Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics for Cancer Immunotherapy
Nucleic acid therapeutics have surfaced as hopeful possibilities for cancer treatment, including immunotherapy. The growing number of approved nucleic acid therapeutics by the FDA displays their potential to treat diseases by attacking their genetic blueprints.
A Brief History of Organ Transplantation: The Past, Present, and Future
An article based on the Cambridge Science Festival lecture “The Horrible History and Bright Future of Organ Transplantation”.
Promise and Peril: Machine Learning in Modern Cancer Treatment
A discussion of both the promises and perils of artificial intelligence in cervical cancer, brain cancer, and lung cancer treatment. A fast-growing field that promises many scientific breakthroughs in future.
Why Is the Discovery of New Antibiotics So Difficult?
In 2018 Isabelle Carnell-Holdaway a cystic fibrosis sufferer was put in ICU after an aggressive infection of Mycobacterium abscessus, a relative of tuberculosis, spread to her liver putting it at risk of failure. With no new classes of antibiotics discovered and available for routine treatment since the 1980s, she was left with a 1% chance of survival. However in under two years, Isabelle went from receiving end-of-life care to preparing to sit her A-levels and learning to drive. It had taken an experimental bacterio-phage therapy treatment instead of antibiotics to save the life of a girl with a seemingly untreatable bacterial infection. This articles will take a look at a few of the factors which made the discovery of an antibiotic that could have treated Isabelle so difficult.
Artificial Blood-A Mystery Soon to be a Reality
A unique discovery with a motto to attempt to replace blood transfusions in emergencies, to reduce the high risk of contaminated blood products, to prevent the shortage of blood due to lack of refrigeration or inconvenience to find matching blood types.
ADHD, ASD, and Schizophrenia
There are several psychological disorders and if we begin to study them one by one, we will be able to observe very distinct characteristics in each one. However, the scope of this article covers 3 common psychological disorders and includes a brief but explanatory profiling of each
‘Patient H.M’ – An unsung hero: The forgotten man who forgot everything
In this article I share a very important story of a man who revolutionised neuroscience by losing his own memory. While patient H.M may have forgotten many things in his lifetime, he is an identity that we cannot allow ourselves to forget as he gifted us his own memory.
What OCD Really Entails
Many of us have all too often heard phrases along the lines of, “this is making me feel OCD” or “I’m so OCD about this thing,” but what is OCD really? Is it as simple as being particular about the arrangement of objects in a given space or the order of colours and letters, or is it much more of a severe, and potentially life changing condition that affects how many individuals function in their daily lives…
Preventing Nerve Cell Deterioration After Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries are quite common in the US and cause a multitude of neurological conditions. A research team in Ohio discovered two possible treatments for traumatic brain injury and preventing Alzheimer’s disease as well.
Understanding the Opioid Crisis in the United States
Opioids are a group of psychoactive chemicals which affect our body in various ways. Find out about their side effects and get a brief overview of the history of their use in the United States.
How Can Music Help?: Exploring Music-Based Interventions for Adolescent Mental Health
This article explores teen mental health, common barriers that make treatment inaccessible, and the way music may be able to help teens in ways many wouldn’t expect.
Dyslexia: The Reading Disability
Today, dyslexia is the most common learning disability in the United States, affecting 2-15% of the population. The disability substantially interferes in school and work settings, impairing the education of young children.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a condition of sleep disorder present in the lives of many people. People with insomnia experience hardships in terms of going to sleep, falling asleep, and experience sleep in general in their day-to-day life. Out of all sleep disorders, insomnia is emphasized to be the most common amongst many individuals. Overall, insomnia is proven to be heavily detrimental in the lives of those who have it as they may experience negative and fatigue-like effects due to this disorder.
Replicative Crisis: Mapping Cellular Fates and Identifying Determinants between Cell Survival and Death
In order to divide indefinitely, most cancerous cells activate the enzyme telomerase, which elongates telomeres. To express telomerase, cells typically survive a state known as replicative crisis. This work explores two areas critical to understanding crisis-related mechanisms: the generation of chromosomal aberrations and cytosolic DNA species during crisis and determinants of cell death versus survival during crisis. Understanding these domains is critical to understanding the process of cancer cell immortalization.
