Tag: Disease

2021-22, Brain

Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes

Sooraj Shah ’24 The discussion of brain injury, particularly in contact sports such as boxing or football, has grown in importance as more and more former athletes speak out on the lingering effects years after retirement. The discovery of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in 2002 marked the beginning of increased attention and research into traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While CTE was found to spread throughout … Continue reading Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes

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2021-22, COVID-19, Disease

Usage of Music Therapy on Anxiety-Presenting COVID-19 Patients

Sooraj Shah ’24 A rise in chronic respiratory and cardiac ailments has been attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. However, one overlooked consequence of COVID-19 is isolation, which increases the risk of developing stress-related disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as patients ponder whether separation is permanent. Previous research supports music as an important tool in addressing this psychological distress, as it has been shown to … Continue reading Usage of Music Therapy on Anxiety-Presenting COVID-19 Patients

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2021-22, Health and Medicine

Investigating Interleukin-17 Activity: One Step Closer to Treating Crohn’s Disease?

Sooraj Shah ’24 About 3 million Americans have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with foreboding statistics indicating a rise in the disease’s prevalence. Crohn’s disease debilitates a patient through inflammation of the digestive tract, leading to severe pain and cramping in the abdominal area. The inflammation associated with the IBD is a response to invading pathogens by a … Continue reading Investigating Interleukin-17 Activity: One Step Closer to Treating Crohn’s Disease?

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Health and Medicine

Alexa, How’s My Heart Rate?

Aditi Kaveti ‘23 While heart conditions including high blood pressure and cardiac arrest are well-known, heart rhythm disorders, such as cardiac arrhythmia, are actually more common. The improper beating of the heart can lead to serious diseases like strokes but can be difficult to diagnose and identify because they do not present a periodic pattern in the data.  Shyam Gollakota, an associate professor in the … Continue reading Alexa, How’s My Heart Rate?

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Degenerative Disease

Diagnosis and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome in ten steps

Sabah Bari ’24 Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by an overactive immune system that causes damage to peripheral nerves, leading to loss of sensorimotor function starting at the extremities and spreading to the torso. Some symptoms of GBS are potentially fatal, such as respiratory failure, cardiac arrhythmias, blood pressure instability, which are all directly involved with the autonomic nervous system. The … Continue reading Diagnosis and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome in ten steps

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Degenerative Disease, Health and Medicine

Engineered T-cells as a Target for Fibrosis in Myocardial Disease

Simran Kaur ‘20 Fibrosis, the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix by fibroblasts into cardiac tissue, is a significant process in the development of cardiac disease and subsequent cardiac failure, but there are not many clinical treatments that can effectively target it. Cardiac fibroblasts express an antigen that can be targeted by the transplantation of antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells because CD8+ T-cells are involved in the inflammatory … Continue reading Engineered T-cells as a Target for Fibrosis in Myocardial Disease

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Cancer, Disease, Medicine and Physiology

Common Fungi May Drive Pancreatic Cancer

Nicole Zhao ’20 Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and occurs more frequently in developed countries (1). What makes pancreatic cancer even more alarming is that patients seldom exhibit symptoms until an advanced stage of the disease when little can be done for them (1). Therefore, techniques in early detection and risk assessment are crucial in the prognosis of a … Continue reading Common Fungi May Drive Pancreatic Cancer

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Disease, Health and Medicine

Role of Mitochondrial Gene TFAM in The Progression of Renal Disease

Simran Kaur ‘20 Kidney fibrosis, the accumulation of excess tissue, is the last pathway in end-stage renal failure. Examination of kidneys afflicted with renal disease in both animal and human models has shown a defect in the function of mitochondria. Mitochondria are responsible for the production of energy (ATP) in the cell, funding the processes of toxic waste removal from the blood and the regulation … Continue reading Role of Mitochondrial Gene TFAM in The Progression of Renal Disease

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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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Disease

The effect of diabetes on fingernail quality

By Kavindra Sahabir ‘21 In our current public understanding, Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the need for sugar-free foods and blood sugar monitors. Beyond a high blood sugar level however, it also causes chronic degradation and damage to nerves, joints, and other bodily tissues. A study done by Dr. Silhota and team endeavored to determine whether the fingernail could be a useful site … Continue reading The effect of diabetes on fingernail quality

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2018-19

Global Disease Outbreaks Linked to El Niño

By Allan Mai ‘20 El Niño is a complex series of weather patterns that occurs off the coast of South America. While the last El Niño occurred three years ago, the unusually warm weather and nutrient-poor water caused a series of events that continues to affect plant and animal and life, especially those that are responsible for transmitting a disease from one organism to another. … Continue reading Global Disease Outbreaks Linked to El Niño

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2017-18

Mediterranean-type diet may reduce effects of osteoporosis

Nita Wong ‘21 Characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, unrefined cereals, olive oil, and fish, the Mediterranean diet is known for its myriad of health benefits: previous research suggests that adherence to such eating habits improves cholesterol and blood sugar levels, reduces risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, prevents heart disease and strokes, and protects against type two diabetes. A recent study conducted … Continue reading Mediterranean-type diet may reduce effects of osteoporosis

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