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Topic Review
Hemiboreal Tree Dynamics
Climate change and the associated disturbances have disrupted the relative stability of tree species composition in hemiboreal forests. The natural ecology of forest communities, including species occurrence and composition, forest structure, and food webs, have been affected. Yet, the hemiboreal forest zone of Lithuania is the least studied in the country for climate change risks and possible management adaption techniques. Moreover, the adverse effects of the phenomenon of global climate change can undermine the resilience of forest ecology in terms of its capacity for natural regeneration to occur successfully on the scale of the expected time. Especially since forests are meta-networks that constantly evolve toward the successional processes and patterns that cannot be reached at an individual species level. Therefore, in the context of hemiboreal forests, assisted natural regeneration lays the groundwork necessary to consider the life-cycle features of trees that affect the organic relationships between individual species and ecological communities indirectly via their effects on growth, reproduction, and survival, such as tree regeneration strategies that correspond to the various trade-offs in the adaptations to competition, stress, and forest disturbances. With the concept of assisted natural regeneration, embedded in the principle of deep ecology, the natural powers of forest ecology can be revitalized and fast-tracked to keep up with the pace of global climate change or even overtake it ahead its disruptions.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Aquatic Mosses as Adaptable Bio-Filters
Heavy metals (HMs) are released into the environment by many human activities and persist in water even after remediation. The efficient filtration of solubilized HMs is extremely difficult. Phytoremediation appears a convenient tool to remove HMs from polluted water, but it is limited by the choice of plants able to adapt to filtration of polluted water in terms of space and physiological needs. Biomasses are often preferred. Aquatic moss biomasses, thanks to gametophyte characteristics, can act as live filtering material. The potential for phytoremediation of Hypnales aquatic mosses has been poorly investigated compared to aquatic macrophytes. Their potential is usually indicated as a tool for bioindication and environmental monitoring more than for pollutant removal. When phytoremediation has been considered, insufficient attention has been paid to the adaptability of biomasses to different needs. In this study the heavy metal uptake of moss Taxiphyllum barbieri grown in two different light conditions, was tested with high concentrations of elements such as Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, As, and Cr. This moss produces dense mats with few culture needs. The experimental design confirmed the capacity of the moss to accumulate HMs accordingly to their physiology and then demonstrated that a significant proportion of HMs was accumulated within a few hours. In addition to the biosorption effect, an evident contribution of the active simplastic mass can be evidenced. These reports of HM accumulation within short time intervals, show how this moss is particularly suitable as an adaptable bio-filter, representing a new opportunity for water eco-sustainable remediation.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 May 2021
Topic Review
Gelidium in Circular Economy Framework
Gelidium corneum (Giant Gelidium or Atlantic agar) is a well-known red seaweed harvested for its high-quality agar content. Agar is a mixture of the polysaccharides used in the food industry as a gelling, thickener, clarifying, and stabilizer agent. The best agar quality is also used in the laboratory as bacteriological agar.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Bilateral Asymmetry in Sports Performance
Asymmetry is ubiquitous in nature and humans have well-established bilateral asymmetries in their structures and functions. It is prevalent across several sports regardless of age, gender, or competitive level, and can be verified even in apparently symmetric actions (e.g., running and rowing). Assessments of bilateral asymmetries are highly task-, metric-, individual-, and sport-specific; fluctuate significantly in time (in magnitude and, more importantly, in direction); and tend to be poorly correlated among themselves, as well as with general performance measures. Most studies assessing bilateral asymmetries do not actually assess the occurrence of injuries. While injuries tend to accentuate bilateral asymmetries, there is no evidence that pre-existing asymmetries increase injury risk. While training programs reduce certain bilateral asymmetries, there is no evidence that such reductions result in increased sport-specific performance or reduced injury risk. 
