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asthma; cystic fibrosis; gas exchange; homeostasis; inflammation; lung diseas; lung endothelium;stem cells

Summary: The annual scientific conference of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand was held virtually on the 2nd and 3rd December 2021. The aim of the annual conference is to foster discussion and disseminate the results of nutrition-related research. The conference also provides an opportunity for those working in practice to share their experiences and keep up to date with scientific advancements. The theme of the conference was 'Reconnecting - Tūhono'. One hundred and sixty-nine delegates attended over the two days. The programme comprised five plenary sessions, five concurrent oral sessions, and twenty-three short, prerecorded videos, with the latter serving as a replacement for the traditional poster format. Highlights of the five plenary sessions included presentations on food sovereignty by Dr Bevan Eruti and Christina McKerchar; women's health by Dr Megan Ogilvie and Dane Baker; sustainable diets by Dr Brent Clothier, Dr Nick Smith, and Dr Cristina Cleghorn; healthy environments for children by Jasmin Jackson; and the gut-brain axis and future foods by Dr Pramod Gopal, Tracey Bear, and Dr Jocelyn Eason. The Muriel Bell Lecture entitled 'Lick the plate clean: the intersection of food, nutrition, and waste' was presented by Professor Sheila Skeaff of the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago.

Summary: In recent years, artificial intelligence has increasingly been playing an essential role in diverse areas in medicine, assisting clinicians in patient management. In nephrology and transplantation, artificial intelligence can be utilized to enhance clinical care, such as through hemodialysis prescriptions and the follow-up of kidney transplant patients. Furthermore, there are rapidly expanding applications and validations of comprehensive, computerized medical records and related databases, including national registries, health insurance, and drug prescriptions. For this Special Issue, we made a call to action to stimulate researchers and clinicians to submit their invaluable works and present, here, a collection of articles covering original clinical research (single- or multi-center), database studies from registries, meta-analyses, and artificial intelligence research in nephrology including acute kidney injury, electrolytes and acid-base, chronic kidney disease, glomerular disease, dialysis, and transplantation that will provide additional knowledge and skills in the field of nephrology and transplantation toward improving patient outcomes.

Summary: This book collects 17 original research papers and 9 reviews that are part of the Special Issue "Cellular Oxidative Stress", published in the journal Antioxidants. Oxidative stress on a cellular level affects the function of tissues and organs and may eventually lead to disease. Therefore, a precise understanding of how oxidative stress develops and can be counteracted is of utmost importance. The scope of the book is to emphasize the latest findings on the cellular targets of oxidative stress and the potential beneficial effect of antioxidants on human health.

Summary: We are delighted to present this Special Issue to celebrate a remarkable milestone in the journey of Applied Dentistry. With great pleasure, we announce the publication of the journal's 20,000th paper. This remarkable achievement reflects the unwavering commitment and dedication of our esteemed authors, reviewers, and readers who have contributed to the advancement of dental research.Over the years, Applied Dentistry has emerged as a beacon of knowledge, serving as a platform for the dissemination of cutting-edge research and innovative ideas in various domains of dental science. Our journal encompasses a wide range of disciplines, covering everything from dental materials and biomaterials to preventive and therapeutic strategies, from clinical applications to regenerative dentistry.We envision this milestone as a stepping stone toward even greater accomplishments. Through the collaboration and collective efforts of researchers worldwide, we strive to push the boundaries of dental science, explore new frontiers, and improve oral health outcomes for individuals across the globe.In conclusion, we extend our warmest congratulations to all those who have contributed to the publication of the Special Issue celebrating Applied Dentistry's 20,000th paper milestone.

Summary: Human lactation has evolved to produce a milk composition that is uniquely-designed for the human infant. Not only does human milk optimize infant growth and development, it also provides protection from infection and disease. More recently, the importance of human milk and breastfeeding in the programming of infant health has risen to the fore. Anchoring of infant feeding in the developmental origins of health and disease has led to a resurgence of research focused in this area. Milk composition is highly variable both between and within mothers. Indeed the distinct maternal human milk signature, including its own microbiome, is influenced by environmental factors, such as diet, health, body composition and geographic residence. An understanding of these changes will lead to unravelling the adaptation of milk to the environment and its impact on the infant. In terms of the promotion of breastfeeding, health economics and epidemiology is instrumental in shaping public health policy and identifying barriers to breastfeeding. Further, basic research is imperative in order to design evidence-based interventions to improve both breastfeeding duration and women's breastfeeding experience.

