Tag Archives: cells
Bone microstructure and the size of your femur
Human bones are often thought to be static tissues because of their hard structure. However, in addition to mineral they also contain collagen. This combination gives your bones flexibility in adapting to exercise. Adult bones can respond
Gamma-tubules — novel filaments in the fight against cancer
The word skeleton sounds very significant, and indeed humans could not exist without a skeleton! Similarly, a cellular skeleton or cytoskeleton is crucial for the functions of a cell. Several different types of cytoskeleton have been identified
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
Monitoring biosafety of pharmaceutical drugs, insecticides, and other bioactive molecules to mitochondria
Why study the biosafety of pharmaceutical drugs, insecticides, and other bioactive molecules to mitochondria? Mitochondria are large cell organelles in plant and animal cells. They convert chemical energy from food in the cell to usable energy using
NMR can now scrutinize the membrane of a living cell
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a technique devised by physicists, that has developed into many applications. The most famous one is Magnetic Resonance Imaging that is commonly used in hospitals. In the research lab, NMR is generally
Components of tea may help in the fight against bioterrorisum
Ricin toxin (RT), a protein produced by the castor bean (Ricinus communis) and is rated by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention as a level B biothreat. This is because it is: 1) available and
β-Carotene requirement for anti-aging depends on genetic background
Cellular telomere, a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences of TTAGGG, resides on both ends of chromosomes and its length is shortened by reflecting the replication number of chromosomal DNA, accordingly, telomere length is the most reliable indicator
Theophylline, a drug to treat asthma increases risk of fracture and causes vitamin D deficiency
Incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) of which asthma is the commonest manifestation is growing by leaps and bounds in two most populous countries, India and China due to rapid growth of industrialization and associated rise
A promising novel drug for breast cancer
The reason cancer is so difficult to treat is that cancer cells are our own cells running wild, which means that they generally do not make any protein or other molecule that normal cells don’t make. This
HCV controls the export machinery of infected cells to increase its own spread
When a virus infects a cell it changes a lot of the cells functions and behavior to its own benefit. The virus reproduces inside the cell and forces it to release many new virus particles which can
New function for the well-known lipids
Angiogenesis is the new blood vessels formation in adult tissues which share some similarities to growth of blood vessels during development called vasculogenesis. It is estimated that growth of any tissue to the sizes above 2-3 mm3
Tunicates : Can the study of obscure marine animals shed light on evolution?
Scientists agree that the current biological diversity on earth is the result of evolution: present life forms evolved from their ancestors by progressive modifications. The shape and behavior of an animal or a plant – what scientists
Genes are read backwards to restructure our DNA
In English, we read in one direction – from left to right across the page. We need to read words in a certain order, so that the information makes sense to us. In the cells of our
Stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system. Its main symptoms are motor disturbances such as tremors, rigidity and slowing of movements; although patients may also suffer from sleep disorders,
‘Fossil’ DNA – How many observed soil bacteria are actually alive?
In the first half of the 20th century, researchers studying soil bacteria had a problem: the number of organisms they could grow in the lab only accounted for ~1% of the total population that they could see under
Nutrients in pomegranates and dates provide maximum protection against the development of atherosclerosis
A combination of pomegranate fruit and date fruit and pits provides maximum protection against atherosclerosis, indicates research by Prof. Michael Aviram, Head of the Lipid Research Laboratory at Technion Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Rambam Medical Center
Treating prostate cancer with immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy induces the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. These therapies can work through a number of ways but two of the most researched methods are therapeutic cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therapeutic
Cigarette smoke enhances the release of proteins that modulates pro-thrombotic midiators in vascular cells
About 6 million people die for use or exposure to cigarette smoke; indeed smoking is the most important evitable cause of death in the developed countries, and it is a major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Chronic
Fully human anti-CAIX antibodies for RCC immunotherapy
Globally, there are roughly 270,000 new cases and 116,000 deaths attributed to kidney cancer occur each year. More than 90% of kidney neoplasms are classified as renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which accounts for 3% of all adult
Searching for magnetic sense inside living cells
Some molecules can absorb light and become excited. These excited molecules are often capable of undergoing chemical reactions that unexcited molecules cannot. Nature makes extensive use of these “photochemical reactions” and uses them to achieve some of
