Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Robert Schleif, Manuel Espinosa
Summary: The recent breakthrough in predicting the tertiary structure of proteins from their amino acid sequence has greatly excited and benefited the biological-biochemical community. The computer-based approaches, AlphaFold2 and RoseTTAFold, together with factors such as vast computing power, artificial intelligence, and protein sequence databases have played a crucial role in this advancement. The development of these tools relied on the progress in electronic components over the past 50 years. Now, it is worth considering what the next grand challenge in biochemistry-biology might be.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Peripheral Vascular Disease
John W. Funder, Robert M. Carey
Summary: Primary aldosteronism, the most common secondary form of hypertension, may have a higher prevalence than previously estimated. The screening rate for primary aldosteronism is currently low, and more research is needed to explore screening and treatment methods.
Article
Ophthalmology
Penelope J. Allen
Summary: Researchers have been working on developing retinal prostheses, or bionic eyes, since the 1960s to restore functional vision to severely visually impaired patients. Despite clinical trials and regulatory approvals, the challenges of developing suitable devices for implantation and commercial distribution remain significant. Ongoing research is focusing on simpler surgery and improved visual processing algorithms to provide a viable commercial alternative.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Yongheng Yang, Xiaolu Zhang
Summary: Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA) includes perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and distal cholangiocarcinoma, which can occur at any point in the bile duct and originate from different anatomical sites. The incidence of eCCA is increasing globally. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for early stage eCCA, but high risk of recurrence in unresectable or metastatic disease limits optimal survival. Intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity make it difficult to determine targeted therapies. This review focuses on current findings in eCCA, including epidemiology, genomic abnormalities, molecular pathogenesis, tumor microenvironment, and potential treatment strategies based on understanding the complex tumorigenesis.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ahinsa Gunatilaka, Michelle L. Giles
Summary: RSV is a common virus leading to acute lower respiratory tract infection, causing significant morbidity and mortality in infants globally. Prevention is crucial as there is currently no effective treatment, with monoclonal antibodies and vaccines being the main approaches. Maternal RSV vaccination is of particular interest for protecting infants during their most vulnerable period.
HUMAN VACCINES & IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mordechai Segev, Miguel A. Bandres
Summary: Topological photonics, as one of the most active research areas in optics, has proven itself as an excellent platform for experimenting with concepts from condensed matter physics. It has also sparked new fundamental ideas and exciting applications that could potentially lead to real technologies in the near future.
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin Mudrak, Sara Bosshart, Wolfram Koch, Allison Leung, Donna Minton, Mitsuo Sawamoto, Sarah Tegen
Summary: ChemRxiv was launched in 2017 as a platform for immediate sharing of research in chemistry and related fields. Over the past five years, it has become the premier preprint server for the chemical sciences, with a global audience and diverse scholarly content that accelerates scientific progress. As ChemRxiv celebrates its fifth anniversary, it looks forward to future advancements.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ludovic Jourdin, Thomas Burdyny
Summary: The technology of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) offers opportunities and challenges in converting CO2 into valuable products, requiring collaboration across multiple disciplines. Future efforts will focus on designing efficient reactors for biocatalysts, while leveraging lessons learned from other fields to improve performance. Research into robust and adaptable biocatalysts will be necessary as the technology evolves into larger and more efficient configurations.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin Mudrak, Sara Bosshart, Wolfram Koch, Allison Leung, Donna Minton, Mitsuo Sawamoto, Sarah Tegen
Summary: ChemRxiv, launched in 2017, has become the leading preprint server for the chemical sciences, providing researchers with a platform to share their latest research and advancing scientific progress globally.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
David John Williams
Summary: Different approaches to tailings management are adopted worldwide due to site settings and local practices. Tailings dam failures continue to occur, highlighting the need for new technologies and innovations to change the current reliance on a net present value approach.
Editorial Material
Hematology
Pamela B. Allen
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of targeting the NF-kappa B pathway with oral dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in certain patients with mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome (MF/SS).
