Category: Medicine and Physiology

Degenerative Disease, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

A Promising Therapeutic Compound for Huntington’s Disease

By Jalwa Alfroz There is currently no available treatment that can promisingly cure the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by an inherited defect in a single gene encoding the highly conserved protein, Huntington. It is also an autosomal dominant defect, which means that a person only needs one copy of the defective gene to develop the disorder. The … Continue reading A Promising Therapeutic Compound for Huntington’s Disease

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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, Medicine and Physiology

New Study Evaluates Antibiotic Usage in Malaysian Health Clinics

by Caleb Sooknanan   In primary health care settings, antibiotics are among the most expensive and widely used therapeutic drugs. The usage of antibiotics is typically regulated so that it is of appropriate dosage and affordability for a patient. A recent study performed by Dr. Shafinaz Shamsuddin and his team of researchers from Universiti Teknologi in Malaysia evaluated the use of antibiotics for acute infections in … Continue reading New Study Evaluates Antibiotic Usage in Malaysian Health Clinics

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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, Environment, Medicine and Physiology

A Baby’s Association of Food and Environment

    by Rideeta Raquib The dilemma of what to eat for dinner is a peculiar evolutionary trait that has enabled human beings to survive for centuries. Culture and our social surroundings are aspects that influence our species when it comes to our preference in food. A recent study from Dr. Zoe Liberman and her team at the University of Chicago has revealed that infants have … Continue reading A Baby’s Association of Food and Environment

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2016-17, Medicine and Physiology

Reduction of Antioxidants Could Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells

by Rideeta Raquib Antioxidants are natural chemicals found in food and tissue that may have beneficial health effects. Although it is a common ideology that antioxidants aid in fighting cancer, pancreatic cancer research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) begs to differ. In healthy cells, oxidizing and anti-oxidizing agents are maintained at a certain level of balance. The team at CSHL, led by Professor David Tuveson, … Continue reading Reduction of Antioxidants Could Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells

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2016-17, Engineering, Genetics, Medicine and Physiology

A New Genome-Editing Technique

by Jalwa Afroz Developmental biology explores how cells differentiate from a fertilized egg into a complex multicellular organism. Although the idea of marking cells to track their development is not new, scientists at Harvard University and the University of Washington developed a CRISPR genome-editing system that offers far more specificity and versatility by tracing cells with fluorescent proteins. In order for a technology to trace … Continue reading A New Genome-Editing Technique

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2016-17, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience

A New Method For Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

by Sahil Rawal (’19) Parkinson’s disease is a condition that causes lower levels of dopamine in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration. Parkinson’s is commonly seen in older patients, and causes a loss of muscle control. Till now, there was no test for Parkinson’s that would guarantee its diagnosis; rather, physicians analyzed medical histories and conducted neurological tests to look for signs of Parkinson’s. However, Dr. … Continue reading A New Method For Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

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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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2016-17, Medicine and Physiology

Understanding Acute and Chronic Pain

by Aaron Gochman (’18) The biological mechanisms for acute and chronic pain appear to be vastly different, with the understanding for that of chronic pain proving much more elusive. However, an international team of researchers may have discovered a link between the two in a recent study. NMDA receptors (NMDAR) have a diverse role in neurological function. They modulate neurotransmission, the process of transducing signals … Continue reading Understanding Acute and Chronic Pain

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