Risk assessment is a reasoned, structured approach to address uncertainty based on scientific and technical evidence. It forms the foundation for regulatory decision-making, which is bound by legislative and policy requirements, as well as the need for making timely decisions using available resources. In order to be most useful, environmental risk assessments (ERAs) for genetically modified (GM) crops should provide consistent, reliable, and transparent results across all types of GM crops, traits, and environments. The assessments must also separate essential information from scientific or agronomic data of marginal relevance or value for evaluating risk and complete the assessment in a timely fashion. Challenges in conducting ERAs differ across regulatory systems - examples are presented from Canada, Malaysia, and Argentina. One challenge faced across the globe is the conduct of risk assessments with limited resources. This challenge can be overcome by clarifying risk concepts, placing greater emphasis on data critical to assess environmental risk (for example, phenotypic and plant performance data rather than molecular data), and adapting advances in risk analysis from other relevant disciplines.
This review investigates the performance and the feasibility of the integration of an algal reactor in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). The number of studies related to this topic is limited, despite the apparent benefit of algae that can assimilate part of the inorganic waste in RAS. We identified two major challenges related to algal integration in RAS: first, the practical feasibility for improving nitrogen removal performance by algae in RAS; second, the economic feasibility of integrating an algal reactor in RAS. The main factors that determine high algal nitrogen removal rates are light and hydraulic retention time (HRT). Besides these factors, nitrogen-loading rates and RAS configuration could be important to ensure algal performance in nitrogen removal. Since nitrogen removal rate by algae is determined by HRT, this will affect the size (area or volume) of the algal reactor due to the time required for nutrient uptake by algae and large surface area needed to capture enough light. Constraints related to design, space, light capture, and reactor management could incur additional cost for aquaculture production. However, the increased purification of RAS wastewater could reduce the cost of water discharge in places where this is subject to levees. We believe that an improved understanding of how to manage the algal reactor and technological advancement of culturing algae, such as improved algal reactor design and low-cost artificial light, will increase the practical and economic feasibility of algal integration in RAS, thus improving the potential of mass cultivation of algae in RAS.
Increasing demands for the supply of biopharmaceuticals have propelled the advancement of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies for biomanufacturing of bioactive natural products. Using metabolically engineered microbes as the bioproduction hosts, a variety of natural products including terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, and cannabinoids have been synthesized through the construction and expression of known and newly found biosynthetic genes primarily from model and non-model plants. The employment of omics technology and machine learning (ML) platforms as high throughput analytical tools has been increasingly leveraged in promoting data-guided optimization of targeted biosynthetic pathways and enhancement of the microbial production capacity, thereby representing a critical debottlenecking approach in improving and streamlining natural products biomanufacturing. To this end, this mini review summarizes recent efforts that utilize omics platforms and ML tools in strain optimization and prototyping and discusses the beneficial uses of omics-enabled discovery of plant biosynthetic genes in the production of complex plant-based natural products by bioengineered microbes.
Bone is one of the most common sites of cancer metastasis, as its fertile microenvironment attracts tumor cells. The unique mechanical properties of bone extracellular matrix (ECM), mainly composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) affect a number of cellular responses in the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as proliferation, migration, viability, and morphology, as well as angiogenic activity, which is related to bone metastasis. In this study, we engineered a bone-mimetic microenvironment to investigate the interactions between the TME and HA using a microfluidic platform designed for culturing tumor cells in 3D bone-mimetic composite of HA and fibrin. We developed a bone metastasis TME model from colorectal cancer (SW620) and gastric cancer (MKN74) cells, which has very poor prognosis but rarely been investigated. The microfluidic platform enabled straightforward formation of 3D TME composed the hydrogel and multiple cell types. This facilitated monitoring of the effect of HA concentration and culture time on the TME. In 3D bone mimicking culture, we found that HA rich microenvironment affects cell viability, proliferation and cancer cell cytoplasmic volume in a manner dependent on the different metastatic cancer cell types and culture duration indicating the spatial heterogeneity (different origin of metastatic cancer) and temporal heterogeneity (growth time of cancer) of TME. We also found that both SW620 and MKN72 cells exhibited significantly reduced migration at higher HA concentration in our platform indicating inhibitory effect of HA in both cancer cells migration. Next, we quantitatively analyzed angiogenic sprouts induced by paracrine factors that secreted by TME and showed paracrine signals from tumor and stromal cell with a high HA concentration resulted in the formation of fewer sprouts. Finally we reconstituted vascularized TME allowing direct interaction between angiogenic sprouts and tumor-stroma microspheroids in a bone-mimicking microenvironment composing a tunable HA/fibrin composite. Our multifarious approach could be applied to drug screening and mechanistic studies of the metastasis, growth, and progression of bone tumors.
