-
-
Natural products have been a source of inspiration for chemists and chemical biologists for many years, and have a special relevance in the chemical space. In recent years, several novel synthetic strategies have appeared, such as diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS), biological-oriented synthesis (BiOS), and function-oriented synthesis (FOS), for accessing complex and functionally diverse molecules. In this manner, the synthesis of natural products has evolved towards simpler and ecological methods using biotransformation, combinatorial chemistry, or organocatalysts. In this issue, Prof. Chojnacka shows demonstrates the use of immobilized lipases as catalysts to aid in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine enriched with myristic acid. Profs. Vila and Pedro used catalysts derived from (S)-mandelic acid to achieve the catalytic enantioselective addition of dimethylzinc to isatins. Prof. Diez shows the possibility of the obtention of 7,8-carvone epoxides in a diastereoselective manner using proline, quinidine, and diphenylprolinol as organocatalysts. A cheap, simple, clean, and scalable method involves the use of deep eutectic mixtures as reaction media, and Profs. Alonso and Guillena describe the use of this methodology for the enantioselective, organocatalyzed ?-amination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Biotransformations have been one of the methodologies for more efficient synthesis of natural products. Prof. Wu transforms ergostane triterpenoid antcin K using Psychrobacillus sp. Ak 187. Finally, Prof. Kovayashi reviews the total synthesis and biological evaluation of phaeosphaerides. The reader, through this issue, could gain an idea of the new directions that the synthesis of natural products using catalysts will have in the years to come.
-
This book takes an in-depth look at Louisiana as a state which is ahead of the curve in terms of extreme weather events, both in frequency and magnitude, and in its responses to these challenges including recovery and enhancement of resiliency.
Louisiana faced a major tropical catastrophe in the 21st century, and experiences the fastest rising sea level. Weather specialists, including those concentrating on sea level rise acknowledge that what the state of Louisiana experiences is likely to happen to many more, and not necessarily restricted to coastal states. This book asks and attempts to answer what Louisiana public officials, scientists/engineers, and those from outside of the state who have been called in to help, have done to achieve resilient recovery. How well have these efforts fared to achieve their goals? What might these efforts offer as lessons for those states that will be likely to experience enhanced extreme weather? Can the challenges of inequality be truly addressed in recovery and resilience? How can the study of the Louisiana response as a case be blended with findings from later disasters such as New York/New Jersey (Hurricane Sandy) and more recent ones to improve understanding as well as best adaptation applications – federal, state and local?
-
This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.
-
Salt stress is one of the most damaging abiotic stresses because most crop plants are susceptible to salinity to different degrees. According to the FAO, about 800 million Has of land are affected by salinity worldwide. Unfortunately, this situation will worsen in the context of climate change, where there will be an overall increase in temperature and a decrease in average annual rainfall worldwide. This Special Issue presents different research works and reviews on the response of plants to salinity, focused from different points of view: physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Although an important part of the studies on the response to salinity have been carried out with Arabidopsis plants, the use of other species with agronomic interest is also notable, including woody plants. Most of the conducted studies in this Special Issue were focused on the identification and characterization of candidate genes for salt tolerance in higher plants. This identification would provide valuable information about the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in the salt tolerance response, and it also supplies important resources to breeding programs for salt tolerance in plants.
-
This volume explores the complexity, diversity and interwoven nature of taxonomic pursuits within the context of explorations of humans and related species. It also pays tribute to Professor Colin Groves, whose work has had an enormous impact on this field. Recent research into that somewhat unique species we call humankind, through the theoretical and conceptual approaches afforded by the discipline of biological anthropology, is showcased. The focus is on the evolution of the human species, the behaviour of primates and other species, and how humans affect the distribution and abundance of other species through anthropogenic impact. Weaving together these three key themes, through the considerable influence of Colin Groves, provides glimpses of how changes in taxonomic theory and methodology, including our fluctuating understanding of speciation, have recrafted the way in which we view animal behaviour, human evolution and conservation studies.
-
Since the discovery of the Warburg effect in the 1920s cancer has been tightly associated with the genetic and metabolic state of the cell. One of the hallmarks of cancer is the alteration of the cellular metabolism in order to promote proliferation and undermine cellular defense mechanisms such as apoptosis or detection by the immune system. However, the strategies by which this is achieved in different cancers and sometimes even in different patients of the same cancer is very heterogeneous, which hinders the design of general treatment options.Recently, there has been an ongoing effort to study this phenomenon on a genomic scale in order to understand the causality underlying the disease. Hence, current “omics” technologies have contributed to identify and monitor different biological pieces at different biological levels, such as genes, proteins or metabolites. These technological capacities have provided us with vast amounts of clinical data where a single patient may often give rise to various tissue samples, each of them being characterized in detail by genomescale data on the sequence, expression, proteome and metabolome level. Data with such detail poses the imminent problem of extracting meaningful interpretations and translating them into specific treatment options. To this purpose, Systems Biology provides a set of promising computational tools in order to decipher the mechanisms driving a healthy cell’s metabolism into a cancerous one. However, this enterprise requires bridging the gap between large data resources, mathematical analysis and modeling specifically designed to work with the available data. This is by no means trivial and requires high levels of communication and adaptation between the experimental and theoretical side of research.
-
This Special Issue on the Systematics and Phylogeny of Weevils presents 31 new research papers on one of the most diverse and successful groups of animals on Earth, the beetle superfamily Curculionoidea. It was in part inspired to commemorate the extraordinary life and scientific achievements of Guillermo (“Willy”) Kuschel (1918–2017), who shaped this field of science over the last century like no other weevil systematist. The papers in this memorial issue span weevil faunas from all over the globe, including South and Central America, Africa, Europe and the Near East, South-East Asia, New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. They include major advances on the phylogeny and classification of the “broad-nosed” weevils (Entiminae), on the weevils associated with American cycads and on the unique extinct weevil fauna preserved in the 100-million-year-old Burmese amber, when weevils started to diversify alongside the oldest angiosperm plants. They comprise a tribute to Willy Kuschel, the proceedings of a weevil symposium held in his honor in 2016 in Orlando, Florida, 24 systematic studies (including seven phylogenetic analyses) and five other contributions on the diversity, biology, distribution, evolution and fossil history of weevils. In the papers collated in this volume, 30 new genera and 92 new species of weevils are described and a new family of extinct weevils is recognized.
-
The adrenal gland plays essential roles in the control of body homeostasis, stress and immune responses. The adrenal cortex represents up to 90% of the gland and is specialised in the production of mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids and adrenal androgens. This production is tightly coordinated and results from a unique zonal organisation. Although our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling adrenal steroidogenesis is quite extensive, for decades, the mechanisms of adrenal cortex development, cellular homeostasis and renewal have remained elusive. The advent of new high-throughput technologies and sophisticated genetic approaches has brought tremendous progress in our understanding of how the adrenal cortex achieves and maintains its particular organisation. The aim of this Frontiers in Endocrinology Topic is to provide readers with a snapshot of our current knowledge on adrenal physiology and how deregulations of these processes result in adrenal diseases. This includes but is not limited to, basic research on adrenal development, cell lineage identification, progenitor cells, tissue renewal, control of differentiation and zonation and clinical research on the identification of disease-related genes.
-
Functional advanced biopolymers have received far less attention than renewable biomass (cellulose, rubber, etc.) used for energy production. Among the most advanced biopolymers known is chitosan. The term chitosan refers to a family of polysaccharides obtained by partial de-N-acetylation from chitin, one of the most abundant renewable resources in the biosphere. Chitosan has been firmly established as having unique material properties as well as biological activities. Either in its native form or as a chemical derivative, chitosan is amenable to being processed—typically under mild conditions—into soft materials such as hydrogels, colloidal nanoparticles, or nanofibers. Given its multiple biological properties, including biodegradability, antimicrobial effects, gene transfectability, and metal adsorption—to name but a few—chitosan is regarded as a widely versatile building block in various sectors (e.g., agriculture, food, cosmetics, pharmacy) and for various applications (medical devices, metal adsorption, catalysis, etc.). This Special Issue presents an updated account addressing some of the major applications, including also chemical and enzymatic modifications of oligos and polymers. A better understanding of the properties that underpin the use of chitin and chitosan in different fields is key for boosting their more extensive industrial utilization, as well as to aid regulatory agencies in establishing specifications, guidelines, and standards for the different types of products and applications.
-
In a worldwide context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and man-made water scarcity, and less-participatory water governance, agriculture faces the great challenge of producing enough food for a continually increasing population. In this line, this book provides a broad overview of innovation issues in the complex water–agriculture–food nexus, thus also relative to their interconnections and dependences. Issues refer to different spatial scales, from the field or the farm to the irrigation system or the river basin. Multidisciplinary approaches are used when analyzing the relationships between water, agriculture, and food security. The covered issues are quite diverse and include: innovation in crop evapotranspiration, crop coefficients and modeling; updates in research relative to crop water use and saving; irrigation scheduling and systems design; simulation models to support water and agricultural decisions; issues to cope with water scarcity and climate change; advances in water resource quality and sustainable uses; new tools for mapping and use of remote sensing information; and fostering a participative and inclusive governance of water for food security and population welfare. This book brings together a variety of contributions by leading international experts, professionals, and scholars in those diverse fields. It represents a major synthesis and state-of-the-art on various subjects, thus providing a valuable and updated resource for all researchers, professionals, policymakers, and post-graduate students interested in the complex world of the water–agriculture–food nexus.
-
Nutrients is planning a Special Issue focusing on beverages and ingestive behavior. This Special Issue will focus on research related to all aspects of beverage consumption and post-ingestive consequences. There continues to be much controversy surrounding the influence of beverage choice on health outcomes. Research investigating the impact of beverage choice has on human health and post-ingestive consequences continue to grow. We know from the growing body of literature that beverage choice has a substantial impact on metabolism, food reinforcement and eating behaviors.
-
Cancer survival rates and successful organ transplantation in patients continues to increase due to improvements in early diagnosis and treatments. Since immuno-suppressive therapies are frequently used, the mortality rate due to secondary infections has become an ever-increasing problem. Opportunistic fungal infections are probably the deadliest threat to these patients due to their difficult early diagnosis, the limited effect of antifungal drugs and the appearance of resistances. In recent years, a considerable effort has been devoted to investigating the role of many virulence traits in the pathogenic outcome of fungal infections. New virulence factors (hypoxia adaptation, CO2 sensing, pH regulation, micronutrient acquisition, secondary metabolites, immunity regulators, etc.) have been reported and their molecular mechanisms of action are being thoroughly investigated. The recent application of gene-editing technologies such as CRISPr-Cas9, has opened a whole new window to the discovery of new fungal virulence factors. Accurate fungal genotyping, Next Generation Sequencing and RNAseq approaches will undoubtedly provide new clues to interpret the plethora of molecular interactions controlling these complex systems. Unraveling their intimate regulatory details will provide insights for a more target-focused search or a rational design of more specific antifungal agents. This Special Issue is show significant discoveries, proofs of concept of new theories or relevant observations in fungal pathogenesis and its regulation.
