Author: Young Investigators Review

The Young Investigators Review is Stony Brook University's undergraduate-oriented, all-inclusive science journal. Founded in 2008, our mission is to provide the student community with a way to learn more about the research currently being done on-campus by their faculty and fellow peers. We feature articles that span all fields, from Physics to Neuroscience, as well as original student research reports straight from the campus laboratories. Our journal offers aspiring talented future researchers and physicians a way to hone their science writing skills and spread word of their experiences to inspire incoming students to think about devoting their futures to the various fields of science.
2016-17, Environment, Sociology

The Impact of Climate on Crime Rates

by Julia Newman (’19) Previous data has shown that overall levels of aggression increase as you move closer to the equator, with Central America showing a murder rate over twenty people greater than that in European countries, but a definitive reasoning has yet to be found. Scientists have suggested that high temperatures cause increased heart rate and blood pressure leading to anger; others have pointed … Continue reading The Impact of Climate on Crime Rates

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Neuroscience

A Step Forward in Parkinson’s Disease

by Sahil Rawal (’19) Parkinson’s Disease is a very deadly condition with unknown origins, as scientists have been unable to pinpoint an exact explanation for its occurrence. Previous studies have shown that patients with Parkinson’s lack dopamine-producing cells, which causes attenuation of motor skills. Furthermore, it has been shown that mitochondrial toxicity causes mutations in PINK1 and PARKIN genes in patients with Parkinson’s. However, these … Continue reading A Step Forward in Parkinson’s Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Health

The Health Benefits of Coffee

by Julia Newman (’19) Despite the common conception that coffee can be unhealthy, many research studies show that drinking coffee in moderate amounts may benefit your body in the long run for reasons scientists are mostly unaware of. Coffee has been shown to greatly help in preventing type 2 diabetes, liver disorders, and even Parkinson’s disease. In addition, it tends to have no effect on … Continue reading The Health Benefits of Coffee

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology

A New Drug For Kidney Disease

by Sahil Rawal (’19) Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that has been connected with organ failures throughout the body. One example of this is kidney disease, which has been shown to develop in 35% of people with Type 2 diabetes. Current treatments for kidney disease involve glucose-controlling systems and RAAS-blocking agents, but these therapies still leave patients at a high risk for death. … Continue reading A New Drug For Kidney Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology

New Vaccines Are Stronger Than Ever

by Julia Newman (’19) A vaccine developed by a new technique at the University of Buffalo in New York has capabilities beyond any previously created vaccine. These new vaccines, unlike their predecessors, have both natural bacterial and man-made polymer components, which allow them to have multiple mechanisms for the delivery of antigens within the vaccine. They can now be delivered not only actively, as they … Continue reading New Vaccines Are Stronger Than Ever

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Environment

Small-Scale Modeling Shows Influences on Climate Change

by Jenna Mallon (’18) Due to their low-latitude location, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean are at particularly high risk of experiencing the effects of climate change. There are currently many global models that show the effects of climate change on a large scale, but fail to take into account the effects that topography and land use have on temperature and precipitation.  This prompted Robert Oglesby, of … Continue reading Small-Scale Modeling Shows Influences on Climate Change

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology

Biotechnology Breakthrough Targets Flaviviruses

by Aaron Gochman (’18) CRISPR-Cas9, the most recent breakthrough in biotechnology research, allows for specific and precise gene editing. With countless applications, scientists all over the world seek to optimize it for use in treating myriad diseases. This week, a team of American and Chinese researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to target flaviviruses, a group that includes West Nile, Zika, and Dengue. There are no current effective … Continue reading Biotechnology Breakthrough Targets Flaviviruses

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Predictors of Tuberculosis Found in HIV/AIDS Patients

by Jenna Mallon (’18) Although the dangers of tuberculosis (TB) are widely known, many people do not know that a large percent of tuberculosis patients are also HIV positive. This issue is especially prevalent in Africa, Ethiopia specifically, where TB has been a large public health issue for over fifty years. This large health epidemic prompted Mulugeta Dalbo of the Arba Minch Health Science College … Continue reading Predictors of Tuberculosis Found in HIV/AIDS Patients

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology

The Role of Social Stress in Cocaine Addiction

by Aaron Gochman (’18) This week, scientists from the University of Texas at Austin contributed a novel idea to addiction research. Focusing on glutamatergic synaptic transmission, the primary mode of excitatory signaling in the central nervous system, the group hypothesized that social stress would lead to increased vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Specifically, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, a prime location for dopamine … Continue reading The Role of Social Stress in Cocaine Addiction

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Chemistry, Health, Pharmacology

Chromatography Separates Cyclosporin Analogs

by Jenna Mallon (’18) In recent years, cyclic peptides have emerged as leaders in therapeutic drugs due to their in vivo stability and bioavailability. A class of specific cyclic peptides known as Cyclosporins has been effective in preventing rejection and infection in the body after organ transplants. The different analogs of Cyclosporin are very structurally similar, making separation extremely difficult. For this reason Yuefei Shao, … Continue reading Chromatography Separates Cyclosporin Analogs

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Engineering

A Step Toward Synthetic Cognition and Artificial Organs

by Aaron Gochman (’18) A team of researchers from Harvard, Stanford, and Sogang University in South Korea made headlines this week with a discovery that captures the future of bioengineering. Living cardiac muscle cells were taken from rats and printed onto a robot shaped like a sting ray. The cells were engineered to express proteins that activate in response to light; when activated, the cells … Continue reading A Step Toward Synthetic Cognition and Artificial Organs

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2016-17, Biology, Health

The Relationship Between Thigh Muscle Volume and Functional Performance in Older Women

by Lillian Pao (’18) Sarcopenia, a stage in a person’s life during which they begin to lose muscle mass and function, commonly affects men and women above the age of 60. Muscles are often associated with strength, function, and power. However, the association amongst all of these characteristics is understudied.  Dr. Ulrich Lindemann of Germany decided to investigate the association between thigh muscle volume and … Continue reading The Relationship Between Thigh Muscle Volume and Functional Performance in Older Women

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment