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Energy is information. Lengthening the time during which a system is capable of retaining energy before losing it to the local environment is a key goal for the development of quantum information. This interval is called the "coherence time". Several studies have been performed with the aim of retarding decoherence. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Campinas's Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW-UNICAMP) in São Paulo State, Brazil, in partnership [...]

An international group of researchers has proven that a molecule called TCMDC-135051 can selectively inhibit a protein that is essential to the lifecycle of Plasmodium falciparum, one of the parasites that causes malaria. The results of the study, just published in the journal Science, pave the way for the development of a new antimalarial drug. Malaria kills nearly 500,000 people per year, and more than 200 million new cases of the disease are reported annually. One of the obstacles to [...]

Ever since three US-based researchers working independently unveiled the role of nitric oxide in mediating blood vessel dilation, endothelial cell contraction and smooth muscle relaxation, their discoveries have served as a basis for novel treatments for high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction, among other conditions. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 was awarded jointly to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for groundbreaking research of nitric oxide [...]

A new material with antifungal and antitumor properties has been developed by researchers at the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF), one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP. CDMF is hosted by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in São Paulo State, Brazil. The compound was obtained from a sample of pure silver tungstate (a-Ag2WO4) irradiated with electrons and laser [...]

Brazilian researchers believe they have identified in patients treated at the University Hospital (HU) in Aracaju, state of Sergipe, a new species of parasite that can cause a disease similar to visceral leishmaniasis but is resistant to the treatments currently available. At least one person has died from complications associated with infection by the parasite. Results of the research, supported by São Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP, were published September 30th in the journal [...]

Researchers based in Brazil, the United States and Germany have discovered that 12-HEPE, a lipid produced in response to cold by brown adipose tissue in the human body, helps reduce blood sugar. The results of their experiments with mice pave the way for new treatments for diabetes. The group also observed that a drug used to treat urinary dysfunction increases the amount of 12-HEPE released into the bloodstream in human patients. The study is published in Cell Metabolism. Its first [...]

A study by researchers at the Center for Cell-Based Therapy, which is supported by FAPESP, identified microRNAs involved in pluripotency maintenance and cell differentiation Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can give rise to many different types of tissues and organs. At the turn of the present century, these cells were believed to offer hope of treatment for several health problems, but as research advanced, scientists realized that understanding and controlling the behavior of ESCs would be a more [...]

Computational tools applied to biology are revolutionizing the study of what happens inside cells during an infection, helping scientists to understand disease mechanisms and contributing to the identification of potential therapeutic targets. An example is a study published in PLOS Pathogens describing how Brazilian researchers analyzed blood cells from patients infected with chikungunya virus. With the aid of techniques such as complex network analysis, artificial intelligence and machine [...]

Fungi of the genus Candida cause thrush and candidiasis, a fairly common disease in humans. It can be lethal to individuals with low immunity, especially when they are hospitalized. Although the drug most widely used to combat the disease is effective in most cases, some varieties of the fungus are drug-resistant. Compounds that combat two species of Candida have now been isolated from a plant by researchers based in Brazil and Spain. The plant is Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, a shrub native to the [...]