Posts by Laura Winton

Cellular Senescence and Aging – a new thematic series from Longevity & Healthspan

Laura Winton on May 10, 2013 at 9:42 am - 0 Comments

The biology of aging is becoming an increasingly popular area of research; both life-limiting age-related diseases and the mechanisms underlying a longer healthy lifespan are intriguing to researchers and the public alike.

A new thematic series from Longevity & Healthspan focuses primarily on one aspect of aging; cellular senescence. The series, edited by Professors John M Sedivy and Jan M van Deursen, recently published an Editorial highlighting our current understanding of the mechanisms of cellular senescence and explains the need for continued study of this growing area of research.

The Editorial describes how cellular senescence can be triggered by many intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli, from activation of oncogenes to nutrient imbalances. In any case, …

Coriander – you either love it or you hate it

Laura Winton on November 29, 2012 at 1:34 pm - 0 Comments

Coriander leaves (Coriandrum sativum), also known as Cilantro, arouse strong emotions. Eaters are divided into those who find the flavour citrusy, fresh and pleasant against those who insist it is soapy, dirty and foul.

A genetic role has long been suspected, from previous studies published in Flavour and other journals. Mauer and El-Sohemy showed that between 3 and 21% of Canadians disliked cilantro, depending on their ethnic group. Now researchers have found a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) which appears to control this dislike and which is published today in Flavour.

This genome-wide association study was carried out by genomics company 23andme, which has pioneered personal genome sequencing. They tested 14,604 participants of European descent who disliked cilantro, together …

Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair launches a Cardiovascular Diseases thematic series

Laura Winton on September 5, 2012 at 12:52 pm - 1 Comment

Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair has published its first articles in its Cardiovascular Diseases thematic series; a collection of both research and review papers relating to all aspects of cardiac fibroproliferative disorders.

In the series Editorial, Ian M.C. Dixon, Cardiovascular Section Editor for the journal and Editor of the thematic series, describes how the new series aims to address topics not generally associated with “textbook” knowledge of cardiac fibroblasts and will publish work in areas that represent novel concepts and new developments in heart disease and cardiac fibrosis. One topic that requires further investigation is the suggestion that fibroblasts exhibit distinct differentiated phenotypes in different tissues. The implications of these differences remain understudied – especially in cardiovascular …

Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair publishes its first supplement

Laura Winton on June 6, 2012 at 2:04 am - 0 Comments

Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair has published a supplement of proceedings from the Fibroproliferative disorders: from biochemical analysis to targeted therapies conference, held in Frauenchiemsee, Germany, 25-30 September 2010.

The conferen ce brought together a number of experts in the field of tissue fibrogenesis, with the aim to provoke discussion into the pathological processes of tissue fibrogenesis as well as the development of ideas and strategies for new targeted therapies. The meeting addressed a whole spectrum of topics related to fibroproliferative disorders; from the basic concepts of fibrogenesis; to fibrosis in a range of organs including the lungs, kidney and liver; to the reversibility of the process and finally, the need for new antifibrotic therapies.

The supplement highlights some …

“Cardiovascular Diseases” thematic series – Submit your research now!

Laura Winton on May 31, 2012 at 10:47 am - 2 Comments

“Cardiovascular diseases”, a new thematic series from Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair, is now accepting submissions. The series, edited by Professor Ian M.C. Dixon, will publish both research and review articles relating to all aspects of cardiovascular fibroproliferative disorders, including cardiac fibrosis, the extracellular matrix and heart failure.

The series welcomes research on a wide range of topics with a particular emphasis on the following areas:

The role of autophagy in extracellular matrix remodeling.
The role of bone marrow stem cells in populating the heart with cardiac fibroblasts and/or myofibroblasts, and their effect on cardiac matrix remodeling in heart disease.
The role of pericytes, EMT, EndMT, and fibrocytes in populating the heart with cardiac …

Flavour and the New Nordic Cuisine – from seaweed to science!

Laura Winton on May 2, 2012 at 3:11 am - 0 Comments

Flavourand the New Nordic Cuisine was a seminar to celebrate the launch of Flavour, a new interdisciplinary journal covering the psychophysical, psychological and chemical aspects of eating food, as mediated through all the senses.

Speakers Per Møller, Ole Mouritsen and Lars Williams explored how flavour shapes our world, including samples of new food and flavourings developed by Noma and the Nordic Food Lab. All three talks are now available to watch on the Flavour website, and the slides from each talk can be found below.

In the first talk, Per Møller, Editor-in-Chief of Flavour, gave an overview of the journal and its important role in bridging the gap between all disciplines that work on taste …

Flavour – a new journal launched today

Laura Winton on March 21, 2012 at 3:23 am - 0 Comments

Flavour is a new
multi-disciplinary journal that launches today with BioMed Central. The journal covers all aspects of eating
food, as mediated through the senses, and welcomes contributions from the fields
of neuroscience, psychology, genetics, sensory science and food chemistry. Flavour
especially encourages contributions from chefs, often working in collaboration
with academic research groups.

The first issue covers the role of attention in flavour
perception, the impact of food aroma on bite size and the
development of new seaweed
flavourings from renowned restaurant Noma and the Nordic Food Lab.

To celebrate the launch, BioMed Central is co-hosting a
seminar next Wednesday 28th March at Senate House, University of
London, where …

Postnatal vasculogenesis: The role of integrins in endothelial progenitor cell function

Laura Winton on March 12, 2012 at 4:08 am - 0 Comments

Endothelial
progenitor cells (EPCs) play a significant role in the formation of both
embryonic and adult blood vessels. Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair has just
published a review in which the authors discuss the current literature
concerning postnatal vasculogenesis – the process by which EPCs contribute to
new blood vessel formation in adults.

Postnatal
vasculogenesis consists of four inter-related steps, with the success of each
step depending on the ability of the EPCs to respond accordingly to various
molecular cues. The review by Francisco Caiado and Sérgio Dias focuses
on the importance of integrins in the regulation of EPCs and their contribution
to each of the four …

Cancer & Metabolism is now accepting submissions!

Laura Winton on February 10, 2012 at 12:32 pm - 0 Comments

Altered
glucose metabolism of tumor cells was first noted by Otto Warburg in the
1920s. In later years, the discovery of
oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes transformed our understanding of cancer, but
left metabolism neglected. Now recent advances show that many oncogenes drive
cancer by altering metabolic pathways, leading to an explosion of research. It is also clear that metabolic diseases,
such as diabetes and obesity, are linked to cancer in ways that are not entirely
clear.

Cancer & Metabolism is a new
interdisciplinary journal launched at the crossroads of these disciplines. The journal is edited by pioneering clinician
scientists Chi Van Dang, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and Michael Pollak,
McGill University, Canada. …