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Topic Review
Polymyxins–Curcumin Combination Antimicrobial Therapy
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria poses a huge health challenge. The therapeutic use of polymyxins (i.e., colistin and polymyxin B) is commonplace due to high efficacy and limiting treatment options for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity are the major dose-limiting factors that limit the therapeutic window of polymyxins; nephrotoxicity is a complication in up to ~60% of patients. The emergence of polymyxin-resistant strains or polymyxin heteroresistance is also a limiting factor. These caveats have catalyzed the search for polymyxin combinations that synergistically kill polymyxin-susceptible and resistant organisms and/or minimize the unwanted side effects. Curcumin—an FDA-approved natural product—exerts many pharmacological activities. Recent studies showed that polymyxins–curcumin combinations showed a synergistically inhibitory effect on the growth of bacteria (e.g., Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria) in vitro. Moreover, curcumin co-administration ameliorated colistin-induced nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and apoptosis.
  • 1.8K
  • 28 May 2021
Topic Review
Management of Andean Lupin Anthracnose
The lupin (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet) is a legume domesticated and cultivated for more than 4000 years by the pre-Hispanic cultures of the Andean zone. Due to its good taste and protein content, the lupin seed contributes significantly to the food and nutritional security of the Andean population. However, lupin is susceptible to diseases, and of these, anthracnose is the most devastating as it affects the whole crop, including leaves, stems, pods, and seeds. Seed treatment with fungicides reduces transmission from seed to seedling, but it does not eradicate anthracnose. Attention is given to alternative strategies from sowing to harvest to limit this seed borne pathogen as well as to enhance plant resistance and to promote plant growth. For anthracnose management in the field, integrated practices that encompass control of volunteer plants, lupin ontogenetic resistance, and rotation of biocontrol with chemical fungicides at susceptible phenological stages are considered.  
  • 1.8K
  • 12 Apr 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.
  • 1.8K
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Cold-Stored Platelet
Cold-stored platelets are making a comeback. They were abandoned in the late 1960s in favor of room-temperature stored platelets due to the need for longer post-transfusion platelet recoverability and survivability in patients with chronic thrombocytopenia. However, the current needs for platelet transfusions are rapidly changing. Today, more platelets are given to patients who are actively bleeding, such as ones receiving cardiac surgeries. It has been established that cold-stored platelets are more hemostatically effective, have reduced bacterial growth, and have longer potential shelf lives. These compelling characteristics led to the recent interest in bringing back cold-stored platelets to the blood systems. However, before reinstating cold-stored platelets in the clinics again, a thorough investigation of in vitro storage characteristics and in vivo transfusion effects is required.
  • 1.8K
  • 10 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Resveratrol in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Resveratrol (RSV) is a polyphenolic stillbenoid with significant anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties recently tested in animal models of several neurological diseases. Altered immune alteration and oxidative stress have also been found in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and these alterations could add to the pathophysiology associated with ASD. 
  • 1.8K
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Sensogenomics and the Biological Background Underlying Musical Stimuli
The impact of musical stimulus in the human genome opens a new era of research. We hereby introduce and develop the term Sensogenomics, referring to the still unexplored field of research focused on the response of our genome to sensorial stimuli.
  • 1.8K
  • 21 Jan 2022
Topic Review Video
Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier
The blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) has been long thought of as a functional equivalent to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), restricting blood flow into the spinal cord. The spinal cord is supported by various disc tissues that provide agility and has different local immune responses compared to the brain. Though physiologically, structural components of the BSCB and BBB share many similarities, the clinical landscape significantly differs. 
  • 1.8K
  • 14 Jan 2022
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.
  • 1.7K
  • 14 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Borrelia
Borreliae are a group of highly motile bacteria that are characterized by their corkscrew-like shape. They can be transferred by a tick bite to a human host and cause severe illnesses. Accordingly, an untreated infection with Borrelia burgdorferi can lead to the development of Lyme disease, which can affect the skin, joints, heart and nervous system. It is thus important to understand how borreliae interact with the human immune system, and which mechanisms lead to their depletion in the human body. Macrophages are part of the innate immune system and among the first cells that encounter invading borreliae.
  • 1.7K
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Non-Coding RNAs and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are functional ribonucleic acid (RNA) species that include microRNAs (miRs), a class of short non-coding RNAs (∼21–25 nucleotides), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) consisting of more than 200 nucleotides. They regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and are involved in a wide range of pathophysiological processes. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion characterized by vascular dysplasia. Patients can develop life-threatening vascular malformations and experience severe hemorrhaging.
  • 1.7K
  • 05 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Limosilactobacillus reuteri Fermented Brown Rice
Oxidative stress has been postulated to play a role in several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and stress-related disorders (anxiety/depression). Presently, natural plant-derived phytochemicals are an important tool in reducing metabolomic disorders or for avoiding the side effects of current medicinal therapies. Brown Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important part of Asian diets reported as a rich source of bioactive phytonutrients. 