Ground reaction force (GRF) is a key metric in biomechanical research, including parameters of loading rate (LR), first impact peak, second impact peak, and transient between first and second impact peaks in heel strike runners. The GRFs vary over time during stance. This study was aimed to investigate the variances of GRFs in rearfoot striking runners across incremental speeds. Thirty female and male runners joined the running tests on the instrumented treadmill with speeds of 2.7, 3.0, 3.3, and 3.7 m/s. The discrete parameters of vertical average loading rate in the current study are consistent with the literature findings. The principal component analysis was modeled to investigate the main variances (95%) in the GRFs over stance. The females varied in the magnitude of braking and propulsive forces (PC1, 84.93%), whereas the male runners varied in the timing of propulsion (PC1, 53.38%). The female runners dominantly varied in the transient between the first and second peaks of vertical GRF (PC1, 36.52%) and LR (PC2, 33.76%), whereas the males variated in the LR and second peak of vertical GRF (PC1, 78.69%). Knowledge reported in the current study suggested the difference of the magnitude and patterns of GRF between male and female runners across different speeds. These findings may have implications for the prevention of sex-specific running-related injuries and could be integrated with wearable signals for the in-field prediction and estimation of impact loadings and GRFs.
Significantly high eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and fucoxanthin contents with high production rate were achieved in semi continuous culture of marine diatom. Effects of dilution rate on the production of biomass and high value biocompounds such as EPA and fucoxanthin were evaluated in semi-continuous cultures of Chaetoceros gracilis under high light condition. Cellular dry weight increased at lower dilution rate and higher light intensity conditions, and cell size strongly affected EPA and fucoxanthin contents. The smaller microalgae cells showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) value of 17.1 mg g-dw-1 fucoxanthin and 41.5% EPA content per total fatty acid compared to those observed in the larger cells. Chaetoceros gracilis can accumulate relatively higher EPA and fucoxanthin than those reported previously. In addition, maintenance of small cell size by supplying sufficient nutrients and light energy can be the key for the increase production of valuable biocompounds in C. gracilis.
Antioxidants found in microalgae play an essential role in both animals and humans, against various diseases and aging processes by protecting cells from oxidative damage. In this study, 26 indigenous tropical marine microalgae were screened. Out of the 26 screened strains, 10 were selected and were further investigated for their natural antioxidant compounds which include carotenoids, phenolics, and fatty acids collected in their exponential and stationary phases. The antioxidant capacity was also evaluated by a total of four assays, which include ABTS, DPPH, superoxide radical (O2•-) scavenging capacity, and nitric oxide (•NO-) scavenging capacity. This study revealed that the antioxidant capacity of the microalgae varied between divisions, strains, and growth phase and was also related to the content of antioxidant compounds present in the cells. Carotenoids and phenolics were found to be the major contributors to the antioxidant capacity, followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid (LA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (ARA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compared to other fatty acids. The antioxidant capacity of the selected bacillariophytes and haptophytes was found to be positively correlated to phenolic (R2-value = 0.623, 0.714, and 0.786 with ABTS, DPPH, and •NO-) under exponential phase, and to carotenoid fucoxanthin and β-carotene (R2 value = 0.530, 0.581 with ABTS, and 0.710, 0.795 with O2•-) under stationary phase. Meanwhile, antioxidant capacity of chlorophyte strains was positively correlated with lutein, β-carotene and zeaxanthin under the exponential phase (R2 value = 0.615, 0.615, 0.507 with ABTS, and R2 value = 0.794, 0.659, and 0.509 with •NO-). In the stationary phase, chlorophyte strains were positively correlated with violaxanthin (0.755 with •NO-), neoxanthin (0.623 with DPPH, 0.610 with •NO-), and lutein (0.582 with •NO-). This study showed that antioxidant capacity and related antioxidant compound production of tropical microalgae strains are growth phase-dependent. The results can be used to improve the microalgal antioxidant compound production for application in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and feed industry.
