Narrow Results

One of the major characteristics of living organisms is metabolic rate — the amount of energy produced per unit of time. When the mass of organisms increases, the metabolic rate also increases (as a power function of mass), but usually slower than mass. This effect is called metabolic allometric scaling. Its causes are considered unknown. The effect has important implications for individual and population organismal development. It was shown in the first part of this study, presented in a separate paper, that in the case of multicellular organisms, this effect is a consequence of natural selection and optimization of nutrient distribution between the species of a food chain, sharing resources of a common habitat. Here, in the second part that studies unicellular organisms, we discover that the same principle of natural selection guided by optimization of nutrient distribution between the species of a food chain defines also metabolic allometric scaling of unicellular organisms. To find that, we consider the metabolic properties of Amoeba proteus, fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus. The sharing of nutrients is optimized in such a way that bigger microorganisms have progressively bigger nutrient influx per unit of surface. This evolutionary arrangement secures the stability of a food chain by providing certain metabolic advantages for bigger organisms. Accounting for this regular increase of nutrient influx with mass increase, we obtained allometric exponents and their ranges close to experimental values, thus proving that metabolic allometric scaling of both multicellular and unicellular organisms is defined by the same fundamental evolutionary principle of optimized sharing of nutrients between the species of a food chain.

Magnetic nanoparticle plays an important role in biomedical engineering, especially in tumor therapy. In this paper, a new technique has been developed by using the rapid moving magnetic nanoparticle under a low-frequency alternating magnetic field (LFAMF) to kill tumor cells. The LFAMF system which was used to drive magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was setup with the magnetic field frequency and power range at ∼ 10–100 Hz and ∼ 10–200 mT, respectively. During the experiment, the LFAMF was adjusted at different frequencies and power levels. The experimental results show that the liver tumor cells (HepG2) mixed with MNPs (10 μg/mL) became partial fragments when exposed in the LFAMF with different frequencies (∼ 10–100 Hz) and power (∼ 10–200 mT), and the higher the frequency or the power, the more the tumor cells were killed at the same magnetic nanoparticle concentration. Conclusion: Tumor cells were effectively damaged by MNPs under LFAMF, which suggests that they had great potential to be applied in tumor therapy.

All organisms on earth have evolved at unit gravity and thus are probably adapted to function optimally at 1 g. However, with the advent of space exploration, it has been shown that organisms are capable of surviving at much less than 1 g, as well as at greater than 1 g. Organisms subjected to increased g levels exhibit alterations in physiological processes that compensate for novel environmental stresses, such as increased weight and density-driven sedimentation. Weight drives many chemical, biological, and ecological processes on earth. Altering weight changes these processes. The most important physiological changes caused by microgravity include bone demineralization, skeletal muscle atrophy, vestibular problems causing space motion sickness, cardiovascular deconditioning, etc. Manned missions into space and significant concerns in developmental and evolutionary biology in zero and low gravity conditions demand a concentrated research effort in space-medicine, physiology and on a larger scale — gravitational biophysics. Space exploration is a new frontier with long-term missions to the moon and Mars not far away. Research in these areas would also provide us with fascinating insights into how gravity has shaped our evolution on this planet and how it still governs some of the basic life processes. Understanding the physiological changes caused by long-duration microgravity remains a daunting challenge. The present concise review deals with the effects of altered gravity on the biological processes at the cellular, organic and systemic level which will be helpful for the researchers aspiring to venture in this area. The effects observed in plants and animals are presented under the classifications such as cells, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates and humans.

Neutron reflectometry (NR) was used to examine various live cells' adhesion to quartz substrates under different environmental conditions, including flow stress. To the best of our knowledge, these measurements represent the first successful visualization and quantization of the interface between live cells and a substrate with sub-nanometer resolution.

In our first experiments, we examined live mouse fibroblast cells as opposed to past experiments using supported lipids, proteins, or peptide layers with no associated cells. We continued the NR studies of cell adhesion by investigating endothelial monolayers and glioblastoma cells under dynamic flow conditions. We demonstrated that neutron reflectometry is a powerful tool to study the strength of cellular layer adhesion in living tissues, which is a key factor in understanding the physiology of cell interactions and conditions leading to abnormal or disease circumstances. Continuative measurements, such as investigating changes in tumor cell — surface contact of various glioblastomas, could impact advancements in tumor treatments. In principle, this can help us to identify changes that correlate with tumor invasiveness. Pursuit of these studies can have significant medical impact on the understanding of complex biological problems and their effective treatment, e.g. for the development of targeted anti-invasive therapies.

