Micronutrients are vital nutrients required in smaller amounts by the body to perform normal physiological, metabolic functions along with influencing the structural and functional brain activities. Several micronutrients such as iron, iodine, zinc, folate, vitamin B12, calcium, and n-3 fatty acids have been linked to maternal mental health and wellbeing.
Malnutrition refers to the deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in an individual’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. Presently, malnutrition remains the world's major public health problem. Over-nutrition (overweight and obesity), under-nutrition, and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) deficiencies are different forms of malnutrition that influence people across the globe.
Exosomes, small spherical shaped vesicles (50 to 150nm in size) are secreted by almost all types of cells in the body, and thus, are found in the body fluids. Currently, studies on exosomes form a hot topic of research in the field of intercellular communication.
Genome Annotation is the process to identify, analyze and interpret the relevant information related to the raw DNA sequences. Genome Annotation helps to extract structural location and biological functions of genes.
For a long time, there was an assumption that bacteria exist as individual cells. The discovery of intercellular 'talking' among the bacteria led to the realisation that bacteria are capable of synchronised activity that was once believed to be restricted to multicellular organisms.
The advancements in science and technology have made it possible for the neuroscientists to understand microscale function of single neurons as well as the macro scale activity of the human brain. However, a comprehensive understanding of the brain still remains an elusive goal.
Drug delivery is the method of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. A suitable amount of the active drug must be absorbed and transported to the site of action at the right time and in right concentrations (therapeutic range).
The word 'Silk' makes us think first of glossy & shiny fabrics. The application of silk in medical field started in the nineteenth century when it replaced traditional metal wires as a suture material. Silkworms, with the help of epithelial cells in specialized glands, secrete 2 silk proteins – outer 'sericin' & inner core 'fibroin'.
Nutrigenomics can be defined as research focussed on identification of interactions between dietary bioactive compounds and nutrients with genome at a molecular level. This branch of science deals with the concept of personalised nutrition based on an individual's genotype and phenotype.
Human beings are born heterogeneous in genomic level with no two persons having identical DNAs. Even identical twins do not have the same DNA. No two human are alike and thus "one-size-fits-all" approach to medicine is not acceptable.
In the last few years, numerous studies have shown that modest exposure to sunlight may actually be good for you, helping the body to produce vitamin D. It needs to keep bones healthy and protect against many diseases.
Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity have become emerging health challenges in the developed and developing nations. T2DM and obesity both are the growing problems in India. According to the International Federation of Diabetes, that India will become a home for 109 million of diabetic people by 2035 from 65.1 million in 2013.
A Greek word ‘Pro-bios’ means ‘for life’, derived the word ‘Probiotic’. They are known to have role in maintaining intestinal microflora, strengthening host immune system and also maintaining health and wellbeing of the consumer.
Fats and oils are integral parts of healthy diets. Fatty acids are the building blocks of various lipids and are classified into 3 groups – saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monosaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
Stem cells have the potential to generate different cell types in our body. They are undifferentiated cells and have the self renewal capacity. Under certain physiological or experimental conditions, stem cells can be induced to become tissue or organ-specific cells with stipulated functions.