-
This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Fungal Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts that was published in JoF
-
Biogenic amines have been known for some time. These compounds are found in varying concentrations in a wide range of foods (fish, cheese, meat, wine, beer, vegetables, etc.) and their formations are influenced by different factors associated to those foods (composition, additives, ingredients, storage, microorganism, packaging, handing, conservation, etc.). The intake of foods containing high concentrations of biogenic amines can present a health hazard. Additionally, they have been used to establish indexes in various foods in order to signal the degree of freshness and/or deterioration of food. Nowadays, there has been an increase in the number of food poisoning episodes in consumers associated with the presence of these biogenic amines, mainly associated with histamines. Food safety is one of the main concerns of the consumer and safety agencies of different countries (EFSA, FDA, FSCJ, etc.), which have, as one of their main objectives, to control these biogenic amines, principally histamine, to assure a high level of food safety.Therefore, it is necessary to deepen our understanding of the formation, monitoring and reduction of biogenic amines during the development, processing and storage of food, even the effect of biogenic amines in consumers after digestion of foods with different levels of these compounds.With this aim, we are preparing a Special Issue on the topic of ""Biogenic Amines in Food Safety"", and we invite researchers to contribute original and unpublished research articles and reviews articles that involve studies of biogenic amines in food, which can provide an update to our knowledge of these compounds and their impacts on food quality and food safety.
-
A thorough and exhaustive presentation of theoretical analysis and practical techniques for the small-signal analysis and control of large modern electric power systems as well as an assessment of their stability and damping performance. Such systems may contain many hundreds of synchronous generators and high voltage power electronics equipment known as FACTS Devices. The book describes new techniques not only for the tuning and analysis of stabilizers for systems with many generators and FACTS Devices but also for their coordination. Of practical interest, these techniques are illustrated with relevant examples based on a multi-machine power system containing FACTS Devices for operating conditions ranging from light to peak load. By introducing new analytical concepts, using examples, and by employing production-grade software, practical insights are provided into the significance and application of various analytical techniques.
-
Tea, made from the leaves of the Camellia senenisis plant, is the second most consumed beverage worldwide after water. Accumulating evidence from cellular, animal, epidemiological and clinical studies have linked tea consumption to various health benefits, such as chemoprevention of cancers, chronic inflammation, heart and liver diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. Although such health benefits have not been consistently observed in some intervention trials, positive results from clinical trials have provided direct evidence supporting the cancer-protective effect of green tea. In addition, numerous mechanisms of action have been suggested to contribute to tea’s disease-preventive effects. Furthermore, effects of the processing and storage of tea, as well as additives on tea’s properties have been investigated.
-
Recent special issues in various journals have focused on “urban ecosystem services”. There is also an increasing amount of studies on “urban ecology”, “urban tree management”, “arboriculture”, “urban biodiversity”, and “ecosystem services” from wildland forests. This Special Issue aims to fill a void and focus on the socio-ecological diversity and the economic value of the ecosystem services from urban and peri-urban forests. Urban and peri-urban forests are tree dominated ecosystems in and near human settlements, while ecosystem services are the direct economic, social, and environmental benefits provided by their structural components and ecological functions.
-
The high number of papers submitted and ultimately accepted for publication in this special issue attests the great amount of research being conducted on TSPO and its role in living cells. Thus, TSPO has become an extremely attractive subcellular biomark for the early detection of disease states overexpressing this protein and for the selective delivery to mitochondria of drugs and probes. Moreover, the effort in the design and synthesis of new, more specific and effective TSPO ligands proves to be very valuable. All these topics have been addressed in the special issue.
-
Transcriptional regulation is a critical biological process involved in the response of a cell, a tissue or an organism to a variety of intra- and extra-cellular signals. Besides, it controls the establishment and maintenance of cell identity throughout developmental and differentiation programs. This highly complex and dynamic process is orchestrated by a huge number of molecules and protein networks and occurs through multiple temporal and functional steps. Of note, many human disorders are characterized by misregulation of global transcription since most of the signaling pathways ultimately target components of transcription machinery. This book includes a selection of papers that illustrate recent advances in our understanding of transcriptional regulation and focuses on many important topics, from cis-regulatory elements to transcription factors, chromatin regulators and non-coding RNAs, other than several transcriptome studies and computational analyses.
-
Over the past decades, researchers have gathered data demonstrating that vitamin D and its metabolites possess activities far beyond the classic regulation of calcium–phosphate homeostasis. It is now well established that vitamin D is essential for the proper functioning of the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. Furthermore, vitamin D and its analogs were shown to regulate proliferation and differentiation of keratinocyte, immune cells, and numerous cancer-derived cells, both in vivo and in vitro. On the other hand, population base studies have provided evidence that global vitamin D deficiency is correlated with the occurrence and aggravation of symptoms of skeletal, cardiovascular autoimmune, and skin disease; infections; metabolic and cognitive disorders; multiple types of cancers; as well as overall mortality. This Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences, entitled “Vitamin D and Human Health”, summarizes recent advances in our understanding of pleiotropic activity of vitamin D with a focus on its protective role against cancer, hypertension, viral infections, and neurological diseases, as well as its impact on the immune system and mitochondria. Furthermore, eight research papers provide new insight into vitamin D research and highlight new directions and targets in the prevention and treatment of human diseases.
-
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that enables the removal of damaged, infected, or otherwise unwanted cells in a controlled manner. Apoptosis can be initiated by multiple independent pathways that ultimately converge at a point where proteolytic enzymes belonging to the caspase family are activated, which dismantle the apoptotic cell. Multicellular organism have employed apoptotic mechanisms during host defence in response to viral infection to limit or prevent viral spread and replication. Consequently, viruses have evolved sophisticated molecular countermeasures to disarm host apoptotic defences, and this series of reviews and primary research articles in this Special Issue explores the intricate molecular interplay between viruses and their hosts when they battle for control of host apoptotic check-points.
-
Tissues and organs have, although sometimes limited, the capacity for endogenous repair, which is aimed to re-establish integrity and homeostasis. Tissue repair involves pro- and anti-inflammatory processes, new tissue formation and remodelling. Depending on the local microenvironment, tissue repair results either in scar tissue formation or in regeneration. The latter aims to recapitulate the original tissue structure and architecture with the proper functionality. Although some organisms (such as planarians) have a high regenerative capacity throughout the body, in humans this property is more restricted to a few organs and tissues. Regeneration in the adult is possible in particular through the existence of tissue-resident pools of stem/progenitor cells. In response to tissue damage, these cells are activated, they proliferate and migrate, and differentiate into mature cells. Angiogenesis and neovascularization play a crucial role in tissue repair. Besides providing with oxygen and nutrients, angiogenesis generates a vascular niche (VN) consisting of different blood-derived elements and endothelial cells surrounded by basement membrane as well as perivascular cells. The newly generated VN communicates with the local stem/progenitor cells and contributes to tissue repair. For example, platelets, macrophages, neutrophils, perivascular cells and other VN components actively participate in the repair of skin, bone, muscle, tendon, brain, spinal cord, etc. Despite these observations, the exact role of the VN in tissue repair and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear and are awaiting further evidence that, indeed, will be required for the development of regenerative therapies for the treatment of traumatic injuries as well as degenerative diseases.
-
The purpose of this Special Issue, “Egg Consumption and Human Health,” is two-fold: 1) to address the lack of effect of eggs in increasing heart disease risk (this discussion will be based on what is known from epidemiological analysis and clinical interventions) and 2) to focus on the role of eggs in protecting against chronic disease. Eggs are more than just a cholesterol-containing food. They possess numerous nutritional benefits. This Special Issue will discuss eggs as a source of high-quality protein for individuals across the life spectrum, as a substantial source of choline (a known neurotransmitter involved in cognitive function), and as a source of highly bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin (two carotenoids well-recognized for their major role in protecting against age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, as well as for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties). Finally, the potential of incorporating eggs for weight loss interventions, due to their low glycemic index and their satiety effects, will also be discussed.
-
Yeasts are truly fascinating microorganisms. Due to their diverse and dynamic activities, they have been used for the production of many interesting products, such as beer, wine, bread, biofuels, and biopharmaceuticals. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewers’ or bakers’ yeast) is the yeast species that is surely the most exploited by humans. Saccharomyces is a top-choice organism for industrial applications, although its use for producing beer dates back to at least the 6th millennium BC. Bakers’ yeast has been a cornerstone of modern biotechnology, enabling the development of efficient production processes. Today, diverse yeast species are explored for industrial applications. This Special Issue “Yeast Biotechnology 2.0” is a continuation of the first Special Issue, “Yeast Biotechnology” (https://www.mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/324). It compiles the current state-of-the-art of research and technology in the area of “yeast biotechnology” and highlights prominent current research directions in the fields of yeast synthetic biology and strain engineering, new developments in efficient biomolecule production, fermented beverages (beer, wine, and honey fermentation), and yeast nanobiotechnology.]
-
Food price volatility is one of the major challenges facing the global agricultural system today. This was most vividly illustrated during the global food crisis of 2007–9 when price spikes occurred for key staple food commodities—such as wheat, rice, maize, and soybeans. Given the variety of reactions by governments of countries experiencing similar food price shocks, the 2007–9 crisis offered an excellent natural experiment for generating knowledge on responses to price volatility in particular and on the political economy of agricultural policy-making more generally. This book contains the wealth of collaborative research by a global team of experts on food price policy—the research was undertaken on a sizeable group of low- and middle-income countries that were highly affected by the 2007–9 food crisis. The central aim of the study is to uncover which political economy factors—ranging from the constellation of different interest groups to the nature of political institutions—explain variations in policy responses across countries. The research output proves valuable for at least three target audiences. First, it can inform international organizations and donors about which types of policy interventions can mitigate price volatility and whether they are feasible given a country’s political economy context. Second, it can help national policy makers better understand the trade-offs of certain policy interventions. Third, it generates much-needed further knowledge about the agricultural policy-making process in developing countries, which remains incredibly scarce despite the importance of agriculture to these countries’ economies.
-
This book places tipping points in their scientific, economic, governmental, creative, and spiritual contexts. It seeks to offer a comprehensive set of interpretations on the meaning and application of tipping points. Its contribution focuses on the various characterisations and metaphors of tipping points, on the scope for anticipating their onset, the capacity for societal resilience in the face of their impending arrival, and for better ways of communicating and preparing societies, economies, and governments for accommodating them, and hence to turn them into responses which buffer and better human well-being. Above all, the possibility of preparing society for creative and benign ‘tips’ is a unifying theme. The conclusion is sombre but not without hope. Thresholds of profound change can combine earth system-based relatively abrupt shifts with human-caused alterations of these disturbed patterns which, coupled together, produce more rapid onsets and greater tensions and stresses for governments and economies, as well as socially unequal societies. There is still time to predict and address these thresholds but too much delay will make the task of accommodation very difficult to achieve with relevant-scale community support. There are many examples of adaptive resilience throughout the world. These should be identified, supported, and emulated according to cultural acceptance and emerging economic realities. But there is no guarantee that the necessary adjustments can be made in time, as emerging patterns of outlook and governance do not appear to be conducive to manage the very awkward transitions of appropriate response.
-
While the demand for crop products continues to increase strongly, agricultural productivity is threatened by various stress factors, often associated with global warming. To sustain and improve yield, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to various stresses, and to use the generated knowledge in modern breeding programs. Most knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms associated with stress responses has been obtained from investigations using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Stress hormones, such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid, have been shown to play key roles in defense responses against abiotic and biotic stresses. More recently, evidence that growth-regulating plant hormones are also involved in stress responses has been accumulating. Epigenetic regulation at the DNA and histone level, and gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs appear to be important as well. Many approaches have used mutant screens and next generation sequencing approaches to identify key players and mechanisms how plants respond to their environment. However, it is often unclear to which extent the elucidated mechanisms also operate in crops. This Special Issue Book, therefore, aims to close this gap and contains a number of contributions from labs that work both, on Arabidopsis and crops. The book includes contributions reporting how crop plant species respond to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, flooding, and salinity, as well as biotic stimuli during microbial infections. It contains reviews, opinions, perspectives, and original articles, and its focus is on our molecular understanding of biotic and abiotic stress responses in crops, highlighting, among other aspects, the role of stress hormones, secondary metabolites, signaling mechanisms, and changes in gene expression patterns and their regulation. Approaches and ideas to achieve stress tolerance and to maintain yield stability of agricultural crops during stress periods can be found in most chapters. These include also perspectives on how knowledge from model plants can be utilized to facilitate crop-plant breeding and biotechnology.
