Yearly Archives: 2016
Implicit learning of a speed-contingent target feature
When opening a door, the force with which it is pushed – or pulled – determines how fast it swings. Often it is supposed that the stimulus following such an action can be consciously foreseen. But let’s
Early family regularity protects against later disruptive behavior
Children’s temperamental anger or frustration reactions, defined as negative affect in reaction to interruption of ongoing tasks or blocking the child’s goal, are already observable in the first 2 to 3 months of life, and may decline
Evidence-based guidelines for better health: can their role be sustained?
This project matters because it recognizes a threat to the continued production or modifications (adaptation) of guidelines, which promote best health care practices; and, it offers a framework for solving this threat. Over-emphasis of unnecessarily stringent standards
Zinc supplementation and allergy
Zinc is an essential trace element and an important factor of approximately 300 human enzymes. It plays an important role in cellular growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. The immune system with its fast growing rates is especially dependent
Can pharmacogenetics testing help reduce psychiatric suffering?
Pharmacogenetics testing is relatively new to the field of psychiatry having been introduced only within recent years and at an affordable cost in the clinical setting. The case history illustrated in this report describes how pharmacogenetics testing
GPS? Not only to navigate! Territory monitoring using GPS signals reflected from the soil
The monitoring of the territory is important for many applications, including natural hazards monitoring (floods, fires, land and snow slides), traffic and pollution control, agricultural applications and in general to highlight any critical situations. It can be
Hair analysis as a novel method for the non-destructive and non-invasive monitoring of metal exposure in bats
As a result of human activities, many wild organisms are exposed to increased concentrations of metals in their environment. Urbanized areas are typically more polluted than remote areas due to enhanced emissions of metals mainly by traffic
How can living systems understand external reality to survive better?
Do data given to a subject contain information about something existing outside the subject, or are they mere mental states of the subject? This is a long-standing philosophical problem about the reality of percepts, asking whether sense
Real life treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: impact of deviation from guidelines recommended therapy
Primary liver cancer is one of the most common cancers at the global level. The outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is related to the extent of both tumor and liver disease, which influence the applicability and efficacy
Functional networks of the awake rabbit brain
The brain constantly transmits signals whether during idle wakefulness (i.e., “at rest”) or different behavioral states like cognitively-demanding tasks. Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans have consistently observed neural networks of coherent activity within
Understanding the rare disease alkaptonuria: the role of oxidative stress, inflammation and amyloidosis
Alkaptonuria (AKU) is an ultra-rare disease that was recognized among the first inborn errors of metabolism. In AKU, an altered activity of the enzyme homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD) occurring upon gene mutation lead to a defective metabolism of
The exploration of gene expression in Atlantic bluefin tuna
Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunus thynnus), the largest of the tuna species, is migratory top predator inhabiting the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Extremely well adapted to life in open waters, they are able to traverse
Heavy metals and cyanobacteria: towards bioremediation
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
Photometric patch electrode captures optical and electrical signals simultaneously in deep brain tissues
When neurons work they signal each other using action potentials, which is a rapid change of membrane potential and underlies the brain function. In most neurons action potentials accompany changes of intracellular concentration of calcium ions. Calcium
Is a tissue-engineering approach effective for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects?
Osteoporosis (OP) is a disease that affects the formation, maintenance, and density of bone. OP is also associated with an increased risk of bone fracture. For those people/patients facing a traumatic injury or tumor removal in the
Preference for capretto and chevon depending on familiarity
The “capretto”, i.e. four to seven-week old kid fed on milk, is the traditional and, still, the main meat product in this class. It is a major component of farm income during the Easter and Christmas times.
Rising from obscurity: 11β-hydroxy-androstenedione under the spotlight
Steroid hormones are small molecules that act as messengers in our bodies, regulating normal development and impacting on disease. These hormones are produced from cholesterol by the actions of enzymes− proteins which change cholesterol to form new
Immunochemical analysis of pesticides in strawberries
Broad retail of highly perishable fruits like strawberries requires application of agrochemicals at stages near the harvest, so significant amounts of pesticide residues are commonly found at the consumer level. Consequently, maximum residue limits (MRL) have been
He’s giving me good vibrations – the role of vibrations in population divergence in the red mason bee
Females in the animal kingdom are often known to be the choosier sex when it comes to finding the right mating partner. Consequently, differences in female preference for certain male characteristics can be a driving force for
Secret of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) hidden in small molecules
Diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a great challenge for today’s medicine. It also results from not fully explained pathomechanisms underlying their development and progression. The group of CVDs is a very complex mixture of
