Tag Archives: disease
Exorcising autoimmunity
Moderately intense physical exercise, performed at regular intervals, is now firmly recognized as a safe and effective intervention by which to enhance quality of life. Despite this awareness, for many of us, as our age increases, so
Glaucoma: are people still going blind?
We have seen large advances in preventing, slowing down and reversing vision loss for patients with many eye diseases. Despite these advances, many people with eye disease end up losing their vision. What is the difference between
Diminished disease-free survival following lung cancer surgery
Treatment of lung cancer requires removal of a portion of a vital organ, which may reduce life expectancy. This would be acceptable when surgery prevents death from cancer. It is harmful in cases identified by screening in
Specific danger signals associate with non-infection-related COPD exacerbations
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive and chronic lung disease, leading to difficulties with breathing for the patients. This is caused by the destruction of the lung sacs (alveoli), called emphysema and by inflammation of
What’s in your water? Using DNA to keep drinking waters clean
Turn on a tap, and many of us will be greeted with safe and clean drinking water. This is something that people living in developed nations often take for granted, as contaminated drinking water is a significant
Arrestin-enolase protein complex as a new auto antigen in heart disease
Over the past two decades, evidence of a pathogenic relevance of autoimmunity in human heart disease has increased significantly. A central role for autoimmunity in a significant proportion of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients is supported by the
“Nothing to worry about”? The meaning of a Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) diagnosis for patients put on a disease register
We interviewed a group of people who had been recruited to a trial for people with early stage Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The wider trial was concerned with finding out whether helping people with early stage CKD
Back to the future – looking at COPD with new eyes
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a broad term for diffuse lung disease caused by chronic inflammation of the airways. Patients with COPD become increasingly short of breath and often start to feel as if they are
Novel recombinant JEV vaccine
Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a viral disease, which infects humans and animals. The disease is caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus named Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV). The disease is endemic in Asian countries but with rapid globalization and
Endocrine regulation of Alzheimer’s disease. The Achilles heel of dementia and other neurological conditions
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common disorder of the central nervous system and the most frequent cause of devastating dementia in the elderly. Typified by loss of memory and by cognitive decline, AD lowers the quality
Innovative tool, promise for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative brain diseases
If at the dawn of the twentieth century, Alzheimer’s disease was seen as a rare disease, but today the incidence of this disease has taken epidemic proportions and is treated as one of the diseases of civilization.
A cysteine residue is a key commander of SOD1-related neuronal toxicity in ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a life-threatening disease of motor neurons that gradually affects muscle strength of the whole body. The disease occurs familially in some cases, and 25 to 30% of the
How the marmoset can help us develop new therapies for Parkinson’s disease
New advances in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease heavily depend on valid animal models of the disease that allows for the evaluation of symptoms over extended time periods. The marmoset is a primate that shares several important features
The evidence for wheat bran related to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Wheat is a leading human cereal crop. Wheat bran (WB) is a by-product of conventional milling of wheat grains and is a concentrated source of dietary fiber. Interest in WB as a source of dietary fiber and
The hierarchy of transcriptional activation: from enhancer to promoter
Disturbance of gene expression underlies many diseases. Deciphering how genes are normally switched on and off in healthy cells during development and cell differentiation is helping to shed light on the molecular basis of diseases such as
B cells to the rescue: regulatory B cells are a promising therapeutic target for autoimmune disease
Immune cells are indispensable for protecting us from microbial infections. They recognize specific patterns on microbes to mount robust cellular and molecular immune responses for the clearance of pathogens. Intriguingly, development and function of these cells is
Eyelid drooping may exist in rare diseases of muscle and neuromuscular junction
Eyelid drooping or ptosis is due to many different possible causes, ranging from natural causes (eg natural aging process) to more serious conditions. The ability to open the eye depends on a muscle in the orbit, named
Modulation of bad cholesterol: what happens when patients with kidney disease receive omega-3-fatty acids?
Just as oil cannot dissolve in water, so cannot fat dissolve in blood. In order for our bodies to transport cholesterol, which is made of fat (lipids), within our bloodstreams something is needed to carry it around.
Measles – a killer disease that can be eliminated but how will we know when we are getting close?
With increased measles immunisation coverage, there has been a dramatic global reduction in childhood deaths and measles cases. The World Health Assembly has endorsed a target of achieving measles elimination in at least five of the six