-
Welcome! We, humans, tend to experience forgetfulness when we get old. The forgetfulness may become more serious memory impairment, dementia. Presumably, we have known it for a long time, but we still do not know the mechanism behind. A normal part of forgetfulness is called age-related memory impairment (AMI), which is considered the first step towards mild cognitive impairment (MCI; transition state) and dementia (disease state). The majority of dementia is attributable to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Progression to dementia occurs at a high rate in patients with AMI. This eBook covers exciting but yet challenging field of cognitive aging. AMI is specific to neural tissues of the brain and is considered to be segmental aging. It happens not only to humans but also to a variety of species. Learning and memory are vulnerable to aging in a wide variety of model species, including worms, fruit flies, insects, snails, fishes, and rodents. Aging specifically reduces the ability to learn new information but leaves “old” memories and procedural memory intact. A comparative approach including the use of model systems seems to facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to AMI and AD. We advocate research on model systems. This eBook also provides the first manuscript co-authored with an AD patient to create a feedback loop from patients incorporated into research. We also included a manuscript on the semi-automated system that was inspired by such a feedback. Those may place a nice flavor to this exciting series of comparative research on cognitive aging. We hope you enjoy this eBook. Warm regards, Shin Murakami, Ph.D.Welcome! We, humans, tend to experience forgetfulness when we get old. The forgetfulness may become more serious memory impairment, dementia. Presumably, we have known it for a long time, but we still do not know the mechanism behind. A normal part of forgetfulness is called age-related memory impairment (AMI), which is considered the first step towards mild cognitive impairment (MCI; transition state) and dementia (disease state). The majority of dementia is attributable to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Progression to dementia occurs at a high rate in patients with AMI. This eBook covers exciting but yet challenging field of cognitive aging. AMI is specific to neural tissues of the brain and is considered to be segmental aging. It happens not only to humans but also to a variety of species. Learning and memory are vulnerable to aging in a wide variety of model species, including worms, fruit flies, insects, snails, fishes, and rodents. Aging specifically reduces the ability to learn new information but leaves “old” memories and procedural memory intact. A comparative approach including the use of model systems seems to facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to AMI and AD. We advocate research on model systems. This eBook also provides the first manuscript co-authored with an AD patient to create a feedback loop from patients incorporated into research. We also included a manuscript on the semi-automated system that was inspired by such a feedback. Those may place a nice flavor to this exciting series of comparative research on cognitive aging. We hope you enjoy this eBook. Warm regards, Shin Murakami, Ph.D.
-
During the last decade, a high volume of work has been published on the health-promoting effects of berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, etc.) that are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals, polyphenols. Consuming a diet rich in polyphenols has been documented to attenuate the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes mellitus, and neurodegenerative disorders. Recent evidence also reveals that the biological effects of polyphenols extend beyond their traditional antioxidant role. This Special Issue includes 10 peer-reviewed papers, including original research papers and reviews. They present the most recent advances in the role of berry antioxidants, not only in maintaining health but also in preventing and/or reversing disease both in cell culture, animal models and in humans. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways modulated by berry antioxidants are presented. Chapters include the role of berry antioxidants in whole fruit and leaves on the metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes and glucose intolerance, cancer, inflammation, oxidative stress and neuroprotection as well as cardiovascular disease. As a guest editor, I would like to acknowledge the authors of all chapters for their valuable contributions and reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive suggestions and time. Special thanks to the publishing team of the Antioxidants Journal for their professionalism, attention to detail and timely completion of this volume.
-
Studies have shown that alterations of epigenetics and microRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the initiation and progression of human cancer. Epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes in cancer cells is generally mediated by DNA hypermethylation of CpG island promoter and histone modification such as methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) and tri-methylation of H3K27. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate expression of various target genes. Specific miRNAs are aberrantly expressed and play roles as tumor suppressors or oncogenes during carcinogenesis. Important tumor suppressor miRNAs are silenced by epigenetic alterations, resulting in activation of target oncogenes in human malignancies. Stem cells have the ability to perpetuate themselves through self-renewal and to generate mature cells of various tissues through differentiation. Accumulating evidence suggests that a subpopulation of cancer cells with distinct stem-like properties is responsible for tumor initiation, invasive growth, and metastasis formation, which is defined as cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are considered to be resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy, suggesting that these cells are important targets of cancer therapy. DNA methylation, histone modification and miRNAs may be deeply involved in stem-like properties in cancer cells. Restoring the expression of tumor suppressor genes and miRNAs by chromatin modifying drugs may be a promising therapeutic approach for cancer stem cells. In this Research Topic, we discuss about alterations of epigenetics and miRNAs in cancer and cancer stem cell and understand the molecular mechanism underlying the formation of cancer stem cell, which may provide a novel insight for treatment of refractory cancer.
-
Social insects are among the most successful and ecologically important animals on earth. The lifestyle of these insects has fascinated humans since prehistoric times. These species evolved a caste of workers that in most cases have no progeny. Some social insects have worker sub-castes that are morphologically specialized for discrete tasks. The organization of the social insect colony has been compared to the metazoan body. Males in the order Hymenoptera (bees, ants and wasps) are haploid, a situation which results in higher relatedness between female siblings. Sociality evolved many times within the Hymenoptera, perhaps spurred in part by increased relatedness that increases inclusive fitness benefits to workers cooperating to raise their sisters and brothers rather than reproducing themselves. But epigenetic processes may also have contributed to the evolution of sociality. The Hymenoptera provide opportunities for comparative study of species ranging from solitary to highly social. A more ancient clade of social insects, the termites (infraorder Isoptera) provide an opportunity to study alternative mechanisms of caste determination and lifestyles that are aided by an array of endosymbionts. This research topic explores the use of genome sequence data and genomic techniques to help us explore how sociality evolved in insects, how epigenetic processes enable phenotypic plasticity, and the mechanisms behind whether a female will become a queen or a worker.
-
The history of livestock started with the domestication of their wild ancestors: a restricted number of species allowed to be tamed and entered a symbiotic relationship with humans. In exchange for food, shelter and protection, they provided us with meat, eggs, hides, wool and draught power, thus contributing considerably to our economic and cultural development. Depending on the species, domestication took place in different areas and periods. After domestication, livestock spread over all inhabited regions of the earth, accompanying human migrations and becoming also trade objects. This required an adaptation to different climates and varying styles of husbandry and resulted in an enormous phenotypic diversity. Approximately 200 years ago, the situation started to change with the rise of the concept of breed. Animals were selected for the same visible characteristics, and crossing with different phenotypes was reduced. This resulted in the formation of different breeds, mostly genetically isolated from other populations. A few decades ago, selection pressure was increased again with intensive production focusing on a limited range of types and a subsequent loss of genetic diversity. For short-term economic reasons, farmers have abandoned traditional breeds. As a consequence, during the 20th century, at least 28% of farm animal breeds became extinct, rare or endangered. The situation is alarming in developing countries, where native breeds adapted to local environments and diseases are being replaced by industrial breeds. In the most marginal areas, farm animals are considered to be essential for viable land use and, in the developing world, a major pathway out of poverty. Historic documentation from the period before the breed formation is scarce. Thus, reconstruction of the history of livestock populations depends on archaeological, archeo-zoological and DNA analysis of extant populations. Scientific research into genetic diversity takes advantage of the rapid advances in molecular genetics. Studies of mitochondrial DNA, microsatellite DNA profiling and Y-chromosomes have revealed details on the process of domestication, on the diversity retained by breeds and on relationships between breeds. However, we only see a small part of the genetic information and the advent of new technologies is most timely in order to answer many essential questions. High-throughput single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping is about to be available for all major farm animal species. The recent development of sequencing techniques calls for new methods of data management and analysis and for new ideas for the extraction of information. To make sense of this information in practical conditions, integration of geo-environmental and socio-economic data are key elements. The study and management of farm animal genomic resources (FAnGR) is indeed a major multidisciplinary issue. The goal of the present Research Topic was to collect contributions of high scientific quality relevant to biodiversity management, and applying new methods to either new genomic and bioinformatics approaches for characterization of FAnGR, to the development of FAnGR conservation methods applied ex-situ and in-situ, to socio-economic aspects of FAnGR conservation, to transfer of lessons between wildlife and livestock biodiversity conservation, and to the contribution of FAnGR to a transition in agriculture (FAnGR and agro-ecology).
-
Aquatic ecosystems are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of impact from human activities including over-exploitation of resources, habitat destruction, pollution and the influence of climate change. The impacts of these activities on the microbial ecology of aquatic environments are only now beginning to be defined. One of the many implications of environmental degradation and climate change is the geographical expansion of disease- causing microbes such as those from the Vibrio genus. Elevating sea surface temperatures correlate with increasing Vibrio numbers and disease in marine animals (e.g. corals) and humans. Contamination of aquatic environments with heavy metals and other pollutants affects microbial ecology with downstream effects on biogeochemical cycles and nutrient turnover. Also of importance is the pollution of aquatic environments with antibiotics, resistance genes and the mobile genetic elements that house resistance genes from human and animal waste. Such contaminated environments act as a source of resistance genes long after an antibiotic has ceased being used in the community. Environments contaminated with mobile genetic elements that are adapted to human commensals and pathogens function to capture new resistance genes for potential reintroduction back into clinical environments. This research topic encompasses these diverse topics and describes the affect(s) of human activity on the microbial ecology and function in aquatic environments and, describes methods of restoration and for modelling disturbances.
-
Understanding viral replication and pathogenicity properties in infected individuals is a major mission of animal virology. Animal models are essential to analyze the in vivo viral characteristics and to develop countermeasures against viruses. To fight against a wide variety of viruses, basic studies with specific and/ or common approaches are required. This Research Topic collects articles that describe studies on numerous virus species at various stages toward animal experiments: (i) description/evaluation/ new challenges of animal model studies; (ii) experimental material/methods for animal model studies; (iii) observations for upcoming animal model studies. Numbers of DNA and RNA viruses such as HHV-6, HPV, Ebola virus, HCV, dengue virus, HTLV-1, HIV-1, SIV, and measles virus are covered by this special issue consisting of original research, methods, review, mini-review, and opinion articles. All readers would understand, we believe and hope, that animal model studies are critical for current virology as always.
-
Aspergillus fumigatus is a human fungal pathogen that causes invasive aspergillosis (IA), a major infectious cause of death in the expanding population of immunocompromised individuals such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. The mortality of IA remains high (30-70%) and emerging resistance to triazoles, the first-line antifungal drug class, is of particular concern. Second-line therapies for IA are limited by their toxicity (polyenes) or their lack of fungicidal activity (echinocandins). Identification of novel antifungal targets is an urgent need for improving the outcome of IA. A. fumigatus is a filamentous fungus exhibiting a complex developmental cycle and elaborated mechanisms of adaptation to allow the initiation and progression of infection in the human host. The fungal cell wall, with its unique and dynamic structure, is crucial for protecting cell integrity and evading the host immune system, also contributing to biofilm formation and virulence, and thus representing an ideal antifungal target. The emergence of azole resistance implies various and complex mechanisms that need to be further elucidated. Other important processes, such as biosynthetic pathways and toxin/metabolite production are important for fungal survival and propagation in the host environment, ultimately leading to disease. Moreover, the host immune response is a determinant factor in influencing the course of infection. The objective of this topic issue is to provide an overview of the recent advances in our understanding of A. fumigatus pathobiology and of IA pathogenesis to outline future research.
