Author Archives: karen
Smart legumain drugs: Blocking the right activity at the right time, at the right place
Proteins enable a diverse spectrum of complex chemical reactions that are important for our body to function properly. Some of these chemical reactions require special ingredients, such as energy. Others must proceed in strictly confined reaction chambers
Doctors, look up! Lack of eye contact reduces trust
Trust between breast cancer patients and their oncologist is crucial for good quality breast cancer care. It is associated with beneficial outcomes, such as a decrease in patients’ fear and better adherence. Patients’ trust was earlier shown
Importance of selenium for brain function
Trace element selenium is known to be essential for the human beings. Generally accepted daily intake of selenium is in the range of 20-70 μg. ‘Effective’ part of the ingested selenium is consumed for producing of special
SOCS3 in neurons halts abnormal blood vessel formation in the eye
The leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in the elderly, as well as in working age adults and in children is abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina. Researchers are still learning about what drives
Methylation profile of DMPK gene in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1)
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, Steinert’s disease), is the most common muscular dystrophy in adult life, characterized by myotonia (prolonged muscle contractions), muscle weakness, cataract, cardiac disease, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and central nervous system dysfunction. The clinical spectrum
Natural history of spinocerebellar ataxias
The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are autosomal, dominantly inherited progressive ataxia disorders. More than 35 genetically different SCAs have been defined. The most common, SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, and SCA6, which together affect more than half of all families
Bioinspired photocatalyzed Alkyl/Aryl thiosulfate transformation for drug modification
Aiming to conserve energy and reduce emissions, chemists have been trying to mimic the complex photosynthetic process of plants in relatively simple chemical ways, such as photocatalyzed reduction of carbon dioxide and solar-driven splitting of water into
A tutorial on randomized study designs for lifestyle interventions
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as an unhealthy diet, excessive energy intake, smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity and poor stress-coping behaviour can act as causal factors in the pathway of many diseases. There are various types of
New study of robot faces helps resolve debate over “Uncanny Valley”
Roboticists are building some amazingly human-like robots these days, but many of us have had the unsettling experience of glancing at one of these marvels of modern technology only to find our skin crawling with revulsion. In
A new avenue in an effort to minimize injuries from acute myocardial infarction
Reperfusion therapy is currently the mainstay of acute myocardial infarction treatment; it salvages myocardial cells from ischemic cell death. However, abrupt restoration of coronary blood flow induces another type of cell death, called “lethal reperfusion injury”, which
What is the value of missing information when assessing decisions that involve actions for intervention?
Most decision support models in the medical domain provide a prediction about a single key unknown variable, such as whether a patient exhibiting certain symptoms is likely to have (or develop) a particular disease. However we seek
Does habitual Internet use affect our brain? Are both genders in danger?
The Internet has not only become our external memory and essential media source for social life and entertainment, it also has full potential to become addictive. Even though it is still a matter of discussion whether Internet
HIV-1 pathology: when metabolism meets immunology
“We are what we eat” To this day, the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is still a public health problem with more than 33 million affected people worldwide with a growing number of cases. Immunology
The Keepers of the Ring
Just imagine that you are driving and have a flat tire. Would you find it logical that the design of your car does not allow you to place the jack inside the car trunk? This is exactly
A new pluripotent building block for the synthesis of fluorine-containing functional molecules
Fluorine, which is represented by symbol F, is the most electronegative element (fluorine 4.0 vs. carbon 2.6, nitrogen 3.4, and oxygen 3.4): this means that fluorine strongly withdraws electrons from neighboring atoms. The introduction of fluorine or
Deposition of aluminum and iron in benign bone tumors (exostosis)
An exostosis is an outgrowth of new bone from the surface of a bone into the muscles; it is a frequent benign tumor in children. An exostosis causes discomfort and chronic pain, depending on its size and
Why food preparation is important
Plant foods such as fruits and vegetables are full of beneficial plant chemicals – phytochemicals – that can be lost during cooking. Water soluble phytochemicals, such as cancer-preventing glucosinolates from members of the cabbage family and phenolics
Muscle activation patterns after anterior cruciate ligament injury
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee joint. An injury to the ACL typically occurs during dynamic sports activities involving rapid changes of movement direction or landing from jumps, such as basketball,
Use of antibiotics in animals and people – resistance transfer
There is a great debate going on in the European Union and the United States, regarding the effects of the use of antibiotics in animals and the potential transfer of resistance to man, primarily via the consumption
Floating electrodes to manipulate small-gravity particle samples in modern microfluidic systems
Many biological samples such as bacteria and biomacromolecule are of negligibly small gravity due to their submicron size. To flexibly manipulate small-gravity particle samples dispersed in liquids is a challenge that has vexed researchers for years. But
