Tag Archives: disease
Zinc – a promising supplement for the immune system
Zinc is essential for basic functions within cells of the human body. Hence, zinc deficiency is associated with impaired immune functions as dermatitis, dysfunction of the immune system, hypogonadism, and growth retardation. Under normal conditions only low
Employment of migrant care workers by Italian families assisting older Alzheimer’s disease patients
A rising phenomenon across the European Union (EU) is the increasing presence of migrant care workers (MCWs), privately employed by families of older people in need, who take over different tasks: supervision, drug administration, support in mobility
Too much or too little of one gene, CHRNA7, is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders
In the human genome, certain regions are unstable and are found to have missing ( deletions ) or extra ( duplications ) pieces of chromosome. Many of these deletions and duplications have been implicated in neurological disease,
Onco-Nephrology: the frontier of cancer and kidney disease
Kidney problems can result from cancer or its treatment. Patients with kidney disease can develop cancer. These clinical problems are challenging and significantly affect morbidity and mortality. Yet until recently they have not had focused attention. Cancer
The prognostic value of tumor markers and cytokines in patients with squamous cell cervical cancer
Optimal management of cervical cancer consists of appropriate treatment methods after the precise staging, following detection as early as possible, and the best salvage therapy. Early detection of recurrence, especially at the early stages in cervical cancer
Chaperones’ seduction
Molecular chaperones are a very special class of proteins found in all organisms from bacteria to humans. Like their name suggests, they accompany and supervise the correct folding of all the other proteins in cells. This process
What does a guardian protect genomic DNA from?
Living organisms can achieve their propagation through copying (replicating) the genetic information, coded in DNA sequence, and dividing them to each daughter cell. DNA sequence is a basic element and its conservation is essential for individual life
A method that may raise hope of developing new treatments for Meniere’s disease and other inner ear disorders with hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness
Disorders of the inner ear are rather common and may lead to dizziness, tinnitus and loss of hearing. Several of those disorders may include an increased swelling, i.e. hydrops, of parts of the inner ear as a
What do we know and what can we do about asthma?
Asthma affects more than 300 million people of all ages and both genders worldwide and causes a huge financial burden on health systems and governments. Asthmatics have sensitive airways which over react to triggers such as allergens,
Infants’ superior perception linked to later autism symptoms
People with autism are often described as “seeing the world differently.” They tend to show superior perception for details, like, for example, the autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire’s highly accurate representations of cityscapes drawn from memory. Now, researchers
Characterizing the whac-a-mole concept of a bispecific antibody targeting cancer cells
One of the great promises of antibodies is to be magic bullets that specifically target diseased cells without affecting normal cells. Oncology researchers identify targets on tumor cells that are unique, overexpressed, or oncogenic drivers that can
Epilepsy spectrum disorders
Symptoms of mental illness (like depression or hallucinations) tend to change slowly overtime (with or without treatment). At time individuals may experience episodic symptoms like sudden and brief panic attacks or sudden and brief violent episodes. While
Structure-function relationships
This study compared a new form of visual field analysis, flicker defined form, with conventional analysis techniques and compared both with anatomical measurements of the retina. These measurements are important in the diagnosis and evaluation of glaucoma,
Metabolic regulation by the intestinal hormone FGF19: From basic science to clinical application
Physiological adaptations of our body to changes in nutritional status induced by fasting or food intake occur various times per day and are crucial to maintain a healthy metabolic state. To meet this requirement, our body is
The quest for targeted therapy in fragile X syndrome
For many years we believed that most hereditary diseases were untreatable. However, hopes for a cure were raised following the discovery of genetic causes and better understanding of disease mechanisms. This elucidated new targets for therapy. The
The future of Laron syndrome
Laron syndrome (LS) first described 50 years ago in 1966 is with few exceptions a genetic form of severe short stature, found in the majority of instances in patients originating from the Mediterranean, Middle East and South Asian
One for two – one medicine against two diseases
Superficial fungal skin infections belong to the most common infections worldwide. They affect more than 20 – 25 % of the world’s population with an increasing trend due to an increasing life expectancy and decreasing immunity of
Improving the mathematical estimation of the epidemic threshold on networks
Infectious diseases spreading via person-to-person contacts, such as plague, flu, and Ebora, have threatened humanity since the beginning of the recorded history. Societies have long been using the power of sciences to understand and mitigate the impacts
A link between reduced blood oxygenation and failure in learning and memory in a mouse model of Down syndrome
Down Syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of cognitive disability in humans, affecting more than 6 million people worldwide. Triplication of more than 300 genes on chromosome 21 results in gene dosage imbalance that affects
Making a better mouse model to understand the pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus infection
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the number one cause of infant hospitalizations in the United States. RSV infection is very common, with all children infected with this virus at least once by two years of age. Severe