-
This open access book discusses biogeochemical processes relevant to carbon and aims to provide readers, graduate students and researchers, with insight into the functioning of marine ecosystems. A carbon centric approach has been adopted, but other elements are included where relevant or needed. The book focuses on concepts and quantitative understanding of primary production, organic matter mineralization and sediment biogeochemistry. The impact of biogeochemical processes on inorganic carbon dynamics and organic matter transformation are also discussed.
-
The history of science can teach modern men that our understanding of life is to a great extent based on the accuracy of the analytical methods that we use and, on our readiness to oppose dogmatic opinions, which are based on outdated methods and black/white approaches to the major questions raised by mankind in the past. The recent decades have brought a lot of new insights into the fundamentals of the active principles of reactive oxygen species that are necessary for living cells, but which also cause dangerous pathophysiological processes. Accordingly, although they were previously considered to be the most undesired toxic compounds generated as the final products of the oxidative degradation of lipids, reactive aldehydes are now considered to play important roles both in health and in major diseases. Represented mostly by 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), a substance discovered only fifty years ago, reactive aldehydes are the focus of research not only because of their toxicity but also because of their positive effects regulating the most important metabolic processes such as growth of living cells or the death of cells. Better understanding the interactions between reactive aldehydes and natural or synthetic antioxidant substances might eventually help us to better monitor, prevent and control modern diseases, thus building pillars for the development of the modern, multidisciplinary life sciences and integrative medicine of the 21st century.
-
"This book highlights that the capacity for gathering, analysing, and utilising vast amounts of digital (user) data raises significant ethical issues. Annika Richterich provides a systematic contemporary overview of the field of critical data studies that reflects on practices of digital data collection and analysis. The book assesses in detail one big data research area: biomedical studies, focused on epidemiological surveillance. Specific case studies explore how big data have been used in academic work. The Big Data Agenda concludes that the use of big data in research urgently needs to be considered from the vantage point of ethics and social justice. Drawing upon discourse ethics and critical data studies, Richterich argues that entanglements between big data research and technology/ internet corporations have emerged. In consequence, more opportunities for discussing and negotiating emerging research practices and their implications for societal values are needed. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access for the public good. More information about the initiative and details about KU's Open Access programme can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org."
-
Biological membranes protect cells and organelles from the surrounding environment, but serve also as organising platforms for physiological processes such as cell signalling. The hydrophobic core of membranes is composed of lipids and proteins influencing each other. Local membrane composition and properties define its molecular organisation and, in this way, regulate the function of all associated molecules. Therefore, studying interactions of components, biophysical properties and overall membrane dynamics provides essential information on its function in the context of cell activities. Such knowledge can contribute to biomedical fields such as pharmacology, immunology, neurobiology and many others. The goal of the Research Topic entitled ‘Molecular organisation of membranes: where biology meets biophysics’ was to provide a comprehensive platform for publishing articles, reviews and opinions focused on membrane organisation and the forces behind its heterogeneous and dynamic structure. We collected 11 works which cover topics as diverse as general membrane organisation models, membrane trafficking and signalling regulation, biogenesis of caveolae, protein-lipid interactions and the importance of membrane-associated tetraspanins networks. The prevalent theme was the existence of membrane nanodomains. To this point, new emerging technologies are presented which own the power to bring a novel insight on how membrane nanodomains are formed and maintained and what is their function. We believe that the collection of works in this Research Topic brings forward some important questions which will stimulate further research in this difficult but exciting field.
-
This open access book looks at the migration of Southern European EU citizens (from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) who move to Northern European Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom) in response to the global economic crisis.Its objective is twofold. First, it identifies the scale and nature of this new Southern European emigration and examines these migrants’ socio-economic integration in Northern European destination countries. This is achieved through an analysis of the most recent data on flows and profiles of this new labour force using sending-country and receiving-country databases. Second, it looks at the politics and policies of immigration, both from the perspective of the sending- and receiving-countries. Analysing the policies and debates about these new flows in the home and host countries’ this book shows how contentious the issue of intra-EU mobility has recently become in the context of the crisis when the right for EU citizens to move within the EU had previously not been questioned for decades. Overall, the strength of this edited volume is that it compiles in a systematic way quantitative and qualitative analysis of these renewed Southern European migration flows and draws the lessons from this changing climate on EU migration.
“This is the book that the new South-North European migrations of the turbulent crisis years were demanding. It is timely, geographically and contextually comprehensive, empirically rich, and conceptually and analytically ambitious. A true tour de force.” Joaquín Arango, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
“The retrenchment of rights of freedom of movement, and the ongoing re-nationalisation of European space, poses crucial issues for the future of Europe. In this well-conceived collection of new research on South-North intra-EU migration, we understand how and why these migrants are some of the pioneers of a more integrated and equal continent. Yet, in the re-surfacing South-isms and East-isms of national politics – including growing hostility to Romanians, Greeks, Turks, or even Spanish and Italians – we may be witnessing the end of the idea of Europe as a united geo-political project.” Adrian Favell, University of Leeds, UK
-
The impact of fat intake on hypercholesterolemia and related atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases has been studied for decades. However, the current evidence base suggests that fatty acids also influences cardiometabolic diseases through other mechanisms including effects on glucose metabolism, body fat distribution, blood pressure, inflammation, and heart rate. Furthermore, studies evaluating single fatty acids have challenged the simplistic view of shared health effects within fatty acid groups categorized by degree of saturation. In addition, investigations of endogenous fatty acid metabolism, including genetic studies of fatty acid metabolizing enzymes, and the identification of novel metabolically derived fatty acids have further increased the complexity of fatty acids’ health impacts. This Special Issue aims to include original research and up-to-date reviews on genetic and dietary modulation of fatty acids, and the role and function of dietary and metabolically derived fatty acids in cardiometabolic health.
-
The majority of carbon stored in the soils of the world is stored in forests. The refractory nature of some portions of forest soil organic matter also provides the slow, gradual release of organic nitrogen and phosphorus to sustain long term forest productivity. Contemporary and future disturbances, such as climatic warming, deforestation, short rotation sylviculture, the invasion of exotic species, and fire, all place strains on the integrity of this homeostatic system of C, N, and P cycling. On the other hand, the CO2 fertilization effect may partially offset losses of soil organic matter, but many have questioned the ability of N and P stocks to sustain the CO2 fertilization effect.
-
Folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and riboflavin play a key role as coenzymes in one-carbon metabolism which, in turn, is essential for a broad range of fundamental physiological processes, including RNA and DNA synthesis, cell division, tissue growth and methylation. Deficiencies or imbalance of B-vitamins, as well as genetic polymorphisms and environmental factors, are shown to disturb the normal function of one-carbon metabolism with adverse effects on human health. Although a vast volume of research has already been conducted in this area, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge that require further investigations. This Special Issue of Nutrients invited submission of manuscripts, original research or reviews of the scientific literature, focused on novel findings in relation to B-vitamins and one-carbon metabolism in terms of: metabolic roles and molecular mechanisms; gene–nutrient interactions; fetal growth and programing; risk of disease (birth defects and pregnancy related conditions, cancer, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, neuropsychiatric disease, osteoporosis); health effects of B-vitamin supplementation and food fortification.
-
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.
This book provides a unique overview of the impacts of railways on biodiversity, integrating the existing knowledge on the ecological effects of railways on wildlife, identifying major knowledge gaps and research directions and presenting the emerging field of railway ecology.
The book is divided into two major parts: Part one offers a general review of the major conceptual and theoretical principles of railway ecology. The chapters consider the impacts of railways on wildlife populations and concentrate on four major topics: mortality, barrier effects, species invasions and disturbances (ranging from noise to chemical pollution). Part two focuses on a number of case studies from Europe, Asia and North America written by an international group of experts.
-
The complexity of living organisms surpasses our unaided habilities of analysis. Hence, computational and mathematical methods are necessary for increasing our understanding of biological systems. At the same time, there has been a phenomenal recent progress allowing the application of novel formal methods to new domains. This progress has spurred a conspicuous optimism in computational biology. This optimism, in turn, has promoted a rapid increase in collaboration between specialists of biology with specialists of computer science. Through sheer complexity, however, many important biological problems are at present intractable, and it is not clear whether we will ever be able to solve such problems. We are in the process of learning what kind of model and what kind of analysis and synthesis techniques to use for a particular problem. Some existing formalisms have been readily used in biological problems, others have been adapted to biological needs, and still others have been especially developed for biological systems. This Research Topic has examples of cases (1) employing existing methods, (2) adapting methods to biology, and (3) developing new methods. We can also see discrete and Boolean models, and the use of both simulators and model checkers. Synthesis is exemplified by manual and by machine-learning methods. We hope that the articles collected in this Research Topic will stimulate new research.
-
While the demand for crop products continues to increase strongly, agricultural productivity is threatened by various stress factors, often associated with global warming. To sustain and improve yield, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to various stresses, and to use the generated knowledge in modern breeding programs. Most knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms associated with stress responses has been obtained from investigations using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Stress hormones, such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid, have been shown to play key roles in defense responses against abiotic and biotic stresses. More recently, evidence that growth-regulating plant hormones are also involved in stress responses has been accumulating. Epigenetic regulation at the DNA and histone level, and gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs appear to be important as well. Many approaches have used mutant screens and next generation sequencing approaches to identify key players and mechanisms how plants respond to their environment. However, it is often unclear to which extent the elucidated mechanisms also operate in crops.This Special Issue Book, therefore, aims to close this gap and contains a number of contributions from labs that work both, on Arabidopsis and crops. The book includes contributions reporting how crop plant species respond to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, flooding, and salinity, as well as biotic stimuli during microbial infections. It contains reviews, opinions, perspectives, and original articles, and its focus is on our molecular understanding of biotic and abiotic stress responses in crops, highlighting, among other aspects, the role of stress hormones, secondary metabolites, signaling mechanisms, and changes in gene expression patterns and their regulation. Approaches and ideas to achieve stress tolerance and to maintain yield stability of agricultural crops during stress periods can be found in most chapters. These include also perspectives on how knowledge from model plants can be utilized to facilitate crop-plant breeding and biotechnology.
-
Rivers, lakes and the ocean receive antibiotic resistance genes from human environments. The aquatic environments are a huge reservoir and exchange stage of antibiotic resistance genes.
-
This open access book addresses the challenge of analyzing and understanding the evolutionary dynamics of complex biological systems at the genomic level, and elaborates on some promising strategies that would bring us closer to uncovering of the vital relationships between genotype and phenotype. After a few educational primers, the book continues with sections on sequence homology and alignment, phylogenetic methods to study genome evolution, methodologies for evaluating selective pressures on genomic sequences as well as genomic evolution in light of protein domain architecture and transposable elements, population genomics and other omics, and discussions of current bottlenecks in handling and analyzing genomic data. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include the kind of detail and expert implementation advice that lead to the best results.
Authoritative and comprehensive, Evolutionary Genomics: Statistical and Computational Methods, Second Edition aims to serve both novices in biology with strong statistics and computational skills, and molecular biologists with a good grasp of standard mathematical concepts, in moving this important field of study forward.
-
Since its inception, the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) has coalesced a multidisciplinary and international group of researchers focused on understanding and quantifying Earth’s deep carbon budget. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, and understanding carbon chemistry under a variety of environmental conditions impacts all aspects of planetary sciences, including planet formation, the form and function of planetary interiors, and the origin and diversity of life. DCO recognizes that is integrating and promoting the contributions of early career scientists are integral to the advancement of knowledge regarding the quantities, movements, origins, and forms of Earth’s deep carbon through field, experimental, analytical, and computational research. Early career scientists represent the future of deep carbon science and contribute substantially to ongoing research by implementing innovative ideas, challenging traditional working schemes, and bringing a globally interconnected perspective to the scientific community. This research topic highlights the contributions at the forefront of deep carbon research by DCO Early Career Scientist community. The manuscripts of this Frontiers e-volume bear evidence of the rapid advances in deep carbon science, and highlights the importance of approaching this field from a plethora of different angles integrating disciplines as diverse as mineralogy, geochemistry and microbiology. This integration is fundamental in understanding the movements and transformations of carbon across its deep cycle.
