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Topic Review
Usutu virus in Europe
Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging arbovirus isolated in 1959 (Usutu River, Swaziland). Previously restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, the virus was introduced in Europe in 1996. While USUV has received little attention in Africa, the virus emergence has prompted numerous studies with robust epidemiological surveillance programs in Europe. Epizootics and genetic diversity of USUV in different bird species as well as detection of the virus in mosquitoes suggest repeated USUV introductions into Europe with endemization in some countries. The zoonotic potential of USUV has been reported in a growing number of human cases. Clinical cases of neuroinvasive disease and USUV fever, as well as seroconversion in blood donors were reported in Europe since 2009. Since spreading trends of USUV are likely to continue, continuous multidisciplinary interventions ('One Health' concept) should be conducted for monitoring and prevention of this emerging arboviral infection.
  • 1.4K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
COVID-19-Associated Candidiasis
The recent global pandemic of COVID-19 has predisposed a relatively high number of patients to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which carries a risk to develop secondary infections. Candida species are major constituents of the human mycobiome and the main cause of invasive fungal infections with a high mortality rate, and are also increasingly reported as complication of severe COVID-19. Despite the marked immune dysregulation in COVID-19, no prominent defects have been reported in immune cells that are critically required for immunity to Candida. This suggests that relevant clinical factors, including prolonged ICU stays, use of central venous catheters and often broad-spectrum antibiotics may dominate over immune-mediated mechanisms to drive susceptibility to candidemia in the setting of COVID-19. Although diagnostic performance evaluations are often lacking in COVID-19 patients, a combination of serological and molecular techniques may present promising diagnostic options for identification of COVID-19-associated candidiasis. Clinical awareness and screening of invasive candidiasis is needed, as those are difficult to diagnose, particular in the setting of severe COVID-19. Echinocandins and azoles are the primary antifungal used to treat invasive candidiasis, yet therapeutic failures exerted by prominent nosocomial pathogens such as C. auris and C. glabrata calls for the development of new antifungal drugs with novel mechanisms of action.
  • 1.4K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Challenges in Food Composition
Food composition data is important for stakeholders and users active in the areas of food, nutrition and health. New challenges related to the quality of food composition data reflect the dynamic changes in these areas while the emerging technologies create new opportunities. 
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Non-Antibiotic Antibacterial Agents
Antimicrobial resistance is a significant threat to human health worldwide, forcing scientists to explore non-traditional antibacterial agents to support rapid interventions and combat the emergence and spread of drug resistant bacteria. Many new antibiotic-free approaches are being developed while the old ones are being revised, resulting in creating unique solutions that arise at the interface of physics, nanotechnology, and microbiology. Specifically, physical factors (e.g., pressure, temperature, UV light) are increasingly used for industrial sterilization. Nanoparticles (unmodified or in combination with toxic compounds) are also applied to circumvent in vivo drug resistance mechanisms in bacteria. Recently, bacteriophage-based treatments are also gaining momentum due to their high bactericidal activity and specificity. 
  • 1.4K
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Domesticated Plants and Animals of Austronesia
One of the major human migration events was the maritime settlement of the islands of the Indo-Pacific by the Austronesian peoples, believed to have started from at least 5,500 to 4,000 BP (3500 to 2000 BC). These migrations were accompanied by a set of domesticated, semi-domesticated, and commensal plants and animals transported via outrigger ships and catamarans that enabled early Austronesians to thrive in the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia (also known as 'Island Southeast Asia'), Near Oceania (Melanesia), Remote Oceania (Micronesia and Polynesia), Madagascar , and the Comoros Islands. They include crops and animals believed to have originated from the Hemudu and Majiabang cultures in the hypothetical pre-Austronesian homelands in mainland China , as well as other plants and animals believed to have been first domesticated from within Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. Some of these plants are sometimes also known as "canoe plants", especially in the context of the Polynesian migrations. Domesticated animals and plants introduced during historic times are not included.
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Mycotoxin
Mycotoxins are toxic substances that can infect many foods with carcinogenic, genotoxic, teratogenic, nephrotoxic, and hepatotoxic effects. Mycotoxin contamination of foodstuffs causes diseases worldwide. The major classes of mycotoxins that are of the greatest agroeconomic importance are aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, trichothecenes, emerging Fusarium mycotoxins, enniatins, ergot alkaloids, Alternaria toxins, and patulin.
  • 1.4K
  • 14 May 2022
Topic Review
Insect Odorant-Binding Proteins
The survival of insects depends on their ability to detect molecules present in their environment. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) form a family of proteins involved in chemoreception. While OBPs were initially found in olfactory appendages, recently these proteins were discovered in other chemosensory and non-chemosensory organs. OBPs can bind, solubilize and transport hydrophobic stimuli to chemoreceptors across the aqueous sensilla lymph. In addition to this broadly accepted “transporter role”, OBPs can also buffer sudden changes in odorant levels and are involved in hygro-reception. The physiological roles of OBPs expressed in other body tissues, such as mouthparts, pheromone glands, reproductive organs, digestive tract and venom glands, remain to be investigated.
  • 1.4K
  • 13 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Biogas as Energy in Rural Sector and Significance
In rural areas, where access to conventional energy sources is limited, alternative energy options such as biogas production offer tremendous potential. The sustainable utilization of biowaste resources for biogas production is a promising solution for meeting rural bioenergy requirements. Biowaste, such as agricultural residues, food waste, and animal manure, represents a significant source of organic material that can be converted into biogas through anaerobic digestion.
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Foodborne Pathogens
There are millions of reported cases of foodborne illness in developed and developing countries annually making identification of foodborne pathogens a global concern. Testing for foodborne pathogens is essential to ensuring a safe food supply, quality assurance in the food industry, treating illness, and controlling outbreaks. In this article, several methods for the detection and identification of foodborne pathogens are discussed and a triplex PCR high-resolution melt assay for detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Shigella flexneri, and Escherichia coli is presented.
  • 1.4K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
NMR in Milk Protein Structure
Milk proteins have a complex structure which changes as a result of applied treatment. The newly developed structural conformations of proteins exert influence on the quality of the final product. Structural characterization of milk proteins was successfully performed using NMR. This predominately refers to complete structural assignment on whey proteins and elucidation of sequential fragments of caseins.    As a non destructive method, NMR is a powerful tool which observe the nuclei of atoms immersed in large magnetic field producing radio sensitive signal. The produced signal gives information of the spatial orientation of the molecules and thus tertiary structure of proteins. 
  • 1.4K
  • 27 Oct 2020
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