Yearly Archives: 2015
A promising biointerface for endothelial cells assembled from mixed poly(dopamine) film
When implants are put into a patient’s body, there will be contact between this material and the surrounding tissue. Successful implantation requires that the body integrates the foreign materials. The surface of implants plays an important role
Can mathematics help defeating acquired blindness?
Sight threatening pathologies of the eye retina, the light sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye, are an increasing health concern in the ageing population. A number of risk factors, including high intraocular pressure, high blood
Image processing as a facile method to determine pore size distribution in porous scaffold
Scaffold for tissue engineering are porous devices which allows the regeneration of living tissues such as bone, cartilage or other tissues. Some studies demonstrated that the regenerative properties of the scaffold are strongly dependent both on the
Operationally simple reactions with unprotected carbohydrates – an application of organocatalysis
Carbohydrates are ubiquitous in nature. They play an important role as an energy reservoir as well as they are the resource of countless biomaterials, such as cellulose or chitin. This importance has challenged chemists at all times
How does bladder chemotherapy given before surgery change bladder cancer cells?
It is estimated that there will be 74,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed in the United States and approximately 16,000 deaths due to bladder cancer in 2015 alone, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society.
Hong Kong as a hotspot of microplastic pollution
Small plastic debris, known as microplastics, is an emerging global environmental issue affecting different water environments, in particular, the oceans. Most scientists classify microplastics as plastic debris with a particle diameter of less than 5 mm. They
Transplanted cells reveal potential for functional neural regeneration
Patients suffering from spinal cord injury and from neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and multiple sclerosis have high hopes for cell transplantation therapy. Successful transplantation depends on the donor cells
Conditional mutations in drosophila
In 1865, Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of inheritance for the traits of living organisms. Reproduction, the major property of living matter and mode of its existence in the Universe, found itself in the spotlight of biology.
New role of microbes in the construction industry
Such well-established areas of Biotechnology as Medical, Agricultural, and Environmental Biotechnology have thousands of valuable applications but Construction Biotechnology, which is science and engineering of using of microorganisms in construction industry, is just arising. Before that, microbes
Using Darwin to discover new advanced materials
The process of evolution, first described in detail by Charles Darwin, has resulted in the amazing diversity of plants and animals in our world, each subgroup shaped by the effects of the different environments in which they
The challenge of creating specialist surgical centres in Australia
The past decade has seen an increasing number of publications linking improved surgical outcomes with increased surgical volume. But most of our hospitals are not set up as specialised centres concentrating on a small number of highly
Transformative nanomaterial synthesis using biological conditions
One area of promise and concern when using nanomaterials is their potentially high level of reactivity. This comes from the massively increased surface area of the material when it is segmented into much smaller pieces. A copper
Improved nursing home care for veterans
Patients who reside in long-term care facilities represent a frail and vulnerable population. All nursing facilities certified to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must be surveyed by state agencies every 9-15 months. Surveyors examine processes and outcomes
Using genome-scale models to predict biological capabilities
Rapid advances in DNA sequencing and synthesis technologies have revolutionized the study of life sciences. With these new technologies come new challenges. The massive amount of new data generated using these technologies must be curated, managed, and
Nuclear physicists thinking about astrophysics
Nuclear decay data evaluators Valery CHECHEV from the Khlopin Radium Institute (KRI), Saint Petersburg, Russia, and Xiaolong HUANG from the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE), Beijing, China, in their research article published in Applied Radiation and
NEURINOX gathers top researchers, patients and industry in an international symposium on innovative concepts for treating neurodegenerative diseases
Press release. Geneva, 5 November 2015. Neurodegeneration leads to chronic debilitating diseases, including age-related syndromes like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and disorders affecting younger people such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. A common disease mechanism in neurodegeneration
Pharmacist’s role to help patients get the most out of their medications
Many patients do not adhere well to their prescribed medication regimens. Evidence shows that improving medication adherence leads to lower overall health care use and costs. As a result, healthcare stakeholders are increasingly interested in improving patient
Is aging inevitable?
All animals, with very few exceptions, age. It has been difficult to provide a suitable evolutionary explanation for aging since natural selection, the driver of evolution, generally chooses animal traits that enhance fitness. Clearly aging would not
A “bottom” up approach to treating Ebola patients
International institutions organized a “top down” response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Millions were spent to provide volunteer healthcare workers, build Ebola treatment units and organize the delivery of supplies and equipment. These efforts did
How can I create more mobility in my stiff shoulder?
A stiff shoulder, or the so-called “frozen shoulder”, is a disorder characterized by progressive pain and loss of mobility of the shoulder. The annual incidences are 3 to 5% in the general population and even up to
