Category: 2017-18

2017-18

Understanding the “Matthew Effect”

By Meenu Johnkutty ‘21 The most decorated and well-known scientists of our time may share an underlying characteristic: early career success. For those striving for prestige and world renown, achieving success early in one’s career may breed an environment conducive to further success. Thus, scientists who boast the same academic credentials, work ethic, and drive may find themselves outperformed by counterparts who achieved early career … Continue reading Understanding the “Matthew Effect”

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2017-18

Consuming Dark Chocolate Linked to Stress Reduction and Inflammation

By Meenu Johnkutty ‘21 There may be new incentive to indulge in your chocolate cravings! Though many studies have explored the benefits of consuming dark chocolate, a recent study at the Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center is the first to analyze the benefits of consuming specific quantities of particular types of dark chocolate. The study, led by Dr. Berk, the associate dean of … Continue reading Consuming Dark Chocolate Linked to Stress Reduction and Inflammation

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2017-18

Fish and Legumes Could Delay Menopause

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ‘21 Research suggests that menopause is predetermined by an individual’s genes, environmental factors, behavior, and diet. Yashvee Dunneram, an expert in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Leeds’ School of Food Science and Nutrition, led a study researching the effect of food on menopause. To perform this study, researchers gathered a sample of 35,000 women between the ages of 35 and … Continue reading Fish and Legumes Could Delay Menopause

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2017-18

How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Prevent School Violence

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ‘21 In recent years, school violence has increased at an alarming rate. In a recent study, Dr. Drew Barzman, a child forensic psychiatrist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), proposes the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) as a predictor of how likely students are to perform violent acts while at school. To perform this study, Barzman and his team recruited 103 … Continue reading How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Prevent School Violence

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2017-18

Scientists Are Growing Human Brains in Mice

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ‘21 Human pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into nearly any cell in the human body. Recently, geneticist Abed AlFatah Mansour and other scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies used them to build human brains in mice. The differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells gave rise to small brain-like structures known as brain organoids about the size of a lentil. Researchers … Continue reading Scientists Are Growing Human Brains in Mice

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2017-18, Interview

Student Researcher Interview with Dan Monessa

Interviewer: Benjamin Kerner Interviewed: Dan Monessa B: The first question is really just for the record, so what is your name, major, and what is your department of research? D: Sure, my name is Dan Monessa, I am a biochemistry major and the department of research I was in, was the department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within Stony Brook Medicine. B: Great, so what specific … Continue reading Student Researcher Interview with Dan Monessa

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2017-18

Brain Cancer and SENP1Silencing

By Daniel Walocha ‘19 Astrocytomas are the most common type of glioma and contain the most detrimental subtype of brain cancers, glioblastoma multiforme. Astrocytomas affect the astrocytes in the brain, which make up the blood-brain barrier. Xia et al. from Purdue University looked to study the effect of SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) knockout in cell lines derived from astrocytoma patients. SENP1 was previously found to … Continue reading Brain Cancer and SENP1Silencing

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2017-18

Urethral Carcinoma

By Daniel Walocha ‘19 Urethral carcinomas are not understood well enough to be mapped out for clinical and pathologic description. The cellular shape and function has been described to be squamous (flattened) and aggressive due to its ability to metastasize to distant organs. The mean survival and follow-up with patients offer a correlation between urethral carcinomas and human papilloma virus. Dr. Miao Zhang et al. … Continue reading Urethral Carcinoma

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2017-18

TIGAR Protein Associated Survival in Viral Carcinogenesis

By Daniel Walocha ‘19 Oncogene overexpression will lead to cancer phenotypes that can accumulate cytotoxic metabolites, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and other apoptosis-inducing factors in the cell. It is therefore necessary for the cancerous cell to eliminate the apoptosis-inducing factors or suppress apoptosis altogether. Dr. Megan Romeo et al. from Richland College has detected a mechanism in which a cooperative pathway utilizes a cellular protein … Continue reading TIGAR Protein Associated Survival in Viral Carcinogenesis

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2017-18

Habitat Creation and Woodland Bird Populations

By Fatin Chowdhury ‘19 Many are aware of the need for conservation in ecologically vulnerable locations, but scientists continue to seek to clarify the details surrounding conservation logistics. A study led by Dr. Robin Whytock at the University of Sterling examined differences in local and landscape habitat creation for bird communities within the woodland forests in central England and Scotland. Whytock’s team considered biodiversity and … Continue reading Habitat Creation and Woodland Bird Populations

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2017-18

Visualizing the Impacts of Age and Disease on the Brain

By Fatin Chowdhury ‘19 Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common neurodegenerative disorder, has previously been found to increase atrophy rate of the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with learning and memory. In relation to this issue, Dr. Daniel H. Adler and researchers from the University of Pennsylvania recently examined specific structural details of the human hippocampus as relevant to advanced age and AD. Thirty-one … Continue reading Visualizing the Impacts of Age and Disease on the Brain

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2017-18

Synergistic Products May Possibly Aid Bacterial Survival

By Fatin Chowdhury ‘19 In an introductory microbiology course, students may learn about bacterial synergy. When bacteria synergistically infect a host through a biofilm, for example, different strains work in conjunction with one another, amplifying their effects. Researchers in Germany, led by Dr. Johannes Arp, recently explored the synergetic tendencies of products from a strain of Pseudomonas bacteria designated as QS1027, which in environmental samples … Continue reading Synergistic Products May Possibly Aid Bacterial Survival

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