Corrigendum

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Membrane transporters in the bioproduction of organic acids: state of the art and future perspectives for industrial applications

Organic acids such as monocarboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids or even more complex molecules such as sugar acids, have displayed great applicability in the industry as these compounds are used as platform chemicals for polymer, food, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors. Chemical synthesis of these compounds from petroleum derivatives is currently their major source of production. However, increasing environmental concerns have prompted the production of organic acids by microorganisms. The current trend is the exploitation of industrial biowastes to sustain microbial cell growth and valorize biomass conversion into organic acids. One of the major bottlenecks for the efficient and cost-effective bioproduction is the export of organic acids through the microbial plasma membrane. Membrane transporter proteins are crucial elements for the optimization of substrate import and final product export. Several transporters have been expressed in organic acid-producing species, resulting in increased final product titers in the extracellular medium and higher productivity levels. In this review, the state of the art of plasma membrane transport of organic acids is presented, along with the implications for industrial biotechnology.This work was supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2019 funded by Portuguese fundsthrough the FCT I.P., and the projects: PTDC/BIAMIC/5184/2014, funded by national funds through the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) I.P. and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE 2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI), and EcoAgriFood: Innovative green products and processes to promote AgriFood BioEconomy (operacao NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000009), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). DR acknowledges FCT for the SFRH/BD/96166/2013 PhD grant. MSS acknowledges the Norte2020 for the UMINHO/BD/25/2016 PhD grant with the reference NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000060. TR acknowledges Yeastdoc European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 764927

Automated tests for diagnosing and monitoring cognitive impairment: a diagnostic accuracy review

Background Cognitive impairment is a growing public health concern, and is one of the most distinctive characteristics of all dementias. The timely recognition of dementia syndromes can be beneficial, as some causes of dementia are treatable and are fully or partially reversible. Several automated cognitive assessment tools for assessing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia are now available. Proponents of these tests cite as benefits the tests’ repeatability and robustness and the saving of clinicians’ time. However, the use of these tools to diagnose and/or monitor progressive cognitive impairment or response to treatment has not yet been evaluated. Objectives The aim of this review was to determine whether or not automated computerised tests could accurately identify patients with progressive cognitive impairment in MCI and dementia and, if so, to investigate their role in monitoring disease progression and/or response to treatment. Data sources Five electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science and PsycINFO), plus ProQuest, were searched from 2005 to August 2015. The bibliographies of retrieved citations were also examined. Trial and research registers were searched for ongoing studies and reviews. A second search was run to identify individual test costs and acquisition costs for the various tools identified in the review. Review methods Two reviewers independently screened all titles and abstracts to identify potentially relevant studies for inclusion in the review. Full-text copies were assessed independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted and assessed for risk of bias by one reviewer and independently checked for accuracy by a second. The results of the data extraction and quality assessment for each study are presented in structured tables and as a narrative summary. Results The electronic searching of databases, including ProQuest, resulted in 13,542 unique citations. The titles and abstracts of these were screened and 399 articles were shortlisted for full-text assessment. Sixteen studies were included in the diagnostic accuracy review. No studies were eligible for inclusion in the review of tools for monitoring progressive disease. Eleven automated computerised tests were assessed in the 16 included studies. The overall quality of the studies was good; however, the wide range of tests assessed and the non-standardised reporting of diagnostic accuracy outcomes meant that meaningful synthesis or statistical analysis was not possible. Limitations The main limitation of this review is the substantial heterogeneity of the tests assessed in the included studies. As a result, no meta-analyses could be undertaken. Conclusion The quantity of information available is insufficient to be able to make recommendations on the clinical use of the computerised tests for diagnosing and monitoring MCI and early dementia progression. The value of these tests also depends on the costs of acquisition, training, administration and scoring