-
The impact of fat intake on hypercholesterolemia and related atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases has been studied for decades. However, the current evidence base suggests that fatty acids also influences cardiometabolic diseases through other mechanisms including effects on glucose metabolism, body fat distribution, blood pressure, inflammation, and heart rate. Furthermore, studies evaluating single fatty acids have challenged the simplistic view of shared health effects within fatty acid groups categorized by degree of saturation. In addition, investigations of endogenous fatty acid metabolism, including genetic studies of fatty acid metabolizing enzymes, and the identification of novel metabolically derived fatty acids have further increased the complexity of fatty acids’ health impacts. This Special Issue aims to include original research and up-to-date reviews on genetic and dietary modulation of fatty acids, and the role and function of dietary and metabolically derived fatty acids in cardiometabolic health.
-
Coeliac Disease (CD) affects at least 1% of the population. “Classical” CD refers to gastrointestinal presentations with anaemia and gastrointestinal symptoms. CD can, however, present with extraintestinal manifestations, the commonest of which are dermatitis herpetiformis and neurological presentations (e.g., ataxia, neuropathy, encephalopathy). Recognition and research into the pathophysiology of such manifestations is likely to enhance our understanding of this complex autoimmune disorder.
-
The extracellular matrix in development and disease deals with the molecular and cellular aspects of development and disease. Cells exist in three-dimensional scaffolding called the extracellular matrix. The matrix holds together the millions of cells that make up our blood vessels, organs, skin, and all tissues of the body. The matrix serves as a reservoir of signaling molecules as well. In bacterial cultures, biofilms form as an extracellular matrix and play essential roles in disease and drug resistance. Topics such as matrix structure and function, cell attachment and cell surface proteins mediating cell-matrix interactions, synthesis, regulation, composition, structure, assembly, remodeling, and function of the matrix are included. A common thread uniting the topics is the essential nature that the matrix plays in normal development and pathophysiology. Providing new knowledge will lead us to improved diagnostics, the preventions of disease progression, and therapeutic strategies for the repair and regeneration of tissues. Topics such as the extracellular matrix in hereditary diseases, reproduction, cancer, muscle, and tissue engineering applications, and diverse roles for integrins, are included in this collection.
-
• Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient that contributes to the proper functioning of over 300 enzymes and multiple biochemical and structural processes in the body. Zinc functions in the regulation of an extensive variety of genes, such as those involved in nucleic acid metabolism, cell signalling, apoptosis, and plays an integral role in immune system functioning. Even a mild Zn deficiency can profoundly affect growth and development, as well as impede immune differentiation and maturation. Zinc is widely distributed in foods, however, it was demonstrated that dietary constituents, such as phytate, polyphenols, and the intestinal microbiome, affect its dietary bioavailability and intestinal absorption. Regulation of zinc metabolism is achieved through a balance of absorption and excretion and involves adaptive mechanisms. The aim of this Special Issue is to explore dietary approaches that aim to improve Zn bioavailability and absorption, biomarkers of status, and the effect of Zn status on the intestinal microbiome.
-
Dietary fiber has long been recognized for its role in digestive function. However, currently there is scientific debate about definitions (descriptive and analytical), optimal intake, and essentiality in the human diet. Dietary fiber is a key substrate for bacterial metabolism in the colon, which makes research on dietary fiber an important issue that complements current interest in the gut microbiota. Dietary fiber is also important for prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. This Special Issue will highlight recent research on dietary fiber content in foods and function in human health, ranging from digestive function to chronic disease prevention and management.
-
There is general agreement within the fields of food, nutrition, and medical sciences that an individual’s diet and lifestyle can substantially predispose one to, or protect against osteoporosis, low bone mass, and numerous other age-related bone diseases. Dietary bioactives, found diversity in a variety of foods from fruits to vegetables, herbs and spices, essential oils and beverages, have the potential to influence bone health. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements has defined dietary bioactives as “compounds that are constituents in foods and dietary supplements, other than those needed to meet basic human nutritional needs, which are responsible for changes in health status.” These compounds are generally thought to be safe in food at normal consumption levels (e.g., polyphenols in plant foods). Dietary bioactives are currently being assessed for their properties beyond antioxidant capacity, including anti-inflammatory actions. Some compounds or classes of compounds have been reported to enhance bone formation and inhibit bone resorption through their actions on cell signaling pathways that influence osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation. Emerging scientific evidence is available, including observational studies and small clinical interventions that suggest consumption of certain dietary bioactives may have beneficial effects on bone health. Animal models have the unique advantage of feeding controlled diets for extended periods of time to assess long-term changes in bone. While bone mineral density (BMD) is the gold standard for assessing fracture risk, other factors such as bone structure, including trabecular thickness and separation, influence bone strength. Bone turnover rate is also predictive of fracture. Future research is needed to determine the types and quantities of dietary bioactives that are most effective and at what dose, as well as the mechanisms involved in modulating cellular events, in order to set precedence for larger clinical trials.
-
Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association between oxidative stress and non-communicable disease, including cardiovascular disorders, mental disease, and several types of cancer. Oxidative stress is commonly known as an imbalance in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the biological antioxidant defense system. Exogenous antioxidants have gained great attention because of their beneficial role in preventing chronic disease. A balanced diet contains hundreds of naturally occurring antioxidant compounds, including polyphenols and vitamins. Antioxidants are commonly found in vegetables, fruits, cocoa, grain cereals, olive oil, nuts and beverages, such as coffee and tea. This book presents original research and reviews of literature concerning dietary antioxidants and human health.
-
The role of many phytochemicals in the modulation of the carcinogenesis process has been well documented by combining in vitro and animal studies, as well as epidemiological evidence. When acting in synergy, phytochemicals exert potential anti-cancer properties and much progress has been made in defining their many biological activities at the molecular level. However, an interesting feature in the field of phytochemicals and cancer is the role of some phytochemicals in promoting cancer development. This Special Issue of Toxins aims to provide a comprehensive look at the contribution of dietary and non-dietary phytochemicals to cancer development and at the molecular mechanisms by which phytochemicals inhibit or promote cancer. These aspects are extremely useful for the definition of efficient preventive measures against cancer.
-
Epilepsy is a common neurological disease that can affect all ages. Although the majority of people with epilepsy can have excellent seizure control with medication, about 30% will fail anti-epileptic drugs. For those with medically intractable epilepsy, recurrent seizures lead to elevated mortality and injury risks, and the seizures themselves are socially disabling. Fortunately, for many people with intractable epilepsy, epilepsy can be cured or seizures better controlled with surgery. Localization of the seizure focus followed by surgical resection provide the best opportunities to cure epilepsy. Having a better understanding of the neuro-anatomy and physiology of epilepsy improves our ability to define the epileptic network and effectively treat epilepsy. Minimal access surgical approaches result in more rapid recovery from surgery, less pain, and more satisfied patients. For individuals without an opportunity to cure their epilepsy, new and emerging technologies can improve their quality of life by preventing injuries and reducing seizure frequency and severity. This Special Issue will highlight advances in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of epilepsy, including imaging and electroencephalography (EEG) approaches to defining the epileptic focus, understanding the epileptic network, and characterizing the anatomical substrate of epilepsy.
-
The issue is dedicated to applications of Deep Brain Stimulation and, in this issue, we would like to highlight the new developments that are taking place in the field. These include the application of new technology to existing indications, as well as ‘new’ indications. We would also like to highlight the most recent clinical evidence from international multicentre trials. The issue will include articles relating to movement disorders, pain, psychiatric indications, as well as emerging indications that are not yet accompanied by clinical evidence. We look forward to your expert contribution to this exciting issue.
-
In recent years, studies in the field of thyroid cancer have been performed in order to identify and verify thyroid specific biomarkers, as well as cancer-specific changes in gene expression patterns and alterations of the protein content. Furthermore, new drugs, small molecules and antibodies were developed and tested in vitro and in vivo. Trials investigated the ratio between therapeutic and adverse effects. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have become a new therapeutic option of both differentiated thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer. In the last few years, new substances for targeted systemic therapy have been approved after their efficacy was demonstrated in Phase III trials. Most of them show a moderate response. However, adverse effects are common. TKI are used in patients with advanced metastatic thyroid cancer that is radioiodine (RAI)-refractory. In this Special Issue, original studies on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapy of thyroid cancer, including genetics, proteomics, metabolomics, molecular and cell biology, will be published. It will also cover reports on patients, providing novel mechanistic insights into the underlying pathogenesis or new aspects that may impact clinical therapy, and recent study results in order to review the current status of new therapy options in thyroid cancer.
-
This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Science comprises a comprehensive study on “Metal Complex Interactions with Nucleic Acids and/or DNA”. This Special Issue has been inspired by the important contribution of Prof. Nick Hadjiliadis to the field of palladium or/and platinum/nucleic acid interactions. It covers a selection of recent research and review articles in the field of metal complex interactions with nucleic acids and/or DNA. Moreover, this Special Issue on "Metal Complexes Interactions with Nucleic Acids and/or DNA" provides an overview of this increasingly diverse field, presenting recent developments and the latest research with particular emphasis on metal-based drugs and metal ion toxicity.
-
Chloroplasts are at the front line of many advancements in molecular biology, ranging from evolutionary biology to the mechanism of energy transduction, also including stress responses and programmed leaf death. In addition to the relevance of basic knowledge, advances are unveiling promising insights to improve plant productivity, disease resistance, and environmental control. The production of secondary metabolites and proteins by transformed chloroplasts adds further excitement to applied investigations on chloroplasts. The comparison of the sequences of the chloroplast DNA of different plants provides valuable information on gene content, reordering in the circular chloroplast DNA, and mutational genetic-derive, relevant to the evolution of the chloroplast. Increasing facilities for intense genome sequencing have prompted many laboratories to focus on the chloroplast DNA. Reflecting these efforts, more than half of the articles in this book deal with functional or evolutionary investigations based on sequence analyses of chloroplast DNA. Additional topics treated in the issue include post-transcriptional control, the processing of nuclear encoded preproteins of chloroplasts, the response of photosynthetic machinery to water deficit, turn-over of chloroplast proteins, mechanism of chloroplast division, and chloroplast movements.
-
Human cancers frequently arise from exposure to chemicals, although radiation, oxidation, and genetic factors play critical roles as well. DNA damage by these agents in a cell is an important first step in the process of carcinogenesis. DNA repair processes have evolved to repair these damages. However, the replication of damaged DNA may occur frequently prior to repair, resulting in gene mutations and the generation of altered proteins. Mutations in an oncogene, a tumor-suppressor gene, or a gene that controls the cell cycle give rise to a clonal cell population with an advantage in proliferation. The complex process of carcinogenesis includes many such events, but has been generally considered to be comprised of the three main stages known as initiation, promotion, and progression, which ultimately give rise to the induction of human cancer. The articles published in this book entitled “Chemically-Induced DNA Damage, Mutagenesis, and Cancer” provide an overview on the topic of the “consequence of DNA damage” in the context of human cancer with their challenges and highlights.