A Brief Overview of Telomeres
For centuries, scientists have pondered about the human body and the structures that make us who we are. In recent decades, advances in genetics have helped us understand more about the human genome and the processes by which we are able to live.
Smart Inhalers
Smart Inhalers: an advanced form of inhalers with digital connection for effective respiratory management, reducing the chances of human errors due to manual usage.
Alice In Wonderland Syndrome : A Very Rare Neurological Disorder
Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a very rare neurological disorder also known as Todd’s syndrome. The causes of this rare disease are mysterious and if you’d like to learn more about this disorder check this article out!
Visuoperceptual disturbances within Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive central nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms start gradually, ranging from a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand to difficulty controlling eye movements.
How Have Viruses Contributed to Human Evolution?
Evolution can be defined as the biological process by which the physical characteristics of creatures change over time, new types of creatures develop, and others disappear. With the recent coronavirus pandemic it’s very easy to regard viruses as the enemy of evolution: an arm’s race between a host and a pathogen. This article will explore aspects of human evolution that blur this dichotomy. More specifically how viruses influenced the development of the placenta, the brain and the immune system.
Phobias and How We Can Treat Them
Phobia: the irrational fear of an object or situation. Almost everyone has some irrational fears, however, phobias are when this fear inhibits you from staying grounded and makes you uncontrollable. Specific phobias are one of the most common mental disorders, with an estimated prevalence ranging from ~7% to ~15%.
Intersex: Intersecting Social Boundaries
Today, sexuality is a broad spectrum. Learn more about how intersexuality and it’s social implications in both our history and in modern society today.
Behind the Scenes of Social Situations: Why We Act The Way We Do
When placed in a social situation, we go through a series of psychological steps that determine how we perceive and react to what is going on. This process varies from person to person, and is the reason why social interactions can be so unpredictable!
Long COVID (PASC)
This article describes the long term effects of COVID 19 survivors. It includes reference studies enlisting long COVID symptoms and the possible mental and physical effects after recovery.
Management for Heart Attacks: Angioplasty and Bypasses
An article to explore the causes and pathology of heart attacks and potential treatment options.
Link Between Social Media and Mental Illness
In today’s digital age, many children are given cellular devices before they have even reached 12 years old. Upon receiving these new phones or tablets, children are immersed into an unfamiliar yet intriguing online world of viral videos, photoshopped images, and trendy lifestyles. While seemingly benign, this newfound online immersion can be detrimental to a child’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
The Race for the Covid-19 Vaccine
There has been a lot of controversy regarding the COVID-19 vaccine development and many challenges still lie ahead despite the fast-paced rollout of various candidates. In this article I explore the way in which this extreme development has occurred due to the pressure and competitive atmosphere we are presently in, as we face a rat race with each nation striving for their own success. This individualised approach is failing to truly achieve the global effort we need in stamping out this pandemic.
Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and treatment
Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia, affects memory, thinking and behavior. Oftentimes the effects of Alzheimer’s can influence daily tasks. It alone accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases. It’s a common misconception that Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging, those who are older are at a higher risk, but nearly 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have been reported to have Alzheimer’s.
A Multidimensional View on Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is a hereditary health condition that impacts millions of lives across the globe. Researchers have found that we need to place more emphasis on other aspects of this disease, aside from biological, in order to improve treatment.
Subliminal Stimuli and its Neurological Affects
Subliminal messages have been used since time immemorial, but researchers are yet to give a very concise explanation of, both, whether it works and if it does, how?
What is Antibiotic Resistance?
In the age of modern medicine, antibiotics are prescribed regularly. Antibiotics are helpful in preventing harmful conditions and have reduced fatalities by a large number. Unfortunately, a new problem known as antibiotic resistance is emerging as bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics. Why is antibiotic resistance growing, and how can it be stopped?
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): An Unexplainable Nightmare For New Parents
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death for infants who are between 1 to 12 months of age in the United States, yet it is broadly defined with much that remains unknown about its cause. The mysterious and unexpected nature of SIDS has raised alarm and resulted in awareness campaigns such as the US “Safe to Sleep” campaign.
Cloudy Eyes
This poem focuses on blindness, most specifically on one perspective of mental depletion caused from this condition that has started on a later part of their life.