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities of Mint Oils
The objectives of the study were to test the biological activities of peppermint and spearmint oils via (i) measuring in vitro anti-inflammatory effects with porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), (ii) determining the barrier integrity of IPEC-J2 by analyzing transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), (iii) testing their antioxidant activities, and (iv) investigating the antimicrobial activity against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F18+. Briefly, (i) macrophages were seeded at 106 cells/mL and treated (24 h) with mint oils and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The treatments were 2 (0 or 1 μg/mL of LPS) × 5 (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 µg/mL of mint oils). The supernatants were collected for TNF-α and IL-1β measurement by ELISA; (ii) IPEC-J2 cells were seeded at 5 × 10 5 cells/mL and treated with mint oils (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL). TEER (Ωcm2) was measured at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h; (iii) the antioxidant activity was assessed (0, 1, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 600 mg/mL) using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and reducing power assays; (iv) overnight-grown ETEC F18+ were quantified (CFU/mL) after supplementing with peppermint and spearmint oils (0, 1.44, 2.87, 5.75, 11.50, and 23.00 mg/mL). All data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure. Both mint oils significantly inhibited (p < 0.05) IL-1β and TNF-α secretion from LPS-stimulated PAMs. Mint oil treatments did not affect TEER in IPEC-J2. Spearmint and peppermint oils exhibited (p < 0.05) strong antioxidant activities in DPPH and reducing power assays. Both mint oils also dose-dependently inhibited (p < 0.05) the growth of ETEC F18+ in vitro. The results of the study indicated that both mint oils are great candidate feed additives due to their in vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Further research is needed to evaluate their efficacy in vivo.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy
Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) achieves sub-diffraction limited resolution by either deterministic or stochastic time-controlled emission of fluorescence from only a subset of fluorophores from the total fluorophore population in the specimen. Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) allows for the visualization of individual fluorophores at the level of individual molecules based on the temporal separation of individual fluorescent molecules. This relatively simple principle allows for the detection at subsequent time intervals of a sparse subset of well-separated fluorophores and reconstruction of a final super-resolved image from the localization of the centers of the fluorophores.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)
Blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) is a labyrinth fish of the suborder Anabantoidei, order Perciformes. It is a small tropical freshwater fish characterized by the presence of a chamber, or labyrinth, above the gills for the uptake of oxygen from the air for breathing. The labyrinth enables adaptation to life in water with low dissolved oxygen by partial air breathing.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Perilipin 5 in NAFLD
Perilipins are a family of five closely related proteins expressed on the surface of lipid droplets (LD) in several tissues acting in several pathways involved in lipid metabolism. Recent studies have shown that Plin5 depletion acts protectively in the pathogenesis of liver injury underpinning the importance of pathways associated with PLIN5. PLIN5 expression is involved in pro-inflammatory cytokine regulation and mitochondrial damage, as well as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, making it critical target of the NAFLD-HCC studies. 
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
SDSA DNA Repair Mechanism
DNA repair mechanisms include nucleotide pool sanitization (nucleotide pool sanitization), direct repair (DR), base excision repair (BER), nucleotide excision repair (NER), mismatch repair (MMR), homologous recombination repair ( HRR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ).  The mechanism of action of ssODN-directed gene editing has been a topic of discussion within the field of CRISPR gene editing since its inception. Multiple comparable, but distinct, pathways have been discovered for DNA repair both with and without a repair template oligonucleotide.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 May 2021
Topic Review
Potential Usage of Edible Mushrooms
Currently, the food and agricultural sectors are concerned about environmental problems caused by raw material waste, and they are looking for strategies to reduce the growing amount of waste disposal. Now, approaches are being explored that could increment and provide value-added products from agricultural waste to contribute to the circular economy and environmental protection. Edible mushrooms have been globally appreciated for their medicinal properties and nutritional value, but during the mushroom production process nearly one-fifth of the mushroom gets wasted. Therefore, improper disposal of mushrooms and untreated residues can cause fungal disease. The residues of edible mushrooms, being rich in sterols, vitamin D2, amino acids, and polysaccharides, among others, makes it underutilized waste. Most of the published literature has primarily focused on the isolation of bioactive components of these edible mushrooms; however, utilization of waste or edible mushrooms themselves, for the production of value-added products, has remained an overlooked area. Waste of edible mushrooms also represents a disposal problem, but they are a rich source of important compounds, owing to their nutritional and functional properties. Researchers have started exploiting edible mushroom by-products/waste for value-added goods with applications in diverse fields. Bioactive compounds obtained from edible mushrooms are being used in media production and skincare formulations. Furthermore, diverse applications from edible mushrooms are also being explored, including the synthesis of biosorbent, biochar, edible films/coating, probiotics, nanoparticles and cosmetic products. 
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Obesity and Ovarian Function
Obesity is a prevalent disease worldwide, usually associated with infertility. Studies in obese infertile females show the occurrence of systemic hyperestrogenemia, hyperinsulinemia, and associated ovarian dysfunction through premature follicular atresia and anovulation. Indeed, the ovaries of obese mothers have been shown to accumulate lipids, high levels of reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, obesity has been shown to hamper not only oocyte maturation and quality but also embryo development, with reported long term effects and direct causality between obesity in the mother and prevalence of cardiovascular disease or cancer in the offspring.  