-
Dear Colleagues, Malignant tumors develop distant metastases, e.g., small clusters of cells that detach from the primitive site and colonize distant organs and tissues. Unlike the primary masses, metastases are often difficult to fully eradicate by surgery ablation and are almost always the primary object of chemo- and/or immune-therapies. The presence of metastases at tumor diagnosis is responsible for the unfavorable prognosis and of relapses even after initially successful tumor therapies. The lack of success of chemo- and immune-therapy approaches depends on many factors among which, the inadequate capacity of the anti-tumor drugs of reaching appropriate concentrations in the organs and tissues involved in the metastatic growth is a major concern. Another factor is the complexity of the metastasis biology and of their molecular behavior, evidencing a population of tumor cells with a genetic compartment different from that of the tumor of origin. The involvement of host cells and factors recruited by the metastatic cells and committed to support the metastatic growth is also an event crucial for the lack of success of the anti-tumor therapy. The knowledge of the molecular biology of metastases is mandatory to support the search for chemical agents to treat the metastatic determinants and to control of the neoplastic disease. This Special Issue on “Chemical and Molecular Approach to Tumor Metastases” will explore the impact of biology, molecular medicine and chemistry on all aspects related to tumor metastases from the biological and molecular aspects of the metastatic growth, including the relationships between the metastatic cells and the host environment, and the search for druggable determinants useful for the chemical analysis of agents selectively active against tumor metastases. With the combination of invited reviews and original papers from prominent scientists working on all aspects of molecular medicine and cancer therapy, such as, but not limited to: drug delivery, genomics, chemoprevention, drug discovery, we aim to sample recent progress in molecular and chemical aspects of therapy of malignant tumors. Clinical success studies and evidences of novel compounds are particularly welcome.
-
Bridging cellular membranes is a key step in the pathogenic action of both binary and pore-forming bacterial toxins. The former use their translocation domains, containing various structural motifs, to ensure efficient delivery of the toxic component into the host cell, while the latter act on the cellular membrane itself. In either case, the integrity of the membrane is compromised via targeted protein–lipid and protein–protein interactions triggered by specific signals, such as proteolytic cleavage or endosomal acidification. This Special Issue presents recent advances in characterizing functional, structural and thermodynamic aspects of the conformational switching and membrane interactions involved in the cellular entry of bacterial protein toxins. Deciphering the physicochemical principles underlying these processes is also a prerequisite for the use of protein engineering to develop toxin-based molecular vehicles capable of targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors and other diseased tissues.
-
ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. This special issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences contains a collection of articles by colleagues of Antonius (Ton) Gerardus Rolink (19/04/1953-06/08/2017) and honors Ton’s life and profound knowledge of and huge contribution to science. Ton participated in an FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network called DECIDE, and partners have submitted articles for this Special Issue. Scientists outside this network have also submitted articles. The articles examine various aspects of how the hematopoietic stem-cell gives rise to the different types of blood and immune cells. These include decision-making by the hematopoietic stem cell and the importance of controlling events within cells and the niches the cell resides in. New insights into these processes at the basic scientific level have given rise to an emerging new model for the development of blood cells. In turn, changes to our understanding of this process have led to new and exciting propositions regarding what goes wrong during the early stages of the development of leukemia.
-
Carboxylic acids are truly central compounds in cellular metabolism. Carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere through formation of carboxylic groups and is also released, in part, by decarboxylation reactions. The reactivity of the carboxylic group with amino- or hydroxyl-groups enables the formation of peptide and ester bonds. The functionality of the carboxylic group is also of huge importance in our industrial world for a wide range of applications. The loosely bound hydrogen provides weak acid functionality, much desired for food industry applications in preservatives and flavour compounds. Citric acid is one of our oldest industrial fermentation products. The presence of two carboxylic groups, or a combination of one carboxylic group and another functional group, make the compounds interesting building blocks for polymer production. A number of carboxylic acids, including, e.g., lactic, succinic, 3-hydroxypropionic and itaconic acids, have been identified and recognized as suitable platform chemicals for a foreseen growing carbohydrate based economy. Economic margins are, however, tight when competing with petroleum based production, and production strains, fermentation technology and—not least—downstream processing, all need to be improved to enable viable commercial production. This Special issue will cover current developments within this exciting field. Topics will include: Fermentation physiology of natural carboxylic acid producers; screening and isolation of novel producers; metabolic engineering for improving intrinsic carboxylic acid production; metabolic engineering for expanding product range to non-endogenous carboxylic acids; production from lignocellulosic derived sugars or by-product streams; downstream processing for recovery of carboxylic acids; bioprocess design—including continuous processes and integration. All production organisms—fungi, yeasts, bacteria—are welcome.
-
Carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1) are metalloenzymes present in all kingdoms of life, as they equilibrate the reaction between three simple but essential chemical species: CO2, bicarbonate, and protons. Discovered more than 80 years ago, in 1933, these enzymes have been extensively investigated due to the biomedical application of their inhibitors, but also because they are an extraordinary example of convergent evolution, with seven genetically distinct CA families that evolved independently in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. CAs are also among the most efficient enzymes known in nature, due to the fact that the uncatalyzed hydration of CO2 is a very slow process and the physiological demands for its conversion to ionic, soluble species is very high. Inhibition of the CAs has pharmacological applications in many fields, such as antiglaucoma, anticonvulsant, antiobesity, and anticancer agents/diagnostic tools, but is also emerging for designing anti-infectives, i.e., antifungal, antibacterial, and antiprotozoan agents with a novel mechanism of action. Mitochondrial CAs are implicated in de novo lipogenesis, and thus selective inhibitors of such enzymes may be useful for the development of new antiobesity drugs. As tumor metabolism is diverse compared to that of normal cells, ultimately, relevant contributions on the role of the tumor-associated isoforms CA IX and XII in these phenomena have been published and the two isoforms have been validated as novel antitumor/antimetastatic drug targets, with antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors in various stages of clinical development. CAs also play a crucial role in other metabolic processes connected with urea biosynthesis, gluconeogenesis, and so on, since many carboxylation reactions catalyzed by acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase or pyruvate carboxylase use bicarbonate, not CO2, as a substrate. In organisms other than mammals, e.g., plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, CAs are involved in photosynthesis, whereas in many parasites (fungi, protozoa), they are involved in the de novo synthesis of important metabolites (lipids, nucleic acids, etc.). The metabolic effects related to interference with CA activity, however, have been scarcely investigated. The present Special Issue of Metabolites aims to fill this gap by presenting the latest developments in the field of CAs and their role in metabolism.
-
The majority of carbon stored in the soils of the world is stored in forests. The refractory nature of some portions of forest soil organic matter also provides the slow, gradual release of organic nitrogen and phosphorus to sustain long term forest productivity. Contemporary and future disturbances, such as climatic warming, deforestation, short rotation sylviculture, the invasion of exotic species, and fire, all place strains on the integrity of this homeostatic system of C, N, and P cycling. On the other hand, the CO2 fertilization effect may partially offset losses of soil organic matter, but many have questioned the ability of N and P stocks to sustain the CO2 fertilization effect.
-
Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental aspect of health and a crucial function in a variety of species, including humans. A primary disfunction in major global diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, is dysregulation of thecarbohydrate metabolism. Furthermore, certain disease outcomes may be impacted by the amount and type of dietary carbohydrates consumed. Finally, carbohydrate obtainability is essential for optimal performance and endurance during sporting events. This book collates articles that either describe original research, or review the scientific literature on the topic of carbohydrate metabolism in health and disease. .
-
In 2011, carbohydrates provided 63% of the dietary energy intake to the world’s population. Historically, carbohydrate-rich diets have been associated with good health and longevity but there has been a move away from traditional carbohydrate-rich diets, with refined carbohydrate taking much criticism for contributing to non-communicable disease. The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss the appropriate use of environmentally sustainable carbohydrate-rich foods in the modern diet in developing and developed countries in the context of prevention and treatment of non-communicable disease.
-
Intracellular Ca2+ signaling is witnessing an amazing resurgence of interest. In addition to traditional Ca2+ aficionados, an astonishing (and growing) number of colleagues from all around the world have started to devote a large part of their research to gain insights into the role of Ca2+ signaling in health and disease. This is why calcium ions interact with virtually every signal transduction pathway not only in mammalian cells, but also across the phylogenetic tree, thereby, driving or modulating most, if not all, cellular functions, ranging from fertilization to apoptosis, passing through learning and memory, cardiac contractility, and immune response. This book gathers a collection of original research articles and reviews by a number of renowned experts who aim to present the state of the art of many pathophysiological aspects of intracellular Ca2+ signaling, such as embryonic development, immune response, extracellular Ca2+ signaling, neoplastic transformation, muscle hypertrophy, pulmonary inflammation, and P2X receptor gating.
-
Human lactation has evolved to produce a milk composition that is uniquely-designed for the human infant. Not only does human milk optimize infant growth and development, it also provides protection from infection and disease. More recently, the importance of human milk and breastfeeding in the programming of infant health has risen to the fore. Anchoring of infant feeding in the developmental origins of health and disease has led to a resurgence of research focused in this area. Milk composition is highly variable both between and within mothers. Indeed the distinct maternal human milk signature, including its own microbiome, is influenced by environmental factors, such as diet, health, body composition and geographic residence. An understanding of these changes will lead to unravelling the adaptation of milk to the environment and its impact on the infant. In terms of the promotion of breastfeeding, health economics and epidemiology is instrumental in shaping public health policy and identifying barriers to breastfeeding. Further, basic research is imperative in order to design evidence-based interventions to improve both breastfeeding duration and women’s breastfeeding experience.
-
This edited book brings together research reports on the asymmetry of brain function in various species, including humans, dogs, birds, lizards and bees. As shown in a wide range of species, and, as we now know, not solely in humans, the left and right sides of the brain process information in different ways and control different responses or patterns of behaviour. Since this discovery, many new methods have become available to reveal the processes involved in the development, function and evolution of this important attribute of the brain. Chapters consider the evidence for asymmetry of sensory receptors, left–right differences in information processing and asymmetrical control of behaviour. The latter includes lateralization of bird song and use of the magnetic compass in navigation. Other chapters report studies on handedness, hemispheric asymmetries in emotional processing and perception of symmetry in humans. The importance of the degree, or strength, of asymmetry is discussed and the conclusion is that asymmetry of the brain enhances its efficiency. Other chapters provide evidence that early experience influences the development of asymmetry. All of the contributors have strong backgrounds in research and they discuss up-to-date discoveries on lateralized brain and behaviour.
-
While the demand for crop products continues to increase strongly, agricultural productivity is threatened by various stress factors, often associated with global warming. To sustain and improve yield, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to various stresses, and to use the generated knowledge in modern breeding programs. Most knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms associated with stress responses has been obtained from investigations using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Stress hormones, such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid, have been shown to play key roles in defense responses against abiotic and biotic stresses. More recently, evidence that growth-regulating plant hormones are also involved in stress responses has been accumulating. Epigenetic regulation at the DNA and histone level, and gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs appear to be important as well. Many approaches have used mutant screens and next generation sequencing approaches to identify key players and mechanisms how plants respond to their environment. However, it is often unclear to which extent the elucidated mechanisms also operate in crops. This Special Issue Book, therefore, aims to close this gap and contains a number of contributions from labs that work both, on Arabidopsis and crops. The book includes contributions reporting how crop plant species respond to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, flooding, and salinity, as well as biotic stimuli during microbial infections. It contains reviews, opinions, perspectives, and original articles, and its focus is on our molecular understanding of biotic and abiotic stress responses in crops, highlighting, among other aspects, the role of stress hormones, secondary metabolites, signaling mechanisms, and changes in gene expression patterns and their regulation. Approaches and ideas to achieve stress tolerance and to maintain yield stability of agricultural crops during stress periods can be found in most chapters. These include also perspectives on how knowledge from model plants can be utilized to facilitate crop-plant breeding and biotechnology.
