Monthly Archives: April 2016
Poor blood sugar control in elderly people with diabetes is associated with increased infection risk
Diabetes guidelines for doctors (such as those by NICE) suggest that they consider relaxing the blood sugar control targets for older people. This is because older people are less likely to get the long-term benefits of improved
Prox-1 and adipogenesis
Adipogenesis is the biological process that controls adipocytes differentiation and is one of the most well studied models of cellular differentiation. Adipose tissue is involved in the control of energy balance and especially in the study of
Safely basking in the sun: Some plants apply sunscreen only when they need it
Many of us are routinely advised by our dermatologists to put on our sunscreen before we go outside and to even add more sunscreen in the middle of the day when the sun’s UV rays are most
Transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of tinnitus
Millions of people experience tinnitus – the perception of ringing or other sounds in the ears/head that does not have an external source. The most common cause of tinnitus is damage to/degeneration of auditory structures because of
‘Resurrection plants’, our ticket to crop drought tolerance?
The loss of crops or decrease in crop yields due to drought has been and still is a major natural disaster, resulting in multiple devastating humanitarian and environmental impacts. This is becoming prevalent in almost every inhabited
Outcomes of Influenza infections in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients
Influenza infection causes mild disease in most cases and severe complications in very few cases. The severity of influenza infection depends mainly on the type of influenza virus and the status of the patient’s immune system. Since
Cerebral herniation into the sigmoid sinus: A newly-realized cause of epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which may vary from a brief period of lapse of attention or muscle jerks, to severe and prolonged convulsions. The seizures are caused by sudden, usually brief, excessive
Nanostructure makes crystalline compound physically reactive
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) belongs to a class of crystalline compounds with layered structure: it consists of parallel honeycomb layers, in which hexagons vertices are alternatively occupied by boron (B) and nitrogen (N) atoms. Intra-layer bonds between
A capillaroscopy based method to help prediction of Systemic Sclerosis onset
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic disease, characterized by immune system alterations and diffused microvascular disruption, followed by fibrosis of skin and internal organs, and Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is often the first clinical manifestation of the
Vitamin E helps protect healthy fats critical for brain development
During development, the brain requires more oxygen than any other organ – about 60% of the total oxygen consumed by a growing fetus is used to support the high metabolic demands of neurodevelopment. This means the developing
Potassium in dental plaque, an old story with a new perspective
Dental plaque or biofilm is home to caries causing bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans. Interestingly, the fluid in the biofilm is like an aqueous reservoir of material shared between different species. Although the fluid content is derived
Understanding the dog model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Animal models are indispensible in the development of novel therapies. A clear understanding of the model itself is essential before the model is used in research. This means we need to know every aspect of the model
A new paradigm for asthma management
What does Dr. Weinberger mean by needing a new paradigm for managing asthma? A paradigm is essentially a way of thinking about a problem and a method for doing something about that problem. And we do have
Unusual fractures in osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is common in our aging population and is a major reason for loss of independence and deterioration of quality of life. Medications are often required to treat osteoporosis and such treatments, particularly drugs of the bisphosphonate
Is there a relationship between carbon dioxide emission and agriculture?
According to the Earth System Research Laboratory 2015, the growth rate of carbon dioxide has increased over the past 36 years (1979-2014), averaging about 1.4 ppm per year before 1995 and 2.0 ppm per year thereafter. The
Imperforate hymen in a sixteen-month-old child
The hymen is a solid membrane located at the entrance into the vagina. The most common form is the annular hymen with one central opening. However, there are several other variations such as the microperforate hymen, hymen
Pollution may impair water, food, ecosystems, health and livelihoods
Trace/heavy metals are cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), uranium (U), and Zinc (Zn). Metals pollution can be caused by direct discharge of effluents from
What if a surgically removed neck lymph node turns out to be cancer?
A rising epidemic in the United States is throat cancer, specifically a tumor called squamous cell carcinoma, induced by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Approximately 12,000 cases occur each year and the number is increasing. In this
Fighting chronic rejection of transplanted organs
In many diseases the only available cure is organ transplantation. However, if the transplanted organ does not derive from an identical twin (which is genetically identical to the recipient) it becomes rejected by the immune system of
How can lithium prevent stroke – Is the inner cell layer of our vessels the key?
Since decades, lithium is one of the most effective drugs for psychiatric diseases such as bipolar disorders; but lithium has a narrow therapeutic window. This means that lithium concentration in patients’ blood should be kept in a