Summary: Brain-immune interactions are essential to maintain health and their dysfunction contributes to diverse human diseases. Recent data show that haematopoietic processes and immune organs are under central autonomic control. Deficient regulation of inflammatory events contributes to brain diseases, whereas acute or chronic brain injury is linked with the development of systemic inflammatory conditions or immunosuppression. At present, common disorders with high socio-economic burden such as cancer, cardiovascular-, neuroinflammatory- and neurodegenerative diseases, asthma, allergies, autism, psychiatric conditions and sepsis are believed to be influenced, at least in part, by the dysfunction of brain-immune communication. Since the median age of the world's population is increasing rapidly, it is expected that the burden of common non-communicable diseases will further increase, which represents a huge challenge to the health care systems worldwide. Thus, there is an increasing demand to understand and treat complex diseases, many of which are age-related, and this is not possible unless the fine-tuned communication between large systems -such as the nervous and the immune system- is comprehensively understood. Although it is impossible to cover all areas of relevant research in this field, papers in this eBook give some insight to a few important aspects of brain-immune interactions and their contribution to disease. We hope that this collection could stimulate further relevant research and facilitate discussions to support the understanding of the highly complex interactions between the immune system and the brain in health and disease.

Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe chronic health condition that is often misunderstood or ignored by health establishments. The lack of definitive diagnostic markers to separate ME/CFS patients from the healthy population as well as from other chronic disorders is problematic for both health professionals and researchers. A consortium of Australian researchers gathered to systematically understand ME/CFS, ranging from a deep analysis of clinical and pathology data to metabolomic profiles and the investigation of mitochondrial function. From this broad collaboration, a number of compelling insights have arisen that may form the basis of specific serum, blood, and/or urinary biomarkers of ME/CFS. This Special Edition reports on a conference centred on these biomedical discoveries, with other contributions, with a translation focus for predictive markers for ME/CFS diagnosis. By supporting health professionals with developments in diagnostics for this condition, the patients and their families will hopefully benefit from an improved recognition of the biomedical underpinnings of the condition and will be better able to access the care that is urgently required. This Special Edition contains a mix of speaker submissions and other accepted manuscripts that contributed to our objective of advancing biomedical insights to enable the accurate diagnosis of ME/CFS.

Summary: The concept of mechanism in biology has three distinct meanings. It may refer to a philosophical thesis about the nature of life and biology, to the internal workings of a machine-like structure, or to the causal explanation of a particular phenomenon. In this Special Issue, we try to discuss these possible biological mechanisms that underlie the beneficial effects of physical fitness and sports performance, as well their importance and role/influences on physical health.Despite the significant body of knowledge regarding the physiological and physical effects of different training methods (based on dimensions of load), some of the biological causes for those changes are still unknown. Additionally, few studies have focused on the natural biological variability in humans and how specific properties of humans may justify different effects for the same training intervention. Thus, more original research is needed to provide plausible biological mechanisms that may explain the physiological and physical effects of exercise and training in humans.In this Special Issue, we gather the contributions that describe and list the links between physical fitness, sports performance, and human biology.

Summary: Medicinal plants and natural products have played a central role in therapeutics, being considered the origin of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. Plants are still a source in nature to obtain and isolate molecules with pharmacological applications (drug discovery), but can also be used as herbal medicinal products in traditional or complementary medicine.In addition, the WHO has launched a Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014-2023), including herbal medicines as medicinal therapies, with the aim to ensure the quality, safety, proper use, and effectiveness of traditional medicines, among other objectives.This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue on "Bioactivity of Medicinal Plants and Extracts" published online in the open access journal Biology. This reprint includes a collection of original research and review articles on new advances in the development and application of bioactive compounds and extracts from plant matrices.

Summary: Oral health is general health. If the oral cavity is kept healthy, the whole body is always healthy. Bacteria in the oral cavity do not stay in the oral cavity, but rather they travel throughout the body and can induce various diseases. Periodontal pathogens are involved in tooth loss. The number of remaining teeth decreases with age. People with more residual teeth can bite food well and live longer with lower incidence of dementia. There are many viruses in the oral cavity that also cause various diseases. Bacteria and viruses induce and aggravate inflammation, and therefore should be removed from the oral cavity. In the natural world, there are are many as yet undiscovered antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory substances. These natural substances, as well as chemically modified derivatives, help our oral health and lead us to more fulfilling, high quality lives. This Special Issue, entitled "Biological Efficacy of Natural and Chemically Modified Products against Oral Inflammatory Lesions", was written by specialists from a diverse variety of fields. It serves to provide readers with up-to-date information on incidence rates in each age group, etiology and treatment of stomatitis, and to investigate the application of such treatments as oral care and cosmetic materials.

