Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jyoti Madhusoodanan
Summary: Successful research tools and projects typically share common routes to success.
Article
Microbiology
Federica Piro, Riccardo Focaia, Zhicheng Dou, Silvia Masci, David Smith, Manlio Di Cristina
Summary: Obligate intracellular parasites have developed strategies such as forming a parasitophorous vacuole and secreting proteins to scavenge nutrients from host cells. They overcome barriers in nutrient transport by modifying host cell membrane transporters, remodeling the PV membrane, and selectively taking up substrates at the parasite plasma membrane.
Article
Parasitology
Arianne M. Brandsma, Cecilie Hilmer, Manuel Rauch, Kai Matuschewski, Georgina N. Montagna
Summary: Early transcribed membrane proteins play important roles in the parasitic process of malaria parasites. The C-terminal domain of UIS4 is essential for its function in liver stage development. Selected early transcribed membrane proteins from Plasmodium falciparum failed to substitute the function of UIS4, indicating the tailored expression of parasitophorous vacuole membrane proteins in Plasmodium parasites.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vibhuti Nandel, Jacob Scadden, Matthew A. B. Baker
Summary: This article explores the ion-powered rotational movement of bacterial flagellar motors and the use of ancestral sequence reconstruction and functional analysis to study protein evolution and ion-channel selectivity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Afef Ladhari, Giorgia La Mura, Cinzia Di Marino, Giovanni Di Fabio, Armando Zarrelli
Summary: Sartans are a group of chemical compounds with antagonistic action towards AT1 receptors of angiotensin II, playing a role in regulating blood pressure. Their presence and fate in the environment, as well as their impact in wastewater treatment plants, are significant areas of concern.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
(2021)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
John C. Ruth, Gregory Stephanopoulos
Summary: This article proposes a definition for synthetic fuels and discusses their classification based on production methods. It evaluates the scalability, sustainability, and advantages of synthetic fuels in overcoming renewable energy challenges.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Annina Bindschedler, Rahel Wacker, Jessica Egli, Nina Eickel, Jacqueline Schmuckli-Maurer, Blandine M. Franke-Fayard, Chris J. Janse, Volker T. Heussler
Summary: The protozoan parasitePlasmodium enters hepatocytes by invaginating the host cell plasma membrane and forming a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). Parasites inside a PVM trigger thePlasmodium-associated autophagy-related (PAAR) response. Traversing sporozoites can become trapped in a transient traversal vacuole, inducing a host cell response different from the PAAR response.
CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jonathan Munera Lopez, Isadonna F. Tengganu, Jun Liu, John M. Murray, Luisa F. Arias Padilla, Ying Zhang, Peter T. Brown, Laurence Florens, Ke Hu
Summary: A new component of the apical complex, Preconoidal region protein 2 (Pcr2), has been identified and characterized. Knocking out Pcr2 severely impairs the invasion and egress abilities of the parasite, likely due to defects in motility and moving junction assembly.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Martina Manes, David Lange, David Rush
Summary: This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concept of resilience, including its categories, dimensions, characteristics, capacities, objectives, and missions. The UK Standards and Codes addressing resilience are analyzed and classified, and fire resilience measures and approaches are defined. A practical example of a fire resilience framework is applied in educational buildings, highlighting the importance of considering structural and fire safety engineering in comprehensive design processes.
INDOOR AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Bo Zhang, Rui Zhang, Niccolo Bisagno, Nicola Conci, Francesco G. B. De Natale, Hongbo Liu
Summary: The proposed framework utilizes encoder-decoder and LSTM modules, along with social and physical attention mechanisms, to accurately predict individual and group behaviors in complex scenarios. Experiments demonstrate its effectiveness on standard crowd benchmarks.
