Category Archives: Research
Infected stent graft behind the knee
Popliteal artery aneurysms are the commonest peripheral artery aneurysm and affect 1% of men aged 65 to 80 years. The popliteal artery in the main artery behind the knee and an aneurysm is where the blood vessels
Diamond growth using microwave-activated methane/hydrogen plasmas
Diamond is renowned for its many superlative material properties. It defines the top of the Mohs hardness scale, has the highest bulk thermal conductivity at room temperature, and has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. The
Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags
Thin-film, single-use shopping bags are ubiquitous throughout the world. Since the 1980s, consumers have been habitualized into expecting free plastic shopping bags at businesses. In the US, the estimated annual per capita consumption of single-use plastic shopping
Eccentric metallo-dielectric core-shell nanoparticles for light guiding and switching
High Refractive Index Dielectric (HRID) nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as an alternative to metallic ones due to their low absorption and magnetodielectric response in the VIS and NIR ranges. Important scattering directionality (SD) effects can be
p53: key conductor of all anti-acne therapies
Acne vulgaris is the most common inflammatory skin disease of developed countries affecting more than 80% of adolescents. In contrast, acne vulgaris is not epidemic or completely absent in populations living under Paleolithic conditions. During the last
Does statins increase risk of diabetes?
Statins are drugs that inhibit the enzyme 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzymeA (HMG-CoA) which is critical in the production of cholesterol molecules. Thus is commonly used in the treatment of abnormally elevated cholesterol which is known to contribute to cardiovascular disease
3MST produces redox regulators Cys-SSH and GSSH as well as signaling molecules H2S and H2Sn
3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3MST) together with cysteine aminotransferase (CAT) produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a well-known toxic gas, from L-cysteine. 3MST also produces H2S from D-cysteine in concert with D-amino acid oxidase (DAO). Cystathionine β–synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ–lyase
Heavy metal resistant–plant growth promoting bacteria as an alternative strategy for decreasing accumulation of metals in plant tissues
In the present era, pollution of water, soil and air with heavy metals is increasing rapidly. Industrialization and technological advancement have caused serious damage to the ecosystem by releasing large quantities of heavy metals (i.e., cadmium, chromium,
Proline analogues present anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity through inhibition of proline transporter
Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately 7 million people in Latin America. Nowadays there are only two drugs approved for Chagas treatment, benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both drugs were
Synthesis of industrial relevant ZSM-5 supported nano-sized metallic cobalt catalyst
Most chemical reaction of industrial relevance are catalysed by different metals in their metallic state. However, after catalyst synthesis which involves calcination to adequately anchor those active metals unto the catalyst supports, the metals were oxidized, thus
Activation by inhibition
Phosphorylation of proteins is one of the most important mechanisms through which protein function is quickly and reversibly regulated. Prototypically, an extracellular ligand binds to its cognate receptor(s) on the surface of a target cell, leading to
Dyspepsia – common; many causes, few cures
Dyspepsia (which literally means “bad digestion”) or as, it is commonly referred to in the English language, indigestion, is an umbrella term used to encompass a number of symptoms thought to originate from the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Discriminating live and dead sperm in ecotoxicology
Reproductive toxicity is an emerging topic in Ecotoxicology aimed to evaluate adverse impact of environmental stressors to reproductive systems and processes. Sexual reproduction is the complex process that marks the creation of a new individual of the
A turn of the head can cause a stroke
The major arteries of the neck cumulatively constitute the cervical arteries. They are highly important because they are the blood supply for the brain. There are four major cervical arteries: the right and left carotid arteries and
Prevalence of anti-DFS70 antibodies in patients with and without systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases
The main role of the immune system is to protect the body from a wide range of foreign invaders. In some cases, the immune system recognizes a part of the body as “foreign” and starts to attack
Back to the future: Italian folk remedies to heal headache (XIX-XX century)
According to the World Health Organization, headache is, nowadays, among most common disorder of nervous system, resulting in serious problems and disability, but it is reasonable to state headache has existed as long as humankind. The purpose
How well do parents understand sexualised behaviour in their children?
While school-based programs are commonly used to help children protect themselves from sexual abuse, these programs tend to rely on children themselves to prevent and report sexual abuse. This asks much (perhaps too much) of the child.
mRNA Interactome Capture: a frontier method to discover mRNA-bound proteomes in plants
Cells are the structural and functional basic units of a given organism to support its life. The phenotype of an organism is highly determined by proteins at the molecular level in each cell. Imbalance of gene expression