Summary: The first all-Russia conference with international participation "Basic Research in Endocrinology: A Modern Strategy for the Development and Technologies of Personalized Medicine" was held in Novosibirsk on 26-27 November 2020. The purpose of this conference was to disseminate the latest basic and clinical findings in the fields of etiology, clinical characteristics, and modern diagnostics and treatments of endocrine disorders among various relevant specialists. The conference was intended for practicing endocrinologists, primary care physicians, medical geneticists, pediatric endocrinologists, pediatricians, and physician-scientists. The main topics included epidemiology and pathogenesis of endocrine disorders; genomic research in endocrinology; biochemical characteristics of endocrine aberrations; immunology and immunogenetics in endocrinology; cellular technologies in endocrinology; metabolomic research in endocrinology; pharmacogenetics; basic pathomorphology; high-tech care of patients with endocrine disorders; iodine-deficiency-related, autoimmune, and oncological diseases of the thyroid; modern diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for diabetes mellitus; osteoporosis and osteopenias; polyendocrinopathies; an interdisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome; hypo- and hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D; neuroendocrine disorders; reproductive health; rehabilitation of patients with endocrine disorders; health resort and spa treatments of endocrine disorders and comorbid conditions.

Summary: Autophagy ("auto-digestion"), a lysosome-dependent process, degrades and turns over damaged or senescent organelles and proteins. Autophagy is a highly regulated process that impacts several vital cellular responses, including inflammation, cell death, energy metabolism, and homeostasis of organelles (mitochondria and others). Although the role of autophagy in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis is well documented, its role during tissue injury and regeneration is still emerging. In this Special Issue on "Autophagy in Tissue Injury and Homeostasis", we focus on the roles of autophagy in systemic, specific tissue (organs/cells) injury or organ failure associated with sepsis, inflammation, metabolic disorder, toxic chemicals, ischemia-reperfusion injury, hypoxic oxidative stress, tissue fibrosis, trauma, and nutrient starvation. The knowledge gained from the identification and characterization of new molecular mechanisms will shed light on biomedical applications for tissue protection through the modulation of autophagy.

Summary: ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. [Vitamin C is synthesized by almost all animals. However, for humans, it is a vitamin that needs constant replenishment in the diet. While its role as an anti-oxidant and for preventing scurvy have been known for a long time, novel functions and unrecognized associations continue to be identified for this enigmatic molecule. In the past decade, new details have emerged regarding differences in its uptake by oral and intravenous modes. While vitamin C deficiency remains largely unknown and poorly addressed in many segments of the population, novel pharmacological roles for high-dose, intravenous vitamin C in many disease states have now been postulated and investigated. This has shifted its role in health and disease from the long-perceived notion as merely a vitamin and an anti-oxidant to a pleiotropic molecule with a broad anti-inflammatory, epigenetic, and anti-cancer profile. This Special Issue comprises original research papers and reviews on vitamin C metabolism and function that relate to the following topics: understanding its role in the modulation of inflammation and immunity, therapeutic applications and safety of pharmacological ascorbate in disease, and the emerging role of vitamin C as a pleiotropic modulator of critical care illness and cancer.]

Summary: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) has spread worldwide from the beginning of 2020. The infection is mostly asymptomatic but some patients may develop COVID‑19 (coronavirus disease 2019) with a severe or critical course leading to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure. Apart from the virus‑related damage of the lungs, pathomechanism of the disease seems to be linked to thromboembolism and inflammation accompanied by overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, termed a cytokine storm, responsible for multiorgan damage and death. Since the development of a new therapeutic molecule, dedicated strictly to a particular virus is time‑consuming, physicians and scientists have started to test and repurpose old medications. Unfortunately, after one year of pandemics, there is still a lack of optimal therapy and no clear indicators of recovery. A major issue is also insufficient knowledge on predictors of the severe or deadly course of the disease, which could also help to switch from one therapeutic option to another. Due to many gaps still existing in the management of COVID-19, there is a need for the accumulation of new data particularly from real-world experience, which could be applicable to practice guidelines. The objective of this special issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine is to provide an update on the mangement for the diagnostic workup and pharmacotherapy of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection.