  • 1.1K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Spermatogonial Stem Cells in Fish
Spermatogenesis is a continuous and dynamic developmental process, in which a single diploid spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) proliferates and differentiates to form a mature spermatozoon. Herein, we summarize the accumulated knowledge of SSCs and their distribution in the testes of teleosts.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Salt Sensation
Taste sensation and regulation are highly conserved in insects and mammals. Research conducted over recent decades has yielded major advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the taste sensors for a variety of taste sensations and the processes underlying the regulation of ingestion depending on our internal state. Salt (NaCl) is an essential ingested nutrient. The regulation of internal sodium concentrations for physiological processes, including neuronal activity, fluid volume, acid-base balance, and muscle contraction, are extremely important issues in animal health. Both mammals and flies detect low and high NaCl concentrations as attractive and aversive tastants, respectively. These attractive or aversive behaviors can be modulated by the internal nutrient state. However, the differential encoding of the tastes underlying low and high salt concentrations in the brain remains unclear.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora)
Aloysia citrodora (Verbenaceae), an acknowledged medicinal plant, is traditionally used to treat various diseases, including bronchitis, insomnia, anxiety, digestive, and heart problems.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Apoplast
The apoplast comprises the intercellular space, the cell walls, and the xylem. Important functions for the plant, such as nutrient and water transport, cellulose synthesis, and the synthesis of molecules involved in plant defense against both biotic and abiotic stresses, take place in it. The most important molecules are ROS, antioxidants, proteins, and hormones. Even though only a small quantity of ROS is localized within the apoplast, apoplastic ROS have an important role in plant development and plant responses to various stress conditions. In the apoplast, like in the intracellular cell compartments, a specific set of antioxidants can be found that can detoxify the different types of ROS produced in it. These scavenging ROS components confer stress tolerance and avoid cellular damage. Moreover, the production and accumulation of proteins and peptides in the apoplast take place in response to various stresses. Hormones are also present in the apoplast where they perform important functions. In addition, the apoplast is also the space where microbe-associated molecular Patterns (MAMPs) are secreted by pathogens. In summary, the diversity of molecules found in the apoplast highlights its importance in the survival of plant cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
NRF2 Regulation
NRF2 acts by controlling gene expression, being the master regulator of the Phase II antioxidant response, and also being key to the control of neuroinflammation. NRF2 activity is regulated at several levels, including protein degradation by the proteasome, transcription, and post-transcription.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Retinoic Acid and Stemness
Stem cells have the capacity of self-renewal and, through proliferation and differentiation, are responsible for the embryonic development, postnatal development, and the regeneration of tissues in the adult organism. Cancer stem cells, analogous to the physiological stem cells, have the capacity of self-renewal and may account for growth and recurrence of tumors. Development and regeneration of healthy tissues and tumors depend on the balance of different genomic and nongenomic signaling pathways that regulate stem cell quiescence, proliferation, and differentiation. During evolution, this balance became dependent on all-trans retinoic acid (RA), a molecule derived from the environmental factor vitamin A. 
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease
Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is a rare disorder and one of the most severe forms of polycystic kidney disease, leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in childhood. PKHD1 is the gene that is responsible for the vast majority of ARPKD. However, some cases have been related to a new gene that was recently identified (DZIP1L gene), as well as several ciliary genes that can mimic a ARPKD-like phenotypic spectrum. In addition, a number of molecular pathways involved in the ARPKD pathogenesis and progression were elucidated using cellular and animal models. However, the function of the ARPKD proteins and the molecular mechanism of the disease currently remain incompletely understood. 
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Engineered Bacteriophages
Engineered bacteriophages (phages) are bacteriophages that have been genetically or chemically altered in some way to create or improve a property for an application, although it would be equally valid to use this term for phages altered for research.   Application-directed properties can include: enhanced bacterial killing to improve phage therapy; insertion of reporter genes to facilitate biosensor-mediated detection; insertion of targeting peptides to a virion surface protein to enhance binding properties to bacteria or other types of cells; attachment of non-protein molecules (e.g. antibiotics or nanoparticles) to phage capsid surface proteins to facilitate phage-mediated delivery; anchoring of phages to a surface to improve target capture.  It is also possible to combine modifications to develop, for example, a phage-based cancer treatment that has binding peptides for cancer cell targeting and is conjugated to either a radioisotope nanoparticle or chemotherapy drug to improve delivery.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Myotendinous Junctions
The myotendinous junction (MTJ) is the muscle-tendon interface and constitutes an integrated mechanical unit to force transmission. Joint immobilization promotes muscle atrophy via disuse, while physical exercise can be used as an adaptative stimulus. In this study, we aimed to investigate the components of the MTJ and their adaptations and the associated elements triggered with aquatic training after joint immobilization. Forty-four male Wistar rats were divided into sedentary (SD), aquatic training (AT), immobilization (IM), and immobilization/aquatic training (IMAT) groups. The samples were processed to measure fiber area, nuclear fractal dimension, MTJ nuclear density, identification of telocytes, sarcomeres, and MTJ perimeter length. In the AT group, the maintenance of ultrastructure and elements in the MTJ region were observed; the IM group presented muscle atrophy effects with reduced MTJ perimeter; the IMAT group demonstrated that aquatic training after joint immobilization promotes benefits in the muscle fiber area and fractal dimension, in the MTJ region shows longer sarcomeres and MTJ perimeter. We identified the presence of telocytes in the MTJ region in all experimental groups. We concluded that aquatic training is an effective rehabilitation method after joint immobilization due to reduced muscle atrophy and regeneration effects on MTJ in rats.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Jul 2021
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