What pH at the sites of calcification of an octocoral tells us

What pH at the sites of calcification of an octocoral tells us

Corals are marine organisms which elaborate calcium carbonate skeletons, a process known as biomineralization or calcification. More »

Zinc promotes myoblast differentiation activating Zip7 transporter and Akt signalling pathway

Zinc promotes myoblast differentiation activating Zip7 transporter and Akt signalling pathway

Skeletal muscle is a heterogeneous, dynamic and plastic tissue, which comprises 40% of adult human body mass. More »

Any cell organelle can be the starting point for toxicant and pathogen-induced cell death

Any cell organelle can be the starting point for toxicant and pathogen-induced cell death

Toxicants and pathogens often induce death of their target and host cells. In order to investigate the different ways they can achieve this More »

Metal-organic framework with dangling sulfonate groups for enhanced proton conductivity

Metal-organic framework with dangling sulfonate groups for enhanced proton conductivity

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a versatile platform for tuning the chemical functionality of pore surfaces and thus have attracted an increasing amount of attention for applications in gas storage More »

 

Statin therapy makes things worse for alcohol drinkers

High cholesterol levels in humans represent a risk factor for life-threatening cardio/cerebrovascular conditions, including heart attack and stroke. It is estimated that nearly 94.6 million, or 40 % of American adults, have total blood cholesterol levels above

How healthy the Indian leopards are?

Carnivores face a continuous threat for their survival from pathogens, indirectly resulting from anthropogenic factors such as human population expansion, habitat loss or its alteration and climate change leading to their endangerment in the wild. These effects

The herbicide glyphosate activates oxidative metabolism in the weed model plant Arabidopsis thaliana

For farmers, glyphosate is a very familiar chemical compound because it is one of the broad-spectrum herbicides more used worldwide in agriculture. Even it is also applied in non-cultivated areas to keep the growth of weeds under

Evolution of a sucker: Functional principles of traps in carnivorous bladderworts (Utricularia, Lentibulariaceae)

Certain plants lure, capture, kill and digest animal prey. Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.) comprise more than 240 species and constitute the largest genus of such carnivorous plants. They can be found almost worldwide in a variety of different

Isolation of stable monomeric organo aluminum radicals

Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust and its numerous chemical derivatives have various applications in organic as well in organometallic synthesis. The oxidation state +III is thermodynamically favorable for aluminum, while the chemistry

The pubertal divide in mortality from severe influenza: clues for novel therapeutics

The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, was a protracted and devastating outbreak. Upwards of 500 million people worldwide were infected and death estimates surpassed 50 million. Contemporary studies using virus reconstructed from autopsy

Let carbon nanostructures do the job

CO2 emission, from burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes is estimated to contribute more than 70% of all greenhouse gases. The prospects of a clean energy economy demands the efficient removal of CO2. Absorption of CO2 using chemical

International Conference on Neonatology and Pediatrics. Las Vegas, USA. November 19-20, 2018

Meetings International proudly announces its premier “International Conference on Neonatology and Pediatrics” that has been scheduled on November 19th and 20th, 2018 at Las Vegas, USA. Neonatology 2018 will bring together renowned scientists, researchers, doctors, talented students under one roof to

Polymer hydration and stiffness at biointerfaces and related cellular processes

This review focuses on the studies that demonstrate how hydration/dehydration affects biological processes at the cell–biomaterial interface. Degree of hydration and water molecules binding energy depends on macromolecular chains architecture, determines the mobility of polymer chains and

Infected stent graft behind the knee

Popliteal artery aneurysms are the commonest peripheral artery aneurysm and affect 1% of men aged 65 to 80 years. The popliteal artery in the main artery behind the knee and an aneurysm is where the blood vessels

Diamond growth using microwave-activated methane/hydrogen plasmas

Diamond is renowned for its many superlative material properties. It defines the top of the Mohs hardness scale, has the highest bulk thermal conductivity at room temperature, and has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. The

Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags

Thin-film, single-use shopping bags are ubiquitous throughout the world. Since the 1980s, consumers have been habitualized into expecting free plastic shopping bags at businesses. In the US, the estimated annual per capita consumption of single-use plastic shopping

Eccentric metallo-dielectric core-shell nanoparticles for light guiding and switching

High Refractive Index Dielectric (HRID) nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed as an alternative to metallic ones due to their low absorption and magnetodielectric response in the VIS and NIR ranges. Important scattering directionality (SD) effects can be

p53: key conductor of all anti-acne therapies

Acne vulgaris is the most common inflammatory skin disease of developed countries affecting more than 80% of adolescents. In contrast, acne vulgaris is not epidemic or completely absent in populations living under Paleolithic conditions. During the last

Does statins increase risk of diabetes?

Statins are drugs that inhibit the enzyme 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzymeA (HMG-CoA) which is critical in the production of cholesterol molecules. Thus is commonly used in the treatment of abnormally elevated cholesterol which is known to contribute to cardiovascular disease

3MST produces redox regulators Cys-SSH and GSSH as well as signaling molecules H2S and H2Sn

3-Mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3MST) together with cysteine aminotransferase (CAT) produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a well-known toxic gas, from L-cysteine. 3MST also produces H2S from D-cysteine in concert with D-amino acid oxidase (DAO). Cystathionine β–synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ–lyase

Heavy metal resistant–plant growth promoting bacteria as an alternative strategy for decreasing accumulation of metals in plant tissues

In the present era, pollution of water, soil and air with heavy metals is increasing rapidly. Industrialization and technological advancement have caused serious damage to the ecosystem by releasing large quantities of heavy metals (i.e., cadmium, chromium,

Proline analogues present anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity through inhibition of proline transporter

Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately 7 million people in Latin America. Nowadays there are only two drugs approved for Chagas treatment, benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both drugs were

Synthesis of industrial relevant ZSM-5 supported nano-sized metallic cobalt catalyst

Most chemical reaction of industrial relevance are catalysed by different metals in their metallic state. However, after catalyst synthesis which involves calcination to adequately anchor those active metals unto the catalyst supports, the metals were oxidized, thus

Activation by inhibition

Phosphorylation of proteins is one of the most important mechanisms through which protein function is quickly and reversibly regulated. Prototypically, an extracellular ligand binds to its cognate receptor(s) on the surface of a target cell, leading to