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Topic Review
Myocyte
A myocyte (also known as a muscle cell) is the type of cell found in some types of muscle tissue. Myocytes develop from myoblasts to form muscles in a process known as myogenesis. There are two specialized forms of myocytes with distinct properties: cardiac, and smooth muscle cells. On the other hand, skeletal muscles are formed by morphological units referred to as muscle fibers. Cardiomyocytes are the cells that form the chambers of the heart, and have a single central nucleus. Skeletal muscle fibers help support and move the body and are called syncytia – multinucleated structures formed by fusion of individual myoblasts during embryonic development. Smooth muscle cells control involuntary movements such as the peristalsis contractions in the oesophagus and stomach.
  • 3.4K
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Different Types of Adipocytes
Adipose tissue resides in specific depots scattered in peripheral or deeper locations all over the body and it enwraps most of the organs. This tissue is always in a dynamic evolution as it must adapt to the metabolic demand and constraints. It exhibits also endocrine functions important to regulate energy homeostasis. This complex organ is composed of depots able to produce opposite functions to monitor energy: the so called white adipose tissue acts to store energy as triglycerides preventing ectopic fat deposition while the brown adipose depots dissipate it. It is composed of many cell types. Different types of adipocytes constitute the mature cells specialized to store or burn energy. Immature adipose progenitors (AP) presenting stem cells properties contribute not only to the maintenance but also to the expansion of this tissue as observed in overweight or obese individuals.
  • 3.4K
  • 28 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Food Wastes as Packaging Materials
Packaging materials have to allow controlled respiration, maintain polymer structure against mechanical damage, prevent microbiological and chemical spoilage of food, and act as a selective gas and water vapor barrier. The most widely used materials in the food packaging industry are glass, plastics, metals, and paper. As mechanical properties of materials are important for food protection, mostly flexible and rigid synthetic packaging materials are preferred.
  • 3.4K
  • 19 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Honey and Atherosclerosis
Honey, a natural sweetener has been used universally as a complete food and in complementary medicine since early antiquity. Honey contains over 180 substances, including sugars mainly fructose and glucose, water and a plethora of minor constituents such as vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.  Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease occurring in the inner lining of arterial walls due to the progressive plaque formation. Multiple risk factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, including oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes and cigarette smoking.
  • 3.4K
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Pomegranate Juice Processing by Membranes
Pomegranate juice exhibits high antioxidant capacity because of its rich content of polyphenols, which represent the highest proportion of phytochemicals in pomegranate. Conventional pressure-driven membrane operations and innovative membrane operations, such as osmotic distillation and pervaporation, are discussed in relation to their potential in juice clarification, fractionation, concentration and aroma recovery. Their implementation in integrated systems offer new opportunities to improve the healthiness and quality of the juice as well as to recover, purify and concentrate bioactive compounds for the formulation of functional ingredients.
  • 3.4K
  • 15 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Plasma Treatment for Seed Germination and Plant Growth
Low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma has been used in various fields such as plasma medicine, agriculture, food safety and storage, and food manufacturing. In the field of plasma agriculture, plasma treatment improves seed germination, plant growth, and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, allows pesticide removal, and enhances biomass and yield.
  • 3.4K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Homology
In biology, homology is similarity due to shared ancestry between a pair of structures or genes in different taxa. A common example of homologous structures is the forelimbs of vertebrates, where the wings of bats and birds, the arms of primates, the front flippers of whales and the forelegs of four-legged vertebrates like dogs and crocodiles are all derived from the same ancestral tetrapod structure. Evolutionary biology explains homologous structures adapted to different purposes as the result of descent with modification from a common ancestor. The term was first applied to biology in a non-evolutionary context by the anatomist Richard Owen in 1843. Homology was later explained by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in 1859, but had been observed before this, from Aristotle onwards, and it was explicitly analysed by Pierre Belon in 1555. In developmental biology, organs that developed in the embryo in the same manner and from similar origins, such as from matching primordia in successive segments of the same animal, are serially homologous. Examples include the legs of a centipede, the maxillary palp and labial palp of an insect, and the spinous processes of successive vertebrae in a vertebral column. Male and female reproductive organs are homologous if they develop from the same embryonic tissue, as do the ovaries and testicles of mammals including humans. Sequence homology between protein or DNA sequences is similarly defined in terms of shared ancestry. Two segments of DNA can have shared ancestry because of either a speciation event (orthologs) or a duplication event (paralogs). Homology among proteins or DNA is inferred from their sequence similarity. Significant similarity is strong evidence that two sequences are related by divergent evolution from a common ancestor. Alignments of multiple sequences are used to discover the homologous regions. Homology remains controversial in animal behaviour, but there is suggestive evidence that, for example, dominance hierarchies are homologous across the primates.
  • 3.4K
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Innovative Technologies for Polyphenol Oxidase Inactivation
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyses the browning reaction during fruit processing and storage. It is considered a threat to clean labels and minimally processed fruit products. Unwanted changes in fruits’ appearance and quality represent a cost to the industry. High pressure and ultrasound, in addition to thermal treatment, are effective in reducing PPO activity and producing high-quality products. PPO from different fruit cultivars behaves differently when submitted to different treatments.
  • 3.4K
  • 24 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Repeated SARS Outbreaks in China
Within last 17 years two widespread epidemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in China, which were caused by related coronaviruses (CoVs): SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Although the origin(s) of these viruses are still unknown and their occurrences in nature are mysterious, some general patterns of their pathogenesis and epidemics are noticeable. Both viruses utilize the same receptor—angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)—for invading human bodies. Both epidemics occurred in cold dry winter seasons celebrated with major holidays, and started in regions where dietary consumption of wildlife is a fashion. Thus, if bats were the natural hosts of SARS-CoVs, cold temperature and low humidity in these times might provide conducive environmental conditions for prolonged viral survival in these regions concentrated with bats. The widespread existence of these bat-carried or -released viruses might have an easier time in breaking through human defenses when harsh winter makes human bodies more vulnerable. Once succeeding in making some initial human infections, spreading of the disease was made convenient with increased social gathering and holiday travel. These natural and social factors influenced the general progression and trajectory of the SARS epidemiology. However, some unique factors might also contribute to the origination of SARS in Wuhan. These factors are discussed in different scenarios in order to promote more research for achieving final validation.
  • 3.4K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. 
  • 3.4K
  • 24 Dec 2020
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