Category Archives: Research
Mesorectum: functional lymphatic anatomy
Today total excision of the mesorectum is considered an essential step in surgery of rectal cancer. Knowledge of its lymphatic apparatus confirms the value of this procedure and explains some characteristics of rectal cancer pathology. The mesorectum
Mapping red nucleus connections in humans by using dMRI and tractography
Human brain is an enormous and complex network. Central to current scenario on brain networks is the concept of the connectome, which likely describes patterns at multiple levels of scale, for instance, by encompassing connections between the
Glioblastoma (GBM): another tool to make a hit
Cancer is a multifactorial disease caused by the accumulation of “mistakes” in the production of proteins involved in the control of important cellular processes. These processes, such as cell division, cell growth and programmed cell death (i.e.
Frail patients are at increased risk of death following surgery
As a busy surgeon it is sometimes very difficult to predict which patients will do poorly after surgery. Current preoperative measurements have proven to be inaccurate. This may lead to patients undergoing surgery and having bad outcomes.
Jellyfish meets algae – two marine materials enabling adult stem cells to heal cartilage defects
The regeneration of cartilage in humans is a big challenge, since cartilage tissue cannot regenerate from itself after an injury. Therefore, the application of tissue engineering strategies is very promising for the healing of cartilage defects. Tissue
Are we still on the right track for a new medicine for Chagas disease?
Across 21 countries from Latin America there is a parasite named Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes an illness that is a frightening burden to public healthcare: Chagas disease (CD). The parasite is found in the gut of kissing
People with chronic disease learn to manage symptoms of depression
Symptoms of depression – like feeling sad and loss of interest in usual activities – are common among people with chronic diseases like diabetes and arthritis. These feelings can interfere with enjoyment of life and can reduce
Long-term survival of donor multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells implanted into the bone
There are two types of stem cells in the bone marrow, one for the formation of blood cells and another for the formation of the skeleton and the bone marrow stroma. Stromal cells (5% of all cells
Multidimensional screening anti-counterfeiting: shapes and images
Multidimensional anti-counterfeiting technique, which could display diverse images depending on different readout conditions, provides an unparalleled approach to improve the information security and holds great potential in practical applications. Although it has been achieved by varied wavelength,
„Kill-ators” – fighting cancer with a claw
According to the WHO Cancer Report, cancer is the second most frequent cause of death in developed countries. In 2012 approximately 14 Mio people were diagnosed worldwide and more than 8 Mio people died from cancer. Despite
Hitting the sweet spot: Sialic acid sugars for the treatment of immune diseases and other disorders?
In addition to DNA, proteins and lipids, sugar molecules are essential building blocks for every living cell. There are many different types of sugar molecules in a cell which are linked to one another forming chain or
The price of escalating drug dose to treat rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with its characteristic joint swelling, inflammation, pain and stiffness, may be treated with biologic disease-modifying drugs. One class of drug belonging to this group inhibits tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which plays an important role
Don’t underestimate biodiversity
When you are delimiting species, the units of biodiversity, you must be as up-to-date as possible. We are everyday finding out new things about the living world: discovering new species, reworking the classification and affinities of old ones,
Effect of Na/Li concentration in ionic liquid electrolytes for ion batteries
In recent years, the emergence of wireless gadgets used in our daily life as for example smartphones, laptops, tablets, shavers, electric toothbrushes, among many others makes essential the improvement of the technology that involves the energy storage.
Amazing events in a glass of water
Have you ever thought about what happens when a pill which has to treat for example your headache, is immersed into water (or any other fluid) and sinks to the bottom of a glass? A number of
Innovative tools to improve accuracy of long-term biogeochemical measurements in open ocean
The ocean monitoring plans implemented by European countries differ widely for type of observed variables, resolution and accuracy making difficult to obtain an eterogeneous indication about the health of the European seas. This is specially true for
Can you be sure there’s a difference?
Student’s T test is a frequent method scientists use to “prove something”. The logic of this test is difficult. Very few scientists understand it well. In particular they don’t understand that if the same experiment is done
Aorta tertiary lymphoid organs: Powerhouses of B cell immunity in atherosclerosis
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Yet, our understanding of how the immune system impacts CVD is very limited and immune system-based therapeutic approaches are not in sight. Lymphocytes are major cellular constituents
Long cycle-life shape memory polyimide with energy-storage capacity at high temperature
Shape memory materials such as shape memory polymers (SMP) and shape memory alloys (SMA) have been used in many fields. SMP possesses advantages such as easy process, large recoverable strains and light weight over SMA, but long
Nurses’ thoughts on fall prevention actions and programs
Falls are the most commonly reported patient safety incidents in hospitals (Haines et al., 2013). Fall prevention actions that are customized to reduce patient-specific fall risk factors are essential to reduce falls and fall injuries. Evidence-based (EB)
