Monthly Archives: September 2016
Microfluidic tumor models help pre-clinical screening of T cell cancer immunotherapies
Cancer immunotherapy draws upon the patient’s own immune system to recognize and fight the disease. One form of cancer immunotherapy is known as adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) consisting of isolation, genetic manipulation and reinfusion into the
3,3′-diindolylmethane is a novel signalling molecule in Canola plants
Glucosinolates are organic compounds which exist in the Brassica family of plants and which are derived from glucose and amino acids and consists of sulphur and nitrogen in their structure. Glucosinolates exist as many different compounds in
Simple mathematical formulas for tracking the number of antibiotic resistance cases globally
In order to continue to live, microbes and germs have found ways to prevent drugs from killing them in the process of curing patients—when the patients ingest the drugs for treatment. Microbes destroying drugs within patients and
Do surgeons need to rewash their hands during operations that last long?
More than one hundred and fifty years ago surgical pioneers like Ignaz Semmelweis and Joseph Lister introduced hand washing and sterile surgical techniques to prevent surgical site infection (SSI). However, despite advances in infection control practices over
Spectroscopy of biophotons radiated from a fingertip
What color of light beams are emitting from your fingertips? That is neither a fantasy nor an occult question. If you possessed eyes of extremely high-sensitivity or had a special CCD camera like one used for a
What do we know about weight regain following the sleeve gastrectomy weight loss operation?
Obesity is increasingly common and has devastating effects on society. When an individual is obese, they are more likely to have heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and cancer. Furthermore, obese people have less quality of life and
The old-generation smallpox vaccines – Are we ready for the tomorrow outbreak?
Smallpox disease has menaced the world throughout history with large scale epidemics and a case fatality rate of about 30%. Following the introduction of smallpox vaccine by Eduard Jenner in 1796, and later with the global effort
Recognizing the clinical presentation of pachydermodactyly
Pachydermodactyly (PDD) is a unique, benign soft tissue disorder affecting the hands, first reported in 1975. Patients with PDD typically present with painless swelling at the middle joint of the fingers, although in rare cases this swelling
The mood stabilizer valproic acid tunes up abnormal circadian rhythms in mania
Circadian clocks rule our lives. In the course of evolution, almost all living creatures developed molecular mechanisms that optimally prepare our bodies for predictable , recurring events related to the regular alternations between day and night. This
Parents supporting parents: Development and evaluation of a peer parent program for perinatal loss
The loss of a pregnancy or newborn ( i. e., perinatal loss ) can be one of the most traumatic experiences parents can face. The most common type of loss is miscarriage ( i. e., loss occurring
Prevalence of hospitalisation resulting from medicine related problems among adult patients with cardiovascular diseases and/or diabetes
Cardiovascular diseases ( CVDs ) and diabetes ( DM ) are two interrelated groups of diseases that contribute to more than 50 % of death worldwide. Patients with CVDs and / or DM often take multiple medicines
The protein p62 helps liver cancer-initiating cells survive
The most common form of adult liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. HCC arises from persistent liver inflammation related to hepatitis B or C infection, alcohol consumption, or
Verapamil and a loop diuretic modestly reduce the intracellular pH of cortical neurons: a contribution to their anti-seizure potency?
A tight regulation of the intracellular pH ( pHi ) is needed to preserve essential cell functions, e. g. involved in cell communication and viability ( Fig. 1A ). In mammalian cortical neurons, pHi – regulation is
A novel approach to reliably predicting efficient visual search
Working memory load is the capacity of mental effort we put into memorizing information over a period of time. Researchers use an eye-tracker as a passive implicit input device to measure eye movement as an indicator of
Wheat microRNA ancestors
Bread wheat, Triticum aestivum L., is one of the most important crops as a food source by providing approximately 20 % of human dietary energy. Bread wheat is harvested all over the world distributed more than 200
Bioethanol production from corn waste following an optimized hydrothermal pretreatment process
Depletion of crude oil reserves alongside rapid climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) have led scientific community to seek alternative energy sources. Renewable energy sources such as 2nd generation biofuels have garnered a lot of
Cancer can growth without angiogenesis. A new field opened in cancer biology
The word cancer derives from the Greek “karkinos “which means “crab”. According to the legend reported by Paul of Aegina in the 7th Century AD, this name was chosen because this disease “has the veins stretched on
How does fever work? As a non-specific stressor
Despite the spectacular discoveries in immunology and recent biotechnological advances, amazingly there has been no consensus on how fever functions to help control infections. Does the heat of fever act as an immune stimulant, or does it
Abdominal wall schwannoma
A 62-year-old woman was admitted to our institution for the surgical evaluation of a mass in the right iliac fossa causing an enduring abdominal pain. The patient presented with the following comorbidities: visceral class I obesity (BMI
