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Topic Review
Mechanism of Mild-Temperature Photothermal Therapy
Conventional photothermal therapy (PTT) irradiates the tumor tissues by elevating the temperature above 48 °C to exert thermal ablation, killing tumor cells. However, thermal ablation during PTT harmfully damages the surrounding normal tissues, post-treatment inflammatory responses, rapid metastasis due to the short-term mass release of tumor-cellular contents, or other side effects. To circumvent this limitation, mild-temperature photothermal therapy (MTPTT) was introduced to replace PTT as it exerts its activity at a therapeutic temperature of 42–45 °C.
  • 1.6K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Skeleton-Based Sign Language Recognition
Skeleton-based sign language recognition (SLR) systems that mainly use specific skeleton points instead of the pixels of images and/or sensors. The main advantage of skeleton-based SLR systems is that they can increase the attention paid to signs and have strong adaptability to complicated backgrounds and dynamic circumstances. The use of hand skeleton information alone is sometimes insufficient to correctly represent the exact meaning of a sign due to a lack of emotion and bodily expression.
  • 1.6K
  • 04 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Balanced Xylan Acetylation
Xylan is the most abundant hemicellulose, constitutes about 25–35% of the dry biomass of woody and lignified tissues, and occurs up to 50% in some cereal grains. The accurate degree and position of xylan acetylation is necessary for xylan function and for plant growth and development. The post synthetic acetylation of cell wall xylan, mainly regulated by Reduced Wall Acetylation (RWA), Trichome Birefringence-Like (TBL), and Altered Xyloglucan 9 (AXY9) genes, is essential for effective bonding of xylan with cellulose. Recent studies have proven that not only xylan acetylation but also its deacetylation is vital for various plant functions.
  • 1.6K
  • 20 Nov 2020
Topic Review
DNA:RNA Hybrids in DNA Repair
During the past several years, an increasing number of obstacles to DNA-related transactions was found to similarly trigger DNA repair and tolerance mechanisms. Among them, RNA-containing structures have recently caught the attention of DNA biologists. These range from single ribonucleotide insertions to RNA stretches, DNA:RNA hybrids and R-loops, in which a single-stranded DNA is displaced. Such structures are observed in diverse species and represent a significant fraction of their genomes: for example, ribonucleotides are incorporated in newly synthesized DNA at an overall rate of ~1:1000 nucleotides and R-loops occupy approximately 5% of the human genome. It has become increasingly clear that these structures are relevant for genome integrity: on the one hand, genetic screens have highlighted the importance of RNA metabolism factors in the DNA damage response, and on the other hand, factors classically associated with DNA repair or genome maintenance handle RNA-containing substrates in vitro.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Minerals in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
The chronic character of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, results in various complications. One of them is osteoporosis, manifested by low bone mineral density, which leads to an increased risk of fractures. The aetiology of low bone mineral density is multifactorial and includes both diet and nutritional status. Calcium is the most often discussed minerals with regard to bone mineral density. Moreover, phosphorus; magnesium and sodium are also involved in the formation of bone mass. Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases frequently consume inadequate amounts of the aforementioned minerals  or their absorption is disturbed, resulting innutritional deficiency and an increased risk of osteoporosis. 
  • 1.6K
  • 06 Nov 2020
Topic Review
HIV-1
The HIV-1 integrase enzyme (IN) plays a critical role in the viral life cycle by integrating the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host chromosome. This function of IN has been well studied, and the knowledge gained has informed the design of small molecule inhibitors that now form key components of antiretroviral therapy regimens. Recent discoveries unveiled that IN has an under-studied yet equally vital second function in HIV-1 replication. This involves IN binding to the viral RNA genome in virions, which is necessary for proper virion maturation and morphogenesis. Herein we describe these two functions of IN within the context of the HIV-1 life cycle, how IN binding to the viral genome is coordinated by the major structural protein, Gag, and discuss the value of targeting the second role of IN in virion morphogenesis.
