All Papers

Mirza Hasanuzzaman, M. H. M. Borhannuddin Bhuyan, Faisal Zulfiqar, Ali Raza et al.

Global climate change and associated adverse abiotic stress conditions, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals, waterlogging, extreme temperatures, oxygen deprivation, etc., greatly influence plant growth and development, ultimately affecting crop yield and quality, as well as agricultural sustainability in general. Plant cells produce oxygen radicals and their derivatives, so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS), during various processes associated with abiotic stress. Moreover, the generation of ROS is a fundamental process in higher plants and employs to transmit cellular signaling information in response to the changing environmental conditions. One of the most crucial consequences of abiotic stress is the disturbance of the equilibrium between the generation of ROS and antioxidant defense systems triggering the excessive accumulation of ROS and inducing oxidative stress in plants. Notably, the equilibrium between the detoxification and generation of ROS is maintained by both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense systems under harsh environmental stresses. Although this field of research has attracted massive interest, it largely remains unexplored, and our understanding of ROS signaling remains poorly understood. In this review, we have documented the recent advancement illustrating the harmful effects of ROS, antioxidant defense system involved in ROS detoxification under different abiotic stresses, and molecular cross-talk with other important signal molecules such as reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and carbonyl species. In addition, state-of-the-art molecular approaches of ROS-mediated improvement in plant antioxidant defense during the acclimation process against abiotic stresses have also been discussed.

Mirza Hasanuzzaman, Kamrun Nahar, Md. Shahidul Alam, Rajib Roychowdhury et al.

High temperature (HT) stress is a major environmental stress that limits plant growth, metabolism, and productivity worldwide. Plant growth and development involve numerous biochemical reactions that are sensitive to temperature. Plant responses to HT vary with the degree and duration of HT and the plant type. HT is now a major concern for crop production and approaches for sustaining high yields of crop plants under HT stress are important agricultural goals. Plants possess a number of adaptive, avoidance, or acclimation mechanisms to cope with HT situations. In addition, major tolerance mechanisms that employ ion transporters, proteins, osmoprotectants, antioxidants, and other factors involved in signaling cascades and transcriptional control are activated to offset stress-induced biochemical and physiological alterations. Plant survival under HT stress depends on the ability to perceive the HT stimulus, generate and transmit the signal, and initiate appropriate physiological and biochemical changes. HT-induced gene expression and metabolite synthesis also substantially improve tolerance. The physiological and biochemical responses to heat stress are active research areas, and the molecular approaches are being adopted for developing HT tolerance in plants. This article reviews the recent findings on responses, adaptation, and tolerance to HT at the cellular, organellar, and whole plant levels and describes various approaches being taken to enhance thermotolerance in plants.

Amy H.Y. Tong, Marie Evangelista, Ainslie B. Parsons, Hong Xu et al.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, more than 80% of the approximately 6200 predicted genes are nonessential, implying that the genome is buffered from the phenotypic consequences of genetic perturbation. To evaluate function, we developed a method for systematic construction of double mutants, termed synthetic genetic array (SGA) analysis, in which a query mutation is crossed to an array of approximately 4700 deletion mutants. Inviable double-mutant meiotic progeny identify functional relationships between genes. SGA analysis of genes with roles in cytoskeletal organization (BNI1, ARP2, ARC40, BIM1), DNA synthesis and repair (SGS1, RAD27), or uncharacterized functions (BBC1, NBP2) generated a network of 291 interactions among 204 genes. Systematic application of this approach should produce a global map of gene function.

Ki‐Hyun Kim, Ehsanul Kabir, Shamin Ara Jahan

Pesticides are used widely to control weeds and insect infestation in agricultural fields and various pests and disease carriers (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks, rats, and mice) in houses, offices, malls, and streets. As the modes of action for pesticides are not species-specific, concerns have been raised about environmental risks associated with their exposure through various routes (e.g., residues in food and drinking water). Although such hazards range from short-term (e.g., skin and eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea) to chronic impacts (e.g., cancer, asthma, and diabetes), their risks are difficult to elucidate due to the involvement of various factors (e.g., period and level of exposure, type of pesticide (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the affected areas). There are no groups in the human population that are completely unexposed to pesticides while most diseases are multi-causal to add considerable complexity to public health assessments. Hence, development of eco-friendly pesticide alternatives (e.g., EcoSMART) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques is desirable to reduce the impacts of pesticides. This paper was hence organized to present a comprehensive review on pesticides with respect to their types, environmental distribution, routes of exposure, and health impacts.

