Acupuncture is an alternative form of therapy, which consists in puncturing the body in specific locations using fine needles. Its birthplace is China where it was known in the Neolithic (ca. 10-4 millennium BC). The legend which explains the origin of the method says that acupuncture is the result of observation of Chinese warriors. They noted that the wounding of the body with an arrow may paradoxically cause relaxation or even relief of persistent pain which was earlier in this part of the body. Read full text »

What if you could change your body’s metabolism by just one visit to the gym? It is possible according to the latest study published in the Cell Metabolism (1) journal. The scientists examined biopsies of skeletal muscle obtained from sedentary participants before and after acute exercising. The pattern of their DNA methylation changed so that the genes responsible for cell metabolism were activated. The findings may surprise as it is generally thought that once the cell is mature, the pattern of DNA methylation is established. Here we find that the process is indeed dynamic and to some extent caffeine-related. Read full text »

You are invited to the Association’s two-day conference in Lublin. Submission to the Conference may be made via application form available at: http://stnlublin.blogspot.com/p/rejestracja-prac.html. Read full text »

Statins are one of the world’s most commonly prescribed drugs (1). They are used to lower cholesterol level by inhibiting hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoAR), which is an essential enzyme for synthesis of endogenous cholesterol. Clinical benefits of statins therapy may be greater than changes in lipid profile. Read full text »

For the first time in history scientists have developed a vaccine against malaria. It is the effect of 24 years of work which results were revealed at the end of 2011. The development of vaccine called RTS S has been ranked to 10 biggest developments of the previous year by the Science magazine. Read full text »

In May 2011, researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Meyerhofstrasse published a research in which they proposed division of intestinal flora into three enterotypes. Shortly after that, already in August 2011, a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania classified existing enterotypes to specified diet in which they occur. The discovery was added to the list of the Top Scientific Discoveries of 2011 by The Science Magazine. Read full text »

In the UK alone, 500 000 people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and still, most of the patients are not diagnosed. Therefore, HCV infection is a major cause of liver transplantation there. A few years ago, scientists have found monoclonal antibodies which gave hope for the acquisition of an effective vaccine. Now, the first results of the testing of vaccines based on adenoviral vectors have occurred. Read full text »