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Topic Review
Oil Palm and Machine Learning
Machine learning (ML) offers new technologies in the precision agriculture domain with its intelligent algorithms and strong computation. Oil palm is one of the rich crops that is also emerging with modern technologies to meet global sustainability standards. This entry presents a comprehensive review of research dedicated to the application of ML in the oil palm agricultural industry over the last decade (2011–2020).
  • 1.3K
  • 16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease
The main protease (Mpro) of the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was subjected to hyphenated pharmacophoric-based and structural-based virtual screenings using a library of microbial natural products (>24,000 compounds). Subsequent filtering of the resulted hits according to Lipinski’s rules was applied to select only the drug-like molecules. Top-scoring hits were further filtered out depending on their ability to show constant good binding affinities towards the molecular dynamic simulation (MDS)-derived enzyme’s conformers. Final MDS experiments were performed on the ligand-protein complexes to verify their binding modes and calculate their binding free energy. Consequently, a final selection of six compounds of microbial origin was proposed to possess high potential as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug candidates. Our study provides insight into the role of the Mpro structural flexibility during interactions with the possible inhibitors and sheds light on the structure-based design of anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Salicylic Acid in Root Growth and Development
In plants, salicylic acid (SA) is a hormone that mediates a plant’s defense against pathogens. SA also takes an active role in a plant’s response to various abiotic stresses, including chilling, drought, salinity, and heavy metals. In addition, in recent years, numerous studies have confirmed the important role of SA in plant morphogenesis.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Mar 2022
Topic Review
LC-MS Methods for Mycotoxins Detection in Food Products
Mycotoxins are a group of natural compounds produced under a wide range of climatic conditions by filamentous fungi mainly belonging to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Claviceps and Alternaria species. These toxins can contaminate various agricultural commodities (cereals, dried fruits, nuts, spices and coffee being the most frequently contaminated ones) either before harvest or under postharvest conditions, thus posing a risk to human and animal health due to their toxic effects.
  • 1.3K
  • 14 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multi-functional growth factors belonging to the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-β) superfamily. These proteins are essential to many developmental processes, including cardiogenesis, neurogenesis, and osteogenesis. Specifically, within the BMP family, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) was the first BMP to be characterized and has been well-studied. BMP-2 has important roles during embryonic development, as well as bone remodeling and homeostasis in adulthood. Some of its specific functions include digit formation and activating osteogenic genes, such as Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2). Because of its diverse functions and osteogenic potential, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved usage of recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) during spinal fusion surgery, tibial shaft repair, and maxillary sinus reconstructive surgery. However, shortly after initial injections of rhBMP-2, several adverse complications were reported, and alternative therapeutics have been developed to limit these side-effects.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Profiles of Underutilized Grain Crops
Underutilized grain crops are an essential part of the food system that supports humankind, such as barley, buckwheat, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, oat, and sorghum, which have characteristics such as containing more nutritional elements, being resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses, and having strong adaptability to poor environments.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Soiling of Pig Pens
The soiling of pig pens has important implications for animal welfare, health, workload, and environmental emissions of pig farming. This excerpt provides an overview of the historical reasons behind current production systems, of pen soiling prevalence and its importance. Possible strategies and specific suggestions on how to address pen soiling in current systems are described, based on an extensive review on pigs’ normal eliminatory behaviour.
  • 1.3K
  • 16 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Alien Insect Species for Food and Feed
While the use of alien insect species for food and feed can help to alleviate protein shortage and provide for a more sustainable feed production, their invasive potential should be considered.
  • 1.3K
  • 05 Jul 2022
Topic Review
NKT Cells
Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a small population of T cells, are capable of influencing a wide range of the immune cells, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. NKT cells can influence the status of the innate and adaptive immune systems because they secrete huge amounts of Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Earlier, the NKT cells were characterized by the NK and T cell properties as they express the natural killer (NK) cell lineage markers and αβ T-cell receptor (TCR). NKT cells are more appropriately defined as “CD1d-restricted and TCR-αβ positive T cells”. In mice, the NKT cells constitute about 0.2–2.0% of lymphocytes in the blood, spleen, bone marrow and thymus, and about 15–35% of total lymphocytes in the liver. On the other hand, the levels of NKT cells are lower in humans, comprising about 0.04–1.3% of circulating lymphocytes in the blood, spleen and bone marrow. They make up about 0.001–0.01% of lymphocytes in the thymus and about 1% in the liver. The greater part of the NKT cells, called canonical or invariant NKT cells (iNKT cells) or type I NKT cells have a specific TCR α-chain rearrangement (Vα14-Jα18 in mice; Vα24-Jα18 in humans), associated with limited diverse Vβ chains. Type II NKT cells, also called non-classical NKT cells, are more diverse in TCR α-chain (but some Vα3.2-Jα9, Vα8 in mice) and TCR-β chains (but some Vβ8.2 in mice).
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
The Autophagic Pathway
Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that accounts for degradation and recycling of cellular components to extend cell survival under stress conditions. In addition to this prominent role, recent evidence indicates that autophagy is crucially involved in the regulation of the inflammatory response, a tightly controlled process aimed at clearing the inflammatory stimulus and restoring tissue homeostasis. To be efficient and beneficial to the host, inflammation should be controlled by a resolution program, since uncontrolled inflammation is the underlying cause of many pathologies. Resolution of inflammation is an active process mediated by a variety of mediators, including the so-called specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), a family of endogenous lipid autacoids known to regulate leukocyte infiltration and activities, and counterbalance cytokine production. Recently, regulation of autophagic mechanisms by these mediators has emerged, uncovering unappreciated connections between inflammation resolution and autophagy. Here, we summarize mechanisms of autophagy and resolution, focusing on the contribution of autophagy in sustaining paradigmatic examples of chronic inflammatory disorders. Then, we discuss the evidence that SPMs can restore dysregulated autophagy, hypothesizing that resolution of inflammation could represent an innovative approach to modulate autophagy and its impact on the inflammatory response.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Nov 2020
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