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The rodent incisor is a good model system to study the molecular and cellular events that are involved in enamel biomineralization. Incisors in rodents continuously erupt during their lifespan, thus allowing the study of all stages of enamel synthesis, deposition, mineralization and maturation in the same tissue section. This model system has provided invaluable insight into the specifics of enamel formation as a basis to understand human pathologies such as amelogenesis imperfect. Furthermore, the rodent incisor allows exploration and understanding of some of the most fundamental mechanisms that govern biomineralization. Enamel is the most mineralized, hardest tissue in the body. It is formed within a unique organic matrix that, unlike other hard tissues such as bone and dentin, does not contain collagen. The formation of enamel can be divided into two main stages: the secretory and maturation stage. During the secretory stage, a highly ordered arrangement of hydroxyapatite crystals is formed under the influence of structural matrix proteins such as amelogenin, ameloblastin and enamelin. During the maturation stage, the organic matrix is removed and hydroxyapatite crystals expand to ultimately yield a functional hard structure consisting of over 96% mineral. Research efforts over the past decades have mainly focused on the secretory stage, providing novel insights into the concept of biomineralization. However, the events that occur during the maturation stage have not been yet explored in detail, likely because the physiological roles of the enamel-forming ameloblasts are more diverse and complex at this stage. Mature ameloblasts are involved in the regulation of calcium transport in large amounts, phosphate and protein fragments in and out of the maturing enamel and provide regulatory mechanisms for the control of the pH. In recent years, increased efforts have been dedicated towards defining the molecular events during enamel maturation. The development of an ever-increasing number of transgenic animal models has clearly demonstrated the essential roles of matrix and non-matrix proteins during enamel formation. Multiple traditional and modern analytical techniques are applied for the characterization of enamel in these animals. The need for this Research Topic therefore stems from new information that has been generated on molecular events during the enamel maturation stage and the development and application of highly advanced analytical techniques to characterize dental enamel. The benefits and limitations of these techniques need to be reviewed and their application standardized for valid comparative studies.

Enamel development --- Maturation stage --- Secretory stage --- mineralization --- Ameloblasts --- hydroxyapatite --- Enamel proteins --- Proteases

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Photoactive nanomaterials have been receiving increasing attention due to their potential application in the light-driven degradation of water and gas-phase pollutants. However, to exploit the great potential of photoactive materials and access their properties requires fine-tuning of their size/shape-dependent chemical–physical properties, and on the ability to integrate them in photoreactors or to deposit them onto large surfaces. Therefore, the synthetic approach as well as post-synthesis manipulation could strongly affect the final photocatalytic properties of the nanomaterial. The aim of the present Special Issue is to report on the most recent progress towards the application of photoactive nanomaterials and nanomaterial-based coatings in pollutant degradation, paying particular attention to cases close to real application: scalable synthetic approaches to nanocatalysts, preparation of nanocatalyst-based coatings, degradation of real pollutants and bacterial inactivation, and application in building materials.

sputtering --- composite nanorods --- shell thickness --- photocatalytic activity --- titanium dioxide --- nanoparticles --- photocatalysis --- sulfate attack --- mortar --- cement --- blast furnace slag --- expansion --- deterioration --- microcracks --- photoelectrocatalysis --- TiO2 nanotube --- Pt loaded TiO2 --- paraquat --- polar herbicide --- degradation --- diclofenac --- hydroxyapatite --- photocatalysis --- transformation products --- toxicity --- photocatalysis --- nanocomposites --- heterojunction --- Z-scheme --- Cu2O --- TiO2 --- antimicrobial properties --- photocatalysis --- reactive green 12 --- CuxO/TiO2 --- polyester --- HiPIMS --- visible light LEDs --- photocatalysis --- titanium dioxide --- mesoporous --- nanomaterials --- environmental remediation --- water remediation --- NOx --- VOCs --- photocatalysis --- nanomaterials --- advanced oxidation processes --- water treatments --- recalcitrant pollutants --- gas-phase pollutants --- NOx --- VOCs --- building materials --- disinfection

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Our common knowledge on oxidative stress has evolved substantially over the years and has been mostly focused on the fundamental chemical reactions and the most relevant chemical species involved in the human pathophysiology of oxidative stress-associated diseases. Thus, reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) were identified as the key players initiating, mediating, and regulating the cellular and biochemical complexity of oxidative stress either as physiological (acting pro-hormetic) or as pathogenic (causing destructive vicious circle) process. The papers published in this particular Special Issue of the Cells demonstrate the impressive pathophysiological relevance of ROS and RNS in a range of contexts, including the relevance of second messengers of free radicals like 4-hydroxynonenal, allowing us to assume that even more detailed mechanisms of their positive and negative effects lie in wait, and should assist in better monitoring of the major modern diseases and the development of advanced integrative biomedicine treatments.

human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells --- TRPM2 channel --- ROS --- neuronal cell death --- histamine --- calcium --- endothelial cells --- NADPH-oxidase --- VAS2870 --- von Willebrand factor --- aorta --- relaxation --- reactive oxygen species (ROS) --- oxidative stress --- lipid peroxidation --- acrolein --- 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) --- oxidative burst --- granulocytes --- cancer cells --- growth control --- cancer regression --- hydroxyapatite-based biomaterials --- osteoblast growth --- redox balance --- vitamins --- lipid peroxidation --- 4-hydroxynonenal --- oxidative stress --- oxidative stress --- nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 --- heme-oxygenase-1 --- macrophages --- plaque vulnerability --- optical coherence tomography --- reactive oxygen species --- free radicals --- DNA damage --- cyclopurines --- DNA and RNA polymerases --- nucleotide excision repair --- LC-MS/MS --- xeroderma pigmentosum --- cancer --- intermittent hypoxia --- mitochondria --- Ca2+, ROS --- antioxidant --- free radicals --- antimicrobial --- toll-like receptors --- cannabidiol --- UV radiation --- keratinocytes --- antioxidants --- inflammation --- intracellular signaling --- Nrf2 --- NF?B --- glucose deprivation --- glutamine deprivation --- viability --- proliferation --- ROS --- NRF2-NQO1 axis --- IMR-90 --- NQO1 transcript variants --- rs1800566 --- TP53 mutation --- oxidative stress --- MFN2 --- mitochondria --- fusion/fission --- oxidative stress --- blood–brain barrier --- bEnd5 --- bEnd.3 --- glutathione --- viability --- free radicals --- redox balance --- cell signaling --- growth --- toxicity --- antioxidants --- oxidative homeostasis --- oxidative metabolism of the cells --- pathophysiology of oxidative stress