-
Sensitive assays are often based on molecular recognition. Often stability problems have limited the use of such assays. The introduction of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) eliminates such limitations. With the introduction of biosensors combined with MIPs, one gets a strong combination. This volume presents how MIPs are being produced, how MIPs are integrated in different sensor concepts and finally highlights some results in certain applications.
-
Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) are a major contributor to ongoing coral loss on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, thereby jeopardizing productivity and biodiversity of these important marine ecosystems. Controlling outbreak populations of Acanthaster spp. is considered one of the most promising strategies to halt or reverse widespread declines in live coral cover. Effective management of crown-of-thorns starfish is, however, conditional on improved understanding of their biology and ecology. While crown-of-thorns starfish are arguably the most extensively studied of any single coral reef species, there remain considerable gaps in our knowledge of their basic biology and ecology. This edited monograph presents the latest research and significant advances in understanding and managing outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish.
-
Networks of coordinated interactions among biological entities govern a myriad of biological functions that span a wide range of both length and time scales—from ecosystems to individual cells and from years to milliseconds. For these networks, the concept “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” applies as a norm rather than an exception. Meanwhile, continued advances in molecular biology and high-throughput technology have enabled a broad and systematic interrogation of whole-cell networks, allowing the investigation of biological processes and functions at unprecedented breadth and resolution—even down to the single-cell level. The explosion of biological data, especially molecular-level intracellular data, necessitates new paradigms for unraveling the complexity of biological networks and for understanding how biological functions emerge from such networks. These paradigms introduce new challenges related to the analysis of networks in which quantitative approaches such as machine learning and mathematical modeling play an indispensable role. The Special Issue on “Biological Networks” showcases advances in the development and application of in silico network modeling and analysis of biological systems.
-
The intention of the Special Issue ""Biological and Biogenic Crystallization"" was to create an international platform aimed at covering a broad field of results involving the crystallization of biological molecules, including virus and protein crystallization, biogenic crystallization including physiological and pathological crystallization taking place in living organisms (human beings, animals, plants, bacteria, etc.), and bio-inspired crystallization. Despite many years of research on biological and biogenic crystals, there are still open questions as well as hot and timely topics. This Special Issue contains seven articles that present a cross-section of the current research activities in the of field of biological and biogenic crystals. The authors of the presented articles prove the vibrant and topical nature of this field. We hope that this Special Issue will serve as a source of inspiration for future investigations, and will be useful for scientists and researchers who work on the exploration of biological and biogenic crystals.
-
ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. [Natural secondary metabolite products, which are isolated from plants, animals, microorganisms, etc., are classified as polyketides, isoprenoids, aromatics (phenylpropanoids), alkaloids, etc. Their chemical diversity and variety of biological activities have attracted the attention of chemists, biochemists, biologists, etc. The Special Issue on "Biological Activity of Natural Secondary Metabolite Products" is intended to offer biological active natural products as candidates and/or leads for pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, functional foods, cosmetics, food additives, etc. The research fields of this Special Issue include natural products chemistry, phytochemistry, pharmacognosy, food chemistry, bioorganic synthetic chemistry, chemical biology, molecular biology, molecular pharmacology, and other related research fields of bioactive natural secondary metabolite products. Original research and review articles on all topics in these research fields are invited. I am looking forward to receiving many submissions from outstanding experts in these research fields.]
-
The high demand and depletion of petroleum reserves and the associated impact on the environment, together with volatility in the energy market price over the past three decades, have led to tremendous efforts in bio-based research activities, especially in biofuels and biochemicals. Most people associate petroleum with gasoline, however, approximately 6000 petroleum-derived products are available on the market today. Ironically, these petroleum-derived products have not elicited a high level of interest among the populace and media due, in part, to little awareness of the origins of these important products. Given the finite nature of petroleum, it is critical to devote substantial amounts of energy and resources on the development of renewable chemicals, as is currently done for fuels. Theoretically, the bioproduction of gasoline-like fuels and the 6000 petroleum-derived products are within the realm of possibility since our aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems contain abundant and diverse microorganisms capable of catalyzing unlimited numbers of reactions. Moreover, the fields of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have evolved to the point that a wide range of microorganisms can be enticed or manipulated to catalyze foreign, or improve indigenous, biosynthetic reactions. To increase the concentration of products of interest and to ensure consistent productivity and yield, compatible fermentation processes must be used. Greater agricultural and chemical production during the past three decades, due in part to population increase and industrialization, has generated increasing levels of waste, which must be treated prior to discharge into waterways or wastewater treatment plants. Thus, in addition to the need to understand the physiology and metabolism of microbial catalysts of biotechnological significance, development of cost-effective fermentation strategies to produce biofuels and chemicals of interests while generating minimal waste, or better yet, converting waste into value-added products, is crucial. In this Special Issue, we invite authors to submit original research and review articles that increase our understanding of fermentation technology vis-à-vis production of liquid biofuels and biochemicals, and fermentation strategies that alleviate product toxicity to the fermenting microorganism while enhancing productivity. Further, original research articles and reviews focused on anaerobic digestion, production of gaseous biofuels, fermentation optimization using modelling and simulations, metabolic engineering, or development of tailor-made fermentation processes are welcome.
-
Research and technology developments in bioenergy and biochemical production systems are of the utmost importance for the development of next generation, highly efficient biomass conversion concepts, maximizing the total energy and chemical output. The utilization of non-conventional biomasses and unexploited residual resources (e.g., agriculture and agroindustry wastes), innovative solutions for online monitoring and process control, novel biochemical pathways, microbial platforms and reactor technologies are key issues to be addressed. Though conventional technologies are constantly developing and novel processes are continually emerging, major challenges have still to be solved, such as the design of high performance and cost-effective technologies for the production of bioenergy (gaseous, liquid, sold biofuels, heat, renewable electricity) and biochemicals from residual resources from a biorefinery point of view, where the potential of the biomass and residual waste streams is fully valorized. In this context, evaluation of the environmental, technological, economical, and social sustainability of the concepts developed is of utmost importance. The main objective of this Special Issue is, therefore, to provide cost-effective and technologically sound solutions for next generation bioenergy and biochemical production systems.
-
Compared to conventional chemical technologies and other similar industrial processes, bioprocesses represent a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative for the production of fuels and platform chemicals. In biorefineries, different kinds of feedstocks, such as biomass or lignocellulosic materials in general, can be used and fermented by microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, algae), after some pretreatment steps, to produce high added-value metabolites. More recently, wastes, wastewaters and also waste gases have been shown to be suitable for resource recovery or for their bioconversion to (bio)fuels (e.g., ethanol, butanol, hexanol, biodiesel, biohydrogen, biogas) or other commercial products (e.g., biopolymers). In this sense, much effort has also been made to bioconvert greenhouse gases, such as CO2, into useful products. The goal of this Special Issue is to publish both recent innovative research data, as well as review papers on the fermentation of different types of substrates to commercial (bio)fuels and (bio)products, mainly focusing on the bioconversion of pollutants in solid, liquid, or gas phases (wastes, wastewaters, waste gases).
-
The importance of bioactive natural compounds in pharmacology and other biotechnological fields has stimulated the scientific community to explore new environmental contexts and their associated microbial diversity. As the largest frontier in biological discovery, the sea represents a significant source of organisms producing novel secondary metabolites with interesting bioactivities. Of the available biological material, fungi have received increasing consideration, both due to their pervasive occurrence in varying habitats as well as their aptitude to develop symbiotic associations with higher organisms in numerous contexts. In many cases, fungal strains have been reported as the real producers of drugs originally extracted from marine plants and animals. Due to the constantly increasing number of marine-derived fungi yielding valuable bioactive products, it is now appropriate to present these findings to a recipient audience in a more organized form. This Special Issue of Marine Drugs, entitled “Bioactive Compounds from Marine-Derived Aspergillus, Penicillium, Talaromyces, and Trichoderma Species"" is specifically focused on a few genera of ascomycetous fungi which are widespread regarding marine contexts and are particularly inclined to establishing symbiotic relationships. For this project, we welcome submissions of full research papers, short notes, and review articles reporting the discovery and characterization of products showing antibiotic, antitumor, antiviral, insecticidal, antimalarial, antifouling, antioxidant, plant growth-promoting and/or resistance-inducing, as well as other less-exploited activities.
-
During the last decade, a high volume of work has been published on the health-promoting effects of berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, etc.) that are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals, polyphenols. Consuming a diet rich in polyphenols has been documented to attenuate the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes mellitus, and neurodegenerative disorders. Recent evidence also reveals that the biological effects of polyphenols extend beyond their traditional antioxidant role. This Special Issue includes 10 peer-reviewed papers, including original research papers and reviews. They present the most recent advances in the role of berry antioxidants, not only in maintaining health but also in preventing and/or reversing disease both in cell culture, animal models and in humans. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways modulated by berry antioxidants are presented. Chapters include the role of berry antioxidants in whole fruit and leaves on the metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes and glucose intolerance, cancer, inflammation, oxidative stress and neuroprotection as well as cardiovascular disease. As a guest editor, I would like to acknowledge the authors of all chapters for their valuable contributions and reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive suggestions and time. Special thanks to the publishing team of the Antioxidants Journal for their professionalism, attention to detail and timely completion of this volume.
-
Folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and riboflavin play a key role as coenzymes in one-carbon metabolism which, in turn, is essential for a broad range of fundamental physiological processes, including RNA and DNA synthesis, cell division, tissue growth and methylation. Deficiencies or imbalance of B-vitamins, as well as genetic polymorphisms and environmental factors, are shown to disturb the normal function of one-carbon metabolism with adverse effects on human health. Although a vast volume of research has already been conducted in this area, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge that require further investigations. This Special Issue of Nutrients invited submission of manuscripts, original research or reviews of the scientific literature, focused on novel findings in relation to B-vitamins and one-carbon metabolism in terms of: metabolic roles and molecular mechanisms; gene–nutrient interactions; fetal growth and programing; risk of disease (birth defects and pregnancy related conditions, cancer, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, neuropsychiatric disease, osteoporosis); health effects of B-vitamin supplementation and food fortification.
-
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the West, and vascular disease is the most common cardiovascular clinical problem. The disease results in serious morbidity and mortality, and carries economic cost implications. While conventional risk factors are well established, and their biomarkers regularly monitored, patients may continue to suffer subclinical active disease, even in the absence of risk factors, until they present with sudden cardiac death or stroke. Early disease detection using direct imaging has shown to be more accurate in identifying vulnerable patients and unstable plaques than conventional risk factors. This IJMS issue deals with the current opinion concerning the state-of-the-art imaging technologies available for clinical applications and their unique value over the sole use of conventional risk factor analysis, in identifying vulnerable patients, recommending aggressive treatments, prognosticating, and in assessing related nutritional and environmental issues.
-
Aptamers are in vitro selected oligonucleotides capable of specific, high-affinity binding to a wide variety of target molecules. These features enable their application in diagnostics, therapeutics, targeted delivery, fluorescence imaging, and biosensing. Aptamers are isolated via the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), an iterative cycle of selection and amplification steps that enriches a randomly synthesised oligonucleotide library to a pool of specific, high-affinity aptamers. Since the inception of aptamers in 1990, the methods by which aptamers are selected have been improved, yielding a robust system capable of producing aptamers rapidly and at low cost. Recently, there has been an explosion in the field of aptamers including innovations in enhanced selection strategies, bioinformatics approaches, riboswitches, unnatural base pairs, nucleic acid nanostructures, and DNAzymes. This book combines excellent reviews with primary research articles to provide multidisciplinary perspectives on the frontiers of aptamer science in 2018.
