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Topic Review
Non-Candida Yeasts and Dimorphic Fungi in Cetaceans
This encyclopedia entry addresses the overlooked presence of non-Candida yeasts in cetaceans, key to marine ecosystems yet threatened by human activity, climate change, and pollution. Highlighting the importance of cetaceans as indicators of ocean and human health, it examines the distribution, pathogenicity, and ecological impact of specific yeast species, including Cryptococcus spp. and Paracoccidioides spp. The entry explores the balance between yeast commensalism and pathogenicity, influenced by environmental stressors like pollution and climate alterations, and its effects on marine host health and ecosystem dynamics. The unique physiological and ecological aspects of cetaceans are considered, with a focus on potential effects on their behavior, reproduction, and survival. The entry identifies key research gaps and advocates for advanced molecular studies on the cetacean mycobiome, emphasizing the need for a One Health approach. It underscores the urgency of further research into non-Candida yeasts in cetaceans for marine conservation and public health.
  • 107
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Interrelation between Prostate Cancer, Androgen Receptor, and Cholesterol
Antineoplastic therapies for prostate cancer (PCa) have traditionally centered around the androgen receptor (AR) pathway, which has demonstrated a significant role in oncogenesis. Cholesterol is one of the lipids that has great relevance due to its role in the structure of the cell membrane as well as in signaling pathways linked to the AR pathway, not only due to its precursor role in the generation of androgens, which are the main AR ligands used as a target for therapies.
  • 137
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Early Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) represent two among the most frequent neurodegenerative diseases worldwide. A common hallmark of these pathologies is the misfolding and consequent aggregation of amyloid proteins into soluble oligomers and insoluble β-sheet-rich fibrils, which ultimately lead to neurotoxicity and cell death. After a hundred years of research on the subject, this is the only reliable histopathological feature in our hands. Since AD and PD are diagnosed only once neuronal death and the first symptoms have appeared, the early detection of these diseases is currently impossible. Several reasons could be associated with the lack of effective therapeutic treatments. One of the most important factors is the lack of selective probes capable of detecting, as early as possible, the most toxic amyloid species involved in the onset of these pathologies. In this regard, chemical probes able to detect and distinguish among different amyloid aggregates are urgently needed. 
  • 125
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Niemann–Pick Disease
Niemann–Pick Disease (NPD) is a rare autosomal recessive disease belonging to lysosomal storage disorders. Three types of NPD have been described: NPD type A, B, and C. NPD type A and B are caused by mutations in the gene SMPD1 coding for sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1, with a consequent lack of acid sphingomyelinase activity. These diseases have been thus classified as acid sphingomyelinase deficiencies (ASMDs). NPD type C is a neurologic disorder due to mutations in the genes NPC1 or NPC2, causing a defect of cholesterol trafficking and esterification. Although all three types of NPD can manifest with pulmonary involvement, lung disease occurs more frequently in NPD type B, typically with interstitial lung disease, recurrent pulmonary infections, and respiratory failure.
  • 274
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Thyroid Hormone Activity in the Brain
Thyroid hormones (THs) are essential in normal brain development, and cognitive and emotional functions. THs act through a cascade of events including uptake by the target cells by specific cell membrane transporters, activation or inactivation by deiodinase enzymes, and interaction with nuclear thyroid hormone receptors. Several thyroid responsive genes have been described in the developing and in the adult brain and many studies have demonstrated a systemic or local reduction in TH availability in neurologic disease and after brain injury.