ACM TRANSACTIONS ON MULTIMEDIA COMPUTING COMMUNICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn, Joel Tarning, Sasithon Pukrittayakamee, Kesinee Chotivanich
Summary: The emergence of artemisinin resistance poses a major obstacle to global malaria eradication programs. However, resistant infections can still be effectively treated by modifying treatment regimens and combining with other antimalarial drugs.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth W. Phillips, Alexander Kotrschal
Summary: This study utilized the expertise of dive centers to refine citizen science in tracking the spread of invasive lionfish in the Mediterranean Sea. Results indicated that lionfish are currently mainly observed in the eastern Mediterranean, with the front of invasion moving westward, reaching as far as Corfu, Greece. In 2020, lionfish expanded their range northward on the Turkish Aegean coast, demonstrating an ongoing invasion.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
Jeanine Gezelle, Gagandeep Saggu, Sanjay A. Desai
Summary: Protozoan parasites acquire essential ions, nutrients, and other solutes from their hosts through transmembrane uptake, with ion channels and transporters mediating the process. Patch-clamp is the best method to isolate and study these transport proteins, but access is limited to a few due to specialized instrumentation and training requirements. This overview aims to help non-experts understand and critically assess patch-clamp data in basic research studies.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Luiz F. M. Iniesta, Rodrigo S. S. Bouzan, Jackson C. C. Means, Kaloyan Ivanov, Antonio D. D. Brescovit
Summary: Millipedes with limited dispersal abilities are important for biogeographic studies. This study focused on the Neotropical Spirostreptida order in Brazil and proposed six areas of endemism for its 133 species. The Atlantic Forest was found to be the richest biome and the most important area of endemism, while the southeastern region of Brazil had the highest species richness but also the highest concentration of threatened species. Most Brazilian Spirostreptida were classified as endangered or critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Fuyuki Tokumasu, Eri H. Hayakawa, Junpei Fukumoto, Suzumi M. Tokuoka, Shinya Miyazaki
Summary: Malaria parasites use the host erythrocyte membrane structure to establish a logistics system, regulating lipid metabolism for synthesis and recycling, affecting lipid composition of parasitized erythrocytes and potentially altering biophysical and mechanical properties of organelles and vesicles, thus influencing molecular transportation.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
Sara Silva Pereira, Andrew P. Jackson, Luisa M. Figueiredo
Summary: An intriguing and remarkable feature of African trypanosomes is their antigenic variation system, mediated by the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) family. Recent studies have revealed that the VSG repertoire has a complex evolutionary history and plays a key role in immune evasion and disease epidemiology. The diversity in sequence, genomic organization, and expression patterns within the VSG family may explain variations in parasite virulence and disease pathology, indicating a need for further exploration of their functional roles.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Gavin Mackenzie, Rasmus W. Jensen, Thomas Lavstsen, Thomas D. Otto
Summary: This study developed a tool called Varia to predict near full-length gene sequences and domain compositions of query genes from short sequence tags in the database. The tool can accurately predict var gene sequences and domain compositions, providing valuable information for further research on the interaction between pathogens and hosts.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jason Somers, Marcos Georgiades, Matthew P. Su, Judit Bagi, Marta Andres, Alexandros Alampounti, Gordon Mills, Watson Ntabaliba, Sarah J. Moore, Roberta Spaccapelo, Joerg T. Albert
Summary: Mating swarms of malaria mosquitoes form at sunset, and the synchronization of male and female activity is crucial. Male mosquitoes increase their flight tones to enhance the audibility of females, particularly during swarm formation.
Editorial Material
Infectious Diseases
Jannik Fonager, Marc Bennedbaek, Peter Bager, Jan Wohlfahrt, Kirsten Maren Ellegaard, Anna Cacilia Ingham, Sofie Marie Edslev, Marc Stegger, Raphael Niklaus Sieber, Ria Lassauniere, Anders Fomsgaard, Troels Lillebaek, Christina Wiid Svarrer, Frederik Trier Moller, Camilla Holten Moller, Rebecca Legarth, Thomas Vognbjerg Sydenham, Kat Steinke, Sarah Juel Paulsen, Jose Alfredo Samaniego Castruita, Uffe Vest Schneider, Christian Hojte Schouw, Xiaohui Chen Nielsen, Maria Overvad, Rikke Thoft Nielsen, Rasmus L. Marvig, Martin Schou Pedersen, Lene Nielsen, Line Lynge Nilsson, Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm, Irene Harder Tarpgaard, Tine Snejbjerg Ebsen, Janni Uyen Hoa Lam, Vithiagaran Gunalan, Morten Rasmussen
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alexandrina Pancheva, Helen Wheadon, Simon Rogers, Thomas D. Otto
Summary: Cell-cell interactions play a crucial role in various biological processes. Most existing methods for studying cell interactions rely on curated databases, limiting our understanding. A new method based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is introduced to detect gene changes resulting from interactions. This method does not require prior clustering or synthetic reference profiles, and has been successfully applied to both synthetic and real datasets.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Antonella Mencacci, Alessio Gili, Barbara Camilloni, Giulia Bicchieraro, Roberta Spaccapelo, Carla Bietta, Fabrizio Stracci
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant may cause immediate reinfection in patients who have just recovered from Delta infection, while no immediate reinfection was observed for other variant combinations.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Erica M. Pasini, Annemarie Voorberg van der Wel, Nicole Heijmans, Onny Klop, Anne-Marie Zeeman, Herman Oostermeijer, Ivonne Nieuwenhuis, Roberto Rodriguez Garcia, Nicole Onur van der Werff, Sam O. Hofman, Frank A. W. Verreck, Edmond J. Remarque, Bart W. Faber, Clemens H. M. Kocken
Summary: Vaccine development for Plasmodium vivax is lagging behind other types of malaria. A study on a macaque model with relapsing malaria showed that limited blood-stage parasite exposure may enhance protection.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gabriel Mitchell, Guglielmo Roma, Annemarie van der Wel, Martin Beibel, Anne-Marie Zeeman, Sven Schuierer, Laura Torres, Erika L. L. Flannery, Clemens H. M. Kocken, Sebastian A. A. Mikolajczak, Thierry T. T. Diagana
Summary: This study characterized the host gene expression in rhesus macaque hepatocytes infected with Plasmodium cynomolgi, identifying specific host pathways modulated during the exo-erythrocytic stage of the parasite. It provides valuable insights into the interaction between hepatocytes and the parasite during relapsing malaria infection.
