Category Archives: Research
Awful knee pain, rounding up the unusual suspects
If you have had persisting severe knee pain following an arthroscopy you might wonder why. When this happens many people will have a repeated MRI following the surgery despite the fact that one was done before the
Health benefits of haskap: Possible control of inflammation-mediated chronic disorders
Biologically active phytochemicals present in cool climate berries such as haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) offer a great alternative therapy for mitigation of most of the chronic disorders. In general, polyphenols in fruits have shown the potential to
Busy traffic – risk of having cardiac disease
Air pollution from vehicles has been related to cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. There are many pollutants; most harmful of them is considered to be particulate matter (PM). Small in size, they are composed of toxic heavy
Mass spec: a powerful weapon in the battle against illegal polypeptide drugs
The occurrence of illegal medicines is a well-established global problem and concerns mostly small molecules (Molecular weight below 900 Da), including sildenafil (active pharmaceutical ingredient of Viagra® and Cialis®) and analogues, anti-biotics, HIV medication, anti-malaria products, anabolic
What is injured: motor neuron or motor nerve?
All movements, whether simple or very complex (ballet dancing, playing the piano, speaking) are the results of the complex interaction between nerve cells (neurons) from different departments of the brain. But the final arbiters of movement patterns
New biomimetic materials for muscle regeneration
Skeletal muscle formation derives from a coordinated sequence of molecular and cellular changes, ultimately leading to the expression of large, multinucleated contractile fibers, characterized by a highly ordered assembly of striated myofibrils. To form contractile fibers, developing
Understanding the evolution of protein dynamics can lead to more effective non-toxic drug therapies
Proteins are macromolecules that play important roles in all living organisms. They protect the body from viruses and bacteria, control chemical reactions, transmit signals between cells and organs, and transport other molecules to places in the body
Natural compound-drugs are trending
Doing scientific research on natural compounds isolated from herbs and other plants is a very exciting, and can have a direct influence on human health, since such compounds have the potential to be developed in very successful
Changing the image of Gout
Gout is the most common arthritis of patients over 40 years of age. Many phycians treat these gouty attacks but do not realize that they should also care for the underlying urate accumulation. It is not only
Blood-based biomarkers for multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated, inflammatory demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). MS is classified in: relapsing–remitting (RRMS), characterized by acute attacks followed by partial or complete recovery periods; primary progressive (PPMS),
The interplay of the ticking clock and miRNA in differentiation of endothelial precursors
Our day-today activities like sleep-wake cycle, hormone release, body temperature and other important bodily functions follow a characteristic rhythm over 24 hours called a circadian rhythm. A ‘master clock’ in brain termed as suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) co-ordinates
Promoting resilience to cognitive impairment associated with sleep deprivation
Chronic sleep loss is a common problem in our society; an estimated 50-70 million adults in the United States have sleep or wakefulness disorder (Institute of Medicine, 2006). Insufficient sleep is co-morbid with chronic problems such as
When sulfur meets oxidant
Transition-metal-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling between boronic acids and heteroatom nucleophiles has been well known as the Chan−Lam reaction and emerged as a powerful protocol for the construction of carbon-nitrogen bonds or carbon-oxygen bonds, due to a variety of
Two views on the protein folding puzzle
Protein chain folding is a miracle. The protein chain is gene-encoded and initially has no structure (Fig. 1, left panel). Its intricate structure (Fig. 1, right), with every atom in its unique position, results from spontaneous folding.
Protein expression is useful to screen high risk patients for cancer
Endometrial cancer is the most common type of uterine cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates 54,870 newly diagnosed endometrial cancer cases and 10,170 deaths caused by endometrial cancer in 2015. Most patients (~80%) have a subtype called
Bees get their ‘fix’ in virtual reality
How does a small insect, with its tiny eyes and brain, see the world it moves through? Obviously an insect can’t answer our question directly, so scientists have developed other means to uncover the answers. One approach
Are users satisfied with single sign-on technologies in ER?
In the past few years, many healthcare-related applications and computers devices have been installed in healthcare settings. The regulatory requirements have driven the expansion of the electronic health record (EHR) and electronic structured data reporting. Activities traditionally
Dragon fruit-like multifunctional probe for cancer precision theranostics
Along with the rapid rhythm of human lives, more and more fatal diseases have been surprisingly invading public health. Health is the greatest wealth, health is not equal to everything, but lose health will lose everything. Aside
Fighting (for iron) to survive: therapeutic avenues for aspergillus fumigatus infections
Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), a common fungus, frequently infects the lungs of patients with compromised immune systems. Despite progress in developing anti-fungal agents, Af infections still cause a significant number of deaths, making new treatment options necessary to
The TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene radiosensitizes to PARP inhibition by blocking DNA repair
Radiotherapy, which is used widely in the clinic, produces DNA damage that leads to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The effectiveness of radiotherapy is augmented when the DNA repair is impaired. TMPRSS2-ERG is a unique fusion gene that