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Adaora A. Adimora, Catalina Ramirez, Tonia Poteat, Nancie M. Archin, Dawn Averitt, Judith D. Auerbach, Allison L. Agwu, Judith Currier, Monica Gandhi
Summary: New diagnoses of HIV infection among women in the USA have decreased overall, but significant racial and geographical disparities persist. The federal government aims to reduce the number of new infections nationwide by 90% within the next 10 years, highlighting the need for greater inclusion of US women in clinical research, improved prevention and treatment efforts, and universal access to healthcare and supportive services to empower women in their HIV prevention and care. Ending the epidemic also requires addressing and eliminating race, class, and gender inequities, as well as discrimination and structural violence that fuel the spread of HIV in the USA.
Editorial Material
Virology
Ronald C. C. Desrosiers
Summary: The seven AIDS vaccine efficacy trials have been highly disappointing and costly. It is necessary to have stricter criteria for government support of such trials.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Arvin Hadlos, Aaron Opdyke, S. Ali Hadigheh
Summary: The embeddedness of local and indigenous communities in their environments has led to the development of local and indigenous knowledge (LIK), which plays a significant role in disaster risk reduction (DRR) scholarship. The study found various strategies adopted by communities, with a concentration of research in middle- and high-income countries. Efforts to integrate different knowledge and power spheres are increasingly prominent in disaster research, and the recognition of LIK in the Sendai Framework indicates its importance in DRR efforts.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
(2022)
Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Aaron S. Kesselheim
Summary: The FDA's approval of aducanumab as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease in June 2021 caused significant impact and led to calls for changes to the accelerated approval pathway.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Geology
Qianqi Zhang, Bo Wang, Daran Zheng, Jiahao Li, Xueheng Wang, Edmund A. Jarzembowski, Chunpeng Xu, Ting Li, Haichun Zhang, Michael S. Engel
Summary: Resource pulses play a significant role in nutrient transport between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The discovery of complex mayfly mating-swarm behavior in the Early Jurassic highlights the ecological significance of insects in deep-time terrestrial ecology.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andressa C. Nascimento, Jose Montalva, John S. Ascher, Michael S. Engel, Daniel P. Silva
Summary: Climate change affects the distribution range of Bombus funebris in South America, causing it to retract and disperse to higher elevations. The loss of its crucial role in pollination in the Andes could have implications for insect conservation.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ales Bucek, Menglin Wang, Jan Sobotnik, Simon Hellemans, David Sillam-Dusses, Nobuaki Mizumoto, Petr Stiblik, Crystal Clitheroe, Tomer Lu, Juan Jose Gonzalez Plaza, Alma Mohagan, Jean-Jacques Rafanomezantsoa, Brian Fisher, Michael S. Engel, Yves Roisin, Theodore A. Evans, Rudolf Scheffrahn, Thomas Bourguignon
Summary: This study inferred the phylogenetic tree of Kalotermitidae using mitochondrial genomes and revealed that early-diverging kalotermitid lineages had disjunctions predating the breakup of Gondwana. Most of the disjunctions between biogeographic realms occurred in the last 50 million years, indicating that transoceanic and human-mediated dispersals have driven the global distribution of Kalotermitidae. The study also suggests that early-diverging kalotermitids had the ability to forage among multiple wood pieces.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Qian-Qi Zhang, Da-Ran Zheng, Edmund A. Jarzembowski, Xue-Heng Wang, Jia-Hao Li, Michael S. Engel
Summary: This study reports a new genus and species, Jurassephemera zhangi, discovered in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. This extinct genus belongs to the family Sharephemeridae and is characterized by its moderate size and unique wing venation structure. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the diversity and paleogeographic distribution of Sharephemeridae in China.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Vincent Perrichot, Brendon E. Boudinot, Michael S. Engel, Chunpeng Xu, Blazej Bojarski, Jacek Szwedo
Summary: The Early Miocene amber of Ethiopia provides a new source of fossil ants for Africa. The study reveals the presence of six subfamilies and at least 19 genera, which are still common in the Afrotropics today. This is the first report of amber fossils from the subfamily Dolichoderinae, including the description of two new species.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hongru Yang, Michael S. Engel, Weiwei Zhang, Dong Ren, Taiping Gao
Article
Geology