Article
Immunology
Blandine Franke-Fayard, Catherin Marin-Mogollon, Fiona J. A. Geurten, Severine Chevalley-Maurel, Jai Ramesar, Hans Kroeze, Els Baalbergen, Els Wessels, Ludivine Baron, Valerie Soulard, Thomas Martinson, Maya Aleshnick, Antonius T. G. Huijs, Amit K. Subudhi, Yukiko Miyazaki, Ahmad Syibli Othman, Surendra Kumar Kolli, Olivia A. C. Lamers, Magali Roques, Rebecca R. Stanway, Sean C. Murphy, Lander Foquet, Diana Moita, Antonio M. Mendes, Miguel Prudencio, Koen J. Dechering, Volker T. Heussler, Arnab Pain, Brandon K. Wilder, Meta Roestenberg, Chris J. Janse
Summary: This study describes the generation of a potential LA-GAP for malaria through gene deletion, which showed growth arrest in a human liver-chimeric mouse model and sensitivity to antimalarial drugs. The findings support further clinical evaluation of this mutant.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Cavagna, Irene Giardina, Michela Anna Gucciardino, Gloria Iacomelli, Max Lombardi, Stefania Melillo, Giulia Monacchia, Leonardo Parisi, Matthew J. Peirce, Roberta Spaccapelo
Summary: This study documented the swarm-like behavior of both male and female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes in a lab-based setting. It also revealed different mating strategies and competition between individuals in different types of swarms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jose Luis Ruiz, Susanne Reimering, Juan David Escobar-Prieto, Nicolas M. B. Brancucci, Diego F. Echeverry, Abdirahman Abdi, Matthias Marti, Elena Gomez-Diaz, Thomas D. Otto
Summary: Recent advances in long read technologies have allowed large consortia to sequence all eukaryotes on Earth and individual laboratories to sequence their species of interest with low investment. The ILRA pipeline has been implemented to correct long read-based assemblies, resulting in improved genome sequences and reduced errors.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ilaria D'Agostino, Susi Zara, Simone Carradori, Viviana De Luca, Clemente Capasso, Clemens H. M. Kocken, Anne-Marie Zeeman, Andrea Angeli, Fabrizio Carta, Claudiu T. Supuran
Summary: The hybrid compounds synthesized in this study, which combine the Artesunate core with a sulfonamide moiety, showed high inhibition potency against the protozoan PfCA, while exhibiting low cytotoxic effects on human cells, indicating a wide therapeutic window.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paneeraq Noahsen, Louise Lohmann Fabers, Silvia Isidor, Jannik Fonagers, Morten Rasmussens, Hansen L. Henrik
Summary: Greenland implemented strict measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully contained the virus before the vaccination rollout. After vaccination, the number of confirmed cases increased, but the overall mortality rate remained low.
Article
Virology
Elisabetta Schiaroli, Anna Gidari, Giovanni Brachelente, Giulia Bicchieraro, Roberta Spaccapelo, Sabrina Bastianelli, Sara Pierucci, Chiara Busti, Carlo Pallotto, Lisa Malincarne, Barbara Camilloni, Flavio Falcinelli, Giuseppe Vittorio De Socio, Alfredo Villa, Antonella Mencacci, Daniela Francisci
Summary: The study found that Tixagevimab-cilgavimab cannot be considered a substitute for vaccination, but it may be a useful supporting therapy if the recommended dose for pre-exposure prophylaxis is doubled.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
William Haese-Hill, Kathryn Crouch, Thomas D. Otto
Summary: In this study, peaks2utr, an easy-to-use Python command line tool, is presented to accurately annotate 30 UTRs for a given canonical annotation using UTR enrichment of single-cell technologies, such as 10x Chromium. This addresses the open problem of annotation of nonmodel organisms.