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells
Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC2s) belong to the family of helper ILCs which provide host defense against infectious agents, participate in inflammatory responses and mediate lymphoid organogenesis and tissue repair, mainly at the skin and mucosal level. Based on their transcriptional, phenotypic and functional profile, ILC2s mirror the features of the adaptive CD4+ Th2 cell subset, both contributing to the so-called type 2 immune response. Similar to other ILCs, ILC2s are rapidly activated by signals deriving from tissue and/or other tissue-resident immune cells. The biologic activity of ILCs needs to be tightly regulated in order to prevent them from contributing to severe inflammation and damage in several organs. Indeed, ILC2s display both enhancing and regulatory roles in several pathophysiological conditions, including tumors.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Oxidative Stress in Human Pathology
Accumulating evidence shows that oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis and progression of many diseases. The imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant systems has been extensively studied in pulmonary, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders; however, its contribution is still debated in gastrointestinal disorders. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress affects gastrointestinal motility in obesity, and post-infectious disorders by favoring the smooth muscle phenotypic switch toward a synthetic phenotype. Here is to gain insight into the role played by oxidative stress in gas-trointestinal pathologies (GIT), and the involvement of ROS in the signaling underlying the mus-cular alterations of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
  • 1.6K
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Forward Osmosis in Wastewater Treatment
Forward osmosis (FO), driven by the osmotic pressure difference between solutions divided by a semi-permeable membrane, has been recognised as a potential energy-efficient filtration process with a low tendency for fouling and a strong ability to filtrate highly polluted wastewater.
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Convolutional Neural Network
Convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning (DL) has a wide variety of applications in the geospatial and remote sensing (RS) sciences, and consequently has been a focus of many recent studies. 
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Heavy Metal Toxicity and Sequestration in Plants
Heavy metal (HM) toxicity has become a global concern in recent years and is imposing a severe threat to the environment and human health. In the case of plants, a higher concentration of HMs, above a threshold, adversely affects cellular metabolism because of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which target the key biological molecules. Moreover, some of the HMs such as mercury and arsenic, among others, can directly alter the protein/enzyme activities by targeting their –SH group to further impede the cellular metabolism. Particularly, inhibition of photosynthesis has been reported under HM toxicity because HMs trigger the degradation of chlorophyll molecules by enhancing the chlorophyllase activity and by replacing the central Mg ion in the porphyrin ring which affects overall plant growth and yield. Consequently, plants utilize various strategies to mitigate the negative impact of HM toxicity by limiting the uptake of these HMs and their sequestration into the vacuoles with the help of various molecules including proteins such as phytochelatins, metallothionein, compatible solutes, and secondary metabolites.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity
Obesity and ageing place a tremendous strain on the global healthcare system. Age-related sarcopenia is characterized by decreased muscular strength, decreased muscle quantity, quality, and decreased functional performance. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a condition that combines sarcopenia and obesity and has a substantial influence on the older adults’ health.
  • 1.6K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Synthesis of Doped/Hybrid Carbon Dots
Carbon dots (CDs) are a novel type of carbon-based nanomaterial that has gained considerable attention for their unique optical properties, including tunable fluorescence, stability against photobleaching and photoblinking, and strong fluorescence, which is attributed to a large number of organic functional groups (amino groups, hydroxyl, ketonic, ester, and carboxyl groups, etc.). In addition, they also demonstrate high stability and electron mobility. The doping of CDs with organic and inorganic atoms and molecules leads to their functionalization to obtain desired physical and chemical properties for biomedical applications. 
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Fracture Toughness of FRP Composites Using Short Fibers
Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite laminates are widely used in the aerospace field, automotive industry, wind power generation, and civil infrastructure because of their lightweight and relatively high strength characteristics. Interlaminar fracture toughness (ILFT) is a quantitative measure of the ability of composite laminates to resist crack extension and an estimate of material toughness. 
  • 1.6K
  • 31 May 2022
Topic Review
Laundry Enzyme
Laundry enzyme is one type of biological enzymes that are frequently used in the laundry industry, and also it is still the largest industrial enzyme application and thus the laundry enzyme plays a significant role in helping both household laundry and the relative industrial business. Laundry enzymes are sub-class of enzymes, and thus they are also biological catalysts with poly-molecular structure. They usually exist as little blue particles or flecks in both liquid and powder detergents, and once contacting with water they dissolve rapidly, by acting as a catalyst, the laundry enzymes boost the rate of the reaction between stains and aqueous solution. Therefore, laundry enzymes are good at stain removal. The addition of laundry enzymes in detergent products improves laundry efficiency and also makes the process more environmentally friendly, and thus detergent manufacturers are willing to update the products with laundry enzyme formula added. With the consumers' high interest in new bio-technique gradually growing, laundry enzyme detergents are becoming more and more popular in the globe, which reveals the success of laundry enzyme's application in the industry. However, there are still several concerns from consumers brought by laundry enzymes such as the potential allergies and cloth damages, but the experimental result shows the concerns are unnecessary.
