Category Archives: Research
RIC-3’s effect on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and the implications in health and disease
Signal transmission – cells sending and receiving signals from other cells – is the basis of physiology. Everything our body does essentially, is a result of this cell-to-cell communication and innumerable diseases are the results of this
Cyclophyllidean tapeworms: phylogeny reconstructed
‘Parasite’ is a term used collectively to describe organisms that have the ability to survive at the expense of another organism (the host). They are notorious in being capable of parasitizing a vast range of organisms (insects,
NOXs, generators of electrochemical energy to drive ion fluxes in humans plants and fungi
What is the connection between the ability of the human immune system to destroy invading pathogens, the growth of a pollen tubule on its way to fertilise a flower’s ovum, and the extension of a fungal hypha
Early land plants evolved a simple but effective mechanism to place stomata away from each other
Stomata are one of the key evolutionary features responsible for the successful colonization of land by plants. A stoma is a pore surrounded by a pair of guard cells, when these cells are turgid and inflated the
What the updated Good Publication Practice (GPP3) 2015 guidelines recommends to the Industry
In the past the pharmaceutical industry has been criticised for not publishing all the findings from its clinical trials. The Good Publication Practice 3 (GPP3) guidelines published in September 2015 is an update to the previous guidelines
Oligomers are building blocks of amyloid formation for insulin and its fast analog LisPro
The hormone insulin was discovered in 1921 by Banting and Best, and since that time it has been studied rigorously. At the same time first attempts were made to use insulin for treating diabetes. Insulin was the
Improving testicle cancer staging: understanding pitfalls in the diagnosis of tumor within the body’s interstate highway
Testicular cancer most commonly occurs in young men. Most testicle cancer is a type called testicular germ cell tumors. Testicular germ cell tumors can be further subclassified into tumor subtypes including seminoma and other subtypes grouped into
Dual pathways of aortic degenerative change; Calcification and Fibrosis
Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common type of valvular heart disease and its prevalence increases exponentially with age. Degenerative changes continue to be the most common pathologic causes. In terms of pathologic AS phenotypes, there are
The vegetative insecticidal proteins Vip2S-Vip1S of Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis is one of the most successful biological control strategies used as an alternative to the harmful chemical insecticides. Besides the crystals proteins, B. thuringiensis produces during the vegetative growth phase a second generation of insecticidal
Silk patches to repair hearts
The heart is a very sensitive organ. Once it’s “broken”, it doesn’t quite function the same way again. Biologically speaking, a common way of getting your heart broken is when you suffer a heart attack. When the
Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as nanoheaters to treat cancer
Enhancing the tumours temperature to 41-46 °C represents an oncological therapy known as moderate hyperthermia. To selectively heat up cancer cells, avoiding any damage of the healthy tissues, magnetic nanoparticles (with sizes in the range 10-9-10-7 m)
Transient airborne particulate matters (PM) on subway platform
As the number of people using rapid transit systems (subways) continues to rise in major cities worldwide, increasing attention has been given to the indoor air quality of underground stations. One of most serious air pollutants is
Novel surgical technique as a substitute to painful skin grafts
Skin grafting is a surgical technique which involves the transfer of patients’ own skin to the wound for wound coverage. Split-thickness skin graft (SSG), the most common form of skin grafting performed, is usually offered for larger
On the performance of ruthenium dyes in dye sensitized solar cells
Dye Sensitized Solar Cells are a novel type of solar cells converting sunlight energy into electricity at an efficiency of 12%. These devices are based on Michael Gratzel´s invention, where one electrode of a photo pile is
Metabolic reprogramming: from estrogen dependence to self-sufficiency
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and, despite significant progress in diagnosis and treatments, incidence has been steadily increasing in the last 40 years. Approximately 70% of breast cancers are characterised by the expression
Enhancing human abilities with the power of Neuroregeneration & Tissue Engineering
Human peripheral nerves (PNs) act as cables that connect the spinal cord (point A) to the muscles and the peripheral organs of the body (point B). They transmit information back and forth, from the spinal cord to
Heavy metals and cyanobacteria: unveiling bioremediation mechanisms
Heavy metals are one of the most common pollutants worldwide, being a serious hazard to the environment and public health. These metals are usually removed from polluted waters by physicochemical methods that can have substantial costs, low
Antipsychotic-induced severe hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia is more common in patients with antipsychotic treatment than in the general population. However, hypoglycemia is one of the idiosyncratic potentially life-threatening adverse effects of antipsychotics. While several cases of antipsychotic-induced hypoglycemia have been reported, the
Automatic modulation of critical brain dynamics
Several lines of electrophysiological, blood-oxygenation-level dependent signal imaging and behavioral evidence show that many features of central-nervous system activity are scale-free. The scale-free dynamics is relevant because it is a signature characteristic of complex systems poised at
