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Topic Review
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Topic Review
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Bee Nutritional Ecology
For bees, pollen quality determines the overall quality of the larval food, influences the development of individuals and shapes their populations. Not all plants produce pollen that satisfies the nutritional requirements of bees, and we do not know how different plant pollens impact bees’ nutritional demands. Our understanding of the differential contribution of various nutrients to bees’ growth and development is minimal. Are there species-specific key nutrients or nutrient ratios linked to development? Based on this, can bee fitness be co-limited by several nutrients? Are such key nutrients associated with specific key plant species? The framework of ecological stoichiometry is a promising approach to this issue. It allows questions about the most basic mechanism that shapes the nutritional ecology of bees, i.e., balancing the larval diet to enable larval growth, development and pupation into the adult body equipped with all the structures needed for maximal fitness.
988
30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Small-Molecule Therapeutic for Progeria Treatment
Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), or progeria, is an extremely rare disorder that belongs to the class of laminopathies, diseases characterized by alterations in the genes that encode for the lamin proteins or for their associated interacting proteins. In particular, progeria is caused by a point mutation in the gene that codifies for the lamin A gene. This mutation ultimately leads to the biosynthesis of a mutated version of lamin A called progerin, which accumulates abnormally in the nuclear lamina. This accumulation elicits several alterations at the nuclear, cellular, and tissue levels that are phenotypically reflected in a systemic disorder with important alterations, mainly in the cardiovascular system, bones, skin, and overall growth, which results in premature death at an average age of 14.5 years. Unlike the majority of the rare diseases, it has, since November 2020, a specific FDA approved drug, lonafarnib. However, this small molecule represents a treatment, but it does not cure the disease, and it has several limitations that make the development of new therapeutic strategies a critical need in the field.
988
13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Seeking Sense in the Hox Gene Cluster
The Hox gene cluster, responsible for patterning of the head–tail axis, is an ancestral feature of all bilaterally symmetrical animals (the Bilateria) that remains intact in a wide range of species.
987
20 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Cadmium in Plants
Cd is a naturally occurring environmental toxicant, which is easily absorbed and accumulated by plants, and has strong teratogenic and mutagenic effects on organisms. Human exposure to Cd for a long time can easily cause diseases such as osteoporosis and kidney damage. It is also positively correlated with the outbreak of a variety of cancers, and is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Group I). A large amount of data shows that the intake of Cd in the human body is mainly from the diet. Therefore, it is very important to understand the influx and transport mechanism of Cd in plants.
987
17 Feb 2022
Topic Review
New AMPs' Prediction and Development
Theoretical methods for finding and predicting new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), based on the use of specially designed programs for these purposes, are making an increasing contribution to the development of new AMPs. Machine learning methods are also used for the prediction. Artificial neural networks perform highly accurate predictions based on rules from databases of antimicrobial peptides. Recently published data on the development of new AMP drugs based on a combination of molecular design and genetic engineering approaches are presented. This review examines AMP development strategies from the perspective of the current high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the potential prospects and challenges of using AMPs against infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In turn, we proposed another strategy for the development of new AMPs based on predicting amyloidogenic regions in a protein molecule sequence.
987
30 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Tendon and Mast Cells
Understanding the links between the tendon healing process, inflammatory mechanisms, and tendon homeostasis after tissue damage is crucial in developing novel therapeutics for human tendon disorders. The inflammatory mechanisms that are operative in response to tendon injury are not fully understood, but it has been suggested that inflammation occurring in response to nerve signaling, i.e., neurogenic inflammation, has a pathogenic role. In this review, we discuss the role of mast cells in the communication with peripheral nerves, and their emerging role in tendon healing and inflammation after injury.
987
29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Diet: DNA Methylation and Cancer
Cancer initiation and progression is an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic modifications. DNA methylation is a common epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, and aberrant DNA methylation patterns are considered a hallmark of cancer. The human diet is a source of micronutrients, bioactive molecules, and mycotoxins that have the ability to alter DNA methylation patterns and are thus a contributing factor for both the prevention and onset of cancer. In this review, we summarize the literature on dietary micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and food-borne mycotoxins that affect DNA methylation patterns and identify their potential in the onset and treatment of cancer.
987
09 Oct 2020
Biography
Joseph Polchinski
Joseph Gerard Polchinski Jr.[1] (May 16, 1954 – February 2, 2018) was an American theoretical physicist and string theorist.[2][3] Polchinski was born in White Plains, New York, the elder of two children to Joseph Gerard Polchinski Sr. (1929–2002),[4] a financial consultant and manager, and Joan (née Thornton), an office worker and homemaker.[5] Polchinski is primarily of Irish descent w
987
28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Human Gut Mycobiome in IBD
The human microbiota is a diverse microbial ecosystem associated with many beneficial physiological functions, as well as numerous disease etiologies. Dominated by bacteria, the microbiota also includes commensal populations of fungi, viruses, archaea, and protists. Unlike bacterial microbiota, which was extensively studied in the past two decades, these non-bacterial microorganisms, their functional roles, and their interaction with one another or with host immune system have not been as widely explored. This review covers the recent findings on the fungal communities of the human gastrointestinal microbiota, termed the “mycobiome”, and their involvement in health and disease, with particular focus on the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease.
987
25 Apr 2020
Topic Review
Biofilms and Bacterial Recalcitrance
Biofilms are associations of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix. They create particular environments that confer bacterial tolerance and resistance to antibiotics by different mechanisms that depend upon factors such as biofilm composition, architecture, the stage of biofilm development, and growth conditions. The biofilm structure hinders the penetration of antibiotics and may prevent the accumulation of bactericidal concentrations throughout the entire biofilm. In addition, biofilm can induce a variety of physiological states involving different metabolism (aerobic, microaerobic, and fermentative) and growth rates (fast and slow growth, dormant cells, and persister cells). Thus, some bacteria are less vulnerable to antibiotics as a consequence of the inactivity of antibiotic targets, a phenomenon called “drug indifference”. Also, cells in biofilms enhance efflux-pump production that excretes antibiotics. Moreover, the biofilm environment enhance interbacterial communication, horizontal gene transfer and spontaneous mutations that ultimately increase resistance to antibiotics. Thus, the tolerance and resistance to antibiotics conferred by biofilms is multifactorial.
987
12 Jan 2021
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