Category Archives: Research
Air pollution forecasting is required for citizens’ protection in urban environments
Air pollution is one of the most harmful factors posing threat to human health, worldwide. Of particular concern in urban environments are particulate matter (PM), especially fine (PM2.5) and ultrafine (PM1) fractions, ground-level ozone (O3), and nitrogen
Epileptic rats as perfect models to understand epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological disease that affects about 1% of the population in the world, most of them being children and teenagers. Animals suffering from epileptic seizures can also be found in several species (dogs, cats, chicken,
The use of co-crystal technology for stabilizing energetic materials
The use of co-crystallizations is emerging as a new avenue for modifying the solid-state properties of a wide range of high-value chemicals, such as agrochemicals, pharmaceutics, dyes, and nutraceuticals, in such a way that certain physical properties
Posterior cervical fusion may lessen spinal cord compression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may develop inflammation of the joints in the spine, just as they develop inflammation of joints in their hands, feet, and others. The joint between the first cervical vertebra (C1) and the second
A new role for vitamin D3
Mutations in the genome of body cells (somatic cells) can lead to excess activation of signaling pathways and thus to unlimited cellular proliferation and cancer formation. One such cancer-inducing pathway is the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling cascade, which
Nucleus-targeted anticancer drug delivery
Tumor cell nucleus-targeted delivery of antitumor agents is of great interest in cancer therapy, since the nucleus is one of the most frequent targets of drug action. However, efficient nuclear drug delivery upon systemic administration remains a
New kojic acid-amino acid hybrids as potential tyrosinase inhibitors
Melanogenesis is a process by which melanocytes produce melanin initiated by tyrosinase upon exposure of the skin to UV radiation. Tyrosinase plays an important role in the pathway of melanin biosynthesis from tyrosine. It catalyzes two distinct
Muscling in on molecular machines
The concept of a “power stroke” – a free-energy releasing shape change of a protein – appears in almost every textbook that deals with the molecular details of muscle, bacterial flagella, and many other bio-molecular machines. Researchers
A simple way to measure health of the autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) unconsciously regulates the function of internal organs, including the heart. A poorly functioning ANS has been linked to a number of cardiovascular complications, including hypertension and stroke. Thus, simple tests of ANS
Development of amorphous magnesium-calcium phosphate as a bone substitute biomaterial
The research that we report here is related to amorphous magnesium-calcium phosphate (AMCP) materials. The word “amorphous” is of latin origin; “a” means no and “morphous” means shape. The amorphous materials do not have the well-behaved periodic
The role of the thalamic submedius nucleus histamine in modulation of formalin-induced orofacial pain
Pain is one of the most common and disturbing of human experiences. While it has many causes, the appreciation of painful sensation depends on the stimulation of pain receptors (nociceptors) and the conduction of the nerve impulses
Heated red blood cells shed vesicles to indicate distress
When a human or animal are exposed to elevated temperature, the body temperature rises. A small increase in the body temperature may result in health problems that include a headache, dizziness, or fainting. Red blood cells are
New test for assessing hospital water quality can lead to fewer patient infections
The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important pathogen that is often found in hospital water systems, from where it can lead to infections of patients, sometimes with severe consequences (e.g. blood infections, and infections in cystic fibrosis
Fainting – a hearty matter
Fainting and feeling like fainting (syncope and presyncope) is a very common symptom, which most people ignore. And in most of the cases, especially in sporadic occurrences with obvious reasons (tiredness, alcohol intake, orthostasis etc), that’s a
The binding of mGluR4 targeting drugs could help the finding novel treatments for PD
One of the key features of drugs is an ability to find the corresponding target molecule (eg. protein) from the body. The target protein has unique structural sites that could be loaded with specific chemicals (drugs). The
A study to enhance medical students’ professional decision-making
I am nervous about producing a layman’s summary of my study because it raises more questions than answers. However it illustrates three points: senior medical students in this study struggled to routinely assess benefits and harms of
The genesis of plant languages: How plants evolve new metabolic pathways from existing ones
There are an estimated 100 million species on this planet, with a stunning array of shapes, sizes, physiologies and behavior. One question that has excited evolutionary biologists since Darwin is – how does all of this biological
Overcoming aging-caused difficulties in salivary gland
Stem cells are the cells that are responsible for the maintenance of tissues and organs by replacing functional cells with a limited life-span or that are damaged beyond repair. Over the last decades stem cells have been
The combustion of food occurs at cytochrome c oxidase
Cytochrome c oxidase represents the enzyme where cell respiration takes place. The oxygen which we inhale is transported via the blood stream to all cells of the body where it is converted into water by a cold
