Monthly Archives: June 2016
Regional Alzheimer’s disease research
According to World Alzheimer Report 2015, over 46 million people live with dementia worldwide. The incidence of dementia is estimated over 9.9 million every year, and nearly half of new dementia cases (4.9 million) occurred in Asia.
The use of fingeprints available on the web to forge identity documents in Brazil
Fingerprints images available on the web have been used by criminals to forge identity documents in Brazil, sometimes printed in a reversed (mirrored) way in the documents. In this work, 100 fingerprints images downloaded from the web,
A molecular LEGO brick
Imagine that we have at our disposal a set of LEGO® construction bricks of nanometric dimensions (there are one million nanometers in one millimeter)! We would then be able to use these “nano-bricks” to construct “nano-buildings” and
Extraction residue of dried persimmon fruits shows antioxidant potential in vivo
Fruits and vegetables are useful for human health. They have bioactive constituents called “phytochemicals”, which show antioxidant activities. Most of the phytochemicals are small molecules and soluble compounds. Therefore, in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant activity of
One of the mechanisms of amyloid fibrils formation based on the sizes of folding nuclei of Aβ40 and Aβ42
Antibiotics and various advances in medical treatment have led to overall growth of life expectancy. However, along with positive aspects of prolonged life, humanity has faced a new challenge – age-related deceases. Parkinson’s disease along with Alzheimer’s
Glutathione-responsive co-assembly hydrogel for controllable drug release
Glutathione-responsive nano-vehicles have gained considerable interest because several intracellular compartments such as cytosol, mitochondria, and cell nucleus contain a high concentration of glutathione (GSH, 2-10 mM) tripeptides, which is 100-1000 times higher than that in extracellular fluids
Monitoring biosafety of pharmaceutical drugs, insecticides, and other bioactive molecules to mitochondria
Why study the biosafety of pharmaceutical drugs, insecticides, and other bioactive molecules to mitochondria? Mitochondria are large cell organelles in plant and animal cells. They convert chemical energy from food in the cell to usable energy using
Orphans and inflammation
Many are now well-aware of the negative impact of inflammation on our health, including cancer as well as rheumatologic, metabolic and neurologic disorders. Insults to the body either through injury (acute or chronic), or poor diet can
Luminescent molecular wires that consist of up to eight copper atoms
Linear multi-atom complexes of Group 11 metals (Cu, Ag, Au) exhibit fascinating luminescence properties that make them highly interesting 1) for the systematic design of molecular wires in nanoelectronics and 2) their application as light-emitting building blocks
Infections in right-sided heart valves often leave doctors with no right answer
A normal human heart has four chambers and four valves. When these valves are working well, they stop blood from flowing backwards and are essential to good heart function. Two valves are in the right side of
Are less expensive “biosimilar” drugs as effective at treating ankylosing spondylitis?
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis caused by inflammation, in which the main symptom is back pain. When a substance called tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is over-active in the body, it causes inflammation and damage
The link between osteoporosis and periodontal disease
Osteoporosis and periodontal disease are both characterized by bone resorption. After menopause, bone loss rate is dramatically accentuated, which seems to potentially accelerate and/or aggravate periodontal tissue breakdown. The dental biofilm induces the immune system to produce
NMR can now scrutinize the membrane of a living cell
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a technique devised by physicists, that has developed into many applications. The most famous one is Magnetic Resonance Imaging that is commonly used in hospitals. In the research lab, NMR is generally
A new role for a well-known hematopoietic factor (G-CSF) in placenta
Multiple growth factors produced in our organism by different types of cells promote a variety of biological responses related to cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, migration or death. The granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a protein that
Is there any association between immunosuppressant therapy and cancer related to HPV in men? Can we prevent it?
We reported a rare case of penile squamous carcinoma and inguinal metastasis in a patient with ulcerative colitis under azathioprine for many years. We could identify in the histogical study the presence of 16 and 18 HPV
Metal ions are a promising tool for Regenerative Medicine?
Ions play a vital role in living systems because cells use ions to accelerate chemical reactions, to synthetize biologic molecules or as messengers. The transport of oxygen through the blood is possible due to the iron ion
Do low frequency electromagnetic fields interfere with cellular physiology?
Electromagnetic radiation, fields, or waves have been around since the birth of the universe, with daylight as the most familiar one. We are continuously exposed to different EMFs, mostly without even noticing them. Depending on their frequency,
Can taking part in a fruit and vegetable research trial improve longer term fruit and vegetable intake in older adults?
Increasing fruit and vegetable intake is widely accepted as being an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is often encouraged for the prevention of chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and diabetes. Although public
Nocardia donostiensis
Edmond Nocard was a French veterinarian and microbiologist born in Provins in 1850. One of his main contributions to medicine was the discovery of a bacterial genus called “Nocardia” on his honor. Most of the species belonging