A model of the growth curve of microorganisms was proposed, which reveals a relationship with the number of a ‘golden section’, 1.618…, for main parameters of the growth curves. The treatment mainly concerns the ratio of the maximum asymptotic value of biomass in the phase of slow growth to the real value of biomass accumulation at the end of exponential growth, which is equal to the square of the ‘golden section’, i.e., 2.618. There are a few relevant theorems to explain these facts. New, yet simpler, methods were considered for determining the model parameters based on hyperbolic functions. A comparison was made with one of the alternative models to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed model. The proposed model should be useful to apply at various stages of fermentation in scientific and industrial units. Further, the model could give a new impetus to the development of new mathematical knowledge regarding the algebra of the ‘golden section’ as a whole, as well as in connection with the introduction of a new equation at decomposing of any roots with any degrees for differences between constants and/or variables.

We give a survey on the contribution of our research group to the cell theory of weighted Coxeter groups. We present some detailed accounts for the description of cells of the affine Weyl group ${\tilde{C}}_n$ in the quasi-split case and a brief account for that of the affine Weyl group ${\tilde{B}}_n$ in the quasi-split case and of the weighted universal Coxeter group in general case.

We consider tissue P systems with symport/antiport rules and investigate their computational power when using only a (very) small number of symbols and cells. Even when using only one symbol, we need at most six (seven when allowing only one channel between a cell and the environment) cells to generate any recursively enumerable set of natural numbers. On the other hand, with only one cell we can only generate regular sets when using one channel with the environment, whereas one cell with two channels between the cell and the environment obtains computational completeness with five symbols. Between these extreme cases of one symbol and one cell, respectively, there seems to be a trade-off between the number of cells and the number of symbols. For example, for the case of tissue P systems with two channels between a cell and the environment we show that computational completeness can be obtained with two cells and three symbols as well as with three cells and two symbols, respectively. Moreover, we also show that some variants of tissue P systems characterize the families of finite or regular sets of natural numbers.

INDIA – Bioven starts BV-NSCLC-001 Phase III trial in NSCLC.

INDIA – Initiative in Chemical Biology and Therapeutics.

PHILLIPPINES – Asia–Pacific Analysis: The slow road to green energy.

SINGAPORE – Takeda progressing well in Asia with New Drug Applications.

SINGAPORE – NTU and University of Warwick boost brainpower in global neuroscience research.

THAILAND – Thai PhD. student awarded Monsanto's Beachell–Borlaug International Scholarship for rice improvement research.

EUROPE – Open access will change the world, if scientists want it to.

UNITED STATES & CANADA – Verisante places Aura Beta Units for safety, verification testing in B.C., Alberta and Ontario clinics.

UNITED STATES & CANADA – Life Technologies sets new worldwide standard for criminal forensic testing with introduction of GlobalFilerTM Express Kit.

UNITED STATES & CANADA – How immune cells can nudge nerves to regrow.

UNITED STATES & CANADA – Improved Genomic Target Selection Using IDT Oligos.

UNITED STATES & CANADA – US team uncover non-invasive method for diagnosing epilepsy.

AUSTRALIA – HIV trial validates novel drug mechanism.

SINGAPORE – IBN engineered artificial human livers for drug testing and discovery.

SINGAPORE – Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore catch evolving germs and cancer cells early.

SINGAPORE – DocDoc and Chatter Buzz Media enter strategic partnership to launch Asia's first healthcare Content Marketing Network.

UNITED STATES – New method developed to expand blood stem cells for bone marrow transplant.

UNITED STATES – Fibrocell/UCLA study on human skin cells yields promising results.

UNITED STATES – Metal stents are effective treatment for blocked bile ducts.

UNITED STATES – Pain drug may prevent preemie lung damage.

UNITED STATES – Gene x3 helps corn grow in acidic soil.

UNITED STATES – Cancer Genetics selected by Gilead Sciences, Inc. to provide clinical trial services for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

UNITED KINGDOM – DaTSCAN™ SPECT imaging demonstrates impact on the diagnosis of patients with clinically uncertain dementia.

AFRICA – Failing vaccine strategies need to be revamped.

AFRICA – RegeneCure's membrane implant shows 40% accelerated healing time of severe bone fractures.

AUSTRALIA – Four Anti-cancer Compounds Discovered.

AUSTRALIA – New Cell Type Boosts Immunity to Infection.

AUSTRALIA – Brain Malfunction Could Cause Restless Legs.

AUSTRALIA – New Treatment to Heal Spinal Injuries.

AUSTRALIA – Possible Breakthrough in Parkinson's.

CHINA – Chinese Medicine Could Double Chances of Conceiving Child.

CHINA – China to Build ADR Monitoring System.

CHINA – Brown Rice Could Make Blood Protein.

CHINA – Chinese Herbal Cures Linked to Cancer.

CHINA – Chinese Researchers Tap GPU Supercomputer for World's First Simulation of Complete H1N1 Virus.