  • 237
  • 22 Feb 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Modulation of the Host Defence System by Nematophagous Fungi and Chitosan
Nematophagous fungi (NFs), which are responsible for soil suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes, are multitrophic biocontrol agents. This raises the question of the transition between lifestyles (e.g., endophytism vs. egg parasitism). The NF Pochonia chlamydosporia colonises food crops and promotes their growth and yield. When colonising the plant, P. chlamydosporia induces the plant immunity (PI). However, it also evades the PI. To do this, both endophytic NF and pathogenic fungi (PF) secrete LysM effectors (LysM-effs). LysM effectors have been shown to have diverse functions in different organisms, including the protection of fungal chitin from plant chitinases. P. chlamydosporia is resistant to chitosan, which modulates gene expression in fungi and plants and has antimicrobial properties. P. chlamydosporia chitin deacetylases (CDA) and chitosanases (CSN) also help P. chlamydosporia evade plant immunity, resist exogenous chitosan, and are induced during fungal infection of nematode eggs. NF-chitosan formulations are new biomanagement tools against plant parasitic nematodes, fungal wilt pathogens and insect pests that currently threaten food security crops. Furthermore, omics techniques are useful tools to elucidate the role of CDAs, CSNs, LysM-effs, adhesion proteins and carbohydrate-active enzymes in pathogen–BCA–plant interactions, adhesion and infection to nematode eggs and their modulation by chitosan.
  • 638
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Triticale: A General Overview of Its Use in Poultry Production
Triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye, is one of the most promising grain crops. In terms of productivity, the level of metabolizable energy, and the composition of essential amino acids, triticale surpasses rye and is not inferior to wheat. It is resistant to the most dangerous diseases and pests. In terms of nutritional value, triticale can compete with wheat, corn, sorghum, and barley. The presence, however, of antinutrients in triticale such as non-starch polysaccharides, alkylresorcinols, and trypsin inhibitors significantly reduces the biological value of this crop. In the global practice of compound feed production, there are many methods and technologies for processing grain raw materials to increase their nutritional value. Enzymatic treatment and extrusion technologies are worthy of special attention. The high content of triticale in the compound feed of poultry breeder flocks should be used effectively, taking into account the characteristics of triticale varieties and climatic conditions. An optimal triticale level in feed (15% for layer and broiler chicks) may improve body weight gain and reduce feed costs when raising replacement young stock. Layer breeder flocks fed a 20% triticale-based diet may have increased egg production, high viability, and flock uniformity. Producing triticale–soy and triticale–sunflower extrudates and supplementing the diet of poultry flocks with essential amino acids represent promising avenues for maximizing the benefits of triticale. Innovative methods of achieving this goal should be further developed and put into practice, particularly given the expansion of triticale’s cultivation areas.
  • 546
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Information Transmission in G Protein-Coupled Receptors
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of receptors in the human genome and constitute about 30% of all drug targets. The concept of information capacity can be used to measure researcher's understanding of GPCR computation. Capacity is the maximum amount of information that can be transmitted by a system. 
  • 126
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Clean-Label Antimicrobials in the  United States
Food additives are employed in the food industry to enhance the color, smell, and taste of foods, increase nutritional value, boost processing efficiency, and extend shelf life. Consumers are beginning to prioritize food ingredients that they perceive as supporting a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing ingredients they deem acceptable as alternative or “clean-label” ingredients. Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products can be contaminated with pathogens and spoilage microorganisms after the cooking step, contributing to food spoilage losses and increasing the risk to consumers for foodborne illnesses. More recently, consumers have advocated for no artificial additives or preservatives, which has led to a search for antimicrobials that meet these demands but do not lessen the safety or quality of RTE meats. Lactates and diacetates are used almost universally to extend the shelf life of RTE meats by reducing spoilage organisms and preventing the outgrowth of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. These antimicrobials applied to RTE meats tend to be broad-spectrum in their activities, thus affecting overall microbial ecology. It is to the food processing industry’s advantage to target spoilage organisms and pathogens specifically.
  • 201
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Transgenderizations of the Collective Psyche of Humanity
The evolving collective psyche of humanity reveals a shift from predominantly masculine to increasingly feminine characteristics since around 1500 A.D. This transformation, termed 'transgenderization,' is attributed to identified psychological factors. Remarkably, the collective psyche has undergone similar transitions in the past since the emergence of humanity.
  • 146
  • 21 Feb 2024
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