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Topic Review
Vermicomposting on Greenhouse Gas Emission
The implementation of cutting-edge agricultural practices provides tools and techniques to drive climate-smart agriculture, reduce carbon emissions, and lower the carbon footprint. The alteration of climate conditions due to human activities poses a serious threat to the global agricultural systems. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from organic waste management need urgent attention to optimize conventional composting strategies for organic wastes.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Mast Cells
Mast Cells (MCs), from the German mast meaning well-fed, were first described by Paul Ehrlich in 1878 based on the unique color-changing granules within these cells. In fact, MCs are easily recognizable with characteristic toluidine blue-positive granules in the cytoplasm. Their granules contain several elements, such as histamine, serotonin, heparin, proteases (chymase, tryptase, carboxypeptidase), cytokines and other growth factors (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF; fibroblast growth factor-2, FGF-2). Tryptases and chymases are considered MC-specific proteases, but the granules also contain some non-specific enzymes, such as metalloproteinase-9.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Symmetric and Asymmetric Synapses Driving Neurodegenerative Disorders
In 1959, E. G. Gray described two different types of synapses in the brain for the first time: symmetric and asymmetric. Later on, symmetric synapses were associated with inhibitory terminals, and asymmetric synapses to excitatory signaling. The balance between these two systems is critical to maintain a correct brain function. Likewise, the modulation of both types of synapses is also important to maintain a healthy equilibrium. Cerebral circuitry responds differently depending on the type of damage and the timeline of the injury. For example, promoting symmetric signaling following ischemic damage is beneficial only during the acute phase; afterwards, it further increases the initial damage. Synapses can be also altered by players not directly related to them; the chronic and long-term neurodegeneration mediated by tau proteins primarily targets asymmetric synapses by decreasing neuronal plasticity and functionality. Dopamine represents the main modulating system within the central nervous system. Indeed, the death of midbrain dopaminergic neurons impairs locomotion, underlying the devastating Parkinson’s disease.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Downy Mildew Detection and Diagnostics
Downy mildews affect important crops and cause severe losses in production worldwide. Accurate identification and monitoring of these plant pathogens, especially at early stages of the disease, is fundamental in achieving effective disease control. The rapid development of molecular methods for diagnosis has provided more specific, fast, reliable, sensitive, and portable alternatives for plant pathogen detection and quantification than traditional approaches. 
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Functional Foods and Aging
A new epoch is emerging with intense research on nutraceuticals, i.e., "food or food product that provides medical or health benefits including the prevention and treatment of diseases", such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nutraceuticals contain bioactive principles which act at different biochemical and metabolic levels and there's a growing body of evidence which shows their potent neuroprotective effects, offering thus alternative avenues for a modern innovative medicine in human beings; in particular, these natural compounds are able to provide defence against mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress, toxicity of β-amyloid peptide and tau protein and cell death. More recently, preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that a wide range of these substances can also differentially influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota in correlation with the cerebral formation and aggregation of toxic protein aggregates. Further, the routes of interaction between epigenetic mechanisms and the gut–brain axis have been also elucidated, establishing a modulatory role of diet-induced changes on commensal microbial community in shaping the brain function and integrity. 
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Development of CDK4/6 Inhibitors
CDKs, a family of serine/threonine kinases, regulate cell cycle progression into the four distinct phases G1, S (DNA synthesis), G2 and M, and are crucially involved in the regulation of cell division and proliferation.
  • 1.2K
  • 23 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. It has been identified as an important issue in geriatric health care. The term enuresis is often used to refer to urinary incontinence primarily in children, such as nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting). UI is an example of a stigmatized medical condition, which creates barriers to successful management and makes the problem worse. People may be too embarrassed to seek medical help, and attempt to self-manage the symptom in secrecy from others. Pelvic surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause are major risk factors. Urinary incontinence is often a result of an underlying medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners. There are four main types of incontinence: Treatments include pelvic floor muscle training, bladder training, surgery, and electrical stimulation. Behavioral therapy generally works better than medication for stress and urge incontinence. The benefit of medications is small and long term safety is unclear. Urinary incontinence is more common in older women.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Sulfur in Plant Defense
Sulfur (S) is an essential plant macronutrient and the pivotal role of sulfur compounds in plant disease resistance has become obvious in recent decades. These compounds include sulfur containing amino acids such as cysteine and methionine, the tripeptide glutathione, thionins and defensins, glucosinolates and phytoalexins and, last but not least, reactive sulfur species and hydrogen sulfide. SDCs play versatile roles both in pathogen perception and initiating signal transduction pathways that are interconnected with various defense processes regulated by plant hormones (salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and ethylene) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Importantly, ROS-mediated reversible oxidation of cysteine residues on plant proteins have profound effects on protein functions like signal transduction of plant defense responses during pathogen infections. Indeed, the multifaceted plant defense responses initiated by SDCs should provide novel tools for plant breeding to endow crops with efficient defense responses to invading pathogens.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Owner and Cat Relationship
This entry provides a short overview of the different ways cat owners describe the relationship with their cat, how this might relate to an antropomorphic view of (role of) the cat, which owner-and cat-related charateristics are related to such views and how different views are associated with different living environments of cats.  
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Jan 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
The Applications of Microphysiological Systems in Biomedicine: Impact on Urologic and Orthopaedic Research
Microphysiological systems (MPSs) are in vitro models that can incorporate dynamic stimuli such as flow, pressure and contraction in cell culture, enabling the formation of cellular architectures and retrieving physiological function often absent in conventional 2D-cell culture. MPS applications saw a substantial growth in recent years, drawing attention from industry as a strategy to optimize pre-clinical drug-development purposes, as well as from biomedical research, to fill a gap between in vivo and in vitro models. Several MPS platforms are now available and are employed in the development of bone and kidney complex systems for urologic and orthopaedic research. These advances have enabled, for example, the in vitro modelling of bone regeneration and renal drug secretion, and have dramatic potential to improve research into both orthopaedic and urology cancers. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jun 2022
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