Yearly Archives: 2016
Gene sequencing validation for select commercial turkey genes
Gene expression analysis via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common tool used to determine, using molecular techniques, the physiological basis underlying experiments with animal tissues. Some genes are “turned on” and others silenced in response to
Chiari malformations and syringohydromyelia in children
More than 100 years ago, Hans Chiari, an Austrian pathologist, described different types of morphological abnormalities of the posterior fossa, the small space in the lower part of the skull just above the spinal canal. The brainstem
Attenuated bacteria as a DNA-delivery system for Chagas disease vaccine
Chagas disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) one of the most neglected tropical diseases worldwide. Prevalent in developing countries, it has a major social and economic impact in
Chemical perturbations as pressure increments
What are thermotropic liquid crystals? the usual answer considers the two antagonistic terms ‘liquid’ and ‘crystal’ and claims that it corresponds to a special state of matter, in which some organization, inherent to crystals, is retained, while
A thermotolerant mannanase improves lignocellulose degradation for bioethanol production
Renewable energy sources, such as 2 nd generation biofuels, could serve as an alternative to fossil fuels and alleviate environmental issues caused mainly by greenhouse gas emissions. Lignocellulosic biomass is considered to be a profuse and inexpensive
Active ingredients in personal care products detected throughout the environment
On a daily basis, we use a variety of personal care products, including soaps, detergents, sunscreens, fragrances, insect repellents, cosmetics, and shampoos. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the average household spends over
Suicide in pregnancy: a tragic cause of maternal death on the Thai-Myanmar border
Across the globe, suicide is an important and leading cause of death during pregnancy and after childbirth. The estimates we have are likely to be under-estimates of the true figures because many death registers wrongly record deaths
Modulation of SOCS3 in macrophages can enhance the clearance of dying cells in inflammation
Macrophages, from the Latin meaning “big eaters”, are key cells of the immune system that have the ability to scan tissues in the body and engulf and destroy invading pathogens. They also play a housekeeping role, to
How did computers help us to find biomarkers for corticosteroid resistance in asthma through systems biology approach?
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the lower airways, hampering the air movement in the lungs and the gas exchange. Asthma is characterized by bronchial inflammation that, particularly during an asthma attack, results in difficulty of
How sustainable is British biogas?
Biogas is a renewable fuel produced from the controlled decomposition of organic material in the absence of oxygen (“anaerobic digestion”). Biogas contains 50-60% methane, and can be combusted to generate heat and electricity, or cleaned of impurities
Just add water; boiling up high-performing thermoelectrics
Thermoelectric materials can realise direct conversion from thermal to electrical energy and offer unique opportunities to harvest useful electricity from waste heat. Tin selenide (SnSe) is one of the best thermoelectrics currently known as it combines an
From parasitic microfungi towards the origins of Microsporidia
Microsporidia are unicellular eukaryotic parasites, infecting virtually all animals including humans. They are characterized by peculiar morphological and genetic features, which are the result of their extreme adaptation to the intracellular lifestyle. Interestingly, the infection apparatus in
Respiratory function monitoring in ventilated newborns
Respiratory failure is a common problem in premature newborn infants due to the immaturity. In newborns with sufficient spontaneous breathing efforts, non-invasive ventilation support is commonly used, but intubation and mechanical ventilation are often unavoidable. Although intubation
How realistic is the potential global spread of Zika virus and should we all be worried?
Unless you have taken a holiday on Mars for the whole of this year no doubt by now you will have heard of Zika. This is the virus that has emerged in the last 18 months to
Introducing Thermal Wave Transport Analysis (TWTA): a thermal technique for dopamine detection
The glucose sensor is an excellent example of a point-of-care test: patients conduct measurements at home, it is fast, low-cost, and offers easy interpretation of results. There is a growing market to develop similar devices for testing
Maximizing conservation investment for recovering endangered species
Forty years ago the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) went into effect, and today it protects around 1,500 different species. While the ESA has been successful in bringing some species back from the brink of extinction, it
Cellular level and lifetime of a small RNA increase in response to heat shock
Heat shock induces a variety of biochemical changes in cells. In particular, the transcription of most genes and the translation of many mRNAs are stopped. On the other hand, the expression of genes coding for heat shock
Breslow thickness measurements of melanomas around AJCC staging cut-off points
Melanoma is an aggressive and potentially fatal type of skin cancer. Once a suspected melanoma has been cut out, a pathologist will look at it under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis and measure its “Breslow thickness”.
[2]Rotaxane building-blocks for the easy and straightforward synthesis of interlocked molecular shuttles
Interlocked molecular machines are very appealing molecular architectures because they contain several elements that can move the ones with respect to others. The accurate control of the motions of elements in an interlocked molecule leads to, what
News from the quantum zoo
Ever heard of Schrödinger’s cat? It was invented in the 1930ies by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger. He wanted to dramatize what many conceived as the weirdness of quantum mechanics, the all-encompassing and singularly successful theory of
