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Topic Review
Diversity of Antimicrobial Peptides in Silkworm
Antimicrobial resistance is a phenomenon that the world is witnessing that poses a serious threat to global health. The decline in the development of novel therapeutics over the past has exacerbated the situation further. In this scenario, the pursuit of new alternative therapeutics to commonly used antibiotics has gained predominance amongst researchers across the world. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from natural sources have drawn significant interest as promising pharmacological substitutes over the conventional antibiotics. The most notable advantage of AMPs is that microorganisms cannot develop resistance to them. Insects represent one of the potential sources of AMPs, which are synthesized as part of an innate immune defence against invading pathogens. AMPs from different insects have been extensively studied, and silkworm is one of them. Diverse classes of AMPs (including attacins, cecropins, defensins, enbocins, gloverins, lebocins and moricins) were identified from silkworm that exhibit antimicrobial property against bacteria, fungi and viruses, indicating their potential therapeutic benefits. 
  • 524
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Invasive Mechanisms of Mimosa pigra
Mimosa pigra is native to Tropical America, and it has naturalized in many other countries especially in Australia, Eastern and Southern Africa and South Asia. The species is listed in the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species and is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. M. pigra forms very large monospecific stands in a wet–dry tropical climate with conditions such as floodplains, riverbanks, grasslands, forests and agricultural fields.
  • 394
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Probiotics to Control Biofilm Formation in Food Industries
Microorganisms tend to adhere to food contact surfaces and form biofilms, which serve as reservoirs for bacteria that can contaminate food. As part of a biofilm, bacteria are protected from the stressful conditions found during food processing and become tolerant to antimicrobials, including traditional chemical sanitisers and disinfectants. Several studies in the food industry have shown that probiotics can prevent attachment and the consequent biofilm formation by spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. It shows that the use of probiotics is a promising approach to disrupt biofilms formed by a large spectrum of foodborne microorganisms, with Lactiplantibacillus and Lacticaseibacillus being the most tested genera, both in the form of probiotic cells and as sources of cell-free supernatant.
  • 603
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Protective Effect of Olive Oil Microconstituents in Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a progressive vascular multifactorial process. The mechanisms underlining the initiating event of atheromatous plaque formation are inflammation and oxidation, with Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF), a potent lipid inflammatory mediator, implicated in the initiation and propagation of atherosclerosis according to a new theory “The PAF implicated atherosclerosis theory”. This theory also proposes an explanation of the beneficial role of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) against atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, in a biochemical approach. Among the modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, diet and especially the MedDiet, has been widely recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns. Olive oil (OO), the main source of the fatty components of the MedDiet is superior to the other “Mono-unsaturated fatty acids containing oils” due to the existence of specific microconstituents.
  • 378
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases Caused by Badnaviruses
New and emerging plant diseases are caused by different pathogens including viruses that often cause significant crop losses. Badnaviruses are pararetroviruses that contain a single molecule of ds DNA genome of 7 to 9 kb in size and infect a large number of economically important crops such as banana and plantains, black pepper, cacao, citrus, grapevine, pineapple, sugarcane, sweet potato, taro, and yam, causing significant yield losses. Many of the species in the genus have a restricted host range and several of them are known to infect a single crop. Combined infections of different virus species and strains offer conditions that favor the development of new strains via recombination, especially in vegetatively propagated crops. The primary spread of badnaviruses is through vegetative propagating materials while for the secondary spread, they depend on insects such as mealybugs and aphids. Disease emerges as a consequence of the interactions between host and pathogens under favorable environmental conditions. The viral genome of the pararetroviruses is known to be integrated into the chromosome of the host and a few plants with integrants when subjected to different kinds of abiotic stress will give rise to episomal forms of the virus and cause disease.
  • 474
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Sources of Antifungal Drugs
Due to their eukaryotic heritage, the differences between a fungal pathogen’s molecular makeup and its human host are small. Therefore, the discovery and subsequent development of novel antifungal drugs are extremely challenging. Nevertheless, since the 1940s, researchers have successfully uncovered potent candidates from natural or synthetic sources. Analogs and novel formulations of these drugs enhanced the pharmacological parameters and improved overall drug efficiency. These compounds ultimately became the founding members of novel drug classes and were successfully applied in clinical settings, offering valuable and efficient treatment of mycosis for decades.
  • 352
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Plant-Microbe Interactions in Flood Conditions
The impact of flooding as an adverse environmental factor is outlined. It has been shown that plants and bacteria under flooding conditions primarily suffer from a lack of oxygen and activation of anaerobic microflora. The combined effects of heavy metals and flooding on microorganisms and plants are also discussed.
  • 380
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Pathophysiology of High Altitude Illnesses
High-altitude illnesses (HAIs) result from acute exposure to high altitude/hypoxia. Numerous molecular mechanisms effect appropriate acclimatization to hypobaric and/or normobaric hypoxia and curtail the development of HAIs.
  • 164
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Better Antimicrobial Peptides Databases
With the accelerating growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial agents with low or no AMR. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been extensively studied as alternatives to antibiotics (ATAs). Coupled with the new generation of high-throughput technology for AMP mining, the number of derivatives has increased dramatically, but manual running is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, it is necessary to establish databases that combine computer algorithms to summarize, analyze, and design new AMPs. A number of AMP databases have already been established, such as the Antimicrobial Peptides Database (APD), the Collection of Antimicrobial Peptides (CAMP), the Database of Antimicrobial Activity and Structure of Peptides (DBAASP), and the Database of Antimicrobial Peptides (dbAMPs). These four AMP databases are comprehensive and are widely used. 
  • 472
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Organic Production in the European Union's Laws
Organic farming is not a new way of producing food. Its development dates back to the early twentieth century in German- and English-speaking countries. This trend was a form of criticism of the industrial revolution prevailing at the time. The principles of organic production are universal and their application is not limited to certified farms. Organic certification is intended to assure the consumer of the quality and method of production. 
  • 220
  • 16 May 2023
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