Category Archives: Research
Coastal wetland plant responses to elevated carbon dioxide
Coastal wetlands are some of the most efficient habitats globally when it comes to assimilating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in soil. This is mainly due to the fact that many coastal wetland plant
The immunomodulatory enzyme IDO: Expression in the uterus of mares?
IDO modulates immune responses. The enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO) degrades tryptophan. This amino acid is required for immune defences against pathogens, but also stimulates pathogen growth. Its degradation inhibits effector lymphocytes and retards pathogen proliferation. Thus,
Fine needle aspiration cytology for neck masses in childhood. An important tool in pediatrics
Neck masses can be incidental or the reason for significant concern for parents and physicians. The technique of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology (FNAC) may be crucial in such settings. In 1981, the first FNA biopsy performed in
Cellular stress and AMPK activators including metformin and the anesthetic drug propofol promote restoration of human consciousness
The neural mechanisms that give rise to human consciousness have been described as one of the greatest and most profound mysteries in all of modern medicine. The use of general anesthetics to induce loss of consciousness (LOC)
Keeping a clean house to suppress HER2+ breast tumor growth
Autophagy (self-eating) is a process used by normal cells to keep a “clean house”. It degrades abnormal or damaged proteins and organelles, helps to fight infections and also provides energy during periods of fasting or exercise. Besides
The nature of bel-1 attC stabilizes its genetic environment and contributes to antibiotic resistance spreading
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance is a worldwide crisis, endangering the efficacy of antibiotic treatment. Multidrug resistance in Gram negatives is now recognized as an issue of worldwide interest. Those bacteria possess various resistance mechanisms compromising
Fiber refractometry revisited
The refractive index (RI) n of a substance is generally defined as the ratio of the speed of an electromagnetic wave in vacuum c to its velocity in that substance v, or n = c/v. Refractive index
Magnetic NPs for automatic speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic in environmental water samples
Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in the environment originated from natural sources as well as human activities. This element has been identified as a public health problem because it has serious toxic effects even at low exposure
Sliding esophagoplasty. Can esophagectomy be avoided in esophageal obstruction due to huge thoracic aortic aneurysm?
Thoracic aortic aneurysm is a serious vascular disease which usually requires surgical aortic graft replacement. In recent years, endovascular stent placement proved a mini-invasive alternative to be used safely in properly selected instances particularly in subjects considered
Biologically active chemicals in yellow-cedar protect tree tissues and possibly human health
Yellow-cedar trees, also known as Callitropsis nootkatensis, can live for hundreds of years because they have has few insect or pathogen pests. Periodic studies over the last century have examined extractable chemicals in their tissues and discovered
Is the gravimetric water content true? NIR spectroscopy gives an answer for polymers and composites
A common way to measure water content is by weighting the polymer or a composite sample, using a gravimetric method. This method often overlooks that there is already some water inside the initial (mistakenly called “dry”) material.
Non-invasive prenatal testing – safer or simply more profitable?
Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is growing more and more popularand is advertised worldwide by dozens of companies as a safer alternative to invasive testing. In most countries it is paid for privately by the patient. But its
Behind the journey to spawn of European eels: expression and role of adrenergic receptors during silvering
Eels make an astonishing journey to spawn, migrating from Europe to the Sargasso Sea, near Bermuda, and back again. After spawning, larvae are transported by the Gulf Stream to the continental shelf of Europe and North Africa,
Climate change and the unfeasibility of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
With recent upward trends in global temperatures and sea levels, many countries are experiencing higher rates of evapotranspiration, groundwater depletion, water salinity, and loss of habitats. Moreover, increases in living standards entail higher consumption of animal products
Inhibitors of intracellular enzymes for treatment of multiple sclerosis
Lymphocytes are white blood cells that are central in the immune response to foreign microorganisms. Like all cells, lymphocytes have a membrane, a lipid bilayer, that envelops the content of the cell. Proteins attached to the cell
Finding the beta-beta residue pairing for protein structure prediction
Prediction of the tertiary structure of proteins from their amino acid sequences is of great importance and of urgent demand in structural bioinformatics and biophysics, especially considering the increasing gap between the numbers of sequences and structures
Repetitive DNA in the ABCA7 gene influences Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia, which is characterized by decline of memory or other cognitive traits to the extent that a person’s daily functioning is affected, is one of the most important global health challenges of our time. Approximately 50 million
Objectivity applied to embodied subjects
Objectivity is a contested concept, especially when applied to human beings. Subjectivity is pervasive in human life, and personal passions and feelings are spices of daily existence. We argue that a cognitive concept of objectivity is appropriate
A new biomarker for Triple negative breast cancer MCP-1 drives cancer invasiveness and metastasis
Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in women in the United States. Breast cancer arise in the ducts of the mammary glands that produces milk in a lactating breast. Breast cancers usually express various
Can historians work with environmental scientists? New insights for addressing climate change from interdisciplinary research
How can we uncover how past societies responded to and accommodated changes in their physical environment? It is an important question, because climate change as well as natural events such as droughts, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions could
