Yearly Archives: 2015
Effects of whey protein on strength, fat free mass or lean body mass
Protein supplementation has become common practice for many competitive and recreational athletes. Since a variety of protein sources and multi-ingredient formulations are marketed, athletes and nutritional coaches would need to know more on the effectiveness of such
The first case in the world of Brugada Phenocopy due to coronary anomaly
Brugada Syndrome (BrS) is an arrhythmogenic disease responsible for at least 20% of sudden deaths in patients without structural heart disease and is the leading cause of death in subjects under the age of 40 years. Currently,
Genetically engineered mice provide a new look at sight-threatening eye disease
A group of sight-threatening inflammatory diseases of the eye, in which the immune system inappropriately recognizes and attacks the retina and adjacent structures, is known as non-infectious, or autoimmune, uveitis. Lymphocytes of the patients in fact recognize
Are domestic pig hybrids sick more often than other wild boar?
We know from genetic research that about 4% of the wild boars that roam Northwest Europe are hybrids between wild boar and domestic pigs. These hybrids resulted from wild x domestic crosses in recent years. The sources
PM2.5 pollution and respiratory diseases in Beijing
In this research, PM2.5 was monitored from the year 2007 to 2012, and the hospital data about respiratory diseases during the same period was gathered and calculated. Then the correlation between respiratory health and fine particles was
Gene sequencing as a novel tool for diagnosing Loeys-Dietz syndrome
Vascular disease is very common and usually follows well known patterns that physicians are thoroughly familiar with. However, from time to time doctors are confronted with »difficult cases« that do not follow usual patterns. A 35-year old
Selectivity in acquired prosopagnosia
Face recognition is a special skill at which most humans are adept. Whether this also means that it involves special resources in the human brain has been debated for many years. A lot of the evidence in
Repair of damaged genetic material in humans
Living organisms across the evolutionary scale protect their genetic material (DNA) by repairing the constant threat of damage posed by environmental radiations, toxic chemicals, and byproducts of cellular metabolism. In the early 60s, Setlow and Howard-Flanders at
Should we protect the brain barriers to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
When discovered in 1906, Alzheimer’s disease was described as a peculiar disease and was rarely observed in the population. Today it is one of the top five causes of the death in elderly worldwide. People with Alzheimer’s
Smart legumain drugs: Blocking the right activity at the right time, at the right place
Proteins enable a diverse spectrum of complex chemical reactions that are important for our body to function properly. Some of these chemical reactions require special ingredients, such as energy. Others must proceed in strictly confined reaction chambers
Doctors, look up! Lack of eye contact reduces trust
Trust between breast cancer patients and their oncologist is crucial for good quality breast cancer care. It is associated with beneficial outcomes, such as a decrease in patients’ fear and better adherence. Patients’ trust was earlier shown
Importance of selenium for brain function
Trace element selenium is known to be essential for the human beings. Generally accepted daily intake of selenium is in the range of 20-70 μg. ‘Effective’ part of the ingested selenium is consumed for producing of special
SOCS3 in neurons halts abnormal blood vessel formation in the eye
The leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in the elderly, as well as in working age adults and in children is abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina. Researchers are still learning about what drives
Methylation profile of DMPK gene in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1)
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, Steinert’s disease), is the most common muscular dystrophy in adult life, characterized by myotonia (prolonged muscle contractions), muscle weakness, cataract, cardiac disease, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and central nervous system dysfunction. The clinical spectrum
Natural history of spinocerebellar ataxias
The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are autosomal, dominantly inherited progressive ataxia disorders. More than 35 genetically different SCAs have been defined. The most common, SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, and SCA6, which together affect more than half of all families
Bioinspired photocatalyzed Alkyl/Aryl thiosulfate transformation for drug modification
Aiming to conserve energy and reduce emissions, chemists have been trying to mimic the complex photosynthetic process of plants in relatively simple chemical ways, such as photocatalyzed reduction of carbon dioxide and solar-driven splitting of water into
A tutorial on randomized study designs for lifestyle interventions
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as an unhealthy diet, excessive energy intake, smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity and poor stress-coping behaviour can act as causal factors in the pathway of many diseases. There are various types of
New study of robot faces helps resolve debate over “Uncanny Valley”
Roboticists are building some amazingly human-like robots these days, but many of us have had the unsettling experience of glancing at one of these marvels of modern technology only to find our skin crawling with revulsion. In
A new avenue in an effort to minimize injuries from acute myocardial infarction
Reperfusion therapy is currently the mainstay of acute myocardial infarction treatment; it salvages myocardial cells from ischemic cell death. However, abrupt restoration of coronary blood flow induces another type of cell death, called “lethal reperfusion injury”, which
What is the value of missing information when assessing decisions that involve actions for intervention?
Most decision support models in the medical domain provide a prediction about a single key unknown variable, such as whether a patient exhibiting certain symptoms is likely to have (or develop) a particular disease. However we seek