Md. Abdus Salam, Md. Yusuf Al-Amin, Moushumi Tabassoom Salam, Jogendra Singh Pawar et al.

Antibiotics are among the most important discoveries of the 20th century, having saved millions of lives from infectious diseases. Microbes have developed acquired antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to many drugs due to high selection pressure from increasing use and misuse of antibiotics over the years. The transmission and acquisition of AMR occur primarily via a human-human interface both within and outside of healthcare facilities. A huge number of interdependent factors related to healthcare and agriculture govern the development of AMR through various drug-resistance mechanisms. The emergence and spread of AMR from the unrestricted use of antimicrobials in livestock feed has been a major contributing factor. The prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has attained an incongruous level worldwide and threatens global public health as a silent pandemic, necessitating urgent intervention. Therapeutic options of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are limited, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality with high financial impact. The paucity in discovery and supply of new novel antimicrobials to treat life-threatening infections by resistant pathogens stands in sharp contrast to demand. Immediate interventions to contain AMR include surveillance and monitoring, minimizing over-the-counter antibiotics and antibiotics in food animals, access to quality and affordable medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, and enforcement of legislation. An orchestrated collaborative action within and between multiple national and international organizations is required urgently, otherwise, a postantibiotic era can be a more real possibility than an apocalyptic fantasy for the 21st century. This narrative review highlights on this basis, mechanisms and factors in microbial resistance, and key strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Keyan Zhao, Chih‐Wei Tung, Georgia C. Eizenga, Mark H. Wright et al.

Asian rice, Oryza sativa is a cultivated, inbreeding species that feeds over half of the world's population. Understanding the genetic basis of diverse physiological, developmental, and morphological traits provides the basis for improving yield, quality and sustainability of rice. Here we show the results of a genome-wide association study based on genotyping 44,100 SNP variants across 413 diverse accessions of O. sativa collected from 82 countries that were systematically phenotyped for 34 traits. Using cross-population-based mapping strategies, we identified dozens of common variants influencing numerous complex traits. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the genetic architecture associated with subpopulation structure and response to environment. This work establishes an open-source translational research platform for genome-wide association studies in rice that directly links molecular variation in genes and metabolic pathways with the germplasm resources needed to accelerate varietal development and crop improvement. Understanding the genetics and physiology of domesticated species is important for crop improvement. By studying natural variation and the phenotypic traits of 413 diverse accessions of rice, Zhao et al. identify many common genetic variants that influence quantitative traits such as seed size and flowering time.

Swati Sachdev, Shamim Akhtar Ansari, Mohammad Israil Ansari, Masayuki Fujita et al.

Climate change is an invisible, silent killer with calamitous effects on living organisms. As the sessile organism, plants experience a diverse array of abiotic stresses during ontogenesis. The relentless climatic changes amplify the intensity and duration of stresses, making plants dwindle to survive. Plants convert 1–2% of consumed oxygen into reactive oxygen species (ROS), in particular, singlet oxygen (1O2), superoxide radical (O2•–), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical (•OH), etc. as a byproduct of aerobic metabolism in different cell organelles such as chloroplast, mitochondria, etc. The regulatory network comprising enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems tends to keep the magnitude of ROS within plant cells to a non-damaging level. However, under stress conditions, the production rate of ROS increases exponentially, exceeding the potential of antioxidant scavengers instigating oxidative burst, which affects biomolecules and disturbs cellular redox homeostasis. ROS are similar to a double-edged sword; and, when present below the threshold level, mediate redox signaling pathways that actuate plant growth, development, and acclimatization against stresses. The production of ROS in plant cells displays both detrimental and beneficial effects. However, exact pathways of ROS mediated stress alleviation are yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the review deposits information about the status of known sites of production, signaling mechanisms/pathways, effects, and management of ROS within plant cells under stress. In addition, the role played by advancement in modern techniques such as molecular priming, systems biology, phenomics, and crop modeling in preventing oxidative stress, as well as diverting ROS into signaling pathways has been canvassed.

Mirza Hasanuzzaman, M. H. M. Borhannuddin Bhuyan, Taufika Islam Anee, Khursheda Parvin et al.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is a usual phenomenon in a plant both under a normal and stressed condition. However, under unfavorable or adverse conditions, ROS production exceeds the capacity of the antioxidant defense system. Both non-enzymatic and enzymatic components of the antioxidant defense system either detoxify or scavenge ROS and mitigate their deleterious effects. The Ascorbate-Glutathione (AsA-GSH) pathway, also known as Asada-Halliwell pathway comprises of AsA, GSH, and four enzymes viz. ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase, play a vital role in detoxifying ROS. Apart from ROS detoxification, they also interact with other defense systems in plants and protect the plants from various abiotic stress-induced damages. Several plant studies revealed that the upregulation or overexpression of AsA-GSH pathway enzymes and the enhancement of the AsA and GSH levels conferred plants better tolerance to abiotic stresses by reducing the ROS. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of the research on AsA-GSH pathway in terms of oxidative stress tolerance in plants. We also focus on the defense mechanisms as well as molecular interactions.