CHINA – Chinese Scientists Discover Key Protein to More Efficiently Produce Stem Cells.

CHINA – Chinese Scientists Identify Novel Schizophrenia Susceptibility Gene.

INDIA – AIIMS Director Calls for Strengthening Rural Healthcare.

KOREA – Hair Growth Research with Nanoemulsions Receives Award in Korea.

SINGAPORE – New Pill for Advanced Lung Cancer Patients.

SINGAPORE – Breakthrough by IBN and IBM Named Top 10 World Changing Ideas by Scientific American.

SINGAPORE – EpiGen Announces Collaboration with Nestlé.

THAILAND – Using Fluidized Bed Reactor for Phenolic Wasterwater Treatment.

OTHER REGIONS — First Artificial Windpipe Graft a Success.

OTHER REGIONS — Stem Cells Fix Broken Heart.

New Biotech Research Lab to Open in Malaysia.

AstraZeneca Considers Move to Asia.

Scientists Discover how the Ebola Virus Infects Cells.

AUSTRALIA – New Stem Cell Center Gives Hope for Stroke Damage.

AUSTRALIA – Sun Beds Killing 43 Aussies A Year.

CHINA – Chinese Skin Cream Recalled After Steroid Found.

CHINA – UN Urges China to Revamp Food Safety after Milk Crisis.

CHINA – Key Proteins Identified In the Quest for Male Contraceptive.

CHINA – Gene that May Contribute to Improved Rice Yield Identified.

CHINA – A New Institution to be Formed by Teaming up Biological Institutes in Beijing.

CHINA – Big Pharma Ranks China as No. 1 Destination in Asia for Pharmaceutical Outsourcing.

INDIA – Reliance Life Sciences Launches India's First Portal for Breast Cancer Genomics.

INDIA – New Health Scheme Launched in Kerala.

INDIA – Nobel Biocare Introduces New Dental Implant Program in India.

INDIA – Malaria Drug through Synthetic Biology.

JAPAN – Sleep Disorder Due to Genetic Mutation.

NEW ZEALAND – Crop and Food and Hortresearch to Merge.

SINGAPORE – NUS Researchers Create Antibody that may Eradicate Viral Diseases.

SINGAPORE – AMO Opens Eye-Care Training Center in Singapore.

SINGAPORE – Singapore and New Zealand Set Up First Joint R&D Research Fund in Heart Disease and Cancer.

SINGAPORE – More Singaporeans Expected to Seek Help for Clinical Depression, Anxiety.

SINGAPORE – Moleac Launches Presence in Europe.

SINGAPORE – New Study Shows Heterogeneity in Brain Tumor Cells-of-Origin.

SINGAPORE – Singapore Launches New Cancer Research Centre of Excellence (CRCE) to Study Asian Cancers.

SINGAPORE – Scientists Identify Gene that May Make Humans More Vulnerable to Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

SINGAPORE – BioServe Introduces Customizable DNA Panels for Genetic Research.

TAIWAN – Unitech Launches Its Healthcare PDA to Catch Medical Market Trend.

TAIWAN – Controversies Around the Set-up of Heavy-Ion Therapy Facility in Taiwan.

TAIWAN – Researchers Find Method to Extract DHA from Algae.

Bioremediation to Keep Atrazine from Waterways.

Fifth Brain Disorder Gene Located.

Moving towards Emerging Field of Mechanobiology.

Singapore and Israel Join Forces in Research and Innovation.

Osteopontin: In and Out in Immunity.

The Emerging Potential of Immunoinformatics Prediction Tools.

AUSTRALIA – World-Class Cancer Center to be Built in Parkville.

AUSTRALIA – Cure Found for Devastating Muscle Disease.

AUSTRALIA – HIV Test to Help Monitor Sufferers.

AUSTRALIA – Radium Weed Weeds Out Sun Spots, Skin Cancer.

AUSTRALIA – Kava Safe and Effective in Reducing Anxiety.

CHINA – CAS Develops New Salt-tolerant Wheat.

CHINA – Search for Passengers on Flights with Flu Case.

HONG KONG – Hong Kong Confirms Asia's 1st Swine Flu Case.

INDIA – Indian Healthcare Market to Grow Despite Slowdown.

INDIA – WHO Lifts Vaccine Embargo on India.

JAPAN – Scientists Create World's First Transgenic Monkeys.

JAPAN – Japan Swine Flu Cases Surge.

NEW ZEALAND – New Frontiers in Gene Behavior.

NEW ZEALAND – Innovative Pet Food Research Consortium Launched.

SINGAPORE – 50 Receive Healthcare Humanity Awards.

SINGAPORE – No-Go for Swine Flu Parties.

SINGAPORE – Asia's First Combined Heart and Liver Transplant.

SINGAPORE – Singapore to Host Conference on Tobacco or Health.