Microplastic pollution is a global issue that has a detrimental impact on food safety. In marine environments, microplastics are a threat to marine organisms, as they are often the same size range as prey and are mistaken as food. Consumption of microplastics has led to the damage of digestive organs and a reduction in growth and reproductive output. In this study, microplastic pollution was assessed across three commercially available shrimp species that were obtained from the supermarkets of Singapore. A total of 93 individuals were studied from the Pacific white leg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, the Argentine red shrimp Pleoticus muelleri and the Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus. Microplastic fibers, fragments, film and spheres were identified from the digestive tract of these organisms. Microplastic abundance ranged from 13.4 to 7050 items. F. indicus exhibited the highest number of microplastics. Microplastic film was the most abundant in L. vannamei individuals (93-97%) and spheres were the most abundant in P. muelleri (70%) and F. indicus (61%) individuals. This study demonstrates that microplastic contamination is evident in commonly consumed shrimp and highlights the role of shrimp in the trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics in seafood. The consumption of microplastic-containing seafood is a route of exposure to humans and has implications on human health and food security. Capsule: Microplastics were examined in three shrimp species from the supermarkets of Singapore. Microplastics ranged from 13.4 to 7050 items of shrimp.
Microalgae can use either ammonium or nitrate for its growth and vitality. However, at a certain level of concentration, ammonium nitrogen exhibits toxicity which consequently can inhibit microalgae productivity. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the tolerance of Tetraselmis tetrathele to high ammonium nitrogen concentrations and its effects on growth rate, photosynthetic efficiency (F v /F m ), pigment contents (chlorophyll a, lutein, neoxanthin, and β-carotene), and fatty acids production. Experiments were performed at different ammonium nitrogen concentrations (0.31-0.87 gL-1) for 6 days under a light source with an intensity of 300 μmol photons m-2 s-1 and nitrate-nitrogen source as the experimental control. The findings indicated no apparent enhancement of photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) at high levels of ammonium nitrogen (
NH
4
+
-N) for T. tetrathele within 24 h. However, after 24 h, the photosynthetic efficiency of T. tetrathele increased significantly (p < 0.05) in high concentration of
NH
4
+
-N. Chlorophyll a content in T. tetrathele grown in all of the different
NH
4
+
-N levels increased significantly compared to nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) treatment (p < 0.05); which supported that this microalgal could grow even in high level of
NH
4
+
-N concentrations. The findings also indicated that T. tetrathele is highly resistant to high ammonium nitrogen which suggests T. tetrathele to be used in the aquaculture industry for bioremediation purpose to remove ammonium nitrogen, thus reducing the production cost while improving the water quality.
Background and purpose: Tumorous lesions developing in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) get into close contact with the 1st (cisternal) and 2nd (meatal) intra-arachnoidal portion of the facial nerve (FN). When surgical damage occurs, commonly known reconstruction strategies are often associated with poor functional recovery. This article aims to provide a systematic overview for translational research by establishing the current evidence on available clinical studies and experimental models reporting on intracranial FN injury. Methods: A systematic literature search of several databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Medline) was performed prior to July 2020. Suitable articles were selected based on predefined eligibility criteria following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included clinical studies were reviewed and categorized according to the pathology and surgical resection strategy, and experimental studies according to the animal. For anatomical study purposes, perfusion-fixed adult New Zealand white rabbits were used for radiological high-resolution imaging and anatomical dissection of the CPA and periotic skull base. Results: One hundred forty four out of 166 included publications were clinical studies reporting on FN outcomes after CPA-tumor surgery in 19,136 patients. During CPA-tumor surgery, the specific vulnerability of the intracranial FN to stretching and compression more likely leads to neurapraxia or axonotmesis than neurotmesis. Severe FN palsy was reported in 7 to 15 % after vestibular schwannoma surgery, and 6% following the resection of CPA-meningioma. Twenty-two papers reported on experimental studies, out of which only 6 specifically used intracranial FN injury in a rodent (n = 4) or non-rodent model (n = 2). Rats and rabbits offer a feasible model for manipulation of the FN in the CPA, the latter was further confirmed in our study covering the radiological and anatomical analysis of perfusion fixed periotic bones. Conclusion: The particular anatomical and physiological features of the intracranial FN warrant a distinguishment of experimental models for intracranial FN injuries. New Zealand White rabbits might be a very cost-effective and valuable option to test new experimental approaches for intracranial FN regeneration. Flexible and bioactive biomaterials, commonly used in skull base surgery, endowed with trophic and topographical functions, should address the specific needs of intracranial FN injuries.