Summary: This theme issue is to celebrate Professor Robert Verpoorte's 75th birthday. Prof. Verpoorte has been working in Leiden University over 40 years. There is no need to dwell upon the contributions of Dr. Verpoorte to plant-derived natural products research during his whole life. Dr. Verpoorte was a highly productive scientist throughout his academic career, with over 800 scientific publications in the form of research papers, books, and book chapters. His research interests are very diverse, cover- ing numerous topics related to plant-based natural products such as plant cell biotech- nology, biosynthesis, metabolomics, genetic engineering, and green technology, as well as the isolation of new biologically active compounds. He has left indelible footprints in all these fields, and he is widely recognised as a pioneer in the work of the biosynthesis of indole alkaloids, NMR-based metabolomics, and green technology in natural products production. As close friends and colleagues who have been in nearly daily contact with him over the last 20 years viewing all of these remarkable scientific contributions, we felt compelled to recognize this by the publication of a Special Issue of this journal dedicated to him.Thus, this Special Issue has now finally been released with the help of many of his colleagues and former students as a token of our gratitude to his impressive work.The Special Issue covers five main natural products topics: (1) chemical profiling and metabolomics, (2) separation/isolation and identification of plant specialized metabolites, (3) pharmacognosy of natural products to identify bioactive molecules from natural prod- ucts, (4) novel formulation of natural products, and (5) overview of natural products as a source of bioactive molecules.

Summary: COVID-19 is a pandemic that has forced many states to declare restrictive measures in order to prevent its wider spread. These measures are necessary to protect the health of adults, children, and people with disabilities.Long quarantine periods could cause an increase in anxiety crises, fear of contagion, and post-traumatic stress disorder (frustration, boredom, isolation, fear, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating).Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can develop in subjects who have witnessed a traumatic, catastrophic, or violent event, or who have become aware of a traumatic experience that happened to a loved one.In fact, from current cases, it emerges that the prevalence of PTSD varies from 1% to 9% in the general population and can reach 50%-60% in subgroups of subjects exposed to traumas considered particularly serious. PTSD develops as a consequence of one or more physical or psychological traumatic events, such as exposure to natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis; wars, torture, death threats; road accidents, robbery, air accidents; diseases with unfavorable prognoses; complicated or traumatic mourning; physical and sexual abuse and abuse during childhood; or victimization and discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It can also develop following changes in lifestyle habits caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.Thank you for reading the manuscripts in this Special Issue, "The Impact of the COVID-19 Emergency on the Quality of Life of the General Population".

Summary: With the development of analytical instruments, the academic system has become more complicated, producing new journals one after another. Therefore, it became much important to clarify what is original of "Medicines". As the name Medicines indicates, it includes science and practice of caring for a patient and managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment or palliation of their injury or disease. Therefore, Medicines differs from other journals with similar title in that it covers a wide range of fields, from traditional medicine to rapidly developing molecular-targeted drugs, focusing on their pharmacological effects, structure-activity relationships, metabolic pathways, gene expression, using cultured cells, animals, and clinical trials. Most parts of this Special Issue were written by our editorial board members, who described the research topics and how they are engaged in their field of research. All of these articles are their life-long story. We collected a total number of 22 original works by basic researchers and clinical doctors. We hope that readers can get a chance to know the current status of diverse fields of medicines, and what your most important research themes are after reading these articles.

Summary: The area of rehabilitation research for patients having persistent pain is on the move. The rapid growth in pain science has inspired rehabilitation clinicians and researchers around the globe. This has led to breakthrough research and implementation of modern pain science in rehabilitation settings around the world. Still, our understanding of persistent pain continues to grow, not in the least because of fascinating discoveries from areas such as psychoneuroimmunology, exercise physiology, clinical psychology and nutritional (neuro)biology. This offers unique opportunities to further improve rehabilitation for patients with chronic pain across the lifespan. Also, the diversity of health care disciplines involved in the rehabilitation of chronic pain (e.g. physicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, coaches) provides a framework for upgrading rehabilitation for chronic pain towards comprehensive lifestyle approaches.

Summary: In the past few years, knowledge about glaucoma diagnosis and follow up has evolved dramatically through advances in intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, corneal biomechanics, structural and functional assessment of the ocular surface, anterior chamber, retina, optic nerve and intracranial visual pathways, as well as the advent of artificial intelligence. In addition, the development of new modalities of IOP-lowering and non-IOP-lowering drugs, alternative deliveries, refined laser technologies, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) techniques with different implants have widened the therapeutic possibilities for treating this disease. Finally, current insights into risk factors and quality of life in relation to glaucomatous impairment are emerging. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the latest exciting clinical developments that are taking place in the field of glaucoma.

Summary: Pancreatic neoplasms include different pathological entities with variable biological behavior and different treatment modalities. Surgery and adjuvant therapy are the cornerstones of the therapeutic approach; however, even after radical resection, the majority of patients experience disease recurrence and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer remains dismal. A multimodal therapeutic approach, based on a combination of neoadjuvant therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery, appears fundamental to improving the outcomes. This Special Issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine, entitled "Recent Advances in Pancreatic Neoplasms", focuses on possible new strategies to treat pancreatic neoplasms.

