Monthly Archives: December 2015
Single-cell-culture experiment made easier for researchers
Single-cell-culture experiment is widely used for biological researches concerning cell heterogeneity. This experiment although straightforward to performed by the limiting dilution method with manual pipetting and cell culture well plates, is time consuming and not cost-effective. To
Reduceing risk of second stroke through motivational interviewing
About 25% of people who have a stroke will have a second stroke within the next 12-months. The purpose of this study was to determine if Motivational Interviewing (MI) could be used to reduce a person’s risk
Considering patient values and preferences in healthcare decision-making
Healthcare decision-making is one of the most challenging aspects of medicine. In the past, doctors often based their decisions on dogma or personal experience often influenced by their personal value judgments. With the advent of evidence-based medicine
Kidney disease after radiation exposure
Radiation exposure on earth is usually at a very low dose. Diagnostic x-rays are essential for modern medical care and pose little or no radiation risk. High dose radiation is much less common than diagnostic x-ray, but
Surface plasmon effect detected in carbon nanodots
Surface plasmons (SPs) are coherent delocalized electron oscillations that exist at the interface between two materials where the real part of the dielectric has different sign across the interface, and they has versatile applications in many interesting fields, such as improving
Neurophysiology of self-boundarylessness and loving-kindness
For a long time, the topic of “Self” or “Me” was the exclusive domain of philosophy and only recently has it begun to attract the interest of brain researchers and neuroscientists. The accumulated evidence so far suggests
Metallothionein, oxidative stress and trace metals in gills of liver of fish species
Kuwait Bay is important area that is influenced by the local municipal and industrial discharges. Therefore, two types of local fish from were studies, yellow finned seabream which is pelagic fish swim between the surface and the
A novel perspective on schizophrenic-like symptoms
One of the key questions in neuroscience involves understanding how the brain processes cognitive functions – like learning new information, making adaptive decisions, and engaging in social interactions with others. We know that these activities occur across
Insights into controlling the rates of proton transfer
The transfer of a proton (H+) between two sites (from an acid to a base) is a ubiquitous fundamental reaction which is involved in various key roles throughout chemistry and biology. Proton transfer reactions are invariably an
Dendritic cells: Implication of molecular mechanism in allergic reaction to betalactam antibiotic
Adverse drug reactions are a serious health problem, accounting for 3% of revenue and becoming the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. These reactions include allergic reactions caused by specific immunological mechanisms, which are
Quantitative enantioselective Raman spectroscopy
A new approach for monitoring the production of chiral substances, e.g. pharmaceutically active ingredients, is proposed. Many biochemical and pharmaceutically active molecules are chiral. This means that two enantiomers exist exhibiting the same chemical structure without being
A versatile oxygenase family
Enzymes catalyze important biological processes throughout all kingdoms of life. One large and highly versatile enzyme family possesses a three-dimensional structure containing a double-stranded beta-helix (or jellyroll) protein fold that typically has a 2-histidine-1-carboxylate amino acid motif
A novel platform to measure orthodontic actions
Orthodontics is the medical specialty, where there exists the strongest link between biomechanics and treatment outcome: the application of mechanical tools and instruments to achieve tooth movement and thus correct malocclusions. However, for many clinicians this link
CD64 as a sepsis marker
Sepsis is the most common cause of mortality in critically ill patients worldwide. Despite with huge costs, it is difficult to treat sepsis. Early diagnosis sepsis and timely treatment are vital to improving outcomes and lightening the
Conserved nitrogen-regulated network modules in rice
The goal of this research work is to transfer “network knowledge” from a data-rich model plant, Arabidopsis, to rice, to enhance the identification of nitrogen gene networks in a data-poor crop. Our working example for this study
Advanced green antibacterial materials made by mussel-inspired chemistry
Since ancient times, silver and its salts have universally been employed as antibacterial agents for the treatment of infections, burns and chronic wounds in curative and preventive health care, because of their extraordinary inhibitory and bactericidal properties
Do the costs and benefits of group living in a proportional manner with group size
Identifying the ecological and social factors that underlie vertebrate group size and social organization has been a question that has intrigued biologists for decades. This interest stems from the enormous variability in group size found both within
Side effects from medications in mother’s milk
Mothers are often concerned about medications they are taking while they are breastfeeding. This can result in their stopping breastfeeding or avoiding a medication needed for her health. We searched the medical literature from 2002 to the
New approach to stopping Dengue fever
The virus that causes Dengue Fever, DENV, infects an estimated 390 million people per year, often leading to severe disease (used to be called Breakbone Fever for the pain it caused), hemorrhagic fever and often death. It’s
Getting mental health services: not so easy for most people
Mental illness includes a variety of recognized psychiatric disorders and represents an enormous public health problem in the United States and worldwide. The US has a population of approximately 320 million people. At a given point in