Yuan Peng, Ri-xin Jiang, Chao Shi, Weicai Song, Xiaoxuan Long, Michael S. Engel, Shuo Wang
Summary: A new subfamily of fossil auger beetles from the mid-Cretaceous of northern Myanmar is described. The subfamily is distinguished by unique characteristics and is currently represented by one genus and species. The presence of charcoal-like fragments with one specimen suggests a potential association with fire-prone habitats, which could have contributed to the formation of amber deposits.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Jakub Prokop, Andre Nel, Michael S. Engel
Summary: The Paleozoic insect fauna provides unique insights into key innovations in insect evolution, such as the origin of wings and modifications of postembryonic development. Most contemporary insect orders originated in the Late Paleozoic, but these estimates reflect divergences between stem groups rather than the appearance of crown groups. Fossil record shows the initial radiations of extant hyperdiverse clades during the Early Permian, as well as the specialized fauna before the End Permian mass extinction.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
David Sillam-Dusses, Vojtech Jandak, Petr Stiblik, Olivier Delattre, Thomas Chouvenc, Ondrej Balvin, Josef Cvacka, Delphine Soulet, Jiri Synek, Marek Brothanek, Ondrej Jiricek, Michael S. Engel, Thomas Bourguignon, Jan Sobotnik
Summary: The study reveals that vibration and chemical signals are the main means of alarm communication in termites and wood roaches. Vibration signals are a shared characteristic of both termites and wood roaches, while chemical signals have independently evolved in multiple cockroach groups and at least two termite species. The complexity of vibration and chemical alarm signaling patterns is correlated with phylogenetic position, food type, foraging area size, and nesting habits.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoxuan Long, Yuan Peng, Qi Feng, Michael S. Engel, Chao Shi, Shuo Wang
Summary: This article reports a new genus of Dryopteridaceae based on a well-preserved fertile specimen frond in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, representing the first fossil record of Dryopteridaceae from the Mesozoic. The age of this fossil is consistent with molecular-based estimates of divergence time, and it expands our understanding of polypod fern diversity in Mesozoic forests.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Ya-Ni Tang, An-Cheng Peng, Zi-Ying Wu, Michael S. Engel, Zi-Zhong Yang, Yu Liu
Summary: Although there is a diverse spider fauna in Kachin amber, species of the family Macrothelidae have been scarce. This study reports the first fossil occurrence of Macrothelidae, represented by a well-preserved adult female specimen of a new genus and species. The discovery refines existing calibration points for phylogenetic work on mygalomorph diversification and contributes to our understanding of Cretaceous spider diversity in southern Asia.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Yuqing Yin, Chungkun Shih, Michael S. Engel, Dong Ren
Summary: Two new genera and species of Dermaptera are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Applanatiforceps angustus belongs to the archidermapteran family Protodiplatyidae, and Ekpagloderma gracilentum belongs to the eodermapteran family Semenoviolidae. The discovery of these two new species enriches the fossil record of Dermaptera and highlights the diversity within this group.
Article
Entomology
Andre Nel, Romain Garrouste, Michael S. Engel
Summary: Eornithoica grimaldii gen. et sp. nov., the earliest known Pupipara, was discovered in the lower Eocene of the Green River Formation. This fossil, dating back to around 52 Ma, suggests that epizooic ectoparasitic flies may have originated during the Paleocene or late Cretaceous, preceding the first bats. E. grimaldii likely parasitized birds or terrestrial mammals, exhibiting plesiomorphic characteristics. This study highlights the significance of examining fossil insects under UV light for obtaining new information.
Article
Entomology
Chen-yang Cai, Erik Tihelka, Xing-yue Liu, Michael S. Engel
Summary: The exponential growth of large-scale data for Neuropterida has greatly improved our understanding of the origin and evolution of lacewings and their allies. Recent phylogenomic studies based on various data sources have provided a well-resolved and congruent phylogeny, although some interfamilial relationships remain inconsistent.
Article
Entomology
Michael S. Engel, Hollister W. Herhold, Phillip Barden
Summary: This article describes the first fossil proctotrupid wasp found in Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber. The newly discovered species, Astarteserphus grimaldii, is distinct from all other living and fossil proctotrupids and is classified in its own subfamily called Astarteserphinae. The article also provides a key to the living and fossil subfamilies and tribes of Proctotrupidae and includes a brief discussion on the unique features and small size of the fossil.