James B. Kaper, J. Glenn Morris, M. M. Levine

Despite more than a century of study, cholera still presents challenges and surprises to us. Throughout most of the 20th century, cholera was caused by Vibrio cholerae of the O1 serogroup and the disease was largely confined to Asia and Africa. However, the last decade of the 20th century has witnessed two major developments in the history of this disease. In 1991, a massive outbreak of cholera started in South America, the one continent previously untouched by cholera in this century. In 1992, an apparently new pandemic caused by a previously unknown serogroup of V. cholerae (O139) began in India and Bangladesh. The O139 epidemic has been occurring in populations assumed to be largely immune to V. cholerae O1 and has rapidly spread to many countries including the United States. In this review, we discuss all aspects of cholera, including the clinical microbiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical features of the disease. Special attention will be paid to the extraordinary advances that have been made in recent years in unravelling the molecular pathogenesis of this infection and in the development of new generations of vaccines to prevent it.

Tanvir Mahtab Uddin, Arka Chakraborty, Ameer Khusro, BM Redwan Matin Zidan et al.

Antibiotics have been used to cure bacterial infections for more than 70 years, and these low-molecular-weight bioactive agents have also been used for a variety of other medicinal applications. In the battle against microbes, antibiotics have certainly been a blessing to human civilization by saving millions of lives. Globally, infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are on the rise. Antibiotics are being used to combat diversified bacterial infections. Synthetic biology techniques, in combination with molecular, functional genomic, and metagenomic studies of bacteria, plants, and even marine invertebrates are aimed at unlocking the world's natural products faster than previous methods of antibiotic discovery. There are currently only few viable remedies, potential preventive techniques, and a limited number of antibiotics, thereby necessitating the discovery of innovative medicinal approaches and antimicrobial therapies. MDR is also facilitated by biofilms, which makes infection control more complex. In this review, we have spotlighted comprehensively various aspects of antibiotics viz. overview of antibiotics era, mode of actions of antibiotics, development and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and future strategies to fight the emerging antimicrobial resistant threat.

Bangladesh. Parisaṃkhyāna Bibhāga

Daniel J. Simons, Ronald A. Rensink

Change blindness is the striking failure to see large changes that normally would be noticed easily. Over the past decade this phenomenon has greatly contributed to our understanding of attention, perception, and even consciousness. The surprising extent of change blindness explains its broad appeal, but its counterintuitive nature has also engendered confusions about the kinds of inferences that legitimately follow from it. Here we discuss the legitimate and the erroneous inferences that have been drawn, and offer a set of requirements to help separate them. In doing so, we clarify the genuine contributions of change blindness research to our understanding of visual perception and awareness, and provide a glimpse of some ways in which change blindness might shape future research.

Cathryn M. Lewis, Douglas F. Levinson, Lesley H. Wise, Lynn E. DeLisi et al.

Schizophrenia is a common disorder with high heritability and a 10-fold increase in risk to siblings of probands. Replication has been inconsistent for reports of significant genetic linkage. To assess evidence for linkage across studies, rank-based genome scan meta-analysis (GSMA) was applied to data from 20 schizophrenia genome scans. Each marker for each scan was assigned to 1 of 120 30-cM bins, with the bins ranked by linkage scores (1 = most significant) and the ranks averaged across studies (R(avg)) and then weighted for sample size (N(sqrt)[affected casess]). A permutation test was used to compute the probability of observing, by chance, each bin's average rank (P(AvgRnk)) or of observing it for a bin with the same place (first, second, etc.) in the order of average ranks in each permutation (P(ord)). The GSMA produced significant genomewide evidence for linkage on chromosome 2q (PAvgRnk<.000417). Two aggregate criteria for linkage were also met (clusters of nominally significant P values that did not occur in 1,000 replicates of the entire data set with no linkage present): 12 consecutive bins with both P(AvgRnk) and P(ord)<.05, including regions of chromosomes 5q, 3p, 11q, 6p, 1q, 22q, 8p, 20q, and 14p, and 19 consecutive bins with P(ord)<.05, additionally including regions of chromosomes 16q, 18q, 10p, 15q, 6q, and 17q. There is greater consistency of linkage results across studies than has been previously recognized. The results suggest that some or all of these regions contain loci that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in diverse populations.

