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Articles in English

Diabetes management after 100 years of insulin discovery

1921 marks the year of insulin discovery.  Exactly 100 years ago, on the 11th January 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy, was the first diabetic patient receiving insulin injection, a treatment that saved his life.  After 100 years of this revolutionary finding, many drugs on the market have been developed to help the diabetic patients …

Articles in English

The marathon for global COVID-19 immunization: Understanding the different vaccines already in use

February 2021.  Nearly 300 vaccine candidates have been under development since 2020 for the prevention of COVID-19 around the world.  As of today, 20 vaccines are in phase III clinical trials, 6 are used for limited or emergency use, and 4 have been approved for full use.  Here is a simple guide to understand the …

Plastic pollution - photo taken from 123.rf
Articles in English

Development of a human stem cells platform to probe the risks of plastic pollution in human health

Plastic production and pollution has become the scourge of our society and our environment.  Innumerable global attempts have been made to change this tendency by increasing the risk awareness toward consumers.  However, since mid-nineteens, the worldwide production and consumption of plastic has grown excessively over the years, has reached more than 350 million tons1 yearly, …

Spike protein interaction with ACE2 receptor - Photo on 123rf
Articles in English

Exploring SARS-CoV-2 structure: Direct interaction between the Spike protein and a free fatty acid essential for humans

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for COVID-19 pandemic.  As of today, this highly pathogenic coronavirus has definitely established his power globally, leaving behind more than 670’000 deaths and almost 18 million of infected people.  While important clues have emerged on its mechanism of action, key aspects of its capacity to infect human cells as well …

Feverfew flowers - Photo on 123rf
Articles in English

The natural compound parthenolide could prevent and treat metastatic growth in lung cancer

The incidence of brain metastasis among lung cancer patients varies from 10-40%, with a poor survival prognosis of less than 6 months1.  Cigarette smoking is reported to be a major risk factor associated with the development of lung cancer and correlates with a higher incidence of brain metastasis1,2.  The main component associated with the consumption …

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash
Articles in English

COVID-19: treatments tested before vaccine development

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has emerged in Wuhan, China, and has been spreading worldwide since November 17, 2019, currently (on this day, April 12th 2020) counts 1.7 millions infected individuals, more than 100’000 victims as well as billions of people isolated in quarantine.  In order to fight the new coronavirus, responsible for the pandemic, effectively …

Photo by Ardian Lumi on Unsplash
Articles in English

In search of the right steps for the scientific tango

Have you ever seen the movie “They shoot horses, don’t they”?  Based on McCoy’s novel of the same name, this piece of cinematographic art exposes the story of a dance marathon during the economic crisis that marked the period of Great DepressionThe story talks about strength and energy to find out a way to …

Articles in English

Laugh! It’s good for your health and your heart!

According to scientists, a child laughs on average three to four hours a day, while an adult only 20 minutes.  By the way, why do we laugh and what are the main beneficial effects of laughter on our body and health? After reading the following, do not hesitate to burst out laughing! Smiling and laughter …

Photo by Analia Baggiano on Unsplash
Articles in French

Les sucettes à l’anis d’Annie plus existantes que la reine blanche

Le monde d’aujourd’hui est tel qu’il créé en nous des addictions plus au moins bénignes comme l’addiction au shopping, à la télévision, au sport ou au sexe, mais également plus graves et plus malsaines encore, l’addiction aux jeux, à la nicotine, aux drogues ou à l’alcool.  Cela dit, notre époque est aussi celle de la …

Photo by Leslie Low on Unsplash
Articles in English

You can go small or you can go home

It is known that the sexual attributes of men are important for their ego.  The bigger it is, the better!  Still, big is not always a good sign.  An American study for the least provocative suggests that men with large testicles become less good fathers than those with small ones.  Evolutionary biologists have been observing …

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Articles in French

Rigoler! C’est bon pour la Santé et pour le coeur!

Selon les scientifiques, un enfant rigole en moyenne trois à quatre heures par jour, alors qu’un adulte seulement 20 minutesMais, au fait, pourquoi rigole-t-on et quels sont les effets bénéfiques du rire sur notre corps et notre Santé? Apres avoir lu ce qui suit, n’hésitez surtout pas à éclater de rire! Rire, c’est bon …

Anguilla Japonica - image on 123rf
Articles in English

On today’s menu: Fluorescent sushi!

Have you ever tasted Japanese Anguilla that is principally served as a sushi meal?  Very appreciated in the high gastronomy and sometimes used as a cure in Chinese traditional medicine, the Japanese Anguilla (called Anguilla japonica – see caption image) is also very interesting for biologists.  Indeed, scientists have discovered that the muscles of this …

Photo: Pixabay
Articles in French

Des sushis fluorescents, dites-vous?

Avez-vous déjà goûté l’anguille du Japon, que l’on sert en principe sous forme de sushis ?  Très appréciée dans la gastronomie fine japonaise, et utilisée parfois comme remède en médecine traditionnelle chinoise,  l’anguille du Japon (appelée Anguilla japonica) peut également être très intéressante pour les biologistesEn effet, des chercheurs ont récemment découvert que les muscles …

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash
Articles in French

Wake me up before you go go! : De l’hibernation à l’exercice

Ce matin, en regardant par la fenêtre de mon appartement cosy du centre de Boston, au Massachusetts, je m’émerveille de la neige que nous a apportée la tempête Nemo.  D’après les dernières nouvelles, il fait -15 C dehors.  En prenant mon petit-déjeuner, je me demande comment certains animaux réussissent-ils à garder la chaleur par un …

Publications

Publications

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS   Original articles Ljubicic S*, Ramadori G*, Ricci S*, Mikropoulou D*, Brenachot X, Veyrat-Durebex C, Ebru Aras1,2, Ioris RM,   Altirriba  J, Malle E, Foell D, Vogl T, and Coppari R (2019)S100A9 extends lifespan in insulin deficiencyNature Communications 10 (1):3545(impact factor: 12.253) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11498-x   Aras E*, Ramadori G, Kinouchi K, …