Author Archives: karen
Rethinking drugs’ development in acute heart failure?
Acute heart failure (AHF) affects 1-2% of adults in developed countries. It strikes mainly people above the age 60, peeking in those older than 85 (prevalence ~ 17.4%). AHF is a life threatening medical event, with gradual
Strategies to enhance antioxidant potential and biosynthesis of essential oils in Ajuga bracteosa
Essential oils are the plant-derived natural products and are called “essential” due to the essence of the distinctive fragrance they contain, specific to the fragrance of the respective plant from which they are derived. A large portion
Evolution of the art and science of kidney transplantation in HIV positive patients
Once considered prohibitive, kidney transplantation in HIV (+) recipients is achieving outcomes similar to comparable recipients without HIV. These successes are possible because of incremental improvements in care that resulted from lessons learned from the last two
Early – life seizures: alarm bell for often severe clinical outcome
Early life seizures (ELS) are a not uncommon clinical manifestations in infancy affecting from 1.8 to 3.5/1000 live birth. In infancy with rare exception of seizures typically benign which include the Benign Familiar Neonatal Epilepsy (BFNE), Febrile
Engineering long-wavelength light-driven ion channels to hear the light
Optogenetics enables the remote control of neuronal activity by light. This is accomplished by channelrhodopsins, light-sensitive molecular switches, which are integrated into the neurons by adeno-associated viruses (AAVs)as gene ferries. AAVs are convenient and safe for gene
A new immune signature in people with Polycythemia vera: a modulator of disease progress?
Polycythemia Vera (PV) is a disease in which your body makes too many red blood cells (RBC), whose main function is to transport oxygen from the lungs to all parts of your body. The many circulating RBC
Rethinking how we pay for conserving global biodiversity
In our article in Science, “How to pay for saving biodiversity”, my co-authors and I argue that it is time to rethink the global approach to saving the world’s remaining biodiversity and habitats. Twenty-five years after establishing
The pitfalls of PGT-A and scoring of mosaic embryos
Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) or formerly known as preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), is genetic testing for numerical (aneuploidy) and structural chromosomal aberrations in IVF-embryos. Most aneuploidies including several structural chromosomal aberrations are not compatible with
Hearing loss in autoimmune disorders
Autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a rare clinical entity accounting for less than 1% of all cases of hearing loss; however, this could be an underestimation based on the absence of specific diagnostic tests and the
Mitochondrial Complex I activity signals antioxidant response through ERK5
The vast majority of eukaryotic cells perform oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which uses the energy released by the mitochondrial oxidation of certain metabolites, i.e. glucose, to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). OXPHOS is highly efficient in energy production but
Adult-onset biotinidase deficiency
Biotinidase is the enzyme that recycles the water-soluble vitamin, biotin, which is the coenzyme for four carboxylases that are involved in gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis, and in the catabolism of several branch-chain amino acids. Biotinidase deficiency (BD)
Immunogenicity and safety of the new inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine Vaxigrip Tetra
Influenza represents an acute viral respiratory disease caused by RNA-enveloped viruses. They belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family which comprises five genera, but only two (influenza A and B viruses) are of medical relevance in humans. Even though
In defense of Lady Windermere Syndrome
The eponym, Lady Windermere Syndrome (LWS), designates a disorder, exclusive to older women who are free of a predisposing lung disorder, caused by Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and characterized by disease limited to the lingula and/or the middle lobe
The voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv1.3, at the crossroads of glial functions in glioma
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most lethal cancers in adult humans, with a frequency of 6:100.000 people. Despite the current three-modality therapy, which includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, the clinical outcome of GBM patients remains
Genome editing in non-dividing cells: new strategies are required
Although rare individually, genetic disorders collectively constitute a common health problem. As the cause of these diseases is a defective gene, gene therapy would be able to resolve all of these disorders. The most recent method of
We’re all afraid to die, even the young and faithful
Fears of death and dying, sometimes called “death anxiety,” “thanatophobia,” or “mortality salience,” have long been studied in psychology and other fields. The topic is important and interesting because prior studies have shown death anxiety to be
Honey as a tool for tissue engineering
Honey has a long and fascinating history. In fact, since Biblical times and before, honey has been utilized by humankind for its beneficial health effects. The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans utilized honey in the
Vagal stimulation for treating syncope by cardioneuroablation without pacemaker implantation
The heart has a dense innervation that permanently regulates its activity. It is the autonomic nervous system, constituted by two antagonistic divisions, the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The latter stimulates the heart, increasing cardiac rate and contraction
Your first year of college: How to survive?
Fortunately, dreams tend to come true. Yesterday, the global goal of your whole life was to go to college, and today, you are already a student. And this is not only fun, but it is also a
Molecular defense adopted by sea urchin embryos to cope with Nickel
Nickel (Ni) is a natural constituent of the Earth’s crust and, together with its compounds, it is used in many industrial and commercial applications. At very low doses, Ni carries out many physiological roles in biochemical processes