Sergei Põlme, Kessy Abarenkov, R. Henrik Nilsson, Björn D. Lindahl et al.

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Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Piyatida Pukclai, Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, Masayuki Fujita

Heavy metal (HM) toxicity is one of the major abiotic stresses leading to hazardous effects in plants. A common consequence of HM toxicity is the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and methylglyoxal (MG), both of which can cause peroxidation of lipids, oxidation of protein, inactivation of enzymes, DNA damage and/or interact with other vital constituents of plant cells. Higher plants have evolved a sophisticated antioxidant defense system and a glyoxalase system to scavenge ROS and MG. In addition, HMs that enter the cell may be sequestered by amino acids, organic acids, glutathione (GSH), or by specific metal-binding ligands. Being a central molecule of both the antioxidant defense system and the glyoxalase system, GSH is involved in both direct and indirect control of ROS and MG and their reaction products in plant cells, thus protecting the plant from HM-induced oxidative damage. Recent plant molecular studies have shown that GSH by itself and its metabolizing enzymes—notably glutathione S -transferase, glutathione peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II—act additively and coordinately for efficient protection against ROS- and MG-induced damage in addition to detoxification, complexation, chelation and compartmentation of HMs. The aim of this review is to integrate a recent understanding of physiological and biochemical mechanisms of HM-induced plant stress response and tolerance based on the findings of current plant molecular biology research.

Ana Blandino, M.E. Al-Aseeri, Severino S. Pandiella, Domingo Cantero et al.

Cereal grains constitute a major source of dietary nutrients all over the world. Although cereals are deficient in some basic components (e.g. essential aminoacids), fermentation may be the most simple and economical way of improving their nutritional value, sensory properties, and functional qualities. This review focuses first on some of the indigenous fermented foods and beverages produced world-wide that have not received the scientific attention they deserve in the last decades. Products produced from different cereal substrates (sometimes mixed with other pulses) fermented by lactic acid bacteria, yeast and/or fungi are included. Finally, newly developed cereal-based foods with enhanced health properties will also be reviewed.

Ayu Masyita, Reka Mustika Sari, Ayun Dwi Astuti, Budiman Yasir et al.

Essential oils (EOs) are volatile and concentrated liquids extracted from different parts of plants. Bioactive compounds found in EOs, especially terpenes and terpenoids possess a wide range of biological activities including anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiallergic. Available literature confirms that EOs exhibit antimicrobial and food preservative properties that are considered as a real potential application in food industry. Hence, the purpose of this review is to present an overview of current knowledge of EOs for application in pharmaceutical and medical industries as well as their potential as food preservatives in food industry.

Firdausi Qadri, Ann–Mari Svennerholm, Shah M. Faruque, R. Bradley Sack

ETEC is an underrecognized but extremely important cause of diarrhea in the developing world where there is inadequate clean water and poor sanitation. It is the most frequent bacterial cause of diarrhea in children and adults living in these areas and also the most common cause of traveler's diarrhea. ETEC diarrhea is most frequently seen in children, suggesting that a protective immune response occurs with age. The pathogenesis of ETEC-induced diarrhea is similar to that of cholera and includes the production of enterotoxins and colonization factors. The clinical symptoms of ETEC infection can range from mild diarrhea to a severe cholera-like syndrome. The effective treatment of ETEC diarrhea by rehydration is similar to treatment for cholera, but antibiotics are not used routinely for treatment except in traveler's diarrhea. The frequency and characterization of ETEC on a worldwide scale are inadequate because of the difficulty in recognizing the organisms; no simple diagnostic tests are presently available. Protection strategies, as for other enteric infections, include improvements in hygiene and development of effective vaccines. Increases in antimicrobial resistance will dictate the drugs used for the treatment of traveler's diarrhea. Efforts need to be made to improve our understanding of the worldwide importance of ETEC.

Jonathan Smallwood, Boris C. Bernhardt, Robert Leech, Danilo Bzdok et al.

The default mode network (DMN) is a set of widely distributed brain regions in the parietal, temporal and frontal cortex. These regions often show reductions in activity during attention-demanding tasks but increase their activity across multiple forms of complex cognition, many of which are linked to memory or abstract thought. Within the cortex, the DMN has been shown to be located in regions furthest away from those contributing to sensory and motor systems. Here, we consider how our knowledge of the topographic characteristics of the DMN can be leveraged to better understand how this network contributes to cognition and behaviour.