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The Apicomplexan Parasite Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii  is a ubiquitous zoonotic parasite with an obligatory intracellular lifestyle. It relies on a specialized set of cytoskeletal and secretory organelles for host cell invasion. When infecting its felid definitive host, T. gondii  undergoes sexual reproduction in the intestinal epithelium, producing oocysts that are excreted with the feces and sporulate in the environment. In other hosts and/or tissues, T. gondii  multiplies by asexual reproduction. Rapidly dividing tachyzoites expand through multiple tissues, particularly nervous and muscular tissues, and eventually convert to slowly dividing bradyzoites which produce tissue cysts, structures that evade the immune system and remain infective within the host. Infection normally occurs through ingestion of sporulated oocysts or tissue cysts. While T. gondii  is able to infect virtually all warm-blooded animals, most infections in humans are asymptomatic, with clinical disease occurring most often in immunocompromised hosts or fetuses carried by seronegative mothers that are infected during pregnancy.
  • 946
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Reactive Species on Amino Acids
Reactive oxygen species ROS can be triggered by exogenous sources (tobacco, pollution, xenobiotics, drugs, ionizing radiation and so on), but they can also be generated inside the cell by two different mechanisms: enzymatic and non-enzymatic; in both cases, they can have irreversible effects on animal and plant cells and tissues. The superoxide anion •O2− is unstable and cannot pass through membranes, but is rapidly converted to hydrogen peroxide H2O2 and it is membrane-permeable. In the Fenton reaction, H2O2 produces the hydroxyl radical •OH + −OH, which is highly reactive in the mitochondrial matrix. Elevated levels of ROS lead to increased mtDNA damage.
  • 993
  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cannabis sativa
Cannabis sativa is one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world. It was introduced into Western medicine during the early 19th century. It contains a complex mixture of secondary metabolites, including cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid-type constituents. 
  • 993
  • 18 May 2021
Topic Review
OTOF-Associated Hearing Impairment
Otoferlin, an essential synaptic protein in the auditory sensory inner hair cells, is encoded by the gene OTOF. Biallelic variants in OTOF are associated with autosomal recessive auditory neuropathy or synaptopathy (DFNB9). Since its discovery in 1996, roughly 220 causally-associated variants have been uncovered. The prevalence of OTOF-associated hearing loss varies according to population. A higher molecular genetic diagnostic yield has been reported in patients with prelingual auditory synaptopathy, making this very specific clinical feature a useful criterion for OTOF diagnostic testing. Apart from this clinical hallmark, genotype-phenotype correlations are rather complex and include a variant that causes temperature-sensitive auditory neuropathy (p.Ile515Thr) and three variants that have so far been associated with progressive hearing impairment. Several founder variants have been reported in the Asian and European populations. A complete landscape of genomic variation at the DFNB9 locus remains to be determined and improvements in genomics technologies may eventually uncover novel insights into possible missing variants. A complete understanding of OTOF variants is essential for the success of current and future therapies.
  • 993
  • 13 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Arundo donax L.
Arundo donax L., the giant reed—being a long-duration, low-cost, non-food energy crop able to grow in marginal lands—has emerged as a potential alternative to produce biomass for both energy production, with low carbon emissions, and industrial bioproducts.
  • 992
  • 07 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Taste
Preclinical studies provided some important insights into the action of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in taste perception. This review examines the literature to uncover some molecular mechanisms and connections between GLP-1 and the gustatory coding. Local GLP-1 production in the taste bud cells, the expression of GLP-1 receptor on the adjacent nerves, a functional continuum in the perception of sweet chemicals from the gut to the tongue and an identification of GLP-1 induced signaling pathways in peripheral and central gustatory coding all strongly suggest that GLP-1 is involved in the taste perception, especially sweet. However, the impact of GLP-1 based therapies on gustatory coding in humans remains largely unaddressed. Based on the molecular background we encourage further exploration of the tongue as a new treatment target for GLP-1 receptor agonists in clinical studies. Given that pharmacological manipulation of gustatory coding may represent a new potential strategy against obesity and diabetes, the topic is of utmost clinical relevance.
  • 992
  • 25 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Yerba Mate
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) is a plant species of the holly genus Ilex native to South America from the family Aquifoliaceae and is used for the production of yerba mate infusion. The leaves of the plant are steeped in hot water to make a beverage known as mate.
  • 992
  • 07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Branchiomeric Muscle Development
Branchiomeric skeletal muscles are a subset of head muscles originating from skeletal muscle progenitor cells in the mesodermal core of pharyngeal arches. These muscles are involved in facial expression, mastication, and function of the larynx and pharynx. Branchiomeric muscles have been the focus of many studies over the years due to their distinct developmental programs and common origin with the heart muscle.
  • 992
  • 06 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Diabetic Cardiac Fibroblast Phenotype
Diabetic cardiomyopathy involves remodeling of the heart in response to diabetes that includes microvascular damage, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibrosis is a major contributor to diastolic dysfunction that can ultimately result in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Under high glucose conditions cardiac fibroblasts, the final effector cell in the process of cardiac fibrosis, respond by making increased amounts of extracellular matrix. This process involves multiple molecular pathways.
  • 991
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Organosolv Lignin-Based Polyurethane
Polyurethanes (PUs) present an important class of polymers due to outstanding mechanical, chemical and physical properties. Thus, they find application in many industrial sectors in the form of flexible or rigid foams, coatings, adhesives, elastomers, thermoplasts or thermosets. Modern PU coating applications include self-healing coating films that can also be applied to rather rough surfaces, such as wood.
  • 991
  • 22 Mar 2022
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