Green microalgae containing various bioactive compounds and macronutrients such as lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, have attracted much attention from the global community. Microalgae has the potential to be applied in food industries due to its high protein content, rapid growth rate, and ability to survive in harsh conditions. This study presents a simple yet efficient technique of sonication-assisted triphasic partitioning process, also known as ultrasonic-assisted three phase partitioning (UATPP), for the extraction of proteins from Chlorella vulgaris FSP-E. Comparison studies between three phase partitioning (TPP) and UATPP was conducted to investigate the feasibility of the enhanced technique on proteins extraction. Types of salt, ratio of slurry to t-butanol, salt saturation, sonication frequency, power, irradiation time, and duty cycle as well as biomass loading were studied. UATPP was found to be an improved technique compared to TPP. An optimum separation efficiency and yield of 74.59 ± 0.45 and 56.57 ± 3.70% was obtained, respectively, with the optimized conditions: salt saturation (50%), slurry to t-butanol ratio (1:2), sonication power (100%), irradiation time (10 min), frequency (35 kHz), duty cycle (80%) and biomass loading (0.75 wt%). A scaled-up study was performed to validate the reliability of UATPP for protein extraction. The outcome of the study revealed that UATPP is an attractive approach for downstream processing of microalgae.
Endophytic actinobacteria offer great potential as a source of novel bioactive compounds. In order to investigate the potential for the production of secondary metabolites by endophytes, we recovered a filamentous microorgansism from the tree Antidesma neurocarpum Miq. After phenotypic analysis and whole genome sequencing we demonstrated that this organism, SUK42 was a member of the actinobacterial genus Kitasatospora. This strain has a small genome in comparison with other type strains of this genus and has lost metabolic pathways associated with Stress Response, Nitrogen Metabolism and Secondary Metabolism. Despite this SUK42 can grow well in a laboratory environment and encodes a core genome that is consistent with other members of the genus. Finally, in contrast to other members of Kitasatospora, SUK42 encodes saccharide secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, one of which with similarity to the acarviostatin cluster, the product of which displays α-amylase inhibitory activity. As extracts of the host plant demonstrate this inhibitory activity, it suggests that the potential medicinal properties of A. neurocarpum Miq might be provided by the endophytic partner and illustrate the potential for exploitation of endophytes for clinical or industrial uses.
Stem cell-based therapy appears as a promising strategy to induce regeneration of damaged and diseased tissues. However, low survival, poor engraftment and a lack of site-specificity are major drawbacks. Polysaccharide hydrogels can address these issues and offer several advantages as cell delivery vehicles. They have become very popular due to their unique properties such as high-water content, biocompatibility, biodegradability and flexibility. Polysaccharide polymers can be physically or chemically crosslinked to construct biomimetic hydrogels. Their resemblance to living tissues mimics the native three-dimensional extracellular matrix and supports stem cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. Given the intricate nature of communication between hydrogels and stem cells, understanding their interaction is crucial. Cells are incorporated with polysaccharide hydrogels using various microencapsulation techniques, allowing generation of more relevant models and further enhancement of stem cell therapies. This paper provides a comprehensive review of human stem cells and polysaccharide hydrogels most used in regenerative medicine. The recent and advanced stem cell microencapsulation techniques, which include extrusion, emulsion, lithography, microfluidics, superhydrophobic surfaces and bioprinting, are described. This review also discusses current progress in clinical translation of stem-cell encapsulated polysaccharide hydrogels for cell delivery and disease modeling (drug testing and discovery) with focuses on musculoskeletal, nervous, cardiac and cancerous tissues.
