scholarly journals Glycans for the greater good

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Biological Impact ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
And Function

Carbohydrates are ubiquitous in nature and present across all kingdoms of life – bacteria, fungi, viruses, yeast, plants, animals and humans. They are essential to many biological processes. However, due to their complexity and heterogeneous nature they are often neglected, sometimes referred to as the ‘dark matter’ of biology. Nevertheless, due to their extensive biological impact on health and disease, glycans and the field of glycobiology have become increasingly popular in recent years, giving rise to glycan-based drug development and therapeutics. Forecasting of communicable diseases predicts that we will see an increase in pandemics of humans and livestock due to global loss of biodiversity from changes to land use, intensification of agriculture, climate change and disruption of ecosystems. As such, the development of point-of-care devices to detect pathogens is vital to prevent the transmission of infectious disease, as we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic. So, can glycans be exploited to detect COVID-19 and other infectious diseases? And is this technology sensitive and accurate? Here, I discuss the structure and function of glycans, the current glycan-based therapeutics and how glycan binding can be exploited for detection of infectious disease, like COVID-19.

The Laryngeal Epithelium in Reflux

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Erickson-Levendoski ◽  
Mahalakshmi Sivasankar
Keyword(s):  
Laryngopharyngeal Reflux ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Laryngeal Disease ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

The epithelium plays a critical role in the maintenance of laryngeal health. This is evident in that laryngeal disease may result when the integrity of the epithelium is compromised by insults such as laryngopharyngeal reflux. In this article, we will review the structure and function of the laryngeal epithelium and summarize the impact of laryngopharyngeal reflux on the epithelium. Research investigating the ramifications of reflux on the epithelium has improved our understanding of laryngeal disease associated with laryngopharyngeal reflux. It further highlights the need for continued research on the laryngeal epithelium in health and disease.

scholarly journals Deubiquitylating enzymes in neuronal health and disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Amer-Sarsour ◽  
Alina Kordonsky ◽  
Yevgeny Berdichevsky ◽  
Gali Prag ◽  
Avraham Ashkenazi
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Protein Homeostasis ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Function

AbstractUbiquitylation and deubiquitylation play a pivotal role in protein homeostasis (proteostasis). Proteostasis shapes the proteome landscape in the human brain and its impairment is linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Here we discuss the emerging roles of deubiquitylating enzymes in neuronal function and survival. We provide an updated perspective on the genetics, physiology, structure, and function of deubiquitylases in neuronal health and disease.

scholarly journals The thick waxy coat of mycobacteria, a protective layer against antibiotics and the host's immune system

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (10) ◽  
pp. 1983-2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Batt ◽  
David E. Minnikin ◽  
Gurdyal S. Besra
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Protective Layer ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Complex Lipids ◽  
And Function

Tuberculosis, caused by the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease, with a mortality rate of over a million people per year. This pathogen's remarkable resilience and infectivity is largely due to its unique waxy cell envelope, 40% of which comprises complex lipids. Therefore, an understanding of the structure and function of the cell wall lipids is of huge indirect clinical significance. This review provides a synopsis of the cell envelope and the major lipids contained within, including structure, biosynthesis and roles in pathogenesis.

Corneal endothelium: structure and function in health and disease

2009 ◽  
pp. 57-70
Author(s):  
Daniel G. Dawson ◽  
Dayle H. Geroski ◽  
Henry F. Edelhauser
Keyword(s):  
Corneal Endothelium ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Function

Introduction and approach to the patient with neurological disease

2010 ◽  
pp. 4743-4745
Author(s):  
Alastair Compston
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disease ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Clinical Neurology ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Laboratory Investigations ◽  
And Function

Clinical neurology uses conversation, detailed questioning and discussion, observation, structured examination, and selective investigation to formulate problems into an anatomical and pathological framework. The competent neurologist senses and probes relevant components of the history, reliably elicits the physical signs, knows which investigations are necessary and relevant, appreciates the most likely underlying diagnosis and mechanism of disease, and communicates relevant information to the patient accurately, intelligibly, and sensitively. This system has evolved over several centuries, during which much knowledge has accumulated on structure and function in health and disease, the reliability of physical signs and laboratory investigations, and the nosology of disease....

scholarly journals Emerging concepts in smooth muscle contributions to airway structure and function: implications for health and disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 311 (6) ◽  
pp. L1113-L1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Normal Lung ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Growth And Aging ◽  
And Function

Airway structure and function are key aspects of normal lung development, growth, and aging, as well as of lung responses to the environment and the pathophysiology of important diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and fibrosis. In this regard, the contributions of airway smooth muscle (ASM) are both functional, in the context of airway contractility and relaxation, as well as synthetic, involving production and modulation of extracellular components, modulation of the local immune environment, cellular contribution to airway structure, and, finally, interactions with other airway cell types such as epithelium, fibroblasts, and nerves. These ASM contributions are now found to be critical in airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling that occur in lung diseases. This review emphasizes established and recent discoveries that underline the central role of ASM and sets the stage for future research toward understanding how ASM plays a central role by being both upstream and downstream in the many interactive processes that determine airway structure and function in health and disease.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document