SINGAPORE – Diabetes Hits Asia's Youth.

SOUTH KOREA – $14.6 mn for Fight Against New Flu.

TAIWAN – Flu Vaccine to be Available by End of Year.

TAIWAN – Mutation in Gene allows Cancer to Spread.

TAIWAN – Scientists Find Ways to Improve Cancer Drugs.

TAIWAN – Team Makes Discovery in Search for New Antibiotic.

TAIWAN – Taiwan Tags Sixteen Countries with Yellow Travel Alert Over Flu.

TAIWAN – Team Makes Breakthrough in Therapy for Childhood Cancer.

THAILAND – Thailand Tries to Become Starch-Production Hub.

THAILAND – Thailand and Taiwan to Begin Biotech Cooperation Plan.

VIETNAM – US gives Vietnam Protective Bird Flu Equipment.

OTHER REGIONS — UNITED STATES – Over 52's May Be Better Protected.

Benitec MOU with Biomics Biotechnologies China.

Arkema & Aussie Chemeq Sign Manufacturing Cooperation Agreement.

AstraZeneca and Mental Health Research Institute in Australia Announce Collaboration to Improve Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease.

Avexa Gets CSIRO Investment.

Living Cell Technologies' Encapsulated Choroid Plexus Cells May Be Used To Treat Hearing Loss.

Sundia MediTech Acquires Protein Folding Technology.

Beijing Cancer Hospital Introduces Fast and Precise RapidArc Radiotherapy Cancer Treatments.

Zydus Cadila and Karo Bio's Research Collaboration has Generated Promising Lead Compounds.

ICON Acquires Veeda Laboratories Limited.

Novavax-Cadila to Conduct Swine Flu Clinical Trials.

Axygen & Astellas form JV to Develop Protein Drugs.

Rexahn, KRICT to Develop Anti-Cancer Drugs.

Japan's Largest Pharmaceutical Firm Opens Regional HQ in Singapore.

Dow AgroSciences, NemGenix Establish New Collaboration in Plant Biotechnology Research.

A*STAR Scientists Discover 'FAIM' Function.

Thailand Develops Seed Viruses for H1N1 Vaccine Production.

AUSTRALIA – "Worm" Treatment for Auto-Immune Disorders.

AUSTRALIA – New Imaging Agent for Early Diagnosis of Skin Cancer.

AUSTRALIA – "ECG for The Mind" Fast-Tracks Depression Diagnosis in 60 minutes.

AUSTRALIA – Seven Aussie Researchers Awarded Gates Foundation Grants.

CHINA – Tougher Flu Control Work in Western Regions of China.

INDIA – Drought-Tolerant Crops that can Respond to Climatic Stress.

KOREA – Korea Raised Flu Alert for Preparedness.

SINGAPORE – Southeast Asia's First Kilo Laboratory Opens in Singapore.

SINGAPORE – Endow Robots with Fake Skin for that "Human Touch".

SINGAPORE – World's First Semi-Cloned Fish.

SINGAPORE – A Novel Fly Model of Parkinson's Disease Developed by Singapore Researchers.

SINGAPORE – Singapore Scientists Play Key Role in Genome 10K Project.

SINGAPORE – Findings Show H1N1 Virus No Different from Seasonal Flu.

TAIWAN – Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant Effective in Stroke Treatment.

TAIWAN – Adequate Folic Acid Intake Reduces Cancer Risk.

TAIWAN – Taiwan Scientists Find Key to Immune Response.

TAIWAN – Rice's Flood-tolerant Properties of Rice Explained.

TAIWAN – Early Detection by Nanotechnology Eases Osteoarthritis Treatment Costs.

EUROPE – Breakthrough Boosts Hope for Breast Cancer Treatment.

EUROPE – The Missing Chromosome 8 Can Suppress Cancers.

NORTH AMERICA – Access to Medical Care to Breast Cancer in Developing and Poor Nations.

NORTH AMERICA – H1N1 Confirmed in Cat in Iowa.

NORTH AMERICA – HIV-1 Genome Revealed.

NORTH AMERICA – The Internet Way to Take Control of Your Health.

NORTH AMERICA – Mold in Stale Grains Causes Cancer.

A*STAR Scientist Receives International Award for Innovation in Healthcare Technology.

Six Clinician Scientists Receive Funding Support for Translational and Clinical Research.

Japanese Stem Cell Scientist Wins Kyoto Prize.

BIOTEC Researcher Wins Great Gigabase Grant.

Neem: A Wonder Tree.

Bacteria Living on Arsenic Discovered.

Temsirolimus Approved in Singapore for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Attune™ Acoustic Focusing Cytometer.

Securing Genetic Diversity of Rice in 'Doomsday Vault'.

Leica Opens New Dimension in Spectral Imaging.