Summary: Personalised medicine is the next step in healthcare, especially when applied to genetically diverse diseases such as cancers. Naturally, a host of methods need to evolve alongside this, in order to allow the practice and implementation of individual treatment regimens. One of the major tasks for the development of personalised treatment of cancer is the identification and validation of a comprehensive, robust, and reliable panel of biomarkers that guide the clinicians to provide the best treatment to patients. This is indeed important with regards to radiotherapy; not only do biomarkers allow for the assessment of treatability, tumour response, and the radiosensitivity of healthy tissue of the treated patient. Furthermore, biomarkers should allow for the evaluation of the risks of developing adverse late effects as a result of radiotherapy such as second cancers and non-cancer effects, for example cardiovascular injury and cataract formation. Knowledge of all of these factors would allow for the development of a tailored radiation therapy regime. This Special Issue of the Journal of Personalised Medicine covers the topic of Radiation Response Biomarkers in the context of individualised cancer treatments, and offers an insight into some of the further evolution of radiation response biomarkers, their usefulness in guiding clinicians, and their application in radiation therapy.

Summary: This book outlines some new advances in genetics, clinical evaluation, localization, therapy (newly including immunotherapy) of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma including their metastatic counterparts. Well-known and experienced clinicians and scientists contributed to this book to include some novel approaches to these tumors. This book will serve to various health care professionals from different subspecialties, but mainly oncologists, endocrinologists, endocrine surgeons, pediatricians, and radiologists. This book shows that the field of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma is evolving and a significant progress has been made in last 5 years requiring that health care professionals and scientists will learns new information and implement it in their clinical practice or scientific work, respectively. This book should not be missed by anybody who is focusing on neuroendocrine tumors, their newest evaluation and treatment.

Summary: Skin inflammation is associated with a wide range of conditions which represent major health issues worldwide. Skin and mucosal surfaces represent the primary interface between the human body and the environment, susceptible to numerous factors whose action results in diseases produced by chemical substances, mechanical trauma, microbial agents, radiation, etc. Inflammation, a complex network of interactions between soluble molecules and cells, represents the main modality of the skin's response to injuries. Numerous studies have revealed close links between chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and carcinogenesis. Chronic inflammation induces the activation of various cell types and an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, promoting the initiation of a malignant process. Identifying specific biomarkers is essential for understanding molecular mechanisms and developing therapies appropriate to the patient's characteristics.Personalized medicine is an emerging field of medicine that has the potential to predict which therapy will be safe and efficacious for specific patients using an individual's genetic profile to guide decisions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, as well as prevention of disease. This book gathers articles that present recent advancements in research involving the mechanisms that underlie the development of inflammatory skin disorders, skin and mucosal inflammation in general.

Summary: p38 Mitogen activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) are a group of evolutionary conserved protein kinases which are central for cell adaptation to environmental changes as well as for immune response, inflammation, tissue regeneration and tumour formation. The interest in this group of protein kinases has grown continually since their discovery. Recent studies using new genetic and pharmacological tools are providing helpful information on the function of these stress-activated protein kinases and show that they have an acute impact on the development of prevalent diseases related to inflammation, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and cancer. In this Special Issue we present novel advances and review the knowledge on the identification of p38MAPK substrates, functions, and regulation; mechanisms underlying the role of p38MAPK in malignant transformation and other pathologies; and therapeutic opportunities associated with regulation of p38MAPK activity.

Summary: Diabetes is a worldwide public health problem that can be explained by the classic model of the determinants of health. Thus, success in preventing diabetes mellitus and its associated complications not only depends on the individual but also on social and community networks as well as general socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental conditions. For that reason, we need to create conditions that ensure good health and social care for an entire population through the development and implementation of preventive strategies, promotion of healthy lifestyles, protection from diseases, and the design of targeted screening strategies. This aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development goal number 3, good health and well-being, which includes the achievement of universal health coverage and access to quality essential healthcare services. In addition, this also has a direct link to goal number 10, which focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries. Pathological Mechanisms in Diabetes is a compilation of high-quality scientific evidence aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in the association between diabetes and comorbidities and at describing their clinical and therapeutic implications. The variety of updated topics included from different approaches shows the need for more efficient preventive activities to reduce the incidence of this disease and its related complications.

