Monthly Archives: July 2018
How can we understand persistent pain?
Acute pain evoked by tissue injury makes biologic sense and can be explained mechanistically in great detail. It is much more difficult to understand why pain so often persists after healing of an injury, or even arises
B-vitamins over-consumption may be the cause of the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes
Obesity and type 2 diabetes have been a major health issue in the United States. It is during the past few decades that obesity and type 2 diabetes have rapidly reached epidemic levels not only in adults
Ultra Quick sample preparation prior to GC-MS based metabolomics
Metabolomics is a comprehensive study of low molecular weight compounds in biological samples and has been applied to wide range of research areas from medical to food analysis. For the analysis of metabolites, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
Statin therapy makes things worse for alcohol drinkers
High cholesterol levels in humans represent a risk factor for life-threatening cardio/cerebrovascular conditions, including heart attack and stroke. It is estimated that nearly 94.6 million, or 40 % of American adults, have total blood cholesterol levels above
How healthy the Indian leopards are?
Carnivores face a continuous threat for their survival from pathogens, indirectly resulting from anthropogenic factors such as human population expansion, habitat loss or its alteration and climate change leading to their endangerment in the wild. These effects
The herbicide glyphosate activates oxidative metabolism in the weed model plant Arabidopsis thaliana
For farmers, glyphosate is a very familiar chemical compound because it is one of the broad-spectrum herbicides more used worldwide in agriculture. Even it is also applied in non-cultivated areas to keep the growth of weeds under
Evolution of a sucker: Functional principles of traps in carnivorous bladderworts (Utricularia, Lentibulariaceae)
Certain plants lure, capture, kill and digest animal prey. Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.) comprise more than 240 species and constitute the largest genus of such carnivorous plants. They can be found almost worldwide in a variety of different
Isolation of stable monomeric organo aluminum radicals
Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust and its numerous chemical derivatives have various applications in organic as well in organometallic synthesis. The oxidation state +III is thermodynamically favorable for aluminum, while the chemistry
The pubertal divide in mortality from severe influenza: clues for novel therapeutics
The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, was a protracted and devastating outbreak. Upwards of 500 million people worldwide were infected and death estimates surpassed 50 million. Contemporary studies using virus reconstructed from autopsy
Let carbon nanostructures do the job
CO2 emission, from burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes is estimated to contribute more than 70% of all greenhouse gases. The prospects of a clean energy economy demands the efficient removal of CO2. Absorption of CO2 using chemical
International Conference on Neonatology and Pediatrics. Las Vegas, USA. November 19-20, 2018
Meetings International proudly announces its premier “International Conference on Neonatology and Pediatrics” that has been scheduled on November 19th and 20th, 2018 at Las Vegas, USA. Neonatology 2018 will bring together renowned scientists, researchers, doctors, talented students under one roof to
Polymer hydration and stiffness at biointerfaces and related cellular processes
This review focuses on the studies that demonstrate how hydration/dehydration affects biological processes at the cell–biomaterial interface. Degree of hydration and water molecules binding energy depends on macromolecular chains architecture, determines the mobility of polymer chains and
Infected stent graft behind the knee
Popliteal artery aneurysms are the commonest peripheral artery aneurysm and affect 1% of men aged 65 to 80 years. The popliteal artery in the main artery behind the knee and an aneurysm is where the blood vessels
Diamond growth using microwave-activated methane/hydrogen plasmas
Diamond is renowned for its many superlative material properties. It defines the top of the Mohs hardness scale, has the highest bulk thermal conductivity at room temperature, and has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. The
Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags
Thin-film, single-use shopping bags are ubiquitous throughout the world. Since the 1980s, consumers have been habitualized into expecting free plastic shopping bags at businesses. In the US, the estimated annual per capita consumption of single-use plastic shopping
Eccentric metallo-dielectric core-shell nanoparticles for light guiding and switching
High Refractive Index Dielectric (HRID) nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as an alternative to metallic ones due to their low absorption and magnetodielectric response in the VIS and NIR ranges. Important scattering directionality (SD) effects can be
p53: key conductor of all anti-acne therapies
Acne vulgaris is the most common inflammatory skin disease of developed countries affecting more than 80% of adolescents. In contrast, acne vulgaris is not epidemic or completely absent in populations living under Paleolithic conditions. During the last
Does statins increase risk of diabetes?
Statins are drugs that inhibit the enzyme 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzymeA (HMG-CoA) which is critical in the production of cholesterol molecules. Thus is commonly used in the treatment of abnormally elevated cholesterol which is known to contribute to cardiovascular disease
3MST produces redox regulators Cys-SSH and GSSH as well as signaling molecules H2S and H2Sn
3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3MST) together with cysteine aminotransferase (CAT) produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a well-known toxic gas, from L-cysteine. 3MST also produces H2S from D-cysteine in concert with D-amino acid oxidase (DAO). Cystathionine β–synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ–lyase
Heavy metal resistant–plant growth promoting bacteria as an alternative strategy for decreasing accumulation of metals in plant tissues
In the present era, pollution of water, soil and air with heavy metals is increasing rapidly. Industrialization and technological advancement have caused serious damage to the ecosystem by releasing large quantities of heavy metals (i.e., cadmium, chromium,