  • 1.7K
  • 26 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Spironolactone and XPB
Spironolactone (SP) is commonly used for the treatment of heart failure, hypertension, and complications of cirrhosis by antagonizing the mineralocorticoid receptor. However, SP also antagonizes the androgen receptor, and thus SP has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of acne, hair loss, and hirsutism in women. Interestingly, recent drug repurposing screens have identified new and diverse functions for SP as a simulator of tumor immunosurveillance and as an inhibitor of DNA repair and viral infection. These novel pharmacological effects of SP have all been linked to the ability of SP to induce the rapid proteolytic degradation of the xeroderma pigmentosum group B (XPB) protein. XPB is a critical enzymatic component of the multi-subunit complex known as transcription factor II-H (TFIIH), which plays essential roles in both DNA repair and the initiation of transcription. Given the critical functions for XPB and TFIIH in these processes, the loss of XPB by SP could lead to mutagenesis. However, the ability of SP to promote cancer stem cell death and facilitate immune recognition may counteract the negative consequences of SP to mitigate carcinogenic risk. Thus, SP appears to have new and interesting pharmacological effects that may extend its potential uses.
  • 1.7K
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
β-Glucans
β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushrooms. β-glucans display an array of potentially therapeutic properties.
  • 1.7K
  • 13 Apr 2022
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.
  • 1.7K
  • 11 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Vascular Sources of Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide (NO) is implicated in numerous physiological processes, including vascular homeostasis. Reduced NO bioavailability is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction, a prequel to many cardiovascular diseases. Biomarkers of an early NO-dependent endothelial dysfunction obtained from routine venous blood sampling would be of great interest but are currently lacking.
  • 1.7K
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Tryptophan Catabolites in Intestinal Homeostasis and Inflammation
Tryptophan is one of the nine essential amino acids found in common protein-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, bananas, oats, nuts, and beans. Tryptophan is largely absorbed in the small intestine, and the fraction that reaches the colon is catabolized by numerous bacterial species. Microbial tryptophan catabolites, such as indole and indole derivatives, are potent bioactive molecules that sustain the intestinal barrier’s integrity and contribute to the establishment of immunotolerance against commensal microbes, thereby supporting host–microbiome symbiosis. Perturbations in the composition and metabolic functions of the gut microbiota are associated with a myriad of inflammatory and chronic metabolic diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), autoimmunity, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney diseases (CKDs), and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
  • 1.7K
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Bowmouth Guitarfish
The bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma), also called the shark ray or mud skate, is a species of ray and a member of the family Rhinidae. Its evolutionary affinities are not fully resolved, though it may be related to true guitarfishes and skates. This rare species occurs widely in the tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific, at depths of up to 90 m (300 ft). Highly distinctive in appearance, the bowmouth guitarfish has a wide and thick body with a rounded snout and large shark-like dorsal and tail fins. Its mouth forms a W-shaped undulating line, and there are multiple thorny ridges over its head and back. It has a dorsal color pattern of many white spots over a bluish gray to brown background, with a pair of prominent black markings over the pectoral fins. This large species can reach a length of 2.7 m (8.9 ft) and weight of 135 kg (298 lb). Usually found near the sea floor, the bowmouth guitarfish prefers sandy or muddy areas near underwater structures. It is a strong-swimming predator of bony fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs. This species gives live birth to litters of two to eleven pups, which are nourished during gestation by yolk. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the bowmouth guitarfish as Vulnerable because it is widely caught by artisanal and commercial fisheries for its valuable fins and meat. It is viewed as a nuisance by trawlers, however, because its bulk and thorny skin cause it to damage netted catches. Habitat degradation and destruction pose an additional, significant challenge to this ray's survival. The bowmouth guitarfish adapts well to captivity and is displayed in public aquariums.
  • 1.7K
  • 09 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Microglial Staining
Neuroinflammation has recently been identified as a fundamentally important pathological process in most, if not all, CNS diseases. The main contributor to neuroinflammation is the microglia, which constitute the innate immune response system. Accurate identification of microglia and their reactivity state is therefore essential to further understanding of CNS pathophysiology. Many staining techniques have been used to visualise microglia in rodent and human tissue, and immunostaining is currently the most frequently used.
  • 1.7K
  • 29 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Molecular Analyses for Ancient Parchment Documentary Materials
A new trend is molecular analysis, which has given rise to the emerging field of biocodicology, comprising protein and DNA analysis for the identification of the biological origin of the skins used for their manufacture. In addition, DNA analysis can identify the microbiome present in the object under investigation, which adds value by providing information on its history and state of preservation. 
  • 1.7K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Chlorophytum tuberosum
Chlorophytum tuberosum (C. tuberosum) belongs to the family Liliaceae and is being used in the indigenous systems of medicine as a galactagogue, aphrodisiac, antitumor, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anti-ageing, antimicrobial, etc. 
  • 1.7K
  • 11 Apr 2023
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