-
The history of science can teach modern men that our understanding of life is to a great extent based on the accuracy of the analytical methods that we use and, on our readiness to oppose dogmatic opinions, which are based on outdated methods and black/white approaches to the major questions raised by mankind in the past. The recent decades have brought a lot of new insights into the fundamentals of the active principles of reactive oxygen species that are necessary for living cells, but which also cause dangerous pathophysiological processes. Accordingly, although they were previously considered to be the most undesired toxic compounds generated as the final products of the oxidative degradation of lipids, reactive aldehydes are now considered to play important roles both in health and in major diseases. Represented mostly by 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), a substance discovered only fifty years ago, reactive aldehydes are the focus of research not only because of their toxicity but also because of their positive effects regulating the most important metabolic processes such as growth of living cells or the death of cells. Better understanding the interactions between reactive aldehydes and natural or synthetic antioxidant substances might eventually help us to better monitor, prevent and control modern diseases, thus building pillars for the development of the modern, multidisciplinary life sciences and integrative medicine of the 21st century.
-
Starting from a kinase of interest, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has gone far beyond an average biomolecule. Being expressed in all mammalian cell types and probably having a counterpart in every eukaryotic cell, AMPK has attracted interest in virtually all areas of biological research. Structural and biophysical insights have greatly contributed to a molecular understanding of this kinase. From good old protein biochemistry to modern approaches, such as systems biology and advanced microscopy, all disciplines have provided important information. Thus, multiple links to cellular events and subcellular localizations have been established. Moreover, the crucial involvement of AMPK in human health and disease has been evidenced. AMPK accordingly has moved from an interesting enzyme to a pharmacological target. However, despite our extensive current knowledge about AMPK, the growing community is busier than ever. This book provides a snapshot of recent and current AMPK research with an emphasis on work providing molecular insight, including but not limited to novel physiological and pathological functions, or regulatory mechanisms. Up-to-date reviews and research articles are included.
-
Neuroimmunity is a relative new and rapidly expanding area of interest that critically impacts normal brain function and a wide range of neurological disorders. Neuroimmune mechanisms operate within the nervous system and between the nervous system and periphery. Glial cells of the nervous system play a primary role in neuroimmunity, through their ability to produce and respond to neuroimmune signaling factors, which serve a number of functions, such as homeostatic regulation of nervous system function and defense against insult and infection. Dysfunction of the neuroimmune system is now thought to be an important contributing factor to many disease and injury states. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a representative view of current research in this growing field, with an emphasis on the central nervous system.
-
Functional advanced biopolymers have received far less attention than renewable biomass (cellulose, rubber, etc.) used for energy production. Among the most advanced biopolymers known is chitosan. The term chitosan refers to a family of polysaccharides obtained by partial de-N-acetylation from chitin, one of the most abundant renewable resources in the biosphere. Chitosan has been firmly established as having unique material properties as well as biological activities. Either in its native form or as a chemical derivative, chitosan is amenable to being processed—typically under mild conditions—into soft materials such as hydrogels, colloidal nanoparticles, or nanofibers. Given its multiple biological properties, including biodegradability, antimicrobial effects, gene transfectability, and metal adsorption—to name but a few—chitosan is regarded as a widely versatile building block in various sectors (e.g., agriculture, food, cosmetics, pharmacy) and for various applications (medical devices, metal adsorption, catalysis, etc.). This Special Issue presents an updated account addressing some of the major applications, including also chemical and enzymatic modifications of oligos and polymers. A better understanding of the properties that underpin the use of chitin and chitosan in different fields is key for boosting their more extensive industrial utilization, as well as to aid regulatory agencies in establishing specifications, guidelines, and standards for the different types of products and applications.
-
Mathematical and computational models play an essential role in understanding the cellular metabolism. They are used as platforms to integrate current knowledge on a biological system and to systematically test and predict the effect of manipulations to such systems. The recent advances in genome sequencing techniques have facilitated the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic networks for a wide variety of organisms from microbes to human cells. These models have been successfully used in multiple biotechnological applications. Despite these advancements, modeling cellular metabolism still presents many challenges. The aim of this Research Topic is not only to expose and consolidate the state-of-the-art in metabolic modeling approaches, but also to push this frontier beyond the current edge through the introduction of innovative solutions. The articles presented in this e-book address some of the main challenges in the field, including the integration of different modeling formalisms, the integration of heterogeneous data sources into metabolic models, explicit representation of other biological processes during phenotype simulation, and standardization efforts in the representation of metabolic models and simulation results.
-
This Open Access book highlights the ethical issues and dilemmas that arise in the practice of public health. It is also a tool to support instruction, debate, and dialogue regarding public health ethics. Although the practice of public health has always included consideration of ethical issues, the field of public health ethics as a discipline is a relatively new and emerging area. There are few practical training resources for public health practitioners, especially resources which include discussion of realistic cases which are likely to arise in the practice of public health. This work discusses these issues on a case to case basis and helps create awareness and understanding of the ethics of public health care. The main audience for the casebook is public health practitioners, including front-line workers, field epidemiology trainers and trainees, managers, planners, and decision makers who have an interest in learning about how to integrate ethical analysis into their day to day public health practice. The casebook is also useful to schools of public health and public health students as well as to academic ethicists who can use the book to teach public health ethics and distinguish it from clinical and research ethics.
-
Abiotic stresses such as high temperature, low-temperature, drought and salinity limit crop productivity worldwide. Understanding plant responses to these stresses is essential for rational engineering of crop plants. In Arabidopsis, the signal transduction pathways for abiotic stresses, light, several phytohormones and pathogenesis have been elucidated. A significant portion of plant genomes (Arabidopsis and rice were mostly studied) encodes for proteins involves in signaling such as receptor, sensors, kinases, phosphatases, transcription factors and transporters/channels. Despite decades of physiological and molecular effort, knowledge pertaining to how plants sense and transduce low and high temperature, low-water availability (drought), water-submergence, microgravity and salinity signals is still a major question for plant biologist. One major constraint hampering our understanding of these signal transduction processes in plants has been the lack or slow pace of application of molecular genomic and genetics knowledge in the form of gene function. In the post-genomic era, one of the major challenges is investigation and understanding of multiple genes and gene families regulating a particular physiological and developmental aspect of plant life cycle. One of the important physiological processes is regulation of stress response, which leads to adaptation or adjustment in response to adverse stimuli. With the holistic understanding of the signaling pathways involving not only one gene family but multiple genes or gene families, plant biologist can lay a foundation for designing and generating future crops, which can withstand the higher degree of environmental stresses (especially abiotic stresses, which are the major cause of crop loss throughout the world) without losing crop yield and productivity. Therefore, in this e-Book, we intend to incorporate the contribution from leading plant biologists to elucidate several aspects of stress signaling by functional genomics approaches.
-
By means of this ‘Frontiers in Genetics’ research topic, we are celebrating 30 years of the Comet Assay. The first paper on this single-cell gel electrophoresis assay was published in 1984 by O. Ostling and K.J. Johanson (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. Vol.123: 291-298). The comet assay is a versatile and sensitive method for measuring single - and double-strand breaks in DNA. By including lesion-specific enzymes in the assay, its range and sensitivity are greatly increased, but it is important to bear in mind that their specificity is not absolute. The comet assay (with and without inclusion of lesion-specific enzymes) is widely used as a biomarker assay in human population studies - primarily to measure DNA damage, but increasingly also to assess the capacity of cells for DNA repair. Ostling and Johanson (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 1984) were also the first to report experiments to measure DNA repair, by simply following the decrease of DNA damage over time after challenging cells with ionising radiation. However, this approach is time-consuming and laborious as it requires an extended period of cell culture and is therefore not ideal for biomonitoring studies, which typically require high-throughput processing of many samples. As an alternative approach, the in vitro comet-based repair assay was developed: a cell extract is incubated with a DNA substrate containing specific lesions, and DNA incisions accumulate. The in vitro comet-based repair assay has been modified and improved over the past decade: it was first devised to measure base excision repair of oxidised purines in lymphocytes (Collins et al., Mutagenesis, 2001), but has since been adapted for other lesions and thus other repair pathways, as well as being applied to tissue samples in addition to cell suspensions. Even after 30 years, the comet assay is still in a growth phase, with many new users each year. Many questions are repeatedly raised, which may seem to have self-evident answers, but clearly, it is necessary to reiterate them for the benefit of the new audience, and sometimes being forced to think again about old topics can shed new light. Different applications of the comet assay are discussed in this special issue, including: genotoxicity testing in different organisms, human biomonitoring, DNA repair studies, environmental biomonitoring and clinical studies. Furthermore, we consider and where possible answer questions, including the ones raised by Raymond Tice at the 8th International Comet Assay Workshop in Perugia (Italy 2009): What is the spectrum of DNA damage detected by the various versions of the comet assay?; What are the limitations associated with each application?; What should be done to standardize the assay for biomonitoring studies?; Can the comet assay be used to monitor changes in global methylation status?; What cell types are suitable for detecting genotoxic substances and their effects in vivo and in vitro?; Can the assay be fully automated?; and more. So this ‘Frontiers in Genetics’ research topic is written for the beginner as well as for the experienced users of the comet assay.
-
The flaviviruses are composed almost entirely of arthropod-borne viruses, a subset of which are responsible for millions of cases of human disease each year. Among these viruses are dengue virus—a scourge throughout the tropical regions of Asia and the Americas; yellow fever virus—the “original” hemorrhagic fever virus; and the recently emerged Zika virus. While the flaviviruses are related genetically, in their structure and in their replication processes, the dissimilarity of diseases caused by the flaviviruses is remarkable. In this Special Issue, primary research articles and reviews discuss topics ranging from broadly applicable questions of nuclear translocation of viral proteins to virus-specific envelope protein epitopes that may be associated with virus attenuation. Also included in this issue are articles discussing findings with less well known flaviviruses including pegivirus and Duck Tembusu virus. The latter provides a reminder that the flaviviruses not only impact humans, but other species as well.
-
This open access book covers comprehensive but fundamental principles and concepts of disaster and accident prevention and mitigation, countermeasures, and recovery from disasters or accidents including treatment and care of the victims. Safety and security problems in our society involve not only engineering but also social, legal, economic, cultural, and psychological issues. The enhancement needed for societal safety includes comprehensive activities of all aspects from precaution to recovery, not only of people but also of governments. In this context, the authors, members of the Faculty of Societal Safety Science, Kansai University, conducted many discussions and concluded that the major strategy is consistent independently of the type and magnitude of disaster or accident, being also the principle of the foundation of our faculty.
The topics treated in this book are rather widely distributed but are well organized sequentially to provide a clear understanding of the principles of societal safety. In the first part the fundamental concepts of safety are discussed. The second part deals with risks in the societal and natural environment. Then follows, in the third part, a description of the quantitative estimation of risk and its assessment and management. The fourth part is devoted to disaster prevention, mitigation, and recovery systems. The final, fifth part presents a future perspective of societal safety science.
Thorough reading of this introductory volume of societal safety science provides a clear image of the issues. This is largely because the Japanese have suffered often from natural disasters and not only have gained much valuable information about disasters but also have accumulated a store of experience. We are still in the process of reconstruction from the Great East Japan earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. This book is especially valuable therefore in studying the safety and security of people and their societies.
-
The role of fossil planktonic foraminifera as markers for biostratigraphical zonation and correlation underpins most drilling of marine sedimentary sequences and is key to hydrocarbon exploration. Biostratigraphic and Geological Significance of Planktonic Foraminifera unifies existing biostratigraphic schemes and provides an improved correlation reflecting regional biogeographies. It presents a comprehensive analysis of existing data on fossil planktonic foraminifera genera and their phylogenetic evolution in time and space. Coverage includes presentation and discussion of rarely studied thin sections of planktonic foraminifera, allowing for new developments in dating planktonic foraminifera in carbonates and expanding their usefulness in hydrocarbon exploration.
