Author Archives: karen
Development of anti-atherosclerotic drugs on the basis of cell models or how to make the elderly pay for placebos
The large research series has become internationally known in 1986 after a publication by the ex-Soviet minister of health as the first author and continues until today. In brief, cell cultures have been used for evaluation of
How best to use the momentum of EXPO to improve our food environment? A story to be explained to our children!
In the past 6 months ( May – October 2015 ) EXPO challenged us with the exposition “ Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. The Zero Pavilion, the UN Pavilion, located at the exposition entrance, impressed its
Testosterone boosts aggression? Well, it depends who you are!
The sex hormone testosterone is mainly produced in the testes and has been traditionally linked to aggressive behavior, not only in humans but also in other animals. In birds, testosterone is involved in regulating aggressive behavior during
Clinical long-term outcome and reinterventional rate after uterine fibroid embolization
Uterus fibroid presents the most frequent benign gynecological tumor. Almost 40 – 50% of women have fibroids during the life. In about 25 – 30% of a woman, fibroids are symptomatic and can cause, frequent bleeding, pain
Treatment sequencing in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer
The treatment of metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been rapidly advancing. Years of research effort have culminated, in the approvals of five active agents that prolong patient survival. However, as a practicing clinician, I and
Improved prediction of accessible surface area
Protein consists of a linear chain of amino acid residues connected by peptide bond. Protein performs an array of functions by its three dimensional (3D) shapes or structures and the shape can be determined from its one
A small RNA, microRNA-155, “micromanages” inflammation and renewal of neurons in the brain
The immune system is like a silent army, protecting the body from enemy viruses and bacteria. Inflammation is part of this response, acting to eliminate pathogens and initiate tissue repair. Most of the time, our immune systems
Crude glycerin, byproduct from biofuel, improved quality of lamb meat
Crude glycerin is a byproduct from biodiesel industry with potential to replace corn in ruminant diet, as an energy source. It provides a substrate that increases the availability of carbon for fatty acid synthesis. Therefore, the substitution
How did new species arise?
How did new ways of life and new adaptations to the surroundings evolve in our early ancestors? And how did new species arise? These questions are at the heart of understanding the evolutionary origin of our species
Archaeological surprise! Lucy has company
One of the most remarkable discoveries in the human fossil record is an Australopithecus afarensis partial skeleton nicknamed Lucy dated to 3.2 million years before present. Discovered in 1974 by Donald Johanson and his colleagues, the skeleton
Small molecule antagonists maintain stem cell potency
The decision for a stem cell to make an exact copy of itself and maintain the same level of potency versus initiate a differentiation program is critical both during development and normal tissue maintenance. CBP and p300
The development of a new blood substitute
The first transfusion ever performed is generally attributed to James Blundell in the beginning of the eighteenth century. Since Blundell’s experiments until the beginning of the twentieth century, transfusion was considered an extremely risked procedure with general
What Saudi women don’t know is killing them
Dozens of types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been identified. While low-risk HPVs cause skin and genital warts, high-risk HPVs can lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, oropharynx, and anus. Recent studies have reprted
Phospholipase A2 group IVc blocks mammary tumor apoptosis
The Hirosaki hairless rat (HHR) is a mutant rat strain with autosomal recessive inheritance spontaneously derived from the Sprague-Dawley rat (SDR). The hairless phenotype of HHRs is due to the deletion of basic hair keratin genes, and
Sugars in circulating blood reflect breast cancer biology
In our studies, consisting of measurements and analyses, we have shown that the sugar composition in the serum of breast cancer patients reflects the biology of their breast tumours. Patients with different kinds of breast tumours have
Indoor air quality is strong affected by ambient air
Air pollution is now a major concert of public of China as well as many developing country. Monitoring data show severe ambient air pollution in many large cities. Since most people spend a large fraction of time
Technology to seek the elixir of hunger and satiation
Nowadays eating too much food or not enough are major social problems. Can we find identify medicine to promote either behaviour? Serendipity still drives first-in-class medicine identification. Hence, increasing the number of drugs tested increases the odds
Differentiation of pathogenic races of the lentil anthracnose pathogen C.lentis using effectors
The genus Colletotrichum has been under revision for the last decade. It contains species of high economic importance as pathogens of major crops, but also includes species that are model organisms to study host-pathogen interactions. The hemibiotroph
Effect of resveratrol on chemotherapy of a fatal childhood cancer
The natural polyphenolic compound resveratrol, found in red wine, dark chocolate, and peanuts, may confer health benefits in humans. It is a powerful antioxidant that has been suggested to alleviate age-related pathologies, such as type II diabetes,
Mother sharks transfer radioactive contaminants to their young
When nuclear accidents like that at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant release man-made radionuclides into coastal marine waters the resident biota are exposed by way of several environmental pathways. The commonly studied pathways for fishes are
