Category: Health

2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Effects of Chikungunya Fever on Pregnancies and Newborns

by Caleb Sooknanan ’20   Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that incites severe joint pain and fever. The chikungunya fever (CHIKF) epidemic in Latin and South America in 2013 revealed that the virus posed a threat to maternal and child health. However, information surrounding the risks and effects of mother-to-child transmission of the virus is limited. Dr. Jaime R. Torres and his team of researchers at … Continue reading Effects of Chikungunya Fever on Pregnancies and Newborns

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2016-17, Biology, Genetics, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

Memory and the Stages of a Women’s Menstrual Cycle

    by Rideeta Raquib Previous psychological studies have suggested that women have a good memory, but a new study implies that this may be due to the impact of hormones. Other studies that tested rodents showed that there was a correlation between low estradiol (E2) levels and an increase in striatal mediated response strategies. The striatum is a region of the forebrain associated with … Continue reading Memory and the Stages of a Women’s Menstrual Cycle

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2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Visualizing Microbial Evolution on Antibiotic Landscape

By Jalwa Afroz Bacteria survive by evolving and reproducing in order to overcome environmental challenges. However, there is very little information available on how bacteria physically move in order to attain an environment that is suitable for their needs. Scientists from Harvard Medical School and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have designed a simple way to show how bacteria move as they become resistant to drugs. … Continue reading Visualizing Microbial Evolution on Antibiotic Landscape

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2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience, Psychology

‘Super-agers’ Retain Youthful Memories

  By Jalwa Alfroz As humans age, it is normal for cognitive skills, such as memory, to decline. However, some people seem to escape this fate, and are subsequently categorized as super-agers. Investigators at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, led by Dr. Bradford Dickerson, revealed that certain areas of the brains of older adults with extraordinary memory performance looked similar to those of young adults. Previously, … Continue reading ‘Super-agers’ Retain Youthful Memories

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2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Potential Means of Controlling Fevers

by Richard Liang   The human body is equipped with effective mechanisms that maintain thermal homeostasis. For example, fevers can be induced to provide an optimal environment to fight certain diseases. However, it is vital that fever temperatures are maintained within a particular threshold. They cannot be too low or the energy available for enzyme activity will be too low. They cannot be too high … Continue reading Potential Means of Controlling Fevers

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2016-17, Biology, Health

Effects of Second Hand Marijuana Smoke

by Richard Liang   Though it is known that second hand smoke from tobacco is extremely detrimental to one’s health, second hand marijuana smoke is often seen as less harmful. However, a recent study led by Dr. Xiaoyin Wang and his team of researchers from the Cardiology Division of The University of California supports the theory that second hand marijuana smoke might not be so harmless … Continue reading Effects of Second Hand Marijuana Smoke

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2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Saline Spray Treats HHT-Induced Nose Bleeds

by Patrick Yang   Epistaxis, or bleeding from the nose, is only an intermittent nuisance for the majority of the population. However, for those with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a disorder that results in the improper development of blood vessels, epistaxis can plague them up to two times a day. HHT affects roughly 1 in 5,000 people in the U.S., and the frequency of epistaxis is … Continue reading Saline Spray Treats HHT-Induced Nose Bleeds

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2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

Antibody-Based Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

by Jalwa Afroz The antibody aducanumab reduces amyloid-β plaques, helping to prevent the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic type of dementia that affects a person’s memory and behavior. Ultimately, cognitive decline and behavioral disturbances lead to a person’s inability to perform daily activity. Through pathophysiological evidence, researchers have shown that amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque buildup in the brain causes neurotoxicity. … Continue reading Antibody-Based Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

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2016-17, Engineering, Genetics, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Tackling Contraction of Infections from Healthcare Facilities

by Rideeta Raquib   Healthcare-acquired infections or HAI are illnesses acquired from healthcare environments, such as hospitals or rehabilitation clinics. It is a serious issue which affects thousands of people every year and multiplies healthcare costs significantly. Klebsiella Pneumoniae, a harmful HAI agent has been attributed to causing illnesses through colonizing and transmitting infection. One of the strains of Klebsiella Pneumoniae, known as ST258, is … Continue reading Tackling Contraction of Infections from Healthcare Facilities

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2016-17, Biology, Health

T-cell Based Therapy of Lung Cancer Metastases

by Jalwa Afroz Metastasis is the spreading of cancer cells beyond their site of origin and evading immune responses. Specifically, metastasis is the leading cause of cancer deaths (over 90%). It is easier for circulating tumor cells to localize to the lung because of the vast capillary networks that provide constant blood flow to the lungs. In addition, metastasis formation of the primary traveling tumor … Continue reading T-cell Based Therapy of Lung Cancer Metastases

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2016-17, Health, Psychology

Cognitive Function and Eating Behavior in Young Women

by Jenna Mallon (’18) Eating behavior, what you eat and how often you eat, plays a large role in your health, and many cognitive factors play a role in a person’s eating habits. Effortful control, the ability to inhibit a dominate response, and working memory, the ability to apply short-term memories to goal-oriented tasks, both play a role in how well a person can manage … Continue reading Cognitive Function and Eating Behavior in Young Women

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2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology

How Obesity May Age Your Brain

by Julia Newman (’19) Previous studies have all proven that obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even multiple types of cancer, but only now have scientists determined one dangerous effect of obesity on the brain. Dr. Lisa Ronan and Dr. Konrad Wagstyl, researchers of the Brain Mapping Unit at the University of Cambridge, recorded the brain structures of subjects from twenty to … Continue reading How Obesity May Age Your Brain

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