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A groovy kind of protein?
Fig 1: Lipids phase separate into hydrophobic bilayers Lipids are insoluble in water, so they are synthesized in a membrane bilayer that makes a separate phase, like a layer of oil forming on water (Figure 1). Since most lipid-synthesizing enzymes are localised to just one membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum in eukaryotic cells or the inner…
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Echo chambers and polarization may not be the same phenomenon in social media
Image by ar130405 from Pixabay, CC0 When are echo chambers harmful? The presence of echo chambers may seem synonymous with their potential ill effects. Existence of echo chambers indicates a polarized state of the society concerning beliefs regarding a given topic. A social network becomes polarized when several communities exist with differing beliefs. Such communities…
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Parasitic and fungal infections play a significant role in porpoise strandings
Harbour porpoise Ecomare/ Salko de Wolf Porpoises are aquatic mammals belonging to the toothed whale family. They look similar to dolphins but can be distinguished by the shape of their noses (dolphins have beak-like noses), teeth (porpoises have spade shaped teeth) and their fins (porpoises have triangular dorsal fins as opposed to the hook shaped…
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What happens to people who inject drugs after surgery for a heart valve infection?
People who inject drugs face many health challenges. Aside from the highly publicized overdose epidemic, people who inject drugs are at risk for several infectious diseases due to the unsterile nature of injecting drugs. These infections range from hepatitis C and HIV to bacterial and fungal infections. Some infections are limited to the skin, like…
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The Power of Language-Concordant Care
“Doctora, no soy bruta” a patient confided in me. This means “Doctor, I’m not dumb” She went on to describe how she feels the sting of discrimination for not speaking English and how she dedicates her time trying to navigate her way through life, even just to find a doctor, like myself, who can speak…
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Ensuring safe drinking water in Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
A Rohingya child is drinking water directly from tube well spout, located in a place in very poor and unsafe conditions. The Rohingya emergency Since August 2017, around one million Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following a wave of targeted violence in the neighboring Rakhine State of Myanmar. Most of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas settled in…
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How can the plastic waste crises be solved in Africa?
(Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay, CC0) Plastic waste management has become a topical issue, especially the contamination of marine and fresh water environments. Nearly 513 million tonnes of plastics wind up in the oceans every year; and the major contributors from Africa are Egypt (0.97 tonnes), Nigeria (0.85 tonnes), and South Africa (0.63 tonnes), ranking…
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What vaccination means for mankind: Insights from the Vaxvox launch meeting
On 30 September 2019, the One Health Platform organized a one-day meeting at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, Germany, which served as the formal launch of VAXVOX – Science talks. VAXVOX is a reference network of spokespersons on science-related vaccine issues and thus unites vaccination advocates globally. Its aim is to communicate pro-actively and…