Outlook Of Future Perspectives Research Articles

Radiotheranostics - Precision Medicine in Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

'See what you treat and treat what you see, at a molecular level', could be the motto of theranostics. The concept implies diagnosis (imaging) and treatment of cells (usually cancer) using the same molecule, thus guaranteeing a targeted cytotoxic approach of the imaged tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues. As the brilliant late Sam Gambhir would say, the imaging agent acts like a 'molecular spy' and reveals where the tumoral cells are located and the extent of disease burden (diagnosis). For treatment, the same 'molecular spy' docks to the same tumor cells, this time delivering cytotoxic doses of radiation (treatment). This duality represents the concept of a 'theranostic pair', which follows the scope and fundamental principles of targeted precision and personalized medicine.Although the term theranostic was noted in medical literature in the early 2000s, the principle is not at all new to nuclear medicine. The first example of theranostic dates back to 1941 when Dr. Saul Hertz first applied radioiodine for radionuclide treatment of thyroid cells in patients with hyperthyroidism. Ever since, theranostics has been an integral element of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. The more we understand tumor biology and molecular pathology of carcinogenesis, including specific mutations and receptor expression profiles, the more specific these 'molecular spies' can be developed for diagnostic molecular imaging and subsequent radionuclide targeted therapy (radiotheranostics). The appropriate selection of the diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclide for the 'theranostic pair' is critical and takes into account not only the type of cytotoxic radiation emission, but also the linear energy transfer (LET), and the physical half-lives. Advances in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy with new radiolabeling techniques and chelators are revolutionizing the field. The landscape of cytotoxic systemic radionuclide treatments has dramatically expanded through the past decades thanks to all these advancements. This article discusses present and promising future theranostic applications for various types of diseases such as thyroid disorders, neuroendocrine tumors (NET), pediatric malignancies, and prostate cancer (PC), and provides an outlook for future perspectives.

Carbon Nanotubes and its Potential Application in Sensing

AbstractThis study provides overview of the different type of nanomaterials depending upon their size, and type, however focusing more on the Carbon Nanotubes. This review highlights the different synthesis and purification techniques and also the functionalization methods of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs). In particular, molecular recognition application of Carbon Nanotubes is explored in the present study. The majority of data was collected for optical and electrochemical studies of Carbon Nanotube based platform for the detection of metal ions, anions, nitroaromatics, biomolecules and gas molecules since last two decades. This review ends with an outlook of future perspectives that could be employed in nano sensor fabrication. I believe this review will act as a road map to guide the new researchers towards the concept of nanofabrication that can be employed to develop Carbon Nanotube based platform for sensing applications.

Functionalization of Synthetic Bone Substitutes.

Bone substitutes have been applied to treat osseous defects for a long time. To prevent implant related infection (IRI) and enhance bone healing functionalized biomaterials, antibiotics and osteoinductive substances have been introduced. This study gives an overview of the current available surface-coated bone substitutes and provides an outlook for future perspectives.

Fluidized Beds for Concentrated Solar Thermal Technologies—A Review

Thermal and thermochemical processes can be efficiently developed and carried out in fluidized beds, due to the unique properties of fluidized suspensions of solid particles and to the inherent flexibility of fluidized bed design and operation. Coupling fluidization with concentrated solar power is a stimulating cross-disciplinary field of investigation, with the related issues and opportunities to explore. In this review article the current and perspective applications of fluidized beds to collection, storage and exploitation of solar radiation are surveyed. Novel and “creative” designs of fluidized bed solar receivers/reactors are reported and critically discussed. The vast field of applications of solar-driven fluidized bed processes, from energy conversion with thermal energy storage, to solids looping for thermochemical energy storage, production of fuels, chemicals and materials, is explored with an eye at past and current developments and an outlook of future perspectives.

The Greek Law on Genetics and Genomics - An Overview and Outlook for Future Perspectives

This article presents the Greek law on genetics and genomics as an overview of a diverse set of legal matters and also, as an outlook for future perspectives. Part 1 comprises the legal landscape (fundamental rules, criminal procedure, civil procedure, Civil Code, DTC genetic tests, data protection, legislation on human germline gene editing, legislation on preimplantation testing/screening and prenatal testing/screening, advertising of genetic testing or screening, legislation on newborn screening and on advertising of genetic testing or screening. Part 2 discusses the legal academic debates in Greece on the above issues. Part 3 covers the legal developments in this area whereas Part 4 deals with specific legal considerations on human genetics and genomics in Greece, followed by the conclusions.

Semiochemical and natural product-based approaches to control Spodoptera spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The genus Spodoptera contains some of the most destructive crop pests in the world owing to the worldwide distribution of the different species and their wide host ranges. Uses of semiochemicals for insect control have been recently reviewed, but strategies developed specifically against Spodoptera species are scarce. In this review, we present an updated account of the semiochemicals and other natural product-based approaches to monitor and control the most damaging Spodoptera spp. In general, successful control of Spodoptera littoralis, S. frugiperda, S. litura, and S. exigua have been reported through mass trapping, mating disruption, and attract-and-kill methods. An updated survey of the pheromone components of these species and an outlook of future perspectives against these pests are also outlined.

The impact of simulated and real microgravity on bone cells and mesenchymal stem cells.

How microgravity affects the biology of human cells and the formation of 3D cell cultures in real and simulated microgravity (r- and s-µg) is currently a hot topic in biomedicine. In r- and s-µg, various cell types were found to form 3D structures. This review will focus on the current knowledge of tissue engineering in space and on Earth using systems such as the random positioning machine (RPM), the 2D-clinostat, or the NASA-developed rotating wall vessel bioreactor (RWV) to create tissue from bone, tumor, and mesenchymal stem cells. To understand the development of 3D structures, in vitro experiments using s-µg devices can provide valuable information about modulations in signal-transduction, cell adhesion, or extracellular matrix induced by altered gravity conditions. These systems also facilitate the analysis of the impact of growth factors, hormones, or drugs on these tissue-like constructs. Progress has been made in bone tissue engineering using the RWV, and multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS), formed in both r- and s-µg, have been reported and were analyzed in depth. Currently, these MCTS are available for drug testing and proteomic investigations. This review provides an overview of the influence of µg on the aforementioned cells and an outlook for future perspectives in tissue engineering.

Identification of A-to-I RNA editing: Dotting the i’s in the human transcriptome

The phenomenon of adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing has attracted considerable attention from the scientific community due to its potential relationship to the evolution of cognition in animals. While A-to-I editing exists in all organisms with neurons, including those with primitive neuronal systems (hydra and nematodes), it is particularly frequent in organisms with a highly developed central nervous system (primates, especially humans). Diversification of RNA transcript sequences via A-to-I editing serves a number of different functional roles, such as altering the genome-templated identity of particular amino acids in proteins or altering splice site junctions and modulating regulation of alternatively spliced mRNA variants. Here we provide an overview of current computational and experimental methods for the high-throughput discovery of edited RNA nucleotides in the human transcriptome, as well as a survey of the existing RNA editing bioinformatics resources and an outlook of future perspectives.