Monthly Archives: September 2016
Genetics of body shape: Connexin43 is the key to two zebrafish mutants with shorter backbones and fins
The variation in body shape within and among animal species has long been an intriguing question. D’Arcy Thompson, a pioneer of mathematical biology in the early 20th century, put forth the idea that body shape variation in
Meatal mobilization and glanuloplasty: A viable option for coronal and glanular hypospadias repair
Hypospadias is one of the most common anomalies in the human genitourinary system. With an incidence of 1 in 300 male newborns. The meatal location may be anywhere from just below the tip of the glans to
Brain pathology some times results in unexpected clinical disorders
There are some unusual brain syndromes rarely reported in the neurological or neuropsychological literature. This paper presents a review of four of these unusual clinical syndromes. Somatoparaphrenia Somatoparaphrenia is a delusional belief in which a patient states
BMI is enough to define overweight a young athlete?
The Body Mass Index (BMI; in kg/m2) is simple to measure and has been a valuable tool in monitoring trends in obesity and it is also strongly correlated with adiposity in children, but it has also numerous
Lead pollution reveals the ancient history of Naples
Almost two thousand years after the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, certain periods of the history of Naples have just been reconstructed. Until now, historians and archaeologists had wondered about the impact of this
Using behavioral economics to increase flu vaccination rate
Seasonal flu imposes an enormous burden on society every year, yet many people refuse to obtain flu shots due to misconceptions about the risks and effectiveness of flu vaccines. These misconceptions include the beliefs that the vaccines
Effects of natural remedies on wound healing
Chronic wounds are a frequent finding in clinical practice and one of the problems with high impact on social health, affecting mainly the elderly people with chronic diseases (diabetes, nutritional abnormalities, cardiovascular diseases, chronic motor deficit and
Does the number of platelets affect outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction?
Coronary artery atherosclerotic disease (CAD) is the most prevalent disease in industrialized countries. Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) results from sudden obstruction of a coronary artery causing abrupt interruption of blood flow to the myocardium. Nowadays, urgent
Flipping the shape of a sugar through molecular machinery
The lectin protein receptors that are present at the surface of cell membrane are very interesting targets for drugs in order to recognize and penetrate into specific cells. Indeed, sugar moieties are able to specifically bind some
Microtubules slide neurons home
Brain development requires neurons, the most sophisticated information-carrying cells in the body, to migrate from where they are born to faraway destinations where they finally settle down and take up residence. During its journey, a young neuron
Licorice Root enhance cardiovascular health
The increasing incidence of lifestyle-based conditions–most notably those conditions that impact cardiovascular health, obesity, and blood sugar–has compelled consumers to consider natural solutions for these challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular
Performing muscle-damaging exercise with low muscle glycogen does not influence short-term recovery
Athletes often perform activities that involve repeated, intense and / or unaccustomed contractions, whereby the active muscle lengthens as it contracts. For example , the quadriceps muscles repeatedly lengthen when walking downstairs, running downhill and cross –
Unconscious Pig Latin: What it reveals about the conscious mind
Most things that one is aware of usually “just happen” to one. We open our eyes and see, for free, an external world, replete with objects, sights, and sounds. (This also occurs every night in the dream
The power of laser light to repair brain from stroke injury
Transcranial near-infrared laser therapy (TLT) also known as NILT is a powerful non-invasive method to promote neuroprotection and repair of the damaged brain. How does it work? For many years, researchers have hypothesized that laser light at
Warming and increased rainfall are changing malaria hotspots in the highlands of Burundi
Children under five years old are more affected by malaria than any other age group, accounting for 78% of malaria related deaths in 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest burden of malaria deaths world-wide, with 229,486 of
STAT3: The double edged molecular sword in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia cells
The common denominator of different types of cancers is an ever expanding clone that originates from a single cell. In acute leukemia the clonal expansion may be very rapid and the clone double its size sometimes within
Educating jurors about eyewitness testimony in criminal cases
Eyewitness error is the leading cause of wrongful criminal convictions. One in three eyewitnesses identifies an innocent person. Jurors and legal professionals have limited knowledge of factors affecting eyewitness accuracy, and have trouble applying such knowledge to
Radioactivity of Egyptian oil ashes
The activity concentrations of the Egyptian Heavy fuel oil (HFO) ashes are mainly caused by 210Pb and 226Ra (Fig. 1). The radioactivity due to 238U and 232Th was found to be negligible (2-21 Bqkg-1). The average activities
A new dimension to molecular mechanisms underlying learning
Neurons are the excitable cells responsible for processing and transmitting information in the nervous system. A neuron typically extends a long thin axon to transmit information to target cells and several shorter dendrites that receive input from
Mild cognitive impairment in older people around the world
The global population is ageing rapidly, and bringing with it an increase in the number of people experiencing physical and mental health conditions associated with older age. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common condition among older
