Category: Health and Medicine

2022-23, Cancer, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Title: Increased Movement of Cancer Cells in Fluids of High Viscosity Hints at Possible Control Mechanism

By Sooraj Shah, Class of 2024 Figure 1 Observing activity of cancer cells in fluids of increasing viscosity may provide a mode of treatment via limiting this activity  With more than 1.9 million individuals in the US being diagnosed with cancer each year, research revolving around the behavior of cancer cells is an important aspect of the search for better treatments. The study of cancer … Continue reading Title: Increased Movement of Cancer Cells in Fluids of High Viscosity Hints at Possible Control Mechanism

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2022-23, COVID-19, Health and Medicine

Title: As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

By Sooraj Shah, Class of 2024 Figure 1 As Covid-19 pandemic grows, concerns for climate change dwindle The COVID-19 pandemic has been featured on every television and newspaper since early 2020. Social media platforms were also covered with news about the virus including deaths, cases, and variants. As COVID grew, the coverage revolving around other public concerns seemingly took a back seat, one of these … Continue reading Title: As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

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2022-23, Cancer, Health and Medicine

Title: Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

By Julia Chivu, Class of 2024 Figure 3 Woman ingesting a pill. A new drug has been developed to target the metabolism of cancer. Associate Professor Paul M. Bingham and Research Assistant Professor Zuzana Zachar from Stony Brook University developed a unique class of anticancer drugs–including the first-in-class and FDA-approved drug CPI-613. A first-in-class drug produces new treatment options or outcomes by exploring an unprecedented … Continue reading Title: Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

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2022-23, COVID-19, Health, Health and Medicine

Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

Lydia Wang ’26 SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that attacks the respiratory system, causing the disease COVID-19. The disease’s severity and risk factors have been shown to vary across certain populations. In particular, COVID-19 mortality rates were observed to be significantly higher in males than in females. One possible explanation for this cites testosterone levels, which have been seen to correlate with the ratio of digit … Continue reading Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

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2022-23, General Psychology, mental health, Psychology

Diving Deeper into the Symptoms of PTSD

Lydia Wang ’26 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that arises after experiencing a traumatic event. Various cognitive models have highlighted attentional biases (selectively paying attention to certain stimuli while ignoring others) and memory biases (the enhancement or impairment of memory recall) based on negative stimuli in individuals with PTSD. It has also been seen that individuals remember emotional information better than … Continue reading Diving Deeper into the Symptoms of PTSD

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2022-23, Disease, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Past Pandemics May Play a Role in Susceptibility to Disease

Melanie Karniewich ’25 When the human body reacts to something foreign, the immune response will likely ensure that the human body is unharmed. For example, when receiving a vaccine, the body remembers the virus being injected and will know how to fight it off the next time. A recent study identified traces of immune genes associated with the Black Death from the 1300s in current … Continue reading Past Pandemics May Play a Role in Susceptibility to Disease

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COVID-19, Depression, Health and Medicine, Psychology

Depression as a Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 Infection

Peter Gillespie ’25 Covid-19 has been at the forefront of concern for many since the pandemic struck, especially for patients with risk factors for severe diseases if infected by Covid-19. Respiratory and cardiovascular disease, old age, hypertension, and diabetes have already been established as high risk factors for severe Covid-19 infection. However, recent research from Dr. Sean Clouston and his colleagues has identified a new … Continue reading Depression as a Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 Infection

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2022-23, General Psychology, mental health

Optimizing Retention in Mental Health Interventions

Lydia Wang ’26 With rising rates of mental health disorders in adolescents, it has become increasingly important to ensure that the right treatment is available for them. Many adolescents do not receive proper mental health care because of structural or psychological barriers. For example, insurmountable costs and transportation fees, as well as the stigma associated with mental health may pose potential barriers. With the advent … Continue reading Optimizing Retention in Mental Health Interventions

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2022-23, Computer Science, Machine Learning, mental health

The Role of Robots in Mental Health Detection For Children

Figure 1: Young female holding the hand of a humanoid robot. Julia Chivu ’24 Children may be more open to robots than humans when it comes to their mental health. The growing rate of anxiety and depression among children in the United Kingdom motivated researchers to utilize this unique technology as they sought out better mental health resources in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. … Continue reading The Role of Robots in Mental Health Detection For Children

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2022-23, COVID-19, Health and Medicine, mental health

COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

Figure 1: Stony Brook University research team finds significant increase in psychological stress among lung cancer patients during pandemic. Zhifei Zeng ’23 COVID-19, which has ravaged the world, is still a public health concern and there are multiple theories about the cause of severe COVID-19 infection in young people. Previous research on genetic factors associated with severe COVID-19 has been limited to the gene pool … Continue reading COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

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2022-23, Health, Health and Medicine, Sociology

Friends and Food: The Influence of Perceived Social Isolation on Malnutrition

Peter Gillespie ’25 The risks of malnutrition are extensive,  especially within the elderly population. Social factors such as poverty, race, illiteracy, and poor access to healthcare have been shown to increase risk of malnutrition among older adults. However, a recent publication from Dr. Mark J. Sedler, founder of the Stony Brook University Office of Global Medical Education, and his colleagues proposes an additional social determinant … Continue reading Friends and Food: The Influence of Perceived Social Isolation on Malnutrition

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2022-23, Biology, Microbiota

A Mother’s Influence on their Youngs’ Microbial Colonization

Julia Chivu ’22 A mother’s influence on her offspring’s health is present even in the microbes found in her child’s gut. A recent study by associate professor Amy Lu at Stony Brook University and a research team from the Arizona State University hypothesized that bacteria present in the gut of infant geladas are highly influenced by their mothers. The study investigated wild geladas–non-human primates found … Continue reading A Mother’s Influence on their Youngs’ Microbial Colonization

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