Author Archives: karen
Stepping to recover from a fall is not helped by Deep Brain Stimulation in people with Parkinson’s disease
Poor balance is common in people with Parkinson’s Disease and can limit the activities people are able to engage in. If a fall occurs the injuries can be debilitating and impair quality of life. The ability to
Spousal assaulters in outpatient mental health care
Domestic violence is defined as: ‘a physical, mental or sexual violation of the personal integrity of the victim by a person from the victim’s family circle. This includes (ex)-partners, family members and family friends of the victim’
Virus containing mealybug DNA kills mealybug
One way of self-regulating protein synthesis by animals is suppression of the relevant messenger RNA (mRNA); molecules that translate into amino acids and act as building blocks for protein. The mechanism, called RNA interference (RNAi), works by
Silence the uncontrolled cancer cells’ growth by controlling cellular senescence
When toxic damage caused by environmental or internal stressors accumulates cells can either stop proliferation permanently ( cellular senescence ) or die. Cell death is a common goal of existing cancer therapies, yet cellular senescence is increasingly
Electroconvulsive therapy without seizures?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), sometimes called “electroshock therapy” is considered the most effective short-term treatment available for major depression. The procedure involves passing electrical current through the brain with electrodes placed on the scalp and is done in
Are all babies born in the same way?
Are all babies born in the same way? Some come into this world in a natural way, some through Cesarean section, some with the help of episiotomy, “the unkindest cut of all”, performed with scissors, obliquely and
GM herbicide-tolerant crops, weedkillers, and resistant weeds: overview and interplay
Since their beginnings, GM crops have been a subject of debate in spite of their quick adoption by farmers in several countries. In the last 20 years GM herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops, generally glyphosate-tolerant crops, have been the
Many factors determine prognosis in resected lung cancer. Is visceral pleural involvement one of them?
Prognosis after pulmonary resection for primary lung cancer is closely related to tumor stage, since stage predicts the risk recurrence. Lung cancer staging is based on the TNM system that evaluates tumor size and contiguous tissue infiltration
In vivo imaging of the lung inflammatory response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Chronic inflammation of the airways is a central component in lung diseases and is frequently associated with bacterial infections. Monitoring the pro-inflammatory capability of bacterial virulence factors in vivo is challenging and usually requires invasive methods. The
Updates on the pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous connective tissue disease with autoimmune component, inflammation, and progressive fibrosis of conjunctive tissues of the skin and internal organs. Lung involvements are a major cause of concern as pulmonary fibrosis and
A method of production of boneless chicken wings without cutting skin and muscles
Broiler chicken wings including drumettes and winglets, which contain much less meat than do other parts (including leg and breast) of chicken carcass, are commonly served without deboning. However, if deboned, the value of chicken wing may
Why you can ignore a leaking tap in your apartment but not a mosquito
The rich information offered by multiple senses typically benefits our information processing and behaviour in everyday situations. In social situations, where many people are speaking, seeing lip movements helps us understand what will be said next. Evidence
Adapting sperm RNA as a fertility diagnostic for the male
Infertility is a global public health issue affecting about 13 percent of couples of reproductive age. After one year of unprotected intercourse, couples having difficulties to conceive often seek reproductive care. Known causes of infertility are typically
Helicase and ribosome share a common mechanism of nucleic acid unwinding
In the cell DNA is present in the duplex form and many messenger RNAs (mRNAs) can form duplex structures. To access the genetic information (represented by nucleotides or codons) on the single-stranded (ss) nucleic acids (NA) by
Balanced prediction of protein secondary structure
Proteins by its three-dimensional (3D) structure play significant roles in the biological processes within the cell. Thus, it is important to understand the 3D structures of a protein. However, accurate prediction of the 3D structure of a
Imaging of viruses with the help of surface plasmons
For a long time biosensors based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon were not considered as effective tools to detect and visualize the binding of individual nano-scale objects to the functionalized sensor surface. However, innovative studies
Environmental contaminants as needles in a haystack
Detection of environmentally significant contaminants in very complex mixtures is a challenging problem for analytical chemists. A common approach uses gas chromatography (GC) to separate the mixture components in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the
What stem cells have to do with stomach cancer
The surface of the stomach is lined by a delicate single-layered sheet of epithelial cells (termed the gastric mucosa and its glands), which represents a tight barrier to the outside world (i.e., the gastric juice and its
A functional immune system against cancer in breast cancer patients
One of the hallmarks of cancer development is the ability of tumor cells to evade the recognition by the host immune system. However, the presence of immune responses against cancer is frequently observed in cancer patients. The
Liver X receptor beta, the link between thyroid hormone regulation and the browning of white fat
Everyone agrees that when our intake of sugar, fat and protein exceeds the body’s need for nutrition, excess is stored as fat. Fat in the form of white adipocytes is the body’s reserve of energy, which is