  • 1.6K
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Exosomes for Drug Delivery
Particular interest among the scientific community is focused on exploring the use of exosomes for several pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. This is due to the identification of the role of exosomes as an excellent intercellular communicator by delivering the requisite cargo comprising of functional proteins, metabolites and nucleic acids. Exosomes are the smallest extracellular vesicles (EV) with sizes ranging from 30–100 nm and are derived from endosomes. Exosomes have similar surface morphology to cells and act as a signal transduction channel between cells. They encompass different biomolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids, thus rendering them naturally as an attractive drug delivery vehicle. Like the other advanced drug delivery systems, such as polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes to encapsulate drug substances, exosomes also gained much attention in enhancing therapeutic activity. Exosomes present many advantages, such as compatibility with living tissues, low toxicity, extended blood circulation, capability to pass contents from one cell to another, non-immunogenic and special targeting of various cells, making them an excellent therapeutic carrier. Exosome-based molecules for drug delivery are still in the early stages of research and clinical trials. The problems and clinical transition issues related to exosome-based drugs need to be overcome using advanced tools for better understanding and systemic evaluation of exosomes.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Regulators of Fibrinolysis in Oral Cavity
The oral cavity is a unique environment that consists of teeth surrounded by periodontal tissues, oral mucosae with minor salivary glands, and terminal parts of major salivary glands that open into the oral cavity. It is a first-line defense against most viral and bacterial pathogens. Fibrinolytic factors of the plasminogen (Plg)/plasmin (Pm) system, their soluble and membrane receptors, and fragments, such as suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor) modulate physiological and pathological conditions, especially inflammation.  Fibrinolysis, the removal of fibrin, is the primary function of fibrinolytic factors. Under physiological conditions, fibrinolytic factors are present in the oral cavity and secreted mostly with saliva. Under the inflammation plasminogen/plasmin system performs fibrinolytic and non-fibrinolytic functions: cytokines or proteases (MMPs) are activated, receptors such as suPAR are shed from the surface promoting cell migration, and modulation of the inflammatory response. Viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), exploit the fibrinolytic system to promote host cell infection.
  • 1.6K
  • 10 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Circular Economy at Global and Energy Markets
Sustainability is a strategic approach to develop a more sustainable economy to support the environment and socio-economic development. Literature on sustainability has been concerned mainly with global warming and environmental degradation issues, whereas the Circular Economy (CE) concept has recently been suggested as an alternative solution to support market sustainability and deal with both environmental and socio-economic challenges. In order to tackle these challenges, countries must switch from linear economies that follow the “take-make-dispose” principle to circular and sustainable economies. This research applies a structural and conceptual literature review to elucidate the most decisive determinants in the formation of circular strategies, particularly in the context of the energy sector. This research examines obstacles that hinder CE adoption and formulates drivers and measures to overcome them. The research shows that the circular approach is critical in achieving sustainable development. Circularity can be considered a novel and innovative approach to alleviating the contradiction between rapid economic growth and energy and raw materials shortages. The CE structure must be considered as a sustainable foundation to enhance economic growth by avoiding waste, preserving natural capital, managing resource scarcity, recycling materials, maximizing energy efficiency, and recirculating them into the economy. Analysis reveals that the circular system is a key pillar of sustainability, security, and efficiency in the energy sector. The sustainable energy transition requires incorporating the CE principles in the design process. It also revealed that both public and private sectors must move away from the linear paradigm towards circularity to achieve CE implementation.
  • 1.6K
  • 21 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Extraction Techniques of Brassica By-Products
The Brassica genus (Brassicaceae family) is a large group of primarily herbaceous plants, one of the most important crops after soybean in world oilseed production, and as fresh vegetables, they are widely consumed throughout the year as part of salads or after cooking. This genus includes various types of well-known species such as cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, pak choi, rape, turnip, mustard, and cress. Brassica plants are also distinguished from other vegetable plants by their high functional (phenolic and organosulfur compounds) and nutritional properties. Food losses and waste reduction are a worldwide challenge involving governments, researchers, and food industries. Therefore, by-product revalorization and the use of key extracted biocompounds to fortify innovative foods seems an interesting challenge to afford.
  • 1.6K
  • 12 May 2023
Topic Review
Icariin and Its Derivates
There has been considerable interest in icariin (ICA) and its derivates, icariside II (ICS) and icaritin (ICT), due to their wide range of potential applications in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, delaying the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, treating erectile dysfunction, etc.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Jul 2022
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