Topic Review
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
The signals generated by the HPG axis, the main participants of which are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), gonadotropins, and sex steroids, coordinate the development and functioning of the immune system, and immunomediators, in particular, cytokines and thymic peptides, influence the HPG axis.
  • 2.9K
  • 08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Species Problem
The species problem is the set of questions that arises when biologists attempt to define what a species is. Such a definition is called a species concept; there are at least 26 recognized species concepts. A species concept that works well for sexually reproducing organisms such as birds is useless for species that reproduce asexually, such as bacteria. The scientific study of the species problem has been called microtaxonomy. One common, but sometimes difficult, question is how best to decide which species an organism belongs to, because reproductively isolated groups may not be readily recognizable, and cryptic species may be present. There is a continuum from reproductive isolation with no interbreeding, to panmixis, unlimited interbreeding. Populations can move forward or backwards along this continuum, at any point meeting the criteria for one or another species concept, and failing others. Many of the debates on species touch on philosophical issues, such as nominalism and realism, and on issues of language and cognition. The current meaning of the phrase "species problem" is quite different from what Charles Darwin and others meant by it during the 19th and early 20th centuries. For Darwin, the species problem was the question of how new species arose. Darwin was however one of the first people to question how well-defined species are, given that they constantly change.
  • 2.9K
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Basal Ganglia in Neurometabolic Diseases
Diseases primarily affecting the basal ganglia in children result in characteristic disturbances of movement and muscle tone. Both experimental and clinical evidence indicates that the basal ganglia also play a role in higher mental states. The basal ganglia can be affected by neurometabolic, degenerative diseases or other conditions from which they must be differentiated. Neuroradiological findings in basal ganglia diseases are also known. However, they may be similar in different diseases. Their assessment in children may require repeated MRI examinations depending on the stage of brain development (mainly the level of myelination). A large spectrum of pathological changes in the basal ganglia in many diseases is caused by their vulnerability to metabolic abnormalities and chemical or ischemic trauma. The diagnosis is usually established by correlation of clinical and radiological findings. Neuroimaging of basal ganglia in neurometabolic diseases is helpful in early diagnosis and monitoring of changes for optimal therapy.
  • 2.9K
  • 20 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Haze in Beer
Beer is one of the oldest and also most widely consumed alcoholic beverages. It is a kind of colloid solution with complex composition and weak stability. The haze formation in beer is a serious quality problem, as it primarily affects the shelf life and flavor of beer. Hazes are caused by suspended insoluble particles of colloidal or larger size that can be perceived visually or by instruments.
  • 2.9K
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Serum Albumin
Being one of the most abundant proteins in human and other mammals, albumin plays a crucial role in transporting various endogenous and exogenous molecules and maintaining of colloid osmotic pressure of the blood. It is not only the passive but also the active participant of the pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic processes possessing a number of enzymatic activities. A free thiol group of the albumin molecule determines the participation of the protein in redox reactions. Its activity is not limited to interaction with other molecules entering the blood: of great physiological importance is its interaction with the cells of blood, blood vessels and also outside the vascular bed. This topic review contains data on the enzymatic, inflammatory and antioxidant properties of serum albumin. 
  • 2.8K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Wild Food Plants
Wild food plants (WFPs) are generally considered species that grow spontaneously in self-sustaining populations outside cultivated areas, in field margins, forests, woodland, grassland, and wetlands (e.g., paddy fields), independently of human activity. However, the distinction between “wild” and “cultivated” or “domesticated” is not so clear-cut and many wild food plants fall somewhere in between these two extremes depending on the degree of human intervention and management. Semi-domesticated species, in addition to economically important non-timber forest food products, such as açaí berries and Brazil nuts, can also be considered "wild" to some extent as they grow naturally in forest with limited management or human intervention. As they are often wild relatives of domesticated species, WFPs have potential for domestication and can provide a pool of genetic resources for hybridization and selective breeding.
  • 2.8K
  • 13 May 2024
Topic Review
Cytokines in Inflammatory Disease
This review aims to briefly discuss a short list of a broad variety of inflammatory cytokines. Numerous studies have implicated that inflammatory cytokines exert important effects with regard to various inflammatory diseases, yet the reports on their specific roles are not always consistent. They can be used as biomarkers to indicate or monitor disease or its progress, and also may serve as clinically applicable parameters for therapies. Yet, their precise role is not always clearly defined. Thus, in this entry, researchers focus on the existing literature dealing with the biology of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, IL-33, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-10, and IL-8. We will briefly focus on the correlations and role of these inflammatory mediators in the genesis of various inflammatory impacts.
  • 2.8K
  • 13 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Smart Farming
Smart farming: the technological innovation adoption in agriculture requires an innovative conceptualization and management of the several resources in light of the increasingly being available data. An example of an innovative methodology and criteria capable of organizing data and exploiting such information to optimize the use of technologies and primary resources used in production processes is presented
  • 2.8K
  • 18 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Surface Plasmon Resonance Based Biosensors
Over the years, biosensors have acquired increasing importance in a wide range of applications due to synergistic studies of various scientific disciplines, determining their great commercial potential and revealing how nanotechnology and biotechnology can be strictly connected. In the present scenario, biosensors have increased their detection limit and sensitivity unthinkable until a few years ago. The most widely used biosensors are optical-based devices such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biosensors and fluorescence-based biosensors.
  • 2.8K
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Ultra-processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods were first defined by Dr. Carlos Monteiro in 2009 through the NOVA classification. Briefly, they are characterized in their formulation by the addition of cosmetic ingredients and/or additives for mainly industrial use - and having undergone an excessive processing  - to imitate, exacerbate, mask or restore sensory properties (aroma, texture, taste and color). It can also be very denaturing technological processes directly applied to the food (cooking-extrusion, puffing, etc.). They are food and drink products that have undergone specified types of food processing, usually by transnational and other very large 'Big food' corporations. These foods are designed to be 'convenient, eaten on the go, hyperpalatable and appealing to consumers, and, most importantly, the most profitable segment of Big Food companies’ portfolios because of these foods’ low-cost ingredients'. The NOVA-derived Siga score propose a complementary definition more focused ont the degradation of the food/ingredient matrix effect: "An ultra-processed food is characterized by the presence in its list of ingredients of at least one substance that is itself ultra-processed, called a marker of ultra-processing (MUP). These MUPs are obtained by synthesis, or by a succession of physical, chemical and/or biological processes applied to natural raw materials and which lead to a strong degradation compared to their original matrix".
  • 2.8K
  • 29 Oct 2020
  • Page
  • of
  • 1746
Video Production Service