Yearly Archives: 2016
Probing the past with state of the art science
One of the breakthroughs in textile coloration achieved during the 19th century was the development of synthetic dyestuffs and in particular those with the colour purple. Prior to this time purple textiles were expensive and relegated to
Signaling in the brain studied – a role for receptor clustering?
Olfactomedin-1 is a signaling protein in the brain that plays various roles during early brain development. Brain cells (neurons) secrete the protein to the extracellular matrix, where it is known to be involved in several signaling pathways.
Putting mammalian target of rapamycin on track
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is the target protein of rapamycin, a bacterial metabolite in Streptomyces hygroscopicus primarily found in the soil sample from Easter Island in South America thirty years ago. Since mTOR was discovered in
Replacing diseased arteries: are we close enough?
Medical device technology has advanced to an extent that artificial heart, kidney, arteries, and prosthetic limbs are available as commercial market products. It is now a matter of choice for the patient and the surgeon to choose
Roots of risky decisions in drug dependence
Decision-making is a key activity of everyday life. Consequently, disturbances in the ability to make appropriate decisions or anticipate their possible consequences can result in massive social, medical, and financial problems. In the Iowa gambling test developed
Applicability of alkaline hydrolysis at medical waste
Although definition of medical waste (MW) is not universal and relatively variable worldwide, it can be defined as “all the waste generated by healthcare establishments, research facilities and laboratories”. This waste is a small fraction of total
Morgellons disease: the search for a perpetrator
Morgellons disease is a poorly understood skin condition associated with Lyme disease. Patients suffering from the disease often have spontaneously-appearing, slowly-healing skin ulcers and may have crawling or stinging sensations in their skin. They may have one
Foraging gone wrong: a case of poisoning from wild mushrooms
A previously healthy 52-year-old woman presented to the emergency department in early August with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Approximately 12 hours earlier, she had harvested wild mushrooms from a local park with her husband, who
Bioengineered human pyloric sphincters with functional muscle and nerves
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a hollow tube that primarily functions to mediate the digestion of the food that we eat into forms of energy and nutrients that the cells and our body can use. The appropriate
Prevention of thromboembolic complications using intermittent pneumatic compression in major brain surgery
Deep venous thrombosis is the most common adverse event after brain surgery ranging from 3 – 26%. We introduced an electric device for the compression of the legs to reduce the risk of thrombosis in the leg
Demyelination and remyelination signalling in multiple sclerosis as an aid to targeted therapy
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterised by demyelination. Demyelination, i.e. damage and erosion of the myelin sheath which protects the nerve fibres, occurs in the white matter of
Fast electric characterization of biological cells using an old idea of Maxwell
In his treatise, James Clerk Maxwell (1873) did not only derive his famous equations but he also provided the mathematical description of the direct current (DC) resistance for dilute suspensions of shelled spherical objects. At his time,
From palliative to curative treatment – a case of stage IV mucinous colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world and in Sweden, next to breast cancer and prostate cancer. In Sweden, more than 6,000 people are diagnosed with CRC and around 2800 people die
The thymus: a small organ with a mighty big function
The thymus lies in the chest behind the breastbone and above the heart. Relatively large in infancy, it increases in size until puberty and thereafter shrinks to only a few grams in old age. It consists of
How can cancer cells use hydrogen peroxide to strive?
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a well-known antiseptic used in our homes since the 1920s. But did you know that our cells produce this molecule and that at low concentrations H2O2 instructs our cells to do different things,
“Chemobrain” prior to cancer treatment? The cause is probably cancer-related post-traumatic stress
Cancer patients often complain about deficits of attention, memory, and other basic cognitive functions, which considerably impact on their lives. Long time, these problems were simply attributed to side effects of chemotherapy and have therefore been termed
Comparing type 2 diabetes in Asian Indians in India and in the United States
While members of all ethnic groups are at risk for type 2 diabetes, the risk in people of Asian Indian decent seems to be especially high. This is of critical importance because the Asian Indian population is
Later school start times improve sleep in high school students
Research conducted over the past four decades has shown that acquiring adequate sleep is a component of normal growth and development during childhood and adolescence. Adequate sleep is needed to achieve optimal mental and physical alertness, daytime
A holistic human health assessment of pharmaceutical treatments
Present-day economy looks more and more to environmentally sustainable products and services in order to safeguard the future of our society. Not only is an environmentally-friendly product better for the planet, it frequently goes hand in hand
Nitric oxide trigger apoptosis in the brains in Border Disease
Border disease is a pestivirus infection accompanied by central nervous system (CNS) and skeletal abnormalities in sheep and goats. Affected fetuses and newborn animals exhibit brain disorders. This study investigated the relationship between the severity of the
