target genes. In the cytoplasm, p53 can interact with proteins of the apoptotic machinery and by this also induces cell death. Despite being so important for the fate of the cell, expression levels of p53 are kept low in unstressed cells and the protein is largely inactive. 
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Feb 2023
Topic Review
EVs, Substance Abuse, and HIV
While extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to play a role in CNS disorders, the intersection of EVs, drug use, and HIV is of particular interest. The interactions of HIV and drugs of abuse are a growing concern given the increasing incidence of HIV transmission via shared needles in illicit drug use. As a drug commonly taken through shared needles, METH is being investigated due to its role in exacerbating HIV-mediated inflammation through both increased vesicular shedding and extracellular release. In vivo experiments have shown that cocaine-induced EV release impacts synaptic plasticity through noncoding RNA. Nicotine studies have also highlighted how the differential packaging of antioxidant enzyme cargoes into EVs affects nicotine-mediated HIV pathogenesis. Additionally, studies of both morphine and heroin have demonstrated differences in the miRNA cargoes of EVs, potentially impacting gene expression and exacerbating HIV. Studies of alcohol use in combination with HIV have shown that EV cargoes such as cytokines are affected in HIV-infected subjects who use alcohol. Investigating EV cargo alterations in all forms of substance abuse studies may allow the EV, HIV, and addiction fields to progress towards diagnosis and remedies for substance-abuse-induced toxicity in HIV patients.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Sep 2020
Topic Review
TRPC, TRPV and Vascular Disease
Ion channels play an important role in vascular function and pathology. In this review we gave an overview of recent findings and discussed the role of TRPC and TRPV channels as major regulators of cellular remodeling and consequent vascular disorders. Here, we focused on their implication in 4 relevant vascular diseases: systemic and pulmonary artery hypertension, atherosclerosis and restenosis.  
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Biosynthetic Strategies for Macrocyclic Peptides
Macrocyclic peptides are predominantly peptide structures bearing one or more rings and spanning multiple amino acid residues. Macrocyclization has become a common approach for improving the pharmacological properties and bioactivity of peptides. A variety of ribosomal-derived and non-ribosomal synthesized cyclization approaches have been established.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expressions, making targeted therapies ineffective. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising approach for TNBC treatment by modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and interacting with cancer cells.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 May 2023
Topic Review
Heat Shock Protein 90
Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that could modulate the pain signaling.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
DNA Damage Response (DDR)
DNA damage could occur in cells either endogenously, through normal cellular replication and metabolism, or exogenously through ultraviolet (UV), ionizing radiation (IR) or various genotoxic compounds] that could induce DNA damage. Different stressors will cause different types of DNA damage. Normal DNA replication could induce mismatch of the nucleotide and cause mutations. Stressors such as oxidative stress will produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) from normal cellular metabolism or from external genotoxic compound, which will cause DNA breaks, either single-stranded or double-stranded. Unrepaired DNA damage could cause severe mutations and chromosomal instability, which would have detrimental effects on the cells and lead to cell death, while DNA breaks that are repaired through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) might cause mutations during the process.The DDR is the response mechanism which will detect any DNA damage that occurs throughout the chromosome and will activate a repair cascade to the damage site. This will help the cells either to proliferate normally if the repair was successful or to activate the cellular programmed cell death if the damage was too extensive and was unable to be repaired. The known DNA damage repair mechanisms include mismatch repair (MMR), base excision repair (BER), nucleotide excision repair (NER), homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Specific types of DNA damage could be fixed by a specific repair factor, such as the ATM kinase, which is the main factor in double-strand break repair through NHEJ. Figure 1 shows the causes and types of DNA damage as well as the response cascade involved in repairing the damages.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Quality Control of the 26S Proteasome
The ubiquitin-26S proteasome system and autophagy are two major protein degradation machineries encoded in all eukaryotic organisms. While the ubiquitin-26S proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for the turnover of short-lived and/or soluble misfolded proteins under normal growth conditions, the autophagy-lysosomal/vacuolar protein degradation machinery is activated under stress conditions to remove long-lived proteins in the forms of aggregates, either soluble or insoluble, in the cytoplasm and damaged organelles. 
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review Video
Plant-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Next-Generation Drug Delivery
Plant cells release tiny membranous vesicles called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are rich in lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and pharmacologically active compounds. These plant-derived EVs (PDEVs) are safe and easily extractable and have been shown to have therapeutic effects against inflammation, cancer, bacteria, and aging. They have shown promise in preventing or treating colitis, cancer, alcoholic liver disease, and even COVID-19. PDEVs can also be used as natural carriers for small-molecule drugs and nucleic acids through various administration routes such as oral, transdermal, or injection. The unique advantages of PDEVs make them highly competitive in clinical applications and preventive healthcare products in the future.
  • 1.2K
  • 31 May 2023
  • Page
  • of
  • 133
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