Monthly Archives: March 2017
Capturing neon within crystalline frameworks to aid semiconductor manufacturing
Neon is one of the least reactive elements known. No molecules containing neon have so far been synthesised and it is the only stable element that has never previously been studied within an organic crystal structure, despite
A new technology for employing artificial trans-acting small interfering RNA
A central doctrine for a gene expression is typically from the DNA coding sequence to the RNA transcript and then to the protein. So, the normal function of a gene can be disrupted by suppression, or so-called
Production and diseases of dairy cows: genetics (cause) and management (effect)
The milk production of dairy cows has been increased during the last decades by animal-husbandry, improved feeding regime, extensive veterinary service and proper management. It can be assumed that this tendency will be continued in the future
Measuring motivation in Parkinson’s disease through the eyes response to money
Apathy or a lack of motivation is a disabling condition making patients feel that they “just can’t be bothered to do things”. Apathy is very common in Parkinson’s disease, affecting up to 70% of patients and causing
Do children with Autism Spectrum Disorder understand the representational meaning of the eye gaze?
Gaze following is crucial for human social cognition, this ability develops from a low-level perceptual mechanism to a representational one. In typical development, between 6 and 12 months, infants perceive the gaze as a directional cue that
Candidate gene analysis of osteochondrosis in Spanish Purebred horses
Equine osteochondrosis (OC) is a frequent developmental orthopaedic disease (DOD) with high economic impact on the equine industry. The multifactorial origin behind its aetiology, including genetic, vascular or biomechanical influences, as well as other environmental factors such
Ankylosing spondylitis: what you should know about spinal fractures
The aim of this review article was to provide the required clinical knowledge that radiologists need to know and the relevant radiological semiotics that clinicians require in diagnosing clinically significant injuries to the ankylosed spine. Ankylosing spondylitis
The positive resting membrane potential of non-excitable fibrocytes in the mammalian cochlea
It is schoolbook knowledge that both excitable and non-excitable cells are stably hyperpolarized at -25 mV to -80 mV in the resting state in vivo and in vitro. This negative resting membrane potential (RMP), a fundamental cell
Too little sun-exposure in summer?
It is well known that UV rays are responsible for DNA damage in exposed cells: because of that, they are considered carcinogens for skin cells. In the last decades, frequent worldwide campaigns have advised people to avoid
Why is anxiety more common in women? Investigating sex differences in threat and safety learning
Anxiety-related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are up to twice as common in women as in men but the reasons behind this remain unclear. People with PTSD often experience negative emotions like fear when reminded of
Repelling water and dirt: superhydrophobic biological surfaces and biomimetic innovations
Life evolved over the last 3.5 billion years: a continuous process of mutation and selection – or trial and error. Today we know of some 1.8 million different species – but assessments indicate the existence of over
Cerebellar and brainstem malformations
The development of the cerebellum and brainstem is a highly complex process that involves a large number of genes. Mutations in these genes may cause an abnormal development of the cerebellum and brainstem and result in several
Trends in population characteristics, 30-day outcomes and one-year survival in patients treated with TAVI
Since the first-in-man transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) performed in our center in 2002, this technique has been increasingly accepted by the medical community as a viable and established option in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS)
Medical students’ communication is trainable
A good physician-patient-relationship is essential for the patient’s health. Accordingly, the therapeutic relationship can influence the success of the therapy with a variance of 30%. A well-structured, patient-centred medical history taking enables an earlier and more accurate
New chemistry of aryl(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)iodonium triflates
Fluorine-containing organic compounds have found wide applications in the areas of chemistry, biology, and materials science over the past several decades. Since only a few naturally-occurring organofluorides have been discovered, fluorinated organic compounds including CF3CH2-substituted compounds have
Easy assessment of the vascular autonomic function
Blood vessels change their diameter to keep a stable blood flow. The diameter of the peripheral arteries is determined by contraction or relaxation of the vascular smooth muscle, by endothelium-dependent and autonomic nerve-dependent mechanisms. Vascular endothelial cells
What about noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) from ‘cell-free fetal DNA’ (cffDNA)?
To know anything about the unborn human life was pure science fiction until the end of the 1950s. However today, prenatal diagnostics is routine, and many different approaches are available to check out the health of a
A new enhanced antibiotic treatment for early and late syphilis
Despite an effective treatment for syphilis is available since the penicillin introduction in the mid-20th century, this disease is still a global health concern with over 12 million new cases occurring each year worldwide. Recently, we have
Immobilization of bilirubin oxidase on graphene oxide for oxygen reduction – when the charge matters
In recent years knowledge from nanotechnology, biotechnology and electrochemistry helped to develop extremely interesting devices – biofuel cells. In such devices, many different biomolecules have been employed for biologically catalyzed energy harvesting from energy rich organic molecules.
Towards developing an ultimate optical method for bacteria detection
Microorganism detection is an essential task for wide range areas of human activities driven by economic and healthcare factors. Total Viable Count (TVC) method is a benchmark in microbiology, which is based on visual observation of the
