Category: 2022-23

2022-23, COVID-19, Health and Medicine

As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

Sooraj Shah ’24 The COVID-19 pandemic has been featured on every television and newspaper since early 2020. Social media platforms were also covered with news about the virus including deaths, cases, and variants. As COVID grew, the coverage revolving around other public concerns seemingly took a back seat, one of these being climate change. A study led by Dr. Oleg Smirnov, a professor within the … Continue reading As the Covid Pandemic Grew, Concern for Climate Change Shriveled

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Cancer, Health and Medicine

Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

Julia Chivu ’24 A new drug has been developed to target the metabolism of cancer. Associate Professor Paul M. Bingham and Research Assistant Professor Zuzana Zachar from Stony Brook University developed a unique class of anticancer drugs–including the first-in-class and FDA-approved drug CPI-613. A first-in-class drug produces new treatment options or outcomes by exploring an unprecedented mechanism of action. CPI-613, also referred to as devimistat, … Continue reading Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Biology

Heart Medication as Potential Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder 

Julia Chivu ’24 Heart medication may serve a different purpose than its intended use. According to the National Institute of Health and other research partners, spironolactone may treat alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a brain disorder associated with chronic alcohol abuse, often causing increased rates of morbidity, mortality, and poverty. Since there are limited options for AUD treatment, researchers have turned to … Continue reading Heart Medication as Potential Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder 

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Depression, General Psychology, Psychology

Brief Digital Interventions Can Alleviate Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Depression is a mood disorder involving persistent feelings of dejection or hopelessness, difficulty with control of emotions, and loss of interest or pleasure in regular activities. As depressive disorders are increasingly recognized as a legitimate medical issue and treatment is destigmatized, younger generations in the United States have consistently reported higher rates of experiencing such conditions. However, less than half of afflicted … Continue reading Brief Digital Interventions Can Alleviate Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Novel Form of Noninvasive Neurosurgery Selectively Lesions Faulty Neural Circuitry

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 A number of movement disorders and motor neuron diseases, including focal epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, and multiple sclerosis, are recognized as medically intractable or capable of becoming so. Intractable conditions lack known etiologies and have no established courses of treatment, with those in the neurological sphere often characterized by resistance to neural activity-suppressing medications (e.g. muscle relaxants, … Continue reading Novel Form of Noninvasive Neurosurgery Selectively Lesions Faulty Neural Circuitry

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Biology

The Impact of Intestinal Microorganisms Should Not be Underestimated: Western-Style Diets May Lead to a Higher Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Diet and nutrition are considered to be key factors in the development of colorectal cancer. Previous experiments have shown that a Western diet—with high intake of red and processed meats, sugar, and refined grains, and low intake of vegetables—can induce systemic and intestinal inflammation. These intestinal inflammations may alter populations of intestinal microorganisms. Many intestinal bacteria have been found to cause colorectal … Continue reading The Impact of Intestinal Microorganisms Should Not be Underestimated: Western-Style Diets May Lead to a Higher Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Depression, General Psychology

Psychological Applications of Machine Learning: Quantifying the Risk of Prenatal Depression

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Current research suggests that factors such as socioeconomic deprivation, inadequate prenatal care, unplanned pregnancy, and psychosocial vulnerability such as stress may contribute to prenatal depression. PROMOTE is a newly developed screening tool that identifies psychosocial vulnerability in prenatal populations by assessing social determinants of health, social resources, stress and health behaviors. A research group led by Heidi Preis of Stony Brook University … Continue reading Psychological Applications of Machine Learning: Quantifying the Risk of Prenatal Depression

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, COVID-19, Health, Health and Medicine

Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

Lydia Wang ’26 SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that attacks the respiratory system, causing the disease COVID-19. The disease’s severity and risk factors have been shown to vary across certain populations. In particular, COVID-19 mortality rates were observed to be significantly higher in males than in females. One possible explanation for this cites testosterone levels, which have been seen to correlate with the ratio of digit … Continue reading Finger Lengths and Their Ratios May Be Indicative of Covid-19 Risk

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, General Psychology, mental health, Psychology

Diving Deeper into the Symptoms of PTSD

Lydia Wang ’26 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that arises after experiencing a traumatic event. Various cognitive models have highlighted attentional biases (selectively paying attention to certain stimuli while ignoring others) and memory biases (the enhancement or impairment of memory recall) based on negative stimuli in individuals with PTSD. It has also been seen that individuals remember emotional information better than … Continue reading Diving Deeper into the Symptoms of PTSD

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Neuroscience, Uncategorized

Case Study Suggests Possible Link Between Hepatitis B Vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis

Jessica George ’24 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune system disorder in which the myelin sheath surrounding axons degenerates, causing system-wide brain-body disruptions. The cause of MS is unknown, but several triggers have been identified. A case study of a patient who developed MS symptoms a day after being vaccinated with hepatitis B inspired researchers from the Bassett Medical center to explore whether the hepatitis … Continue reading Case Study Suggests Possible Link Between Hepatitis B Vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Disease, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Past Pandemics May Play a Role in Susceptibility to Disease

Melanie Karniewich ’25 When the human body reacts to something foreign, the immune response will likely ensure that the human body is unharmed. For example, when receiving a vaccine, the body remembers the virus being injected and will know how to fight it off the next time. A recent study identified traces of immune genes associated with the Black Death from the 1300s in current … Continue reading Past Pandemics May Play a Role in Susceptibility to Disease

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators Review1 Comment
2022-23, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

World Trade Center Responders with Cognitive Impairment Found to Have Decreased Cerebellar Cortical Thickness

Jessica George ’24 There is no doubt that the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) left devastating effects on the community. WTC-affected individuals, including survivors, first responders, and those involved in the clean up/recovery operation were exposed to a multitude of physical and psychological stressors. Prior neuroimaging studies demonstrate that WTC responders with cognitive impairment experienced connectivity changes in the white matter … Continue reading World Trade Center Responders with Cognitive Impairment Found to Have Decreased Cerebellar Cortical Thickness

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment