Author Archives: karen
Arrestin-enolase protein complex as a new auto antigen in heart disease
Over the past two decades, evidence of a pathogenic relevance of autoimmunity in human heart disease has increased significantly. A central role for autoimmunity in a significant proportion of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients is supported by the
Sailfish: the fastest fish in the world?
The fascination for speed runs deep in humans: we are in awe of fast cars and the 100-meter race is the most popular event at the Olympics. Similarly, we are intrigued by fast animals, like the cheetah
Electrochemical oxidation of americium and its role in nuclear waste processing
Nuclear energy is a promising source of renewable energy, however, to facilitate its adoption and avoid nuclear proliferation, solutions to the handling, reprocessing, and disposal of nuclear waste must be addressed. In the United States, commercial reactors
Control of cell identity by the nuclear architecture
In a complex organism, all cells use their identical genetic potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types characterized by different morphology, nuclear shape and function. This is possible because only a small subset of genes
Hosts and pathogens: war without end
Theodosius Dobzhansky once famously remarked that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”. Nowhere is this truer than in the never ending struggle between animals and the pathogens (viruses, bacteria and parasites) which
Endospore formation: a mechanism for microbial response to unfavorable environment
The strain included in the report is Bacillus sp. CHD6a, a member of the phylum Firmicutes isolated from the shallow-sea hydrothermal vent systems off northeast Taiwan’s coast. Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped and ubiquitous in
“Nothing to worry about”? The meaning of a Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) diagnosis for patients put on a disease register
We interviewed a group of people who had been recruited to a trial for people with early stage Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The wider trial was concerned with finding out whether helping people with early stage CKD
Combinatorial cancer therapies: too many “good guys” don’t do always good!
“Μέτρον άριστον” (Metron ariston) is an ancient Greek phrase, attribute to Cleobulus (6th century BC), one of the Seven Sages of Antiquity, and is translated, as “Moderation is the best”. This was meant to be applied to
Adenovirus infection in children with bronchiolitis or recurrent wheezing
Adenovirus (AdV) and other viruses as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Meta-pneumovirus (MPV), Rhinovirus (RV) and Para-influenza Virus (PIV) have been detected in the respiratory tract of children with acute bronchiolitis and recurrent wheezing. Adenovirus (AdV) is an
Yarrowia lipolytica: how a yeast becomes a workhorse for biotechnology
Yarrowia lipolytica is a yeast species belonging to the Ascomycota fungi phylum (like the well-known baker’s and brewer’s yeasts, both from Saccharomyces cerevisiae species). This innocuous yeast can be found in a large range of ecosystems (soils,
Quorum sensing concept shed new lights on the collective regenerative behavior through study of hair plucking
Scientists know injuries sometime induce regeneration sometime not. Scientists search for factors that can promote regeneration. Usually, regeneration process is studied by analyzing the regenerative behavior of one organ unit. However, this may not be sufficient to
Laboratory mice – ready-made for animal studies?
Laboratory animals, most of them mice, are bred and used to model human diseases. On one hand this offers great possibilities for science, one the other hand this topic is controversially debated. Beside ethical concerns, the major
A new take on walking exercise to stimulate adaptations in the nervous system
Exercise causes adaptations that ultimately make performance of physical activity easier. One way the body adapts to exercise is by re-organization of the central nervous system (CNS). Some neural connections may be strengthened, while others may be
Climate-friendly wastewater management
A major part of the energy loss from new energy-efficient buildings is the emission of warm wastewater to the sewers. This leads to increased interest for heat recovery from domestic wastewater, which may contain up to 800
A novel miniaturized Reveal LINQ insertable cardiac monitoring system, the guarding angel of your heartbeat
An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular rhythm pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it
Citing in science
A common way to measure the quality of academic research is counting how frequently it is cited. Citation counts are used in making decisions, including hiring and promotion, awarding grants, evaluating academic departments, and purchasing journals. To
The hierarchy of transcriptional activation: from enhancer to promoter
Disturbance of gene expression underlies many diseases. Deciphering how genes are normally switched on and off in healthy cells during development and cell differentiation is helping to shed light on the molecular basis of diseases such as
Meat traditions (and the co-evolution of humans and meat)
If food is indeed “good to think”, as in Lévi-Strauss’ famous maxim, then meat seems to be the supreme example. Meat is truly about us. Besides, the way we deal with meat needs urgent reconsideration due to
A vision trap: blind areas create confounding effects in studies of complex processes like reading
Local areas of damage to the brain can create very specific problems in visual perception, which appear to affect one type of function but leave many others intact. Understanding what kind of processes could be affected that
Sphere remains sphere! Moving droplets by electric fields
Liquid bridges play an important role in our everyday life. On the beach we benefit from their stability when we build sand castles, while in some other situations liquid bridges can be annoying, for instance when they
