Tag Archive for 'polymerase chain reaction'
July 9th, 2010 by admin
For someone with a severe, incurable lung disorder such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung transplant may be the only chance for survival. Unfortunately, it’s often not a very good chance. Matching donor lungs are rare, and many would-be recipients die waiting for the transplants that could save their lives.
June 25th, 2010 by admin
Lithium is the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder. However, its use is limited because of neurological side effects and a risk for overdose-induced toxicity. Many of the beneficial effects of lithium are mediated by its inhibition of GSK-3 proteins, but whether this is the mechanism underlying its negative effects has not been determined. However, [...]
June 24th, 2010 by admin
Sex “addiction” is a concept that has had particularly high visibility recently with the publicity associated with Tiger Woods. Persons with addictive or compulsive disorders frequently display an inability to inhibit behaviors once they become maladaptive, despite adverse consequences of their behavior. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in decision-making and [...]
May 3rd, 2010 by admin
Neuroscience researchers have zeroed in on a novel mechanism that helps control the firing of electrical signals among neurons. By isolating the molecular and electrical events that occur when this control is disrupted, the new research sheds light on epileptic seizures and potentially on other prominent diseases involving poorly regulated brain activity.
February 26th, 2010 by admin
Scientists in Massachusetts are reporting new evidence that certain high blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. The study, the largest to date on proteins in the retina, could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the sight-threatening disease, [...]
February 24th, 2010 by admin
In ongoing work to identify how genes interact with social environments to impact human health, UCLA researchers have discovered what they describe as a biochemical link between misery and death. In addition, they found a specific genetic variation in some individuals that seems to disconnect that link, rendering them more biologically resilient in the face [...]
April 23rd, 2009 by admin
Biotechnology is currently making use of DNA biochip/microarray technology in the research sector, and industrial applications are in development. Diagnostic applications of biochips in health care require a time-consuming and expensive validation process. Nevertheless, the potential applications in health care provide the greatest area of potential growth with an emphasis on the point-of-care and personalized [...]
April 16th, 2009 by admin
PCR, as polymerase chain reaction is known, was one step on the way to the current status of biochip technology. A Nobel-prize winning discovery, Kary Mullis’s polymerase chain reaction (PCR), first described in 1983, allowed researchers to amplify minute amounts of DNA to quantities where it could be detected by standard laboratory methods. A further [...]
April 9th, 2009 by admin
Artificial intelligence as allowed by biochips is important in robotics engineering. A large amount of research and development has contributed to the rapid evolution of biochip technology. Combining semiconductor technology with molecular biology, biochips supplement electronic circuits with biological material. Composed of DNA, RNA or protein, a biochip holds these materials to the surface of [...]
March 26th, 2009 by admin
Biotechnology took a dramatic turn In the 1980’s following the invention of the DNA sequencing approach in 19080 and the discovery of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 1983. Biochips emerged as a novel micro technology platform for analysis of bio-molecules. This has culminated in a lively biochip industry with biotechnology company Amersham at the forefront. [...]