The Effects of Different Exercises on Women with Metabolic Syndrome
The metabolic syndrome is estimated to be present in 47 million Americans. This article discusses the effects of various exercise forms on metabolism and levels of irisin in the female body.
Drug Pricing in the United States
Drug costs are a prominent issue in American healthcare. To investigate health care reform, one must examine the depth of the issue and what can be done. Americans pay higher drug costs than the rest of the world, despite their higher wages and while they also use newer and stronger drugs, some claim that the US is shouldering the burden for drug innovation.
Why We’re Addicted to Our Phones
Hours and hours of mindless scrolling does not happen out of nowhere. In our brains, we derive pleasure from the dopamine reward system. As we indulge in social media, this system gets activated and reinforces our behavior to keep us addicted.
Anosognosia – Not Knowing What You Don’t Know
This article discusses the causes, consequences, and significance of anosognosia, a mental condition that may be easily overlooked without caution. The strange concept of this condition raises the question of how one chooses to believe in something, and whether the act of believing is localized in the brain.
Asteroid Hyalosis
A clinical entity with a resemblance of stars on a clear night having calcium lipid complexes being suspended throughout the vitreous collagen fibrils.
Eating Disorders
More than 30 million people living in the US will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Eating disorders are psychological conditions that are related to tenacious eating habits that harm your health. Eating disorders could negatively impact your heart, bones, digestive system, and bones.
Is Regenerative Medicine the Key to the Future?
Regenerative medicine might be the key to the future..or not. With more experiments and discoveries each day, perhaps it’ll be a pivotal advancement.
Your Brain Is Built To Forget
Recent studies contradict decades-old assumptions by proving that the brain was, in fact, built to forget. That, in order to remember, forgetting is a crucial step.
A Review of Prion Diseases
Prion diseases, also referred to as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are able to affect humans and animals and can be transmitted by the consumption of infected meat products. With approximately three hundred cases reported in the U.S. every year, prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative diseases and are identified by certain characteristics such as, changes in neuronal loss, and dysfunctioning inflammatory response.
Non-Communicable Diseases – A Global Epidemic
Non-communicable diseases are probably the most important worldwide health problem of the 21st century. A leading cause of death globally, we need serious action in order to tackle this ‘epidemic’. This article discusses the current situation of NCDs through analysis of its global impact and patterns, along with focused research into diabetes in particular.
The Future of Genetic Engineering
This article covers the current progress of genetic editing, and the future of ‘baby-making” or “designer babies”. It also provides an insight into the ethical dilemma and unavoidable exploitation that accompanies the medical advantages of advancement of genetic engineering.
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Update
On February 27, the Food and Drug Administration approved Johnson & Johnson’s single dose COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson now plans to ship approximately 20 million doses by the end of March. What do we know about this vaccine?
COVID-19: Can’t We Just Clean The Air Of It?
A year into the global pandemic, more public spaces are re-opening, even when the public remains vulnerable to COVID-19 transmissions. While vaccination and herd immunity remains to be the best approach to handle COVID-19, there are fad products booming in the market, which often promote themselves as the virus end-all-be-all product. But exactly how accurate are these marketing schemes and strategies?
Prions and Associated Diseases
In the last thirty years, a significant finding in the world of medicine was the discovery of prions. Essentially, prions are misfolded proteins that can cause neurodegenerative diseases. One of the earliest cases of a prion-caused disease was scrapie, a disease afflicting sheep.
Adolescent Sleep Deprivation: Effects and Solutions
Sleep deprivation is becoming increasingly prevalent among our youth. In fact, an estimated 50% of children do not receive an adequate amount of sleep each night. In order to solve this crisis, we must ask ourselves: why is sleep deprivation so common, what effects does it have, and how can we put a stop to it?
How Does Memory Work?
Memory is a complex process that makes us who we are. We are a combination of our memory, namely our past experiences. Obviously, our memory isn’t perfect- how many times have you forgotten your keys someplace? Why do we forget things, and how does the process of memory work?
Muscular Dystrophy (MD): About the Conditions Centered Around Muscle Weakness
Muscular dystrophy is a group of rare conditions that causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. It most commonly affects young boys, but it can affect others of any age as well.
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