Topic Review
Camelina Meal as a Livestock Feed Ingredient
Camelina sativa is an annual oilseed crop that requires low inputs. Recently, interest in camelina oil for both human use and biofuel production has increased. Camelina meal can result in decreased dry matter (DM) intake; it has greater neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents, as well as greater antinutritional factors than protein meal produced from some of the more commonly cultivated oilseeds. It is, however, still a viable feed ingredient in animal diets as a protein source.
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Modulators of Mitochondrial Biology Derived from Marine Resources
Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles within eukaryotic cells that act as cellular power houses owing to their ability to efficiently generate the ATP required to sustain normal cell function. Also, they represent a “hub” for the regulation of a plethora of processes, including cellular homeostasis, metabolism, the defense against oxidative stress, and cell death. Mitochondrial dysfunctions are associated with a wide range of human diseases with complex pathologies, including metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Therefore, regulating dysfunctional mitochondria represents a pivotal therapeutic opportunity in biomedicine. Marine ecosystems are biologically very diversified and harbor a broad range of organisms, providing both novel bioactive substances and molecules with meaningful biomedical and pharmacological applications. Many mitochondria-targeting marine-derived molecules have been described to regulate mitochondrial biology, thus exerting therapeutic effects by inhibiting mitochondrial abnormalities, both in vitro and in vivo, through different mechanisms of action.
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Concepts in the Two-Process Model of Sleep Regulation
The two-process model of sleep regulation has served as a conceptual framework in the last four decades for understanding sleep physiology. In the 1970s, long-term recordings of sleep in rats were obtained thanks to EEG telemetry. NonREM sleep and REM sleep were found to differ in their time course and response to light-dark protocols. There were indications for their coupling to the circadian system, in particular the light-dark and the dark-light transitions. With the advent of quantitative EEG analysis, slow-wave activity in nonREM sleep was recognized as a sleep-wake-dependent variable. The term “sleep homeostasis” was coined to specify the regulated balance between sleep and waking. The regulatory homeostatic process was designated as “Process S”. In the two-process model, its interaction with the circadian pacemaker “Process C” can account for sleep duration under various experimental protocols. Local, use-dependent slow-wave activity changes were demonstrated in both humans and rats by the selective, unilateral activation of a cortical region prior to sleep. Finding that rest in invertebrates has sleep-like regulatory properties opened a new realm of animal studies. Comparative sleep studies in a broad variety of animal species confirmed the validity of the basic concepts of the two-process model.
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Trends in Smart Irrigation for Smart Agriculture
Smart agriculture and smart irrigation play a strategic role in agricultural production: not only they provide approaches to adapt to climate change, but also they contribute in ensuring food security, optimizing efficiency and minimizing or reducing environmental impact.  
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Endothelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Cardiovascular Diseases
Fibrosis is a common feature of cardiovascular diseases and targets multiple organs, such as the heart and vessels. Endothelial to mesenchymal transition is a complex, vital process that occurs during embryonic formation and plays a crucial role in cardiac development. It is also a fundamental process implicated in cardiac fibrosis and repair, but also in other organs. Indeed, in numerous cardiovascular diseases, the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition has been shown to be involved in the generation of fibroblasts that are able to produce extracellular matrix proteins such as type I collagen. This massive deposition results in tissue stiffening and organ dysfunction.
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Fluorescence Confocal Microscopy in Urological Malignancies
Fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) represents a novel diagnostic technique able to provide real-time histological images from non-fixed specimens. As a consequence of its recent developments, FCM is gaining growing popularity in urological practice. 
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Potential of microRNAs to Attenuate Diabetic Kidney Disease
Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) is a significant complication of diabetes and primary cause of end-stage renal disease globally. The exact mechanisms underlying DKD remain poorly understood, but multiple factors, including the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), play a key role in its progression. Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid steroid hormone, is one of the key components of RAAS and a potential mediator of renal damage and inflammation in DKD. miRNAs, small noncoding RNA molecules, have attracted interest due to their regulatory roles in numerous biological processes. These processes include aldosterone signaling and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) expression. Numerous miRNAs have been recognized as crucial regulators of aldosterone signaling and MR expression. These miRNAs affect different aspects of the RAAS pathway and subsequent molecular processes, which impact sodium balance, ion transport, and fibrosis regulation.
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Factors Influencing Yak Oocytes Maturation and Developmental Competence
The yak (Bos grunniens) is a unique breed living on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas, providing locals with a variety of vital means of living and production. However, the yak has poor sexual maturity and low fertility. High-quality mature oocytes are the basis of animal breeding technology. In vitro culturing of oocytes and embryo engineering technology have been applied to yak breeding. 
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  • 17 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Magic Blue Light
The elongation of plant stems represents a crucial growth trait in horticultural plant production, owing to its potential impact on plant development and yield. It is a prevailing scientific belief that blue light (BL; 400–500 nm) generally causes plant compactness. However, increasing studies on LED lighting has indicated that  BL does not necessarily cause compact plants and can even result in stretching of plants. After discovery of this phenomenon, the researchers from University of Guelph have carried out a series of studies to explore the relevant mechanisms and applications. By synthesizing the findings from their lab and other groups, the researchers proposed a simple model to explain the mechanisms involved in blue-LED-promoted plant elongation, and summarized the potential ways to apply blue LEDs in plant production in controlled environments.
  • 365
  • 16 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Cyanobacterial Phycobiliproteins
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are accessory light-harvesting pigment complexes found in cyanobacteria, red algae, and certain types of cryptophytes. The unique spectral features (strong absorbance and fluorescence), proteinaceous nature, and some imperative properties such as the anti-oxidative, hepato-protective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging activity of PBPs allow their use in biomedical industries.
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  • 16 Jan 2024
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