Yearly Archives: 2017
Isoporphyrins – Bioinspired NIR-Dyes
A contemporary concept in cancer therapy relies on the use of light and oxygen for cancer cell destruction. This process called Photodynamic Therapy, or shortly PDT, is mediated by suitable dyes, which are applied locally to the
Engineering native microbiome with stable symbionts: Novel approach to sustain agriculture
The depletion of biosphere resources and the ever-growing global human population have necessitated development of several strategies to sustainable agriculture and secure food safety . Applications of chemical fertilizers and development of transgenic plants have improved the
Role of fermented beverages in the maintenance of weight loss
Obesity is an increasingly prevalent disease and is associated with multiple chronic complications, such as diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, increased risk of cancer, etc. These complications may be ameliorated or even disappear after small but maintained weight
Decreased vagally-mediated heart rate variability in a conditional NPY Y1 receptor knockout mouse
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a protein involved in the complex regulation of a variety of physiological functions that range from feeding to emotions. In the central nervous system NPY is able to influence autonomic nervous system regulation
Plantar insensitivity and reduced cutaneous reflex strength: potential risk factors for balance impairment?
Sensory input arising from skin receptors of the foot sole provides important information for controlling standing balance: a finding demonstrated by blocking the neural activity of skin receptors in young adults. As we age, our skin receptors
Structure and function of the esophageal mucosa
Structure and function go hand-in-hand amongst the morphology, morphometry, biomechanics and secretory potential within the alimentary tract mucosa, submucosa and muscularis propria. Structure must evolve first during the development of fetus and function follows closely and progressively
Cannabis reverses ageing processes in the brain
Researchers at the University of Bonn restore the memory performance of Methuselah mice to a juvenile stage. Memory performance decreases with increasing age. Cannabis can reverse these ageing processes in the brain. This was shown in mice
Green perspective in sample preparation prior to chromatographic analysis
Sample preparation is beyond any doubt the most demanding and at the same time the most challenging step of the analytical procedure, thus affecting the final performance of the whole analytical process in the analytical laboratory. Due
Glucocorticoids as a double-edge sword in the inflamed intestine
Chronic intestinal inflammation, in the form of the conditions ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is relatively common. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the therapy of choice for the treatment acute flares of these diseases, but they have significant limitations,
Heavy alcohol drinking and potassium channel genes
Alcohol use disorder is a chronic and relapsing brain disease that has damaging, sometimes deadly, consequences for the individual and costs society billions of dollars a year (approximately $223 billion). Despite alcohol use being one of the
Warm is better than cold: hypothermia in abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery
Most of us agree shivering is unpleasant. In patients undergoing surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) falls in temperature below a certain level can make the difference between a good and poor outcome. An AAA is usually
Malrotation, a congenital condition that causes intestinal obstruction in infants, unusually presented in a 92 year old man
Malrotation is a rare condition that occurs when there is a problem during development of the gastrointestinal tract. The development of the intestines is a complex process that occurs during the 5th to 12th week of gestation.
Rapid monitoring of bacterial growth and antibiotic susceptibility with quantum semiconductor biochips
Public Health authorities sound the alarm over the increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and project a dark picture back to the pre-antibiotic era. One avenue of solutions proposed is to identify the spectrum of susceptibility to antibiotics
Modeling mammary gland development: understanding the role of cell types and hormonal signaling in the terminal end bud
The mammary gland is an organ that develops almost completely after birth. It has been extensively studied and its development is well-characterized. As such, it provides an excellent model system to study the details of mammalian organ
Chemistry from the kitchen to the primordial soup
The Maillard reaction, also known as the non-enzymatic browning reaction, is a series of chemical interactions that occur in food that are subjected to thermal treatment such as roasting, frying, grilling, and cooking. The Maillard reaction is
Does bioenvironment affect the ionization of drugs?
The ionization is one of the most important parameters that must be taken into account when predicting the pharmacological behavior of drugs. The ionization profile directly affects water solubility which has significant influence on drug bioavailability and
Disparities resulting from variations in regional donor supply and liver transplant tourism
In the United States, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) develops national policies that determine how donated organs are collected, matched, and distributed with candidates on the transplantation waitlist. Currently, the nation is divided into 11
Crosstalk between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and host plants under drought stress
Drought stress is detrimental to plant growth and development. Nevertheless, plants have evolved mechanisms to cope with drought stress at cellular, tissue, and whole-plant levels. Plant physiological responses to drought stress are initiated and sustained by signal
Coffee for the relief of symptoms of methotrexate intolerance among patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and some of the other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases are commonly prescribed methotrexate (MTX) at the dose of < 25-30 mg/week. Depending upon the patient’s condition and the dosage prescribed, some patients
Blood pressure charts for pediatrics
Blood pressure screening is essential throughout life. Adult blood pressure assessments have static thresholds of 140/90 for hypertension and 90/60 for hypotension but screening blood pressure in children is more complicated. As children grow, normal blood pressure
