Yearly Archives: 2016
An innovative method to increase access to surgery worldwide
One of the major health challenges facing almost two thirds of the world’s population is a lack of access to safe life-saving surgery. Picture a scenario where a loved one is involved in a terrifying accident and
Ability of four vitamin D assays to measure vitamin D2
Vitamin D, the sunshine hormone, is essential for healthy bones. Vitamin D is found in two basic forms in nature—vitamin D3 which is made by skin exposed to sun rays (cholecaliferol), and vitamin D2 which is made
From the gut to the eye: commensal microbes as potential triggers of autoimmune uveitis
Autoimmune uveitis is a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the retina of the eye and related tissues and constitute a major cause of human blindness. It is believed that the disease is triggered by the activation
Biodiesel synthesis in response to individual short chain fatty acids during mixotrophic mode of microalgal cultivation
Growing concern over fuel crisis and global climate change has led to substantial investment and research into alternative fuel sources. In this prospect, photosynthetic organisms have huge potential for biofuels production in a carbon neutral way with
Slug transcription factor activates its own expression during epithelial to mesenchymal transition
Cancer is a highly aggressive and challenging disease. In several instances, symptoms are not evident until the disease progresses to an advanced stage and hence, it is amongst the leading causes of human mortality. Despite considerable attempts
Birth weight is not solely determined by genetic code
It is believed that genetic information carried by our DNA determines our metabolism and how we look. This is especially true for identical twins. The incidence of identical twins is around one in every 200 deliveries. Although
Small-molecule RETRA is effective against a fatal childhood cancer
The bone tumor Ewing’s sarcoma is one of the most aggressive cancers in childhood and adolescence. Before the era of chemotherapy, more than 90% of Ewing’s sarcoma patients succumbed to their disease. With the introduction of intensive
Bone marrow transplantation resets the clock in patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) accounts for about one third of all of leukemias. In the United States 15,000 patients are diagnosed with and 4,500 patients die of CLL every year. CLL is a diverse disease. Some patients
Comparison of biological and cultural evolution
Biological evolution is a population-level process guided by selection, and it leads to an increase of the adaptation of the population for the environmental circumstances in which the population lives. Culture can be defined as the wholeness of
Rare and uncommon cancers
A rare cancer is one that occurs less than 6 times in 100,000 people and an uncommon cancer is found between 6 and 12 times in each 100,000 people. The problem with being rare is that there
Controlling self-assembly processes on 2-D surface
Supramolecular self-assembly on two-dimensional (2-D) surface is a powerful approach to construct functionalized surfaces. In a self-assembly process, molecules assemble via noncovalent interactions such as van der Waals or hydrogen bonding interactions, and form periodic nano structures.
Efficient tuning of carbon surface: Defect-enriched CNT
To face energy and environmental issues, the importance towards development of novel catalytic materials with clean and highly efficient feature is self-evident, since the catalysis is the cornerstone for chemical industries. The development of low-cost sustainable catalysts
Single crystalline tantalum oxychloride microcubes
Tantalum oxides usually refer to a class of substances deriving from Ta2O5, and have advantages of high dielectric constant, big refractive index, low internal stress, as well as large bandgap and resistivity. These advantages endow them with
Observing the SAfETy of our schools
Last year, the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave schools a D. The reasons for this near failing grade centered on the lack of investment in either maintaining older buildings or building new schools to accommodate increasing
Genetically encoded voltage indicators for large scale cortical imaging come of age
Composed of billions of neurons, the brain is the most complex organ that dictates our daily lives. Naturally, understanding the brain is one of the final frontiers that would not only provide basic understanding but also sprout
Promote the health of dementia caregivers
The vast majority of the care for people with Alzheimer’s dementia is and will be carried out by informal caregivers as health care services across the world cut funding. This is a major concern in an aging
Milk fatty acids as possible biomarkers to diagnose hyperketonemia in early lactation
Aim of this study was to assess the potential of milk fatty acids (FA) as a diagnostic tool for hyperketonemia. Negative energy balance is a common phenomenon in the transition period in dairy cows. During this period,
Two essential cardiac disorders improvement in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Sudden cardiac death and heart failure are the most serious complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ( HCM ). To prevent these serious complications, 2 essential cardiac disorders in patients with HCM must be corrected. These are left ventricular (LV)
Stepping to recover from a fall is not helped by Deep Brain Stimulation in people with Parkinson’s disease
Poor balance is common in people with Parkinson’s Disease and can limit the activities people are able to engage in. If a fall occurs the injuries can be debilitating and impair quality of life. The ability to
Spousal assaulters in outpatient mental health care
Domestic violence is defined as: ‘a physical, mental or sexual violation of the personal integrity of the victim by a person from the victim’s family circle. This includes (ex)-partners, family members and family friends of the victim’
