When a mosquito bites a mammal during the blood feeding process, saliva from the mosquito is injected into the host. The saliva may be infected with a virus, in which case the host also acquires the virus. It has been known that of the nearly one hundred proteins in mosquito saliva, some of them act
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), often referred to as free radicals, have a bad reputation – and for good reason. At high levels, these reactive forms of oxygen, which have unpaired electrons in their outer orbits, can cause significant cellular damage. For example, they destabilize cell membranes, render proteins nonfunctional and mutate DNA, which then can
Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with cancer-related deaths totaling 8.2 million in 2012. In addition, diagnosed cases of cancer are expected to increase from 14.1 million to 22 million new cases annually in the next two decades. The development of cancer is believed to involve a combination of
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures, sudden surges of electrical activity in the brain. It is the fourth most common neurological disorder, affecting approximately 2.9 million people in the United States, and one challenge for those affected is predicting the onset or progression of chronic seizures. A study from the University of Colorado,
Chemokines are signaling proteins secreted by cells, whose main function is to act as a chemoattractant to guide the migration of nearby cells. Part of the cytokine class of molecules, chemokines are important components of the immune system, forming a complex regulatory network that connects the innate and adaptive immune systems. Chemokines bind G protein-coupled