Monthly Archives: November 2015
Antibacterial Titanium dioxide embedded in polymers
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) antibacterial surfaces are growing continuously in the health care areas. This is an important application since infectious biofilms are the main source of human infections in hospitals, schools and public places. When bacteria contacts
Childhood psychosocial adversity and adult neighborhood disadvantage as predictors of cardiovascular disease
Childhood adverse psychosocial factors, such as parental divorce and long – term financial difficulties, have been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This is also the case for neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage in adulthood. However, the combined
Can germs cause premenstrual syndrome?
Each month a woman’s body prepares itself for pregnancy. Monthly hormonal cycles alter immunological defenses to allow survival of sperm cells, the fertilized egg, and the developing embryo. At the onset of each cycle immune defenses are
A hereditary mutation in Schwartz-Jampel syndrome
Schwartz-Jampel syndrome (SJS) type 1, also known as chondrodystrophic myotonia, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by short stature, neuromyotonia (sustained contraction of skeletal muscles), chondrodysplasia (abnormal development of the cartilage of long bones), joint contractures,
The safety and toxicology of cannabinoids
Marijuana or cannabis, colloquially referred to as weed, pot, grass, herb, bud, ganja, etc., is the most commonly used illicit drug both nationally and internationally. Roughly 180.6 million people worldwide report lifetime cannabis use and 24.6 million
How to optimize the effectiveness of anticancer therapy
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. HCC is a public health problem worldwide because of its high incidence and its poor prognosis with high cancer-related mortality. In the majority of cases, patients
Influence of light emitting diodes (LED) bulbs on broilers grown to heavy weights
Light management influences growth, reproduction and behavior. Lighting programs slow the early growth rate of broilers allowing them to achieve physiological maturity prior to maximal rate of muscle mass accretion. Selected blood variables including blood gases are
A new understanding of the mechanism of action of insulin sensitizing drugs provides insight into treating metabolic disease
It has been known for some time that there is a connection between diabetes and other diseases that increase with age, including important neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Interestingly, all of these diseases are
CRIC: studying the silent epidemic of kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem affecting more than 20 million Americans, and far more worldwide. Although CKD typically begins with no noticeable symptoms, it is a progressive disease which if untreated often leads
Memory mechanism demonstrated in humans
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is the pricipal candidate synaptic mechanism underlying learning and memory. LTP has been studied extensively in laboratory animals, but until recently, inquiry into the functional significance of LTP has been hindered by the absence
Which regions of the skull contain the most information about genetic relatedness in monkeys?
The primate fossil record is plagued by issues with assessing phylogeny (genetic relationships among species) due to the fact that fossilized specimens are composed entirely of rock and contain no DNA. Paleontologists studying the primate fossil record
Silver clusters change form and color with each atom
Metal clusters are particles consisting of a few (usually between 2 and 100) metal atoms. Very often, metal clusters possess properties that differ markedly from both the constituting atoms and the bulk. Furthermore, they show nonscalable size
Bush-cricket males use genital titillators to stimulate females during mating
Mating and the transfer of the sperm from the males to the females are crucial for siring offspring. If a male is unable to attract a female for mating he cannot spread his genes to the next
Evaluation of a new test for the diagnosis of Amebiasis
Amebiasis is a parasitic infection caused by Entamoeba histolytica and one of the most common parasitic infections world-wide, infecting about 50 million people and resulting in 10,000 to 40,000 deaths per annum. The diagnosis of E. histolytica
New generation Opto-Electronic Patch Sensor (OEPS): CareLight
In recent decades, the number of people suffering from chronic diseases has increased dramatically. Referring to the report of British Heart Foundation (BHF), almost 2.6 million people in the UK are living with heart and circulatory disease.
Pass the salt, please! Understanding how cells deal with high salt
Table salt, a molecule made up of the charged ions sodium and chloride, is an essential nutrient fundamental to life and once worth its weight in gold. Historically a precious commodity, salt also helped civilizations develop because
The drug that can inhibit infection by reovirus
Cellular diversity is, to some extent, determined by the molecules present within specific cells. For example, cells that make up the endothelium, the part of blood vessels that come in contact with blood, make specific proteins that
On their way out: Structural HIV proteins team up before escaping from infected cells
The human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) infects and eventually destroys the immune cells of infected patients. This causes the life-threatening medical condition called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ). A cure for HIV/AIDS does not exist,
Zinc – a promising supplement for the immune system
Zinc is essential for basic functions within cells of the human body. Hence, zinc deficiency is associated with impaired immune functions as dermatitis, dysfunction of the immune system, hypogonadism, and growth retardation. Under normal conditions only low
How my physician could adapt his or her behaviors to my preferences?
Nowadays, the recommended approach in physician – patient interaction is patient – centeredness. As the name suggests, patient – centeredness implies to put the patient in the center of the consultation and to take his or her