Summary: The effects of nutrition on chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and stroke, continue to generate interest among researchers. This is because diet is a modifiable risk factor. The composition of diet, including the proportions and types of macronutrients and micronutrients, is a major contributor to chronic diseases. The beneficial effects of nutritional interventions on chronic conditions have been well documented, although differences remain among researchers concerning their overall impact. The evaluations of the role of nutrition in chronic conditions draw on diet's effects on body weight, body composition, glycemic, and insulin excursions, and vascular remodeling. The effect of diet in modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis is also an evolving area of research. This reprint, entitled "Nutrition in Chronic Conditions", aims to examine the effect of nutrition in the development, care, and management of chronic conditions. This reprint includes 11 original studies conducted in high- and middle-income countries, 3 systematic reviews with meta-analysis, and 3 literature reviews. The topics covered in the reprint include: the effects of diet on (1) insulin and glucose metabolism; (2) gut health; (3) brain and cognitive impairment; (4) infections, chronic conditions, malnutrition, and all-cause mortality; (5) obesity and dietary variables in post-menopausal women; (6) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice, specifically with the consumption of coffee; and (7) chronic conditions and COVID-19 infection.

Summary: The purpose of this reprint based on the Special issue "Molecules in Diabetes Melitus, Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Disease", IJMS journal, MDPI, is to present the impact in clinical practice as well as in medical research of novel molecules that have been introduced in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.

Summary: The practice of regular physical activity has been proposed as a determinant in many disciplines, from wellness to physiotherapy; in fact, it reduces the risks of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Moreover, physical exercise decreases the incidence of some types of cancer, such as breast and colon cancer. Finally, rehabilitation protocols need correct exercise training to reach the complete "return to play" of patients. Unfortunately, the mechanisms associated with the beneficial effects of physical activity are still under study. Therefore, advances in all aspects of sport and exercise medicine will be relevant for physicians, recreational sport practitioners and elite athletes. This was the aim of this Special Issue, "New trends in sport and exercise medicine", which achieved great success. Sixteen papers have been published, which are briefly described below. They range from mobile applications in physiotherapy to changes in bioactive lipids in half-marathoners. However, sport and exercise medicine are broad subjects and require more papers to clarify their different aspects. Therefore, we proposed a new Special Issue to continue on this path and gain new insights into sport and exercise medicine.

Summary: In recent years, researchers have shown a special interest in natural products as alternative methods for the prevention, treatment, and/or management of various skin illnesses and disorders, primarily due to their natural availability, efficacity, reduced cost, and minimal toxicity. In a similar vein, synthetic bioactives, as well as small molecules, have been studied in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical studies as potential drugs or supplements. This Special Issue of Nutrients comprises an array of literature reviews, original communications, and studies on the roles of natural products, synthetic bioactives, and small molecules in a variety of skin disorders and diseases, such as aging, atopic dermatitis, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, melanoma, allergies, hyperpigmentation, inflammation, and more, which were investigated through in vitro and ex vivo approaches, preclinical trials, cell-based assays, and animal models. The mechanisms of action of certain compounds are proposed, while others are currently under investigation. The authors of the papers also explore technologies designed to improve the bioavailability and delivery of certain compounds. In lieu of ongoing research on a variety of skin disorders, the wealth of information published in this Special Issue can act as a springboard for the development of new preventive and therapeutic modalities for the management of skin diseases.

Summary: This Special Issue on the "Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Preeclampsia" belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics" of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. It was a very successful Special Issue as it contains 20 published papers, including one editorial, nine original research papers, and ten reviews on the topic. The original publications cover a wide spectrum of topics, including alterations and involvement of specific factors during preeclampsia, new non-invasive technologies to identify changes, new treatment options, animal models, gender aspects, and effects of the pregnancy pathology later in life. The review publications again cover a wide spectrum of topics, including factors and pathways involved in preeclampsia, effects on the maternal vascular and immune systems, effects on the placenta and the trophoblast, epigenetic changes, new preventive strategies, and new views on the current hypotheses on preeclampsia. Taken together, this Special Issue gives a fantastic overview on a broad spectrum of topics, all of which are important to identify the real etiology of preeclampsia and to finally develop real treatment options.

Summary: Mitochondria are subcellular organelles evolved by the endosymbiosis of bacteria with eukaryotic cells. They are the main source of ATP in the cell and engaged in other aspects of cell metabolism and cell function, including the regulation of ion homeostasis, cell growth, redox status, and cell signaling. Due to their central role in cell life and death, mitochondria are also involved in the pathogenesis and progression of human diseases/conditions, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and aging. However, despite the increasing number of studies, precise mechanisms whereby mitochondria are involved in the regulation of basic physiological functions, as well as their role in the cell under pathophysiological conditions, remain unknown. A lack of in-depth knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial metabolism and function, as well as interplay between the factors that transform the organelle from its role in pro-survival to pro-death, have hindered the development of new mitochondria-targeted pharmacological and conditional approaches for the treatment of human diseases. This book highlights the latest achievements in elucidating the role of mitochondria under physiological conditions, in various cell/animal models of human diseases, and in patients.

