Monthly Archives: March 2017
Halogen bonding assembly of an iodide-binding triple helix
Wind turbines, spiral staircases, and springs—these are a few examples of helices in everyday life. The helix is also a reoccurring concept in mythology, spanning many cultures. In biology, helices are both essential and pervasive. Collagen, the
Do all children have equal access to Phase I cancer trials?
Approximately 60% of pediatric cancer patients participate in clinical trials compared to only 5% of adult cancer patients. These pediatric clinical trials have been instrumental in improving the 5-year survival rate of childhood and adolescent cancer patients
Insights into the formation of PCDD/Fs during the treatment of organo-chlorinated compounds by means of Fenton oxidation
The concern about water pollution has augmented during the last few years due to the increasing domestic and industrial activities together with growing population (A. Detomaso et al., 2003). Among the possible compounds found in wastewaters, chlorinated
Impact of selected NSAIDs on performances, microbial activity and microbial community in sequencing batch reactors
The non – steroidal anti – inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) are the most commonly used drugs worldwide. Among them, diclofenac ( DCF ), ibuprofen (IBP) and naproxen (NPX) were frequently detected in the environment as the
Higher ticagrelor mortality in the FDA adverse event repository: time to stop TV ads?
Despite broad utilization of oral P2Y12 platelet inhibitors such as clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor, the comparative mortality risks of each agent are unknown. Moreover, few available randomized data are challenged with restricted populations, double – digit drug
Sopping assistance with eating and drinking in severe dementia
More and more people will develop some form of progressive dementia because of increasing life span in most countries. Since there is no effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and other progressive dementias, about 50% will die at
Biosemiotics, a worthy theme to speculate on
Higher-level organisms are comprised of cells as the materials but the higher-level organisms are not just a pile of cells such as the buildings’ being more than piles of stones. Yet, this doesn’t mean that the material
Which better for cardiac surgery, VIMA or TIVA?
Approximately 1 million cardiac surgery procedures are performed worldwide every year. Morbidity and mortality after this kind of surgery continue to decrease, but nonetheless remain higher than in other fields of surgery, predominantly because of insufficient cardiac
Social phobia: indication of a genetic cause
People with social anxiety avoid situations in which they are exposed to judgment by others. Those affected also lead a withdrawn life and maintain contact above all on the Internet. Around one in ten people is affected
TrialShare: Open data access for translational and clinical immunology
Numerous initiatives are underway focused on making data more broadly accessible to investigators, usually in the form of data repositories or public archives. The Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) has developed a notable approach that extends these activities
Specific epidermal layers engineered by using polymeric membranes
Advances in tissue engineering led to the realization of human bioengineered skin substitutes for in vivo skin regeneration and in vitro applications. Notably, in vitro skin models are useful tools alternative to animal experimentation for testing the
Gum disease matters!
Periodontal diseases are abnormal processes affecting the gum, mostly gingivits and periodontitis. Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gum, and periodontitis occurs when this inflammation progresses deeper into the gum affecting tooth support. Teeth are anchored to
Is that Penicillin or Pénicilline?
The motivation for writing this article arose from repeatedly encountering comments to the effect that it was ‘widely known’ that penicillin had been discovered by Ernest Duchesne some thirty years prior to the appearance of that celebrated
Ranking: Bonn is one of the most international universities in Germany
The University of Bonn is one of the most international universities in Germany and Europe. This is confirmed by the British magazine Times Higher Education (THE) in its recently published university ranking according to internationalization criteria. According
What does it take to change your behaviour?
Many of the leading causes of illness and death in the world are caused by human behaviours, such as eating a poor diet, being physically inactive, and smoking. Interventions and policies designed to change these behaviours can
Metastasis of a malignant Leydig cell tumour – an unusual presentation
Testicular tumors are common in aged dogs, being the Seminoma, Sertoli and Leydig cell tumors the most frequent testicular neoplasms in this species. Most of them are benign and metastases are rarely reported. This particular case describes
Inhaled metal oxide nanoparticles’ retention in the pulmonary tissue can be hindered by their relatively high solubilization counterbalancing their unfavorable action on the free pulmonary cells response
We hypothesized that pulmonary clearance vs. retention of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is controlled not only by activity of phagocytes and other physiological mechanisms but also by the NP solubilization which, in some cases, may even prevail
Insulin effects on pancreatic beta cells-not always what you may think
Normally, blood glucose levels are controlled within a reasonable range by the release of insulin from pancreatic beta cells in response to an increase in blood glucose levels following a meal or other glucose challenge. One of
A synthetic natural like product endowed with antiproliferative activity
The World Health Organization has reported that cancer is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affecting population in all countries and regions. The 2014 World Cancer Report of WHO indicated that in 2012 there
What all can your child eat apart from food: coins, magnets or more?
Ingestion of foreign bodies is a common paediatric problem. The majority of ingested foreign bodies pass spontaneously. The type of foreign body differs depending on the age and eating habits of the subject. Thus, foreign bodies found
