Category Archives: Research
Is the fibrosis a key factor in the management of HCV infection?
The advent of the new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has increased enormously the sustained virological response (SVR) rates over 95% in almost all sceneries with an excellent safety profile, even in advanced stages
Outbreak of Ralstonia pickettii bacteremia in a medical center of Taiwan
A medical center of Taiwan discovered an abnormal increase of Ralstonia pickettii; the initial investigation showed all cases used 20ml normal saline (NS) injections from a specific lot number (273A79D) of a manufacturer. Besides stopping the use
Cerebral small vessel disease burden is increased in lupus
The chronic inflammatory disease lupus can involve the brain, including increasing stroke risk for reasons which are not fully understood. Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a disease of the blood vessels in the brain that can
Listening to identify and improve communication in individuals with hearing loss
People with poor hearing may not realize their condition or the impact on their life. They can feel anxious, depressed, isolated, misunderstood or embarrassed, but when this information is not shared, their diagnosis is delayed. About 17%
Determination of regions involved in amyloid fibril formation for Aβ(1-40) peptide
Mechanisms of amyloid formation of Aβ peptide are studied intensively. Determination of regions responsible for aggregation of the peptide and formation of amyloid fibrils is one of the primary aims in studying the formation of such structures.
Genetics of mice and men: NF1 patient-specific mouse models offer hope
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, affecting about 1 in 3,000 people throughout the world. The disorder is characterized by light brown skin spots (café-au-lait spots) and small benign growths
Non-destructive inspection of metabolic status in bacteria using luciferase reporter
Bacteria are able to utilize various carbon sources, and change the intracellular metabolic fluxes depending on the availability. Whereas much effort has been taken to understand the underlying mechanisms, most parts of them are still elusive and
Employ the native microbiota of Ecuadorian “Amazonia” tropical rainforest as reservoir of microorganism’s with possible biotechnological applications
The Amazon tropical forest is the Earth’s largest reservoir of plant, animals and bacterial diversity. According to the new territorial redistribution several zones of Ecuador known as “undeveloped natural areas” were included in the governmental policy as
A neurodynamic theory linking creativity and insanity
Humanity has long suspected a correlation between creativity and mental illness. Those doubting such a relationship assert that psychopathologies inhibit the creative process, while others raise the issue that neither insanity nor creativity have been adequately quantified
Malaria and hypertension-a new hypothesis in clinical medicine
Research from University College Cork, Ireland and New York University School of Medicine, USA has shown a credible link to the high rate of hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction amongst Africans and Afro-Americans, and a genetic defence
Applying nanopharmacology to obstetrics: A novel targeted drug delivery system for the uterus
Pregnancy is a dangerous period for both the mother and foetus. Being born too early (preterm birth) is the leading cause of death and disease in children <5 years of age, while insufficient uterine contractions during or
Unravelling the mystery of rampant species formation on volcanic islands
How do new species of plants and animals arise? And why do clusters of divergent endemic species evolve so rapidly on remote oceanic archipelagoes such as the Hawaiian and Galápagos Islands? These questions have intrigued biologists since
Cornification derived from keratinization through the addition of new epidermal proteins to keratins
Differentiation of epidermal cells in vertebrates takes place by high production of structural proteins termed keratins that belong to cytoskeletal proteins indicated as Intermediate Filaments (α – keratins). The epidermis of vertebrates is a multilayered epithelium that
Fish is an important source of micronutrients to fight the micronutrient deficiency, otherwise known as the ‘hidden hunger’
Macronutrients are the major nutrients such as carbohydrate, protein and fats, required in large quantities which provide the bulk of the energy whereas micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) are needed in small amounts in the body; however, are
Avoiding the dilemma between too much alcohol and too much volatile acidity in wine
Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history, thus affecting the production of many crops, including wine grapes. Indeed, global warming uncouples technological and phenolic maturity of
New ligand for preconcentration of lanthanides from environmental samples prior to ICP-MS analysis
Lanthanides are a group of chemical elements (La-Lu) with very similar behavior. Due to their unique properties they find application in many high-tech fields as computers, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), clinical MRI, lasers etc. The increased usage
Technical revolution of D-amino acid profiling
Amino acids are essential and ubiquitous compounds for living organisms on Earth. Proteinogenic amino acids (except for glycine) have chiral carbon, and those enantiomers (L-form and D-form) exist (Fig. 1). L-forms predominantly exist in nature, therefore researches
Hospital readmission after head and neck microvascular reconstruction
Unplanned readmissions are associated with decreased healthcare quality and increased costs. This nationwide study examines causes for unplanned readmission among head and neck cancer patients undergoing immediate microsurgical reconstruction. Patients undergoing head and neck tumor resection with
The role of monocytes in ANCA-associated vasculitides
The anti – neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA) – associated vasculitides (AAV) include granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). These rare systemic autoimmune diseases affect small and medium – sized blood vessels, and are characterized by necrotizing vasculitis,
Diagnosing Fragile X syndrome by DNA methylation array
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common genetic condition which causes a range of developmental problems and intellectual disability in males. It is caused by a mutation in the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1), which
