Category: Health and Medicine

Cognition, Drug Discovery

Long-Term Use of These Drugs May Increase Risk for Dementia

Nicole Zhao ’20 A diagnosis of dementia is often accompanied by fear, anxiety and the need to fulfill a bucket list before the condition robs you of life. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning which includes thinking, remembering and reasoning (1). These losses then manifest in a change of behavior such as the inability to communicate, change in personality, and eventually the loss of … Continue reading Long-Term Use of These Drugs May Increase Risk for Dementia

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Drug Discovery, Microbiota

New Targeted Therapy May Prevent and Reverse Food Allergies

Nicole Zhao ’20 A food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs when exposed to a certain food (1). Symptoms resulting from an allergic reaction include digestive problems, hives, swollen airways and even anaphylaxis (1). Anaphylaxis is a serious, life-threatening allergic reaction and encompasses a variety of symptoms with high severity (2). During an allergic reaction, the immune system recognizes that a specific food … Continue reading New Targeted Therapy May Prevent and Reverse Food Allergies

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Microbiota, Pharmacology

Our Gut’s Interference in Some Medications

Mariam Malik ‘22 A drug is characterized as any substance that may alter one’s psychology or physiology. Depending on its purpose, each drug takes a different path once inside the body, but researchers at Harvard University have determined the role of the gut in interfering  with a drug’s path and eventually, its effectiveness.  Professor Emily Blaskus and graduate student Vayu Maini Rekdal focused on Levodopa, … Continue reading Our Gut’s Interference in Some Medications

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Cancer

Cancer Cell Debris Generated by the Longstanding Chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil is Linked to Oncogenic Inflammation

Shrey Thaker ‘22 The centerpiece of clinical struggle against cancer is the recurrence of the tumor following extensive chemotherapy. The most common chemotherapeutic agent dispatched to patients suffering from colon cancer is known as 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and its main mechanism of action includes inducing apoptosis by inflicting DNA damage and triggering the cell’s natural apoptotic pathways. While the initial effect of tumor cell death is … Continue reading Cancer Cell Debris Generated by the Longstanding Chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil is Linked to Oncogenic Inflammation

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Medicine and Physiology

Pectus Excavatum: Comparing Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Computed Tomography

Nomrota Majumder ‘21 Pectus Excavatum (PE) is a structural deformity of the anterior thoracic wall, located along the thoracic artery, and causes the breastbone to essentially sink into the chest. As the most common thoracic wall deformity in children, this condition is often congenital and worsens during the adolescent growth years. In addition to the phenotypic difference associated with this connective tissue disease, other symptoms … Continue reading Pectus Excavatum: Comparing Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Computed Tomography

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Cancer, Drug Discovery

Costunolide: A Potential Drug Molecule for Fighting Gastric Cancer

Nomrota Majumder ‘21 Costunolide, a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from Radix Aucklandiae, is shown to have powerful activity against multiple cancer forms. However, the effects of costunolide has not yet been investigated with gastric cancer, or the formation and growth of malignant cancer cells lining the stomach. As the fifth most common cancer in the world, and the third leading cause of cancer related death in … Continue reading Costunolide: A Potential Drug Molecule for Fighting Gastric Cancer

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Health

The Comparison of the Lipid Profiles and Fatigue Levels of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Kavindra Sahabir ‘21 In patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), fatigue is a very common and debilitating symptom that differs greatly from the fatigue that is commonly associated with other diseases. This is because of the nature of MS, which results from a degradation of the central nervous system as well as a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Drugs prescribed for MS-induced fatigue are limited … Continue reading The Comparison of the Lipid Profiles and Fatigue Levels of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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Disease

Distinct Fibroblast Subsets Drive Inflammation and Damage in Arthritis

By Nicole Zhao ‘20  Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints with symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness (1). One common type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease in which the immune system targets the synovial membrane of the joints and causes joint damage (1). The synovial membrane normally protects and lubricates the joints. Previous studies have found that the … Continue reading Distinct Fibroblast Subsets Drive Inflammation and Damage in Arthritis

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Exercise, Health

Exercise and Longevity in Women

By Mariam Malik ‘22 Daily exercise has been proven to significantly reduce stress and increase happiness and longevity. It has been assumed that 10,000 steps per day were needed to feel these boosts in dopamine and energy, but a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides experimental evidence that the recommended number of steps to feel the positive effects of walking is actually fewer … Continue reading Exercise and Longevity in Women

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Disease, Health

Optimizing Treatment for Diabetic Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

By Allan Mai ‘20 There are currently 415 million people worldwide living with diabetes; this number is expected to rise to 640 million by the year 2040. Complications, especially coronary artery disease (CAD), is one of the leading causes of death in diabetic patients; conversely, optimizing management of such complications can also significantly increase lifespan. While the previous assumption was that good glycemic control would … Continue reading Optimizing Treatment for Diabetic Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

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Pharmacology

Yeast and the Biosynthesis of Cannabinoids

By Allan Mai ‘20 Scientists have recently been exploring routes to biosynthesize cannabinoids by introducing a series of genes into yeast cells. Using the simple sugar galactose, Dr. Xiaozhou Luo and his team at the University of California at Berkeley successfully devised a pathway to produce major cannabinoids such as cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid among others. The biosynthesis of such compounds would allow for … Continue reading Yeast and the Biosynthesis of Cannabinoids

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Cancer

Utilizing Heat Shock Protein 90 in Breast Cancer Imaging: A Cheaper Alternative?

By Riya Gandhi ‘22 In the current day and age, therapeutic procedures for breast cancer–such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery–are at the forefront of the initiative to manage cancer effectively. Across the globe, there are nations where the resources for such treatments are readily available. However, what about the low to middle income nations? Unfortunately, many of these countries, which hold higher rates of … Continue reading Utilizing Heat Shock Protein 90 in Breast Cancer Imaging: A Cheaper Alternative?

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