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.
Cancer, Cell Cycle

Invasion of the Gboxins: Inhibiting the Proliferation of Glioblastoma Cells

By Riya Gandhi ‘22 The aggressive proliferation of glioblastoma cells is characteristic of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a fatal cancer of the brain. As much as treatments may help, patients with this cancer typically relapse. Furthermore, radiotherapy and chemotherapy unintentionally target and poison normal proliferating cells, thereby harming the wellbeing of the patients. However, under principle investigator Dr. Yufeng Shi, researchers at the Cancer Biology & … Continue reading Invasion of the Gboxins: Inhibiting the Proliferation of Glioblastoma Cells

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Health

Reducing Exhaustion in Entrepreneurs Through Mindfulness Exercises

Raymond Cheung ‘22 Entrepreneurs play an essential role in developing innovations and redefining the way businesses operate. However, entrepreneurship is arduous and often causes entrepreneurs to work until they are exhausted to achieve their goals. Although it may not be possible to prevent exhaustion, mindfulness exercises can potentially mitigate the effect of exhaustion. Researchers at Oregon State University present promising findings of the effect of … Continue reading Reducing Exhaustion in Entrepreneurs Through Mindfulness Exercises

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Cognition

Augmented Reality Games and Physical Activity: Exploring the Effect of Pokémon Go

Raymond Cheung ‘22 When Pokemon GO was released in 2016, the world was captivated by the ability to capture Pokemon in the real world through augmented reality. An interesting consequence of the game’s popularity is that it promotes physical activity in its players. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Tokyo found that the game positively impacted the physical activity in older … Continue reading Augmented Reality Games and Physical Activity: Exploring the Effect of Pokémon Go

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Psychology

Relationship Between Academic Environment and the Mental Health of Students

Raymond Cheung ‘22 Researchers at the University of Munich and other universities analyzed the effect of a high-achieving environment on the mental health of students. Their work is vital because it provides insight into how a high-performing environment can harm the academic development and mental wellbeing of students. In the study, the researchers analyzed the responses of over 7,700 German school students with regards to … Continue reading Relationship Between Academic Environment and the Mental Health of Students

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Cancer

Neutrophils Escort Circulating Tumor Cells and Increase Metastatic Potential

By Nicole Zhao ’20 Numerous cancer research projects are dedicated to investigating the primary tumor and its microenvironment. Though this is undoubtedly important, the role of immune cells during cancer dispersion in the blood cells is largely uncharacterized. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) lead to metastasis of several types of cancers and its levels are often a predictor of survival rate. These cells are often found … Continue reading Neutrophils Escort Circulating Tumor Cells and Increase Metastatic Potential

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2018-19, Disease, Health

South Asians Have the Highest Rates of Heart Disease

By Nicole Zhao ’20 Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women worldwide. However, people of South Asian descent have a higher death rate from heart disease than any other group. Following a variety of diets, from omnivorous to vegetarian, South Asians are four times more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease even at normal body weight and tend … Continue reading South Asians Have the Highest Rates of Heart Disease

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Disease, Health

Sleep Modulates Hematopoiesis and Protects Against Atherosclerosis

By Nicole Zhao ’20 Numerous pathological conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease have been connected to insufficient or interrupted sleep. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms by which sleep maintains health. In this study, it was found that sleep regulates hematopoiesis and protects against atherosclerosis in mice. Hematopoiesis is the process of forming blood cellular components from stem cells. Research … Continue reading Sleep Modulates Hematopoiesis and Protects Against Atherosclerosis

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Psychology

The link between symptoms of depression in children and involvement in sports

By Kavindra Sahabir ‘21 Depression is an issue that is rapidly becoming more and more common in modern day society, even among preadolescents. Many studies have been conducted that show a correlation between a dip in depressive symptoms with an increase in physical activity, yet such an effect had not been measured in those below the ages of 9 to 11. In this study conducted … Continue reading The link between symptoms of depression in children and involvement in sports

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Health

How audio training can impact the spatial cognition of visually impaired children

By Kavindra Sahabir ‘21 One of the biggest challenges for helping anyone with a sensory impairment is training the brain in making up for the missing sense. In the case of people born with a sensory impairment, it is easier to undergo such training successfully at earlier ages due to the plasticity of the brain, which allows for changes to take effect quicker. A study … Continue reading How audio training can impact the spatial cognition of visually impaired children

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Disease

The effect of diabetes on fingernail quality

By Kavindra Sahabir ‘21 In our current public understanding, Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the need for sugar-free foods and blood sugar monitors. Beyond a high blood sugar level however, it also causes chronic degradation and damage to nerves, joints, and other bodily tissues. A study done by Dr. Silhota and team endeavored to determine whether the fingernail could be a useful site … Continue reading The effect of diabetes on fingernail quality

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2018-19

Edible Hydrogel Pill as Alternative to Implantation

By Mariam Malik ‘22 Hydrogels are known for absorbing significant amounts of water and having a high biocompatibility, while also possessing a high level of mechanical conformity and the ability to self-heal. Devices that physiologically monitor the body are usually made from materials with a high biocompatibility, including certain metals, silicon, and ceramics. But installing these devices require intrusive procedures. However, researchers at the Massachusetts … Continue reading Edible Hydrogel Pill as Alternative to Implantation

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Ecology

Use of Arithmetic operations and Memory Processing Shown in Bees

By Mariam Malik ‘22 Some animals are mentally capable of understanding the concept of numbers, emotion, and even language. However, at RMIT University in Australia, an experiment done on bees shows that they are not only able to understand the concept of numbers, but they also show comprehension of arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction, with the use of colored symbols. To determine if … Continue reading Use of Arithmetic operations and Memory Processing Shown in Bees

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