Summary: The recent COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted from SARS CoV-2 coronavirus infection, contributed to a rapid increase in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. Although during the last 3 years there have been numerous research publications on patient care, data concerning the role of the dietary approach in the overall treatment of the disease are minimal. Moreover, with regard to the dietary approach during COVID-19 critical illness, practice guidelines are still based on data which were developed too quickly and were based on targeted recommendations on feeding the critically ill. Since then, new sources of data have emerged, which clearly display significant nutritional challenges. Why are we so interested in providing individualized nutritional therapy to critically ill patients with COVID-19? Bevause these patients tend to exhibit a significantly greater length of hospital stay, and a higher risk of developing muscle weakness, malnutrition and functional loss. Are there any data on best nutrition support practices? Unfortunately, there are no data from randomized clinical trials, with the exception of some micronutrient supplementation studies with immunomodulating actions. So, the key concept identified in this Special Issue was that optimizing dietary practices for patients both during their ICU stay and beyond is crucial. Clinicians should be capable of managing their patients both during their hospitalization and rehabilitation phase, in order to ensure continuous care and to minimize the susceptibility of adverse events due to malnutrition.

Summary: The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, also referred as 9/11, was an iconic event in US history that altered the global and political response to terrorism. The attacks, which involved two planes hitting the twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, resulted in the collapse of the buildings and over 2800 deaths of occupants of the buildings, fire, police and other responders and persons on the street in the vicinity of the collapsing buildings. The destroyed towers and the surrounding buildings have since been replaced but the health effects that resulted from the release of tons of dust, gases and debris as well as the life threat trauma are ongoing, and represent a major health burden among persons directly exposed. Hundreds of scientific publications have documented the physical and mental health effects attributed to the disaster. The current state-of-the-art in understanding the ongoing interactions of physical and mental health, especially PTSD, and the unique mechanisms by which pollutants from the building collapse, have resulted in long term pulmonary dysfunction, course of previously reported conditions, potential emerging conditions (e.g., heart disease and autoimmune diseases), as well as quality of life, functioning and unmet health care needs would be in the purview of this Special Issue on the 9/11 Disaster.

Summary: As computer and space technologies have been developed, geoscience information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technologies, which deal with the geospatial information, have been rapidly maturing. Moreover, over the last few decades, machine learning techniques including artificial neural network (ANN), deep learning, decision tree, and support vector machine (SVM) have been successfully applied to geospatial science and engineering research fields. The machine learning techniques have been widely applied to GIS and RS research fields and have recently produced valuable results in the areas of geoscience, environment, natural hazards, and natural resources. This book is a collection representing novel contributions detailing machine learning techniques as applied to geoscience information systems and remote sensing.

Summary: The milk industry is largely based on dairy cattle production. After decades of great advancements in genetics, nutrition, and management, today, one cow can reach unprecedented levels of milk production. New challenges have been posed to preserving the health and welfare of these domestic animals. "High-Yielding Dairy Cows" is a collection of scientific papers focusing on three main areas: metabolic diseases, reproduction diseases, and herd (heath) management in confined and pasture production systems. This book aggregates knowledge from a molecular level to a more holistic approach on disease prevention and management, giving the reader an accurate overview of the current state of the art of this topic. It intends to contribute to ensuring the supply of ethical and responsible animal protein for about eight billion of people.

Summary: Dietary fat quality is a crucial determinant of several physiological, biochemical and molecular processes in the body, tissues and cells. As a source of energy, Fatty Acids (FA) are mainly stored in fat cells and within lipid droplets (LD) in oxidative and steroidogenic tissues, but significant amounts are also found in cell membranes where their structural role is crucial for membrane protein functions and the control of cellular functions. Differential effects have been identified between different types FA on inflammatory and metabolic diseases during obesity or in response to physical exercise and chronic diseases. The most recent dietary guidelines advise that lipids should represent 35% of the daily energy intake in order to prevent deleterious effects of high glycaemic index carbohydrates and deficiency in essential fatty acids. Hence, the prevalence of obesity could rise dramatically despite a fall in total fat intake. Advice is more focused on the improvement of the quality of fat than on the reduction of total fat intake. Dietary fat sources provide a mixture of saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA) and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Most institutional dietary guidelines claim that the consumption of SFA should be limited to the expense of MUFA and PUFA as a nutritional strategy for the prevention of chronic diseases. The role of dietary SFA and MUFA in cardiometabolic risk remains controversial in the scientific community. This special issue was proposed to publish articles that bring new elements into the topic by collecting recent advances for students and professionals involved in lipid and health.

