Vaccine design in the OMICs Era
A retrospection into the field of vaccinology reveals the triumph of medical science over infectious diseases that were once a death sentence. Research on vaccines has come a long way since 1796 when Edward Jenner used a
The algal organic matter: A novel carbon source to enhance the nitrogen removal in situ of aerobic denitrifiers
In recent years, nitrogen pollution, especially nitrate is an important problem faced by lots of reservoirs. Excessive nitrogen levels can cause water eutrophication, resulting in deterioration of water quality by increasing turbidity, affecting taste and odor, and
The complementary anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives
Inflammation is an important and extremely complex biological process involving a high number of mediators responsible for the activation of multiple cascades, providing a wide range of possible targets for the pharmacological treatment of inflammatory-related diseases. It
Multicomponent reactions and palladium catalysis
Multicomponent reactions (MCR) are reactions in which three or more substrates react together to form a product. These types of reactions are highly recommendable because MCR’s are atom economic, ideal and eco-friendly reactions. Transition metals are widely
Nutritional strategies in managing postmeal glucose for Type 2 Diabetes mellitus
The postmeal hyperglycemia is a common feature of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) with the majority of the patients have not achieved the postmeal target of less than 7.8 mmol/L at 2h. While the role of Medical Nutrition
Intracranial injections and animal models: towards understanding and treating human disease
The use of laboratory animals helped us to better understand a myriad of biological processes in health and disease and enabled the development of therapies that effectively cure, or ameliorate life conditions of, millions of people every
Flexible solid-state random lasers emitting radiation in the UV region
The internet of things opened new possibilities relative to the integration of wearable electronics in textile-based devices, allowing the development of new technologies in energy storage and energy harvesting area, sensors, actuators and the following step of
Supportive relationships in children and adolescents facing political violence and mass disasters
In the context of mass trauma events such as political violence and natural disasters, children and adolescents are inherently more vulnerable to maladjustment and psychopathology than adults. Despite this, many adolescents tend to survive, even thrive, suggesting
Biopolymers with shape memory
The polylactic acid (PLA) family of polymers are made from plant-based oils and so are carbon-neutral; any carbon that they contribute to the environment has been extracted from the atmosphere by the growing plant. They can be
Protein disorder in algal metabolism
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are peculiar proteins that escape from the classic structure-function paradigm. The principal feature of these IDPs/IDRs containing proteins is the absence of a unique stable conformation
Beneficial dust like a wall protecting a castle: the role of orchid seed coat in restricting the invasion of fungal hyphae
Plants are often thought of as producing their nutrients through photosynthesis, but many plants associate with other organisms (microorganisms) to exchange nutrients for survival. In particular, orchids, which have threatened many species with extinction due to habitat
Some homemade simple tools and their use in handling of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism widely used in biological research and biology education. Transferring adult flies is a common but difficult practice as flies fly. A set of homemade tools can be used to tackle this
Mortality attributable to influenza, evidence and considerations after the Covid-19 pandemic
In the last recent years, before the Covid-19 pandemic, influenza-attributable mortality has been impressive, in particular among elderly aged 65 years. A wide variability between different countries, seasons, and years was observed. In Italy, during the four
DARC – A light at the end of the tunnel
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting more than 70 million people worldwide. Visual loss is attributed to death of nerve cells, called retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), in the back of the eye. There is
Do pufferfish selectively accumulate toxins?
Marine pufferfish of the genus Takifugu, including Takifugu pardalis, contain the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX). TTX is distributed not only in pufferfish, but also in various other organisms, many of which are toxified exogenously by the food
Cultural competency/safety in healthcare
There is current interest in cultural safety and cultural competence in tertiary institutions the world over. We need to learn it, teach it, and practice it. While this is true across the sector, my paper just focuses
Predictive sensing: the role of motor signals in sensory processing
The brain receives sensory information and uses it to build a representation of our environment and guide our behaviors. However, these voluntary actions in turn also lead to stimulation of our sensory systems. Accordingly, our sensory systems
Do bike lanes make cycling safer? Researchers don’t know
For years, researchers have been identifying “hotspots” for crashes – street segments or zones where a high proportion of crashes occur. Often features of the built environment – features such as population density, the number of intersections,
Macrophage-myofibroblast transition: a novel target for stopping kidney disease
Kidney is one of the major organs in our body for detoxification. Its failure is an important cause of patient mortality that serves as a primary disease and a lethal complication in a range of diseases such
Perspectives for anti-tuberculosis therapy with additional drug activities to counteract drug resistance
Generally, antibiotic therapies use single antibiotics to combat sensitive bacteria. The standard of antituberculosis therapy includes four antibacterial agents that all have different modes of activities in the initial phase of a tuberculosis infection with mycobacterium tuberculosis.
