Yearly Archives: 2016
High-level incorporation of silver in gold nanoclusters for detecting hydrogen peroxide and herbicide
Recent advances in synthesizing noble metal nanoclusters (NCs), in particular Au and Ag NCs, offer a promising class of fluorescent probes for constructing optical sensors, which are expected to improve their features in terms of simplicity, photostability
Using computers to understand the deposition of pollutant and therapeutic aerosols in the human lungs
In an urban setting, suspended pollutant particles enter our lungs along with air we inhale. A good portion of them gets deposited on our airways, often inducing toxic effects. A young child or an elderly patient facing
Rat speech patterns predict future alcohol use and reveal past alcohol experience
Heightened emotional states increase impulsive behaviors such as excessive alcohol drinking in humans. However, very few animal studies have focused on the role of emotional status as a motivator of alcohol drinking. This is a major roadblock
Continuing the age of discovery in cardiovascular disease
A rare genetic defect involving the heart muscle is leading to early heart failure and potentially lethal heart rhythms for patients in Saudi Arabia. This disease, called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy/Dysplasia or ARVC/D, involves healthy heart muscle
Bias in comparing nuclear and renewable energy scenarios
For decades scholars have debated energy policy choices, especially nuclear versus renewable energy. In a paper published in 2015 in the journal Conservation Biology, Brook and Bradshaw compared impacts and costs of future energy technology scenarios for
How to improve emission inventories related to cooking with solid fuels in the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Half of the world’s population utilizes solid fuels such as wood, crop residue, and animal dung for cooking, most of which are in developing countries. Often times in these settings, women spend several hours a day cooking
Is Inflammatory Bowel Disease becoming an epidemic?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions that affect the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but mainly the colon and the small intestine. It falls into the category of autoimmune diseases, in which the immune
Prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and C virus infections among candidates for orthopedic trauma surgeries
Infectious diseases are diseases caused by bacteria, virus or fungus micro organism and very readily given by one person to another. These diseases especially those that are transmitted via human blood and cause disease in humans include,
Towards organs on demand: a new platform for successful kidney organogenesis
The ultimate treatment for end-stage renal disease is orthotopic transplantation. However, the demand for kidney transplantation far exceeds the number of available donor organs. While more than 100,000 Americans need a kidney, only 17,000 people receive a
Biocatalysts for hydrogen fuel cell: Biology’s unique way to prevent breakdown by oxygen
Hydrogen could fuel the future! Together with oxygen, hydrogen can be converted to electricity with only water as an exhaust product. The conversion from hydrogen to electricity is done in fuel cells, which require a platinum catalyst.
Direct monitoring of the interaction between ROS and cerium dioxide nanoparticles in living cells
Swallowing the pill we don’t know whether it comes to the target, destroys the harmful objects (microbes, viruses, cancer cells) and/or whether it works correctly at the center of the inflammation. Let’s imagine that each grain of
Allelic variations within genes coding for cytokines among Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia: New candidate genes for future disease studies
Cytokines are a set of low molecular weight proteins/glycoproteins secreted by almost all types of cells. They regulate cell growth, immune response and blood cell development in the bone marrow. Genetic variations in cytokine genes include single
Risk factors of hypertension amongst adults in rural areas of South Africa
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of death worldwide, and its major impact is not only observed in developed countries but also in developing countries. In 2008, CVD caused 30% of all global deaths, of
Recent advances in gold nanoparticle-based optic sensor
The ease in preparation and conjugation, stability, biocompatibility, as well as the size-dependent optical properties makes gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) one of the most popular nanomaterials for sensing of analytes of interest in the last decade. We
Strong magnets to investigate novel dental implants
Replacing lost natural teeth with dental implants is not a recent technological advancement. The implant history dates back thousands of years and includes the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Mayans, Celtic and Etruscans civilizations. A variety of attempts and
Making the smallest possible fullerene molecules
It was in 1985 when the soccer ball appeared in chemistry. Spherical carbon cages were discovered, now known as the fullerenes and consisting of 60 carbon atoms in the shape of a soccer ball. Their discoverers have
Aging is adaptive
Aging is a lifecycle stage common to all life forms and is observed in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. The primary manifestation of aging in unicellular organisms is replicative senescence. As the cell ages, cell cycles become
Ex-vivo percutaneous absorption of enrofloxacin
Enrofloxacin is an antibiotic from the fluoroquinolone family used to cure several infections. This antibiotic inhibits DNA replication required for bacterial growth. It is against a wide range of bacteria, including those resistant to other antibiotics. Enrofloxacin
Cerium dioxide nanoparticles increase immunogenicity of the influenza vaccine
Influenza and acute respiratory infections are the viral diseases having tendency for fast epidemic spread. The 2009 “swine flu” pandemic caused by the H1N1 flu virus has revealed the need not only for a detailed study of
