Monthly Archives: November 2016
Silk patches to repair hearts
The heart is a very sensitive organ. Once it’s “broken”, it doesn’t quite function the same way again. Biologically speaking, a common way of getting your heart broken is when you suffer a heart attack. When the
Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as nanoheaters to treat cancer
Enhancing the tumours temperature to 41-46 °C represents an oncological therapy known as moderate hyperthermia. To selectively heat up cancer cells, avoiding any damage of the healthy tissues, magnetic nanoparticles (with sizes in the range 10-9-10-7 m)
Transient airborne particulate matters (PM) on subway platform
As the number of people using rapid transit systems (subways) continues to rise in major cities worldwide, increasing attention has been given to the indoor air quality of underground stations. One of most serious air pollutants is
Novel surgical technique as a substitute to painful skin grafts
Skin grafting is a surgical technique which involves the transfer of patients’ own skin to the wound for wound coverage. Split-thickness skin graft (SSG), the most common form of skin grafting performed, is usually offered for larger
On the performance of ruthenium dyes in dye sensitized solar cells
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells are a novel type of solar cells converting sunlight energy into electricity at an efficiency of 12%. These devices are based on Michael Gratzel´s invention, where one electrode of a photo pile is
Metabolic reprogramming: from estrogen dependence to self-sufficiency
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and, despite significant progress in diagnosis and treatments, incidence has been steadily increasing in the last 40 years. Approximately 70% of breast cancers are characterised by the expression
Enhancing human abilities with the power of Neuroregeneration & Tissue Engineering
Human peripheral nerves (PNs) act as cables that connect the spinal cord (point A) to the muscles and the peripheral organs of the body (point B). They transmit information back and forth, from the spinal cord to
Heavy metals and cyanobacteria: unveiling bioremediation mechanisms
Heavy metals are one of the most common pollutants worldwide, being a serious hazard to the environment and public health. These metals are usually removed from polluted waters by physicochemical methods that can have substantial costs, low
Antipsychotic-induced severe hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia is more common in patients with antipsychotic treatment than in the general population. However, hypoglycemia is one of the idiosyncratic potentially life-threatening adverse effects of antipsychotics. While several cases of antipsychotic-induced hypoglycemia have been reported, the
Automatic modulation of critical brain dynamics
Several lines of electrophysiological, blood-oxygenation-level dependent signal imaging and behavioral evidence show that many features of central-nervous system activity are scale-free. The scale-free dynamics is relevant because it is a signature characteristic of complex systems poised at
How leaf beetle produce toxins to defend themselves
Leaf beetles are insects that consume and destroy the leaves of the plants on which they live (host plant). Therefore, these beetles are pests of their corresponding host plant and cause economic damage, if this host plant
Protein structures: the evolutionary time capsules
If you wanted to probe life’s origins, billions of years back, how could you do it? You’d need a preserved message from different points in history, time capsules left by evolution. Amazingly, evolution has left such time
Small fish can help finding drugs to fight retina diseases
About 285 million people are visually impaired in the world. The arising of chronic eye diseases and ageing processes make more people at risk of blindness, 65% of visually impaired people being aged 50 or older. Among
Comparison of the C-MAC video laryngoscope to a flexible fiberoptic scope for intubation
Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure performed by anesthesiologists for the purpose of placing a breathing tube into the airway (trachea) of unconscious patients undergoing surgical procedures or with traumatic head and neck injuries. This procedure is technically
Risky attraction to the familiar smell of disease
Many animals remember smells, sights, and sounds (‘cues’) they encounter as juveniles, like the smell of nearby individuals, or their environment. These memorised (or ‘imprinted’) cues can help identify important individuals, such as members of the same
Of flies and men: investigating human disease in fruit flies
My lab studies diseases which affect the neurons connecting our brains to the muscles throughout our bodies, called motor neurons. In particular, we are interested in the hereditary spastic paraplegias (or HSPs for short), a group of
Lesbian and gay service members: life after don’t ask, don’t tell
Being lesbian or gay in the world is more difficult than being straight. People who identify as lesbian or gay are more likely to be rejected by their parents, families, friends and religious institutions, and are sometimes
A novel human R25C-phospholamban mutation induces depressed contraction force and irregular beat in the heart
Heart failure refers to the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the periphery and meet the body’s demands for energy and oxygen. The symptoms of heart failure commonly include shortness of breath, asthma, fatigue and leg swelling. Currently, heart failure is
How the extracellular matrix affects the cells within us
All animals, including humans, are affected by the environment in which they live—the cells within our bodies are no different. Cells live in a dynamic fibrous and fluid network that contains many biopolymers that provide structural support
