Author Archives: karen
“Good kids in bad neighborhoods” – the role of bone marrow microenvironment in the development of acute myeloid leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common and aggressive blood cancer in adults and is associated with a high rate of mortality due to cancer therapy resistance and disease relapse. AML is characterized by severe deficiency
Blockade of estrogen receptor alpha mitigates alcohol-evoked myocardial dysfunction in female rats
Recent evidence challenges the longstanding view that light-to-moderate alcohol drinking might confer cardioprotection, and the latter is mostly based on population studies in men or in male experimental animals. However, while the reduction in blood pressure caused
What situations breed ingroup favouritism?
When we meet strangers, we are often nicer towards those that look like they belong to our own group – a behaviour often termed ingroup favouritism. Examples of what constitutes a group may have to do with
Omega-3 fatty acids, obesity and breast density
Omega-3 fatty acids, abundantly present in fish oil products, are in large use among the public because of the widespread perception that they are able to ameliorate and even prevent many chronic diseases, including cancer. Our research
New MRI method for patients with fast and irregular heartbeats
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) takes very detailed pictures of the heart. MRI is very safe because it does not give patients harmful x-rays and is one of the best hospital tests used by doctors to check how
How do mistletoes use water in leafless hosts?
Mistletoes are parasitic plants that penetrate the bark of the hosts’ branches through a modified root, connecting to their host sap (xylem) from which they access all the water and nutrients they need to survive. The mechanism
Harnessing Förster energy transfer
Our fascination with light, matter and their mutual interactions has been the driving force behind the advent of new optical materials, ranging from a variety of organic and inorganic dielectrics to tailored metals, photonic crystals and more
How localizable are language brain areas?
The interest in understanding how language is “localized” in the brain has existed for centuries. During the late 19th and early 20th century, the brain’s language area was thought to correspond to the region around the Sylvian
Rhythm makes the world go round: neuroimaging reveals the “embodied” roots of high-level social cognition
Significant aspects of information processing in humans are not shared with other species, such as the ability to imagine the mental states of others. However, to some extent this unique ability still seems to depend on “older”
Cerium oxide nanoparticles may be of therapeutic value in chronic liver disease
What is this? We use Cerium oxide NPs (CeO2NPs) to treat cirrhosis in model rats and we observe how it has dramatic beneficial effects in reducing inflammation and allowing tissue reparation What makes nanoceria very appealing is
Test items may be unfair
Intelligence tests and other achievement tests always aim at measuring an ability that is not directly observable. What one can observe is how a person performs when trying to solve a collection of items (master a collection
The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA)
London, UK, from 5-8 April The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA) is an interdisciplinary society that supports the activities of European researchers with an interest in evolutionary accounts of human cognition, behaviour and society. EHBEA
Ribose hydroxyl group summary
We usually think of enzymes – the molecules that drive all the reactions in our cells – as being proteins, but many scientists believe that the earliest enzymes may have been made of RNA. RNA, which is
Making a good drug against a bad virus better
Recent advances in the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) have led to a number of treatment options using only pills taken once-a-day that can lead to the elimination of the virus – a cure. Using
Human brains do not belong to two distinct types: ‘female brains’ and ‘male brains’
Sex categories – whether one has female or male genitalia – are fundamental for reproduction. They are also one of the most important categories that shape the social world. No surprise then that scientists and the general
Detecting nerve gases VX and Tabun with a handheld device
Threats from nerve gases, or more accurately termed chemical warfare agents, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activities. A big problem with nerve gases are that they are very challenging
Prognostic value of trans-thoracic echocardiography in patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation
Currently, ischemic stroke (which occurs when a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular beating, can be successfully prevented with
A paradigm shift in self-cleaning materials
In order to keep touchscreens, windows and walls free of dirt and fingerprints they need to be coated with anti-smudge materials. For practical applications, anti-smudge materials must be water- and oil-repellent, wear-resistant, optically clear and readily applicable
Human exposures to Bisphenol A alternatives and derivatives with equal or more harmful effects
Recent years have witnessed an exponential interest in the use and research on bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is one of the chemicals ranked very high in the chemicals’ list with the highest production volume estimates worldwide. BPA
How preparation to touch or grasp alters visual size perception
This paper, recently published by my colleagues and I, summarizes a series of studies on how engaging in particular actions affects how our brain processes incoming visual information. Specifically, illusions that exert a strong effect on our