Malaria is a real and constant danger to nearly half of the world's population of 7.4 billion people. In 2015, 212 million cases were reported along with 429,000 estimated deaths. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combinatorial therapies, and the artemisinin for this purpose is mainly isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. However, the plant supply of artemisinin is irregular, leading to fluctuation in prices. Here, we report the development of a simple, sustainable, and scalable production platform of artemisinin. The five genes involved in artemisinin biosynthesis were engineered into the moss Physcomitrella patens via direct in vivo assembly of multiple DNA fragments. In vivo biosynthesis of artemisinin was obtained without further modifications. A high initial production of 0.21 mg/g dry weight artemisinin was observed after only 3 days of cultivation. Our study shows that P. patens can be a sustainable and efficient production platform of artemisinin that without further modifications allow for industrial-scale production. A stable supply of artemisinin will lower the price of artemisinin-based treatments, hence become more affordable to the lower income communities most affected by malaria; an important step toward containment of this deadly disease threatening millions every year.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have garnered global attention to replace petroleum-based plastics in certain applications due to their biodegradability and sustainability. Among the different types of PHAs, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] copolymer has similar properties to commodity plastics, making them a suitable candidate to replace certain types of single-use plastics, medical devices, and packaging materials. The degradation rate of P(3HB-co-3HHx) is faster than the commercial petroleum-based plastics which take a very long time to be degraded, causing harmful pollution to both land and marine ecosystem. The biodegradability of the P(3HB-co-3HHx) is also dependent on its 3HHx molar composition which in turn influences the crystallinity of the material. Various metabolic pathways like the common PHA biosynthesis pathway, which involves phaA, phaB, and phaC, β-oxidation, and fatty acids de novo synthesis are used by bacteria to produce PHA from different carbon sources like fatty acids and sugars, respectively. There are various factors affecting the 3HHx molar composition of P(3HB-co-3HHx), like PhaCs, the engineering of PhaCs, and the metabolic engineering of strains. It is crucial to control the 3HHx molar composition in the P(3HB-co-3HHx) as it will affect its properties and applications in different fields.
Schistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Globally, it affects economically poor countries, typically due to a lack of proper sanitation systems, and poor hygiene conditions. Currently, no vaccine is available against schistosomiasis, and the preferred treatment is chemotherapy with the use of praziquantel. It is a common anti-schistosomal drug used against all known species of Schistosoma. To date, current treatment primarily the drug praziquantel has not been effective in treating Schistosoma species in their early stages. The drug of choice offers low bioavailability, water solubility, and fast metabolism. Globally drug resistance has been documented due to overuse of praziquantel, Parasite mutations, poor treatment compliance, co-infection with other strains of parasites, and overall parasitic load. The existing diagnostic methods have very little acceptability and are not readily applied for quick diagnosis. This review aims to summarize the use of nanotechnology in the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. It also explored safe and effective substitute approaches against parasitosis. At this stage, various nanomaterials are being used in drug delivery systems, diagnostic kits, and vaccine production. Nanotechnology is one of the modern and innovative methods to treat and diagnose several human diseases, particularly those caused by parasite infections. Herein we highlight the current advancement and application of nanotechnological approaches regarding the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of schistosomiasis.
Introduction and Methods: Chronic wounds are a major healthcare problem, but their healing may be improved by developing biomaterials which can stimulate angiogenesis, e.g. by activating the Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) pathway. Here, novel glass fibres were produced by laser spinning. The hypothesis was that silicate glass fibres that deliver cobalt ions will activate the HIF pathway and promote the expression of angiogenic genes. The glass composition was designed to biodegrade and release ions, but not form a hydroxyapatite layer in body fluid. Results and Discussion: Dissolution studies demonstrated that hydroxyapatite did not form. When keratinocyte cells were exposed to conditioned media from the cobalt-containing glass fibres, significantly higher amounts of HIF-1α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) were measured compared to when the cells were exposed to media with equivalent amounts of cobalt chloride. This was attributed to a synergistic effect of the combination of cobalt and other therapeutic ions released from the glass. The effect was also much greater than the sum of HIF-1α and VEGF expression when the cells were cultured with cobalt ions and with dissolution products from the Co-free glass, and was proven to not be due to a rise in pH. The ability of the glass fibres to activate the HIF-1 pathway and promote VEGF expression shows the potential for their use in chronic wound dressings.