The power of urine to understand genetic variants in the kidney
Nephronophthisis is a rare genetic disorder of the kidney and the most common genetic cause of end stage kidney failure in children. It can be caused by mutations in more than 20 different genes. In the 50%
The ‘fundamental questions of obesity’: Asked and answered
Scientific progress requires the ability to discover which questions are essential and which are trivial. Yet until recently, there were three fundamental questions that were ignored in nutrition & obesity research: What is the defining characteristic of
On-demand, self-administered fast-dissolving insert for prevention of HIV, HSV, and HPV infections
Microbicides are a potential discreet prevention method for empowering millions of women worldwide to protect themselves against incurable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human papillomavirus (HPV). For nearly three decades, much
Excessive postprandial VLDL remnants in plasma cause obesity and insulin resistance
Remnant lipoproteins (RLP) are the TG-rich lipoproteins metabolized by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and increase in plasma after fat intake (Fig. 1), parallel with the increase of plasma triglycerides (TG). We have long thought that RLP in plasma
Are iron oxide nanoparticles neurotoxic?
Among the different types of nanomaterials, iron oxide nanoparticles (ION) awaken a particular interest due to their unique properties, including superparamagnetism and high biocompatibility. These features make them very suitable for a broad variety of uses, mostly
Stevensite: an efficient clay to retain tetracycline from wastewater
The tetracycline family of antibiotics are widely used for human therapy and animal feed. However, tetracycline (TC) is considered a contaminant of emerging concern in the environment due to its presence in wastewater effluents, surface waters and
Pain cognition in migraine
The evolving concept of pain has led to the reformulation of its biological meaning by placing it in a much broader frame. Currently, we look at pain as a multidimensional sensation, aimed not only to the localization
Rigid calibrated tangled clots of laser light
Spreading of light structures during their propagation significantly limits the possible applications of lasers. This seemingly unavoidable property of waves can be “corrected” either in inhomogeneous media, such as optical fibers, or in nonlinear media in which
African sleeping sickness today
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or African sleeping sickness, is one of 20 neglected tropical diseases listed by the World Health Organization (WHO). HAT can become a severe meningoencephilic disease developing after severe haemo-lymphatic infection. HAT takes two
New psychoactive substances: metabolites of synthetic cathinones induce cytotoxicity in human neuronal cells
Recently, a large number of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) have appeared on the European market. Their growing diffusion has become matter of worldwide concern and alarm for public health authorities, legislators, and clinical health specialists. They are
The RAS mRNA G-quadruplex: making undruggable cancer targets druggable
In many cancers, RAS proteins are constitutively activated by their oncogenic mutations or activation of their upstream molecules. RAS proteins play a central role in cancer cell malignancy, and drugs that target RAS are therefore believed to
Do people want to participate in decisions concerning their medicines?
Health and medication literacy are important factors linked to the outcomes of medical treatment (Table 1). Health literacy has been assessed in several countries all over the world and has been found to be limited. The level
Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis: an eye on retinal inflammation
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. Alzheimer’s disease cases are constantly increasing worldwide due to population aging. Typical symptoms of the disease include memory loss, cognitive deficits, personality and behavior modifications. At the
Do metals in pregnant women have association to preterm births?
Metals are widely distributed in the environment. Recent reports have demonstrated the risk of preterm birth following heavy metal exposure. Preterm births include those occurring before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, and the rate of preterm births
Modeling epidemics and analyzing Ebola incidence data using Numerus Model Builder
Epidemics are quintessentially dynamic with outbreak, peak-incidence, and fadeout phases. The timings of outbreaks are hard to predict, as happened with the 2014 outbreak of Ebola viral disease in West Africa. To evaluate the risks of outbreaks,
MicroRNAs control cellular transition of hepatocytes during liver regeneration
Among adult organs, the liver is unique in its intrinsic ability to regenerate after injury through the proliferation of fully differentiated cells. Hepatocytes, which are the most abundant type of cells in liver, are quiescent and rarely
Compressed ultrasound imaging: finding tumors with a few transducers
Currently, ultrasound imaging is predominantly done by a probe that possesses many transducers, which are small devices that transmit, and then receive, acoustic waves. Decreasing the number of transducers, while maintaining image quality, is surely a desirable
Complexity of malaria dynamics under climate change
The transmission of malaria is highly variable and depends on a range of climatic and anthropogenic factors. For more than two decades, there has been a growing concern and hot debate over the impact of global warming
Emanation of tobacco smoke from the skin surfaces of active smokers and non-smokers exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke
Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for numerous health consequences and related disorders, and is found to affect non-smokers when they are exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS). Accurate epidemiological assessments of people who currently smoke are
Celiac disease and liver disorders
Immunologically mediated liver diseases belong to the common extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease. In celiac disease, increased intestinal permeability is thought to be an early feature in the pathogenesis. Dietary gluten drives intestinal inflammation and impairs the
