Category Archives: Research
The cardioprotective effects of (-)-Epicatechin are mediated through arginase activity inhibition in a murine model of ischemia/reperfusion
Cardiovascular diseases including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), are the leading cause of death worldwide. Current treatment for AMI caused by a coronary artery occlusion is the restoration of blood flow (i.e., reperfusion) by angioplasty (percutaneous coronary intervention)
The NO-heme signaling hypothesis
The importance of the NO-synthase(NOS)/soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) signaling for health and disease is undisputable (Nobel Prize in Biology and Medicine, 1998). Many studies demonstrated that this pathway is critically implicated in the regulation of cardiovascular, nervous,
Not only pasta: using durum wheat semolina for producing high quality Dittaino bread
Artisanal agri-food products are obtained according to traditional recipes and processing technologies, with features of high quality and genuineness. The “protected designation of origin” (PDO) quality mark identifies a food product whose features strictly depend on the
A new strategy to deliver anti-cancer nanodrugs and decrease their toxic side effects by temporarily blunting the RES uptake using Intralipid®
Nanodrugs, or nanotechnology-based therapeutics, show great promise for treating a number of diseases, including cancer. However, an analysis of the literature from the past 10 years finds that in studies of cancer nanodrugs, a very small fraction
Head in the trough
A healthy and alert clinician is safer and more effective. It has long been known that doctors and surgeons work long and demanding hours with changing shifts, in an environment where the stakes are high. The risk
Can we treat cancer by targeting Treg subset without causing autoimmune disease?
The regulatory T cells (Tregs), are a type of CD4+ T cells that suppress the potentially adverse effect of the immune system and prevent autoimmune disease. Although they play a central role in maintaining self-tolerance, Tregs also
Setting the epidemiological scenario of HCV infection in the islands of the Amazon region
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem. This viral infection is related to several serious clinical complications. About 2.2% of the world’s population is infected with HCV, most infected are asymptomatic and unconscious of
Ecdysone induces a termination of encapsulation via GBP-GBPB interaction
Insects have evolved various defense strategies involving both humoral and cellular immune responses to combat invading foreign pathogens. Encapsulation is a conserved cellular immune process targeted against any foreign intruder which is too large to be phagocytosed.
High-quality interactions with caregivers linked to larger vocabularies among toddlers born preterm
In the United States, approximately 1 in every 10 infants is born preterm. The smallest and youngest of these children at birth are at risk for delays in their development. For example, as a group, these children are
Fluctuating deformation of borosilicate glass
Glass is hard and brittle at room temperature, but can be very soft when it is heated to above its glass transition temperature. That is the reason that glass craftsmen can create various shapes of beautiful glassware.
More than just a reward molecule, dopamine helps us avoid harm
It is well known that the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system guides behavior as animals seek rewards from their environment. During the pursuit of reward, subsecond dopamine release events within this pathway represent information related to the rewarding outcome
Mechanistic details of a copper-catalyzed C-H oxidative cyclization
Exploiting chemical or biological reactions by different spectroscopic techniques has become a powerful method for mechanistic analysis. Such studies enable chemists to understand several reaction features, optimize reaction conditions and yield, develop cost-effective synthetic methodologies, and predict
Regeneration evolved in anamniotes in relation to metamorphosis: indications for attempts to induce limb regeneration in humans
The amazing capability of anamniotes, amphibians and fish, to regenerate limbs, tails, spinal cord, eyes, intestine, heart etc. contrasts with loss of organ regeneration in amniotes: reptiles, birds and mammals. Studies generally neglect to consider the life
Seaweed growing skyward with state-of-the-art green photobioreactor technology
Seaweed or marine macroalgae are renowned globally for applications spanning from functional food, animal feed, commodity chemicals and biofuels. Owing to its huge commercial demand, need for intensive seaweed farming has been rising over the decade. The
A single yoga video helps you de-stress and be confident
The practice of yoga has become very popular, being thought to improve people’s mental and physical health. There is a lot of scientific evidence pointing to the benefits of such mind-body practice – especially in the treatment
Evolution and adaptive value of yeast epigenetic memory of previous growth in galactose
Cellular adaptation to environmental changes often entails transcriptional responses that promote survival and proliferation. In certain cases, “memory” of previous experiences promotes a much faster transcriptional response upon second exposure to the same stimuli, leading to faster
Diving into the mucus – PEG micelles for oral delivery
Swallowing a pill of paracetamol for headache is fast and easy. The drug can be administrated at a desired time and location without any pain or assistance. Such is not the case for biological drugs like insulin,
A powerful tool for the study of CD4 T cells in malaria
Although aimed at controlling invading pathogens, immune responses can sometimes be harmful to the host. Responses against the blood stage of malaria are an example of this: while B cells are activated and produce useful antibodies that
Why iron and copper may be harmful to the aging brain
Similar to other organs, brain function declines with age. Furthermore, age is the single greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Both iron and copper increase in the brain with aging and
Profiling biologics in circulating human whole blood
Functional and safety assessments of biologics prior to first-in-human (FIH) is key to understand the mode-of-action and safety profile. We have made use of an ex-vivo whole blood assay for its potential in assessment of antibody-based drug
