Topic Review
Southern African Gekkonids Diversity
South Africa is recognised for its high reptile diversity and endemism, specifically among lizards. Phylogenetic diversity, endemism, and richness can have clear implications or raise important questions in a range of fields, and most urgently in conservation. Among squamate reptiles, these indices are very commonly associated with high temperatures and topographic heterogeneity. Indeed, mountainous biogeography has been a critical driver in the radiation of the family Gekkonidae within the subregion.
  • 181
  • 27 Mar 2024
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Climate Change Challenges in Temperate and Sub-Tropical Fruit Tree Cultivation
In the last few years, the world has experienced the impacts of climate change, such as elevated mean annual temperature, extreme weather events, drought, etc. Among living organisms, perennial plant species are the ones mostly exposed to climate change impacts, as they may experience different extreme events within the same year, such as flooding during some periods and drought in summer months, extremely low temperatures in winter but excessively high temperatures in summer, etc. Climate change affects a range of physiological functions of temperate fruit and nut tree species, such as their phenophases, bud dormancy release and vernalization, pollination and fruit set, fruit growth and quality, as well as bud sprouting and growth initiation. Besides these, the impact of climate change on pests, diseases, and weeds may generate significant negative interactions with tree physiology, threatening food production, food safety, and human welfare. In the present manuscript, a general aspect of climate change impacts on fruits’ and nut trees’ physiological functions is described and commented on.
  • 736
  • 27 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Hydrogels for Cardiac Repair and Regeneration
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death globally, affects the heart and arteries with a variety of clinical manifestations, the most dramatic of which are myocardial infarction (MI), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture. In MI, necrosis of the myocardium, scar formation, and loss of cardiomyocytes result from insufficient blood supply due to coronary artery occlusion. Beyond stenosis, the arteries that are structurally and functionally connected to the cardiac tissue can undergo pathological dilation, i.e., aneurysmal dilation, with high risk of rupture. Aneurysms of the intracranial arteries (IAs) are more commonly seen in young adults, whereas those of the abdominal aorta (AAA) are predominantly seen in the elderly. IAs, unpredictably, can undergo rupture and cause life-threatening hemorrhage, while AAAs can result in rupture, internal bleeding and high mortality rate. In this clinical context, hydrogels, three-dimensional networks of water-seizing polymers, have emerged as promising biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue repair or protection due to their biocompatibility, tunable properties, and ability to encapsulate and release bioactive molecules.
  • 593
  • 27 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Effects of Astaxanthin on Cognitive Function in Humans
Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant, which has been outlined to be beneficial for cognitive function both in vitro and in vivo. Astaxanthin has been researched in relation to various facets of cognitive function in humans, including episodic memory (visual and verbal stimuli), working memory/short-term memory, processing speed, response inhibition, cognitive shifting, and attention.
  • 194
  • 27 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Self-Defense Mechanism in Rice to Salinity
Salinity has complex effects on plants, impacting many cellular and physiological systems. Plant roots absorb elevated sodium ions (Na+) in the soil. Elevated concentrations of Na+ alter the normal balance of ions within plant cells.
  • 203
  • 26 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitors on Diuretic Resistance in HF
Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disorder of the cardiovascular (CV) system and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are beneficial for patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or established cardiovascular disease (CVD), mainly HF, by reducing CVD-related morbidity and mortality.
  • 99
  • 26 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Integrated Disease Management of Cannabis at Stock Cultivation Stage
The increased cultivation of high THC-containing Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis), particularly in greenhouses, has resulted in a greater incidence of diseases and molds that can negatively affect the growth and quality of the crop. Among them, the most important diseases are root rots (Fusarium and Pythium spp.), bud rot (Botrytis cinerea), powdery mildew (Golovinomyces ambrosiae), cannabis stunt disease (caused by hop latent viroid), and a range of microbes that reduce post-harvest quality. An integrated management approach to reduce the impact of these diseases/microbes requires combining different approaches that target the reproduction, spread, and survival of the associated pathogens, many of which can occur on the same plant simultaneously. These approaches will be discussed in the context of developing an integrated plan to manage the important pathogens of greenhouse-grown cannabis at different stages of plant development. These stages include the maintenance of stock plants, propagation through cuttings, vegetative growth of plants, and flowering. The cultivation of cannabis genotypes with tolerance or resistance to various pathogens is a very important approach, as well as the maintenance of pathogen-free stock plants. 
  • 145
  • 25 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Niemann–Pick Type C—Leaky Variants and Alternative Transcripts
Niemann–Pick type C (NPC, ORPHA: 646) is a neuro-visceral, psychiatric disease caused predominantly by pathogenic variants in the NPC1 gene or seldom in NPC2. The rarity of the disease, and its wide range of clinical phenotypes and ages of onset, turn the diagnosis into a significant challenge. Other than the detailed clinical history, the typical diagnostic work-up for NPC includes the quantification of pathognomonic metabolites.
  • 212
  • 25 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Microtubule Dynamics in Toxoplasma gondii
The success of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii in invading host cells relies on the apical complex, a specialized microtubule cytoskeleton structure associated with secretory organelles. The T. gondii genome encodes three isoforms of both α- and β-tubulin, which undergo specific post-translational modifications (PTMs), altering the biochemical and biophysical proprieties of microtubules and modulating their interaction with associated proteins. Tubulin PTMs represent a powerful and evolutionarily conserved mechanism for generating tubulin diversity, forming a biochemical ‘tubulin code’ interpretable by microtubule-interacting factors.
  • 165
  • 25 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Autophagy in Metabolic Regulation of Cancer Stem Cells
The presence of a specific population of cells within the tumor mass, commonly known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), is thought to initiate tumor formation, maintenance, resistance, and recurrence. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in CSC proliferation, self-renewal, and dormancy may provide important clues for developing effective therapeutic strategies. Autophagy, a catabolic process, has long been recognized to regulate various physiological and pathological processes. In addition to regulating cancer cells, studies have identified a critical role for autophagy in regulating CSC functions. Autophagy is activated under various adverse conditions and promotes cellular maintenance, survival, and even cell death.
  • 142
  • 22 Mar 2024
  • Page
  • of
  • 1746
Video Production Service