Category: Health and Medicine

2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology

New Study Reveals Effects of Timely Hepatitis B Vaccination

by Caleb Sooknanan ‘20   Hepatitis B is a viral infection that often attacks the liver. As infections have become increasingly common in Fujian, China, new measures have been created to control the virus’s impact. Such efforts have included vaccines for newborns and infants, as recommended in China’s national immunization program vaccine (NIPV) series. However, little is known about how the timely administration of the first … Continue reading New Study Reveals Effects of Timely Hepatitis B Vaccination

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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, Medicine and Physiology

Stem Cells Successfully Generate a Fully Functional Liver

    by Rideeta Raquib Approximately 30 million people are affected by liver disease globally, and the quest to find donors for liver transplants is difficult. There is a lack of functional livers available compared to the liver disease patient population. In some cases, a portion of the liver from a living donor is sufficient for regular function. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can differentiate … Continue reading Stem Cells Successfully Generate a Fully Functional Liver

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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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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, 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, 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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