Monthly Archives: February 2019

Hypertrophic scarring: the rabbit ear model for studying dermal fibrosis

Skin is the largest organ in body with multiple vital functions. Apart from its significant role in maintaining the body temperature and prevention of water loss, the appearance of skin has a significant effect on one’s psychological

Macrophages in atherosclerosis; the good, the bad and the foamy?

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which arteries are narrowed due to the deposition of plaque material to the artery walls. This narrowing can give rise to other cardiovascular events like thrombosis or a stroke. One

Compounded medication for patients with rare diseases

Pharmaceutical compounding is the preparation of unlicensed medicines in order to meet specific patient needs that do not have a licensed (commercial) medicine available on the market. Especially for patients with rare diseases it is complementary when

The importance of immature cancer cells in predicting patient outcome

The word “cure” for breast or any other type of cancer might be unfair to a patient since this will give the individual a false sense of comfort. The misuse of `cure’ is evident in breast cancer

Surgical strategies to preserve the right heart function during tetralogy of Fallot repair

Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which consists of 4 components: the aorta overriding both ventricles of the heart, a hole between both ventricles, narrowing of the right ventricle outlet and thickening of the right

Negative regulators of cell death signalling pathways in cancer

Cancer is a primary cause of human death with a global economic toll of around US$1.4 trillion each year. It is estimated that about 12 million people will yearly die of cancer by 2030. Conventional cancer therapies such

Training the immune system to treat Niemann-Pick type C1 disease

Every year, at least 1 in 100,000 people worldwide is born with Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease, a lysosomal storage disease. Lysosomes are cellular compartments which process an array of substrates – from DNA to nutrients –

Do you want a specific signal? Go local! Imaging our way to targeted therapy

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a ubiquitous intracellular second messenger, a small molecule that conveys the information carried by hormones, neurotransmitters and other extracellular stimuli to the intracellular environment. cAMP is generated at the plasma membrane when

Are there differences in structural and mechanical properties of R15, R16 and R17 spectrin domains?

Spectrin is a cytoskeletal protein that plays an important role in maintenance of plasma membrane integrity and cytoskeletal structure. It determines the strength, mechanical stability and capacity for deformation of cells. Spectrin forms a reverse parallel heterodimer

The cellular protein (cFLIP) downregulates IFN-alpha, a signaling protein involved in the pathogenesis of SLE

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder that manifests itself within various organs of the body. It is observed in women more often than men. While clinical presentations may vary widely, hallmarks of SLE include

Circadian rhythm in the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis

Circadian rhythm constitutes key photobiological signals for successive growth of cyanobacteria in variable environment conditions (Cohen and Golden 2015). The endogenous property of diurnal rhythm may alter optimum growth and production of cyanobacterial products in variable environmental