Yearly Archives: 2016
Genetic complexity in Peninsular Malaysia: a great challenge for blood donor recruitment centres
Providing safe blood and blood products (e.g. packed red blood cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma) are important measurement in the modern era of transfusion practices. Transfusion of blood and blood products from donor to patient requires
Time-saving and life-saving impact of a dedicated childbirth operating room in hospitals in Ghana
Despite global efforts to improve medical care in Sub-Saharan Africa, childbirth remains one of the most dangerous experiences that women and their babies can face. Delays in receiving appropriate emergency care during the crucial moments of childbirth
CKD affects mortality in TAVI patients
Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most frequent type of valvular heart disease in Europe and North America. It primarily presents as calcific AS in old people (2–7% of the population > 65 years). Calcific AS is a
The hierarchy of transcriptional activation: from enhancer to promoter
Disturbance of gene expression underlies many diseases. Deciphering how genes are normally switched on and off in healthy cells during development and cell differentiation is helping to shed light on the molecular basis of diseases such as
Meat traditions (and the co-evolution of humans and meat)
If food is indeed “good to think”, as in Lévi-Strauss’ famous maxim, then meat seems to be the supreme example. Meat is truly about us. Besides, the way we deal with meat needs urgent reconsideration due to
A vision trap: blind areas create confounding effects in studies of complex processes like reading
Local areas of damage to the brain can create very specific problems in visual perception, which appear to affect one type of function but leave many others intact. Understanding what kind of processes could be affected that
Biodegradable packaging films with improved mechanical and barrier properties
Conventional plastics pose major threat to environment because they are non – biodegradable and are derived from non – renewable resources. Despite this demand for conventional plastics has been rising steadily over the years. It is estimated
Anxiety linked to earlier alcohol involvement
Mental health and substance use disorders are common in the general population and the leading disorders within these are anxiety and alcohol use disorders, with approximately 20 – 30% of the population experiencing one during their lifetime.
Aerobic condition accelerates carotenoid production in Enterococcus gilvus
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is industrial important bacteria because LAB are used in fermented foods and probiotics. The clarification of the stress tolerance mechanism of LAB is beneficial for probiotic and molecular breeding to equip LAB with
Distinguish males and females using the mandibular canine tooth
Rao and collaborators developed a methodology based on the mandibular canine to estimate the sex of an individual. Using this methodology, called mandibular canine index (MCI), the authors proposed a cut-value above which the subjects should be
Compounds earlier known as neurotransmitters are met and function in every living organism
Historically, the neurotransmitters function were analyzed only in animals with nervous system, and their initial role was associated mainly with the transmission of nerve (electrical) impulses. In the last decade of the 20 century, new views on
Could the organ shortage ever be met?
A commonly expressed view is that increasing the number of donors will solve the organ shortage and in the UK there has been a 58 per cent increase in deceased organ donations from 2007-8 to 2014-15. The
Optimization of charge carrier transport balance for high efficient polymer solar cells
Polymer solar cells (PSCs) with poly (diketopyrrolopyrrole – terthiophene) (PDPP3T): [6,6] – phenyl – C71 – butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as active layers were fabricated from different temperature solutions. The champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of
Sphere remains sphere! Moving droplets by electric fields
Liquid bridges play an important role in our everyday life. On the beach we benefit from their stability when we build sand castles, while in some other situations liquid bridges can be annoying, for instance when they
We learn and forget to correct our expectations
Learning and forgetting are, to a large extent, about tuning your expectations so that they match your experience. So while it is usually good to learn new things, we sometimes also need to forget things. We constantly
Targeted ion therapy using nanoparticles – a new direction
A living body is made of the smallest building block, called ‘cell’. It gives us a shape, helps us to perform physiological and biological activities, and so on. A eukaryotic cell contains a nucleus, buried in the
Genome sequence of the natural antagonist Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 against fungal plant diseases
In agriculture we have to deal with a huge variety of diseases caused by phytopathogenic bacteria, fungi or insects for instance. Many of these plant pathogens live in the soil and attack the respective cultivar at the
B cells to the rescue: regulatory B cells are a promising therapeutic target for autoimmune disease
Immune cells are indispensable for protecting us from microbial infections. They recognize specific patterns on microbes to mount robust cellular and molecular immune responses for the clearance of pathogens. Intriguingly, development and function of these cells is
Ban of asbestos has saved lives
Banning of the use of asbestos in Sweden has two components. In the mid-1970s the use was restricted through an agreement between unions and employers in the construction industry and there was also a voluntary restriction in
Grow TiO2 nano-crystals on cellulose to sequester lead in water
Heavy metals in water pose significant threat to environment and public health. Lead, for example, when present above the action level in drinking water as a toxin, can cause a variety of adverse health effects such as
