Yearly Archives: 2020
Gap junction assembly mechanisms in the cochlea
Hearing loss is the most common congenital sensory deficit. About 1-3 in 1000 children are affected at birth or during early childhood by severe hearing loss, which is defined as prelingual deafness, with at least half of
Discovery and mutation of a novel enzyme for the removal of environmental pollutants
Environmental pollution is one of the biggest challenges in the world today, as society faces the consequences of intense industrial development. The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture leads to high quality products, while minimizing losses in
An open journey approach to spiritual care education
“Life is a Journey” is a common metaphor used around the world. While this is a true picture of life, the journey theme can be useful to express a variety of processes. In healthcare, we talk about
Altered methylation in Breast Cancer in very young women
Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate of all cancers in women worldwide. Although early breast cancer generally has an excellent prognosis, breast cancer in young women (under the age of 35) is associated with a high
Just a click away: smartphone apps can improve mental health
Within the past decade, smartphones have been assimilated into the personal, social, and occupational routines of a significant proportion of people around the globe. In fact, previous reports show that more than half of the Western population
May polystyrene microplastics be ingested by marine organisms, affecting survival, growth and behavior?
World plastic production has increased steadily over the past 50 years, reaching over 350 million tonnes in 2018. Most of the plastic waste ends up in the oceans and it is constituted not only by large plastic
Secular trend in growth status in a sample of girls from Serbia aged 7-9 years
Human growth is influenced by genetic factors, but the genetic potential will be expressed if socio-economic and environmental conditions allow it. Anthropometric indicators like height and weight are used to characterize growth and development of children and
How to Achieve Faster, More Efficient Software Testing in 2020
You may save time during the software development lifecycle if you reduce testing or skip it altogether. But this approach will likely add time, cost, and aggravation down the road. Thankfully, there are many ways to speed
A role of characteristics of hospitals in the prevalence of childhood undernutrition on admission
Undernutrition in children is one of the important global health issues. In the developing countries, the main cause of undernutrition is an inadequate nutritional intake due to the poverty. On the other hand, in developed countries, dieting
Wrestling with the alligator’s brain
When some individuals stand up quickly from a sitting or crouched posture, the blood flow to their brain is temporarily reduced. In response to the reduced blood flow, their brain will enter a short period of neural
Dramatic effects of Sn addition on Ge crystallization
Research on novel materials to replace Si has been actively pursued for sustainable improvement of electronic devices. Ge has attracted attention as the most promising candidate for next-generation material because it has a higher carrier mobility than
Mitophagy in health and disease
Mitochondria are cellular organelles specialized for energy production, and critically influence several features of cellular metabolism and physiology. Maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial pool is a prerequisite for cellular and tissue homeostasis. Compromised mitochondrial function results in
What is Infrastructure-as-a-Service? Everything You Need to Know
Infrastructure-as-a-service is a form of cloud computing that is distributed to end-users across the web. It may be useful for businesses and software developers who need a deployed IT infrastructure for their enterprise environments. Among all types
How changes in our genes impact outcome after stroke
An ischemic stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen and glucose, which is caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain. Stroke is a leading cause of death around the
Washed platelet concentrates prevent recurrent transfusion reactions
Platelet transfusion is commonly used to prevent or treat bleeding in people with thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction. Among transfusable blood products, however, platelet concentrates (PCs), which also contain plasma, have a higher frequency of transfusion reactions than
Coronavirus Prevention and Detection Tools to Protect Your Health
More than 2.5 million cases of coronavirus had been reported as of April 22, 2020, with the death toll at more than 172,000. Of course, many more people have likely become ill and even died due to
The reliability and validity of the Figure of 8 Walk test in older people with knee replacement
The Figure of 8 Walk (F8W) test looks at walking in straight and curved paths in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions (Fig. 1). The time taken to carry out the test is recorded along with the number
Kelp extracts and their pharmaceutical properties
Kelps are a specific type of large brown seaweeds that generally grow on rocky, shallow, nutrient-rich ocean water. The most common examples of kelps found in the South African coastlines include Ecklonia maxima (sea bamboo) (Fig. 1), Ecklonia
When toxicity goes circular: Isoprostanes as markers and effectors of oxidative stress
In normal conditions, there is a dynamic equilibrium between oxidants and antioxidants in the human body; however, when there is an unbalance in this redox state, oxidative stress occurs. In an unbalanced state, the peroxidation of polyunsaturated
A new link between oxidant stress and lung cancer
DNA repair protects our cells from conditions that cause damage to the genome, which can become a threat to the maintenance and function of our tissues. Our cells have a variety of DNA repair systems. Most frequent
