Yearly Archives: 2016
From Biomass to Medicines: a cellulose derived product as building block in the synthesis of bioactive compounds
The bio-refinery concept is based on replacing fossil fuel with biomass, having the advantage to use renewable natural raw materials. This topic is currently of interest in academic studies, industrial applications and political strategies, both for the
UNC Medical Center reduces time patients wait for their chemotherapy
Lean and Six Sigma principles are used in manufacturing and more recently, healthcare, to eliminate waste, defects, and variability in processes. These philosophies are used to develop solutions to workflow challenges in an effort to improve process
Consuming a probiotic once a day could improve cognitive skills
Probiotics, which are friendly and beneficial bacteria to our bodies, could improve cognitive skills, i.e the ability to learn, memorise, process information or react to events, as demonstrated by researchers at the APC Microbiome Institute, University College
Is there a place for Tooth Mousse in the prevention and treatment of early tooth decay?
Despite significant improvements in oral health over the past forty years, tooth decay remains one of the most common health problems worldwide. The level of tooth decay found in low income and socially-disadvantaged areas remains a public
Light enhances the blood glucose monitoring with naked eye
Enzymes play an important role in the body of a plant or animal. Natural enzymes have been extensively investigated and widely applied in industry because of their excellent properties, including high substrate specificity and catalytic efficiency. However,
Excess mortality associated with second hip fracture
Hip fracture increases death risk. Ten percent of survivors have second hip fracture. It is not known if second hip fracture further increases death risk. Here, we report that second hip fracture increases death risk beyond that
Global electronic properties dominate the reactivity of silver clusters with up to nano sizes
A metal block is composed of extremely large amount of metal atoms, while metal clusters consist of only two to about one hundred atoms. They stand for the transition between individual atoms and the smallest particles which
Water oxidation by a biomolecule (amavadin) without light contribution
Amavadin is a metallobiomolecule without amino acids that occurs with a significant concentration in a few closely related Amanita fungi, such as A. muscaria. It is a [V(S,S-HIDPA)2]2- complex anion (see Figure 1, assigned with A) with
Emergency department presentation predicts poor outcomes after meningioma removal
A meningioma is one of the most common forms of a brain tumor. Unlike many other types of brain tumors, meningiomas are typically associated with relatively favorable outcomes even when they require surgical treatment. In the past
The psychopath’s unusual focus on reward
The word “psychopath” conjures up the image of the deranged serial killer. The reality is very different. Psychopathy, especially the primary variant, is a genetically determined disorder that leads to a serious lack of emotional experience, which,
The impact of climate conditions on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis incidence
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the bite of an infected adult female sandfly. The female sandfly acquires Leishmania parasites in the blood meal intake on an infected mammalian host in order to obtain
Good morning… let the stress begin. What is stress and how do we study it?
The American Psychological Association estimates that more than 70% of Americans regularly experience the physiological or psychological symptoms associated with chronic stress, with a third of the population thought to be living with extreme levels of stress.
How hepcidin, the main hormone regulating iron in the body, is itself regulated in β-thalassemia
To understand how things work normally, scientists often explore diseases and through understanding how things go awry, piece together the normal orchestra of normal bodily functions. In that way, scientists at New York Blood Center recently gained
Type of breast cancer provides clues to genetic susceptibility
Breast cancer is a common disease affecting 1 in 11 women in the UK but like many common cancers incidence increases with increasing age. Only 1 in 1,700 women younger than 30 and 1 in 228 women
New systems capable of stimuli-controlled release of drugs
The search for new medical strategies with high therapeutic efficiencies and reduced adverse side-effects remains a challenge for the scientific community. The development of new drug delivery systems (DDS) to generate new solid forms of active pharmaceutical
Rapid and extremely reliable detection extended-spectrum ß-lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae
Resistance to antibiotics is becoming a worldwide issue mostly related to resistance observed in gram negative bacterial species such as in Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae) that are the most important source of hospital – and
Arsonists and violent offenders compared: two peas in a pod?
Since arson is an expensive offense for society – with an average cost of 12,796 dollar per arson – it is important to address in offender treatment in order to reduce recidivism. Actual pyromania (repeated arson for
Perfluorinated compounds in the atmosphere of Shenzhen, China
High volume air samples taken to 13 sampling sites that were chosen in 6 districts of Shenzhen, China from September to November, 2011 were analyzed for 11 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). A set of ionic nonvolatile PFCs including
Osteoporosis in childhood
It is well known that bones tend to become brittle with ageing. Less well-known is that children also suffer from fractures resulting from little or no force to provoke the injury. The cause in some children is
Ultrasensitive detection and glycan analysis of a prostate cancer biomarker
In recent years we have seen an increased frequency of diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) cases accompanied with an enhanced mortality worldwide. Symptoms of an early-stage PCa can be mild or even absent, thus there is an urgent
