Category Archives: Research
Non-canonical Wnt signaling and aortic valve stenosis
Even with the countless drugs we have to treat cardiovascular diseases, the majority of these diseases remain without a cure. Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is one of these diseases, characterized by the narrowing of the aortic valve
p38α MAP kinase inhibition in atherosclerosis – a new therapeutic tool?
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Selective recruitment of monocytes into the arterial intima and their transformation into macrophage-derived foam cells is one of the earliest events in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Foam
Why is the transcription factor Pax8 necessary for a functional thyroid gland?
By controlling the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones, the endocrine thyroid gland plays an important role in governing organismal development and metabolic homeostasis. The structural and functional unit of the thyroid gland is the thyroid follicle,
Hot or Not – The Heat Shock Factor1 (HSF1) is essential for Candida albicans cellular functioning
The opportunistic human pathogen, Candida albicans hinges on the heat shock factor-1 (HSF1), a client protein of the well-established heat shock chaperone (protein folding helper), HSP90 for proficiently modulating thermal stress response. In addition to its implications
Long-term safety and efficacy of rituximab biosimilar CT-P10 in rheumatoid arthritis
Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody used to treat certain cancers of the blood, as well as immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. But while rituximab is effective, it is also expensive, which means that not everyone who
The Oriental Region: the last frontier paradise for black flies
The Oriental Region is perhaps the last frontier paradise explored by black flies. It is shown by the comparison of the fauna of black flies in the Oriental Region, which is relatively young and rich, with those
Developmental metaplasticity in cortical codes of firing and structure
Cortical plasticity, underlying the brain’s ability to change, has been largely viewed in two separate contexts: early development, governed largely by genetics, and later adaptation, governed largely by experience. Age-related cortical degradation is yet another aspect of
Leptin can contribute to evaluate cardiometabolic risks in healthy obese population
Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of cardiometabolic complications and it is proportional to the degree of obesity and, more specifically, the accumulation of visceral fat. The excessive accumulation of fat in adipocytes cells
How social changes affect community robustness more than resource depletion
Understanding human- environmental interactions and feedbacks is a key challenge in today fast pacing world where climate is dramatically changing and profound socio-economic transformations are ongoing. While these changes affect the humankind, they have more severe effects
On the spider that spits the solution of a nonsmooth oscillator
Spitting spiders (Scytodes sp.) are so called because they have the curious habit of ejecting from their fangs a mixture of silk, glue and perhaps venom onto their prey. C. Gilbert and L. S. Rayor have shown
Down to the last Drop: A single red blood cells is all that is needed to identify blood at a crime scene
DNA analysis is the great work horse of forensic investigations. However current tests to determine what should be sent for DNA analysis are not up to scratch. Current tests determine if a sample is a specific human
Migration led to the microevolution of Chinese short fat-tailed Sheep
China has a long history of sheep domestication and rich resources of sheep breeds. Based on tail type, the Chinese domesticated sheep can be divided into five types: short fat-tailed sheep, long fat-tailed sheep, short thin-tailed sheep,
Revisiting the RNA World with its inventor
The RNA World Hypothesis is a model for the early evolution of life on earth proposed in 1986 by the molecular biologist Walter Gilbert, in which he posited that the earliest forms of life were likely composed
Survival of Clostridium difficile spore in manure compost
Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in humans. C. difficile can be isolated not only from patients but also from several animal species (such as pigs and cows),
Abiotic stress signaling in plants: functional genomic intervention
Basic plant science has never been more important than in the current scenario of climate change and increasing human population. To address the global challenges like increase in food production and raising stress tolerant crop varieties the
p53 gene reactivation reverts hypoxic resistance in KRAS mutant tumor cells decreasing glucose uptake
When growing distant from primary blood supply sites, tumor cells face hypoxia characterized by niches restricted in oxygen and glucose. Cells acquiring resistant to hypoxic stress undergo metabolic re – programming, and increased resistance to 3 –
A 100 million year-old fungus infesting a primitive wasp in amber
Fungi occur everywhere; in the air, on the ground, in the sea and often in very strange locations. We naturally think of mushrooms in regards to fungi, unless we encounter black mold on our walls or have
A new extracellular role for miR-939 in triple negative breast cancer
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative breast carcinomas (BC). Unfortunately, this kind of tumor is characterized by poor prognosis, high
Simultaneous glucose fasting and autophagy inhibition enhances chemotherapy treatment
If you could cut your risk of developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, rejuvenate your immune system, and potentially live longer – would you do it? What if the answer to potentially save your life is as
Dihydrogen phosphate ion comes at the guest to pillar[5]arenes
Selective anions’ binding is one of the key problems frequently occurred in design of supramolecular systems, in catalysis and material sciences as well as in some analytical applications (sensors, extraction systems, etc.). Among others, recognition of tetrahedral
