Advancing undergraduate synthetic biology education: insights from a Canadian iGEM student perspective.

The last two decades have seen vigorous activity in synthetic biology research and the ever-increasing applications of these technologies. However, pedagogical research pertaining to teaching synthetic biology is scarce, especially when compared to other science and engineering disciplines. Within Canada, there are only three universities that offer synthetic biology programs, two of which are at the undergraduate level.

Efficacy of polyphenolic ingredients of Chinese herbs in treating dyslipidemia of metabolic syndromes.

There is an increasing interest and popularity of Chinese herbal medicine worldwide, which is accompanied by increasing concerns about its effectiveness and potential toxicity. Several ingredients, such as polyphenolic compounds berberine, flavonoids, and curcumin, have been studied extensively by using various animal models. Effectiveness of treatment and amelioration of metabolic syndromes, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, has been demonstrated.

Lipin - The bridge between hepatic glycerolipid biosynthesis and lipoprotein metabolism.

Growing evidence links the three mammalian lipin proteins, i.e., lipin-1, lipin-2 and lipin-3, to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases such as noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.