Category Archives: Research
Donor in recipient – dangers in DNA profiling after allotransplantation
The incidence of cancers, which rank among some of the most common lifestyle diseases of the 21st century, is rising steadily year by year. The trend is attributable to the ageing of societies, increase in life expectancy
From waste dumping to clean energy: using our landfills for renewable energy
It is widely acknowledged that dumping our waste in landfills is extremely harmful to the environment. Landfills pollute our groundwater, our soils and release biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere, which contributes greatly to global
Stopping light drinking may increase death risk among healthy adults
Former drinkers, that is those who have stopped alcohol use, have higher mortality than lifelong abstainers. Higher mortality may be due to some disease, alcoholism or ending beneficial moderate drinking, which has been found to decrease mortality.
How fractalkine is regulated in human astrocytic brain cells
The brain is made up of four major types of brain cells. Neurons, oligodendrocytes, microglia and astrocytes. Neurons (nerve cells) are specialised cells that process and carry ‘messages’ through electrical signals. Oligodendrocytes are cells which are wrapped
What happens to corn tortillas when you add soybean?
Corn tortillas are traditional Mexican and Central American flatbreads made from cooking corn that has been treated with alkaline, in the form of limestone. While corn tortillas provide high levels of carbohydrates and calcium, they are low
Improving patient education materials in ophthalmology
Patient education materials are an important resource for patients to understand their disease and treatment plan. Unfortunately, these materials are often written at a reading level that is too difficult to understand for many patients. In our
Gold nanorods using less CTAB
Gold nanoparticles nowadays are one of the most interesting tool for biomedical and technological research as they are characterized by several appealing biological and optical properties. In particular, gold nanoparticles are characterized by an intense color given
Conditioning the brain immune system through physical activity
Staying physically active is one of the most beneficial things that a person can do for maintaining whole-body health. It is well understood that physical activity is important for building muscle, improving cardiovascular health, and boosting metabolism.
AB0 blood groups, von Willebrand factor and osteoprotegerin
The clinical importance of AB0 blood groups extends beyond the direct implications on transfusion and organ-transplantation compatibility. The role of AB0 blood group antigens in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, peripheral vascular diseases, thromboembolic-, cerebrovascular ischemic events, myocardial
Dental and temporomandibular joint pathology of the walrus
Maxillae and/or mandibles of 76 walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) housed in the Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria. The museum specimens were acquired between 1932 and 2014. Forty-five specimens
Vistafin and endothelial progenitor cell dysfunction in diabetes mellitus
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been increased over recent decades, reaching worldwide epidemic. T2DM continues to exhibit a substantial impact on global health and requires increased expenditures of economic resources and medical care,
Epileptic encephalopathies in children: Animal models may change the word “catastrophic” to “hopeful”
Seizures are a sign of brain dysfunction caused by abnormal, hyperexcitable brain circuits. Clinical seizures range from brief staring spells to massive whole – body convulsions. The developing brain is especially prone to seizures and seizure-related brain
Gangliocytomas of the seller region: present and future
Gangliocytomas are well-differentiated tumors formed by irregular groups of large multipolar neurons, often with atypical characteristics. They are benign tumors and a complete tumor resection is considered curative. Their localization in the sellar region is extremely rare
How Americans remember and forget the U.S presidents
Groups of people remember and forget events that occurred in the past, just as individual people remember and forget events occurring in their lifetimes. The study of the memories of a group is called collective memory, and
Adolescent exposure of MDMA potentiates one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease
3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an amphetamine derivative widely consumed by adolescents, which has been described that produces oxidative stress in neurons such as dopaminergic neurons. Moreover, many patients with Alzheimer’s disease develop extrapyramidal symptoms due to alterations
Autism training: the one-eyed wo/man in the land of the blind
The number of people diagnosed with autism is on the rise. According to figures revealed in the Millennium Cohort Study (n= 13,287 families), autism prevalence rates in the United Kingdom (UK) are 3.5% of 11-year-old children. In
The use of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells ameliorates airway inflammation in horses with recurrent airway obstruction
Horses stabled indoors live in a pro-allergenic environment and are exposed to molds, mites, and bacterial endotoxins from hay and bedding. This exposure exacerbates recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), an asthma-like disease. Affected horses suffer from recurrence of
Making 8-membered rings – It’s a DOS (diversity orientated synthesis) approach
For many years, the primary method of global drug discovery has involved the synthesis of naturally occurring molecules and their derivatives. This drug discovery process would involve several steps, from initial extraction and isolation from a biological
Mid ventricular ballooning in takotsubo cardiomyopathy: from a concealed to a manifest form
Myocardial bridging occurs when one of the coronary arteries (left anterior descending coronary artery, cicumflex artery and right coronary artery) tunnels through the myocardium rather than resting on top of it. Typically, the arteries rest on top of the heart muscle and