Summary: From an evolutionary perspective, our species has relied upon physical activity for most of its history to survive and has had to escape from predators, to scavenge for food, and to use physique to work or build necessary means for everyday life. Physical activity has been part of our evolution and progress since the very beginning and, consequently, our entire body has been programmed to be active physically. In the last 20 years, scientific research has increasingly shown that our ancient survival principle has beneficial effects not only on the cells and organs involved in physical activities but on the metabolism of the entire organism, influencing the homeostasis and integration of all bodily functions, likely stimulating the production of hormones and other regulatory molecules, with each affecting vital signalling pathways. Most of the web of factors involved in molecular signalling upon exercise are suspected to be centrally controlled by the brain, which has been reported to be deeply modified by physical activity. Such complexity requires a multifaceted approach to shed light on the molecular interactions that occur between physical activity and its outcome at a cellular level.

Summary: Advances in Nanomaterials in Biomedicine" provided a platform for more than 110 researchers from different countries to present their latest investigations in various fields of nanotechnology, new methods and nanomaterials intended for medical applications. Modern achievements in the field of nanoparticle-based diagnostics, drug delivery and the use of various nanomaterials in the treatment of diseases are presented in 11 original articles. The published reviews provide a comprehensive analysis of the current information on the use of nanomedicine in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer and liver fibrosis, in the field of solid tissue engineering and in drug delivery systems.

Summary: As Editor-in-Chief of the journal Diabetology, I am pleased to announce that the Special Issue "Diabetology: Feature Papers 2022" has now been published as a reprint. Diabetology (ISSN 2673-4540) is an international, peer-reviewed scientific open access journal that provides an advanced forum for studies related to the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, pathogenesis, management, complications, and prevention of diabetes, including the molecular, biochemical, and physiological aspects of diabetes. In this Special Issue, "Feature Papers", we aimed to publish outstanding contributions in the main fields covered by the journal, which will make a great contribution to the community. This reprint covers the whole spectrum of diabetology from risk screening, risk markers, pathways of disease in type 1 diabetes and insulin treatment, and management of the disease and comorbidities.

Summary: Creatine plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, primarily by binding with phosphate to form phosphocreatine (PCr) as well as shuttling high-energy phosphate compounds in and out of the mitochondria for metabolism. Increasing the dietary availability of creatine increases the tissue and cellular availability of PCr, and thereby enhances the ability to maintain high-energy states during intense exercise. For this reason, creatine monohydrate has been extensively studied as an ergogenic aid for exercise, training, and sport. Limitations in the ability to synthesize creatine and transport and/or store dietary creatine can impair metabolism and is a contributor to several disease states. Additionally, creatine provides an important source of energy during metabolically stressed states, particularly when oxygen availability is limited. Thus, researchers have assessed the role of creatine supplementation on health throughout the lifespan, as well as whether creatine availability may improve disease management and/or therapeutic outcomes. This book provides a comprehensive overview of scientific and medical evidence related to creatine's role in metabolism, health throughout the lifespan, and our current understanding of how creatine can promote brain, heart, vascular and immune health; reduce the severity of musculoskeletal and brain injury; and may provide therapeutic benefits in glucose management and diabetes, cancer therapy, inflammatory bowel disease, and post-viral fatigue.

Summary: It is a great pleasure to provide you this Special Issue of Nutrients related to the 5th International Conference "Vitamin D-Minimum, Maximum, Optimum", under the auspices of the European Vitamin D Association (EVIDAS). The conference and the forthcoming papers serve as an international forum for the presentation and discussion of current basic and clinical research in the field of vitamin D. Organizing this subsequent Special Issue was truly challenging, given that vitamin D has recently been shown by prestigious medical journals to be an epiphenomenon that coincides with diseases, and that the correction of vitamin D deficits has limited clinical meaning. On the other hand, it was recognized that vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem with potential negative consequences on health, welfare, and morbidity during growth and adulthood, therefore influencing healthcare services worldwide. Thus, due to mutually exclusive conclusions, it was essential to discuss and share scientific reports and evidence demonstrating both the benefits and lack thereof in relation to human health. Prof. Dr. Pawel Pludowski Guest Editor