Ever wanted to read up on interesting developments in science and medicine but found the content too monotonous or difficult to comprehend?
These articles break down new studies into concise, easy-to-understand language.
These articles break down new studies into concise, easy-to-understand language.
Effects of OTC Teeth-Whitening ProductsErin Tabornal, April 25 2022
Americans spend $1.4 billion to purchase non-prescription, at-home teeth whitening kits each year. Because of the desire for pearly white teeth, there is a strong demand for convenient at-home whitening treatments. It is important to evaluate the effects of these products, considering that two common complaints following tooth-whitening treatments are gum irritation and overall sensitivity of the oral cavity. Recently, faculty at the University College London Eastman Dental Institute conducted an in-vitro study that aimed to evaluate the health of dental cells using carbamide peroxide (CP) teeth-whitening treatments.
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A Potential Vaccine for Allergic AsthmaArthur Huang, April 25 2022
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 8% of adults and 7% of children suffer from some form of asthma in the United States. Treatments typically involve prescribed inhalers, which can administer a variety of drugs—such as corticosteroids that reduce inflammation—to combat symptoms. However, up to 70% of people with asthma are diagnosed with severe asthma. Also known as type 2 asthma, severe asthma is difficult to treat with high-dosage inhaler medication and often requires oral corticosteroids to control it. Researchers from Sorbonne University in France have developed a vaccine that targets IL-4 and IL-13 to treat asthma marked by type 2 inflammation.
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The Dangers of Maternal Cannabis UseIra Kadet, April 25 2022
Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is an immensely popular drug among Americans, with 48.2 million people—nearly 18% of the US population--reporting having used it in 2019. In recent years, marijuana usage has been especially popular among pregnant women. The increased use of marijuana among pregnant women can be explained by the drug’s effects that counter the symptoms of pregnancy—its euphoric effects can help relieve pain and remove negative feelings, but only temporarily. However, marijuana use during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on the child. A recent study examined the impact of maternal cannabis use (mCB) on fetal development.
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Cataract Treatment Could Help Prevent DementiaAudrey Banzali-Marks, April 25 2022
At the front of the human eye, there is a lens that light passes through before being processed by the brain. Normally, this lens is clear. Sometimes, however, the lens becomes cloudy, like looking through a foggy window. This is a cataract, a condition common in older adults. Cataracts typically develop slowly, but without treatment, they can fully obstruct vision to the point of blindness. Currently, over 35 million people in the world have some form of cataracts. Of those 35 million, an estimated 20 million are blind because of cataracts. Thankfully, vision can be regained through cataract surgery. According to a recent research study, the benefits of cataract surgery may even stretch beyond correcting blindness.
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Using Stem Cells to Treat Type 1 DiabetesDiviya Khullar, April 25 2022
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a disease in which the pancreas is not able to produce sufficient amounts of insulin, an important hormone. T1D is usually caused by an issue with the islet beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Typically, diabetics take insulin shots to help manage their blood glucose levels, which although effective, is neither very convenient nor a cure for the disease. That is why other options, such as stem cells, have the potential to be more permanent treatments for T1D. Stem cells are a special type of cell that have not developed into a specific type of cell yet. Therefore, they have the potential to be developed into a cell, tissue, or organ that can then be transplanted to make up for the loss of function of damaged cells. In a 2021 trial conducted at the University of British Columbia, patients with T1D received a transplant of stem cells that would become beta cells.
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Redefining the Factors Behind Exercise's Benefits for the BrainMia Kim, April 25 2022
There are many widely-known beneficial effects of exercise on physical health: strengthening muscle, improving blood circulation, and promoting heart health. However, the cerebral (brain-related) benefits of exercise are often ignored. These benefits include slowing both cognitive aging and neurodegeneration. Scientists have previously hypothesized that the cerebral benefits of exercise are possibly due to exercise’s ability to reduce inflammation in the brain or spinal cord, called neuroinflammation, and increase neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change and adapt). However, the biological mechanisms through which exercise produces these effects is less well understood. In order to explore these mechanisms, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine recently conducted a study.
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Intervention Programs in Early Childhood May Prevent Future Obesity DietCrystal Ma, April 25 2022
Childhood obesity is a health issue that has become very prevalent: in the United States, 20.8% of children aged 14 are obese, while 17% are overweight. An increase in body mass index (BMI), a value used to determine obesity, often begins when a child is around four or five years old. Children at the ages of four or five who are overweight are much more likely to be obese later on in life, suggesting that the prevention of obesity should begin early on with the implementation of intervention programs in school. Research recently published by Spanish researchers indicates that implementing intervention programs may lead to an overall decrease in children’s BMI, and therefore assist in the prevention of being either overweight or obese.
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The Impact of Varying Exercise Intensity on Children with ADHDJenna Hartstein, April 25 2022
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in children, affecting an estimated 9.4% of American children. Children with ADHD may have difficulty focusing and paying attention, act without thinking of the result, or be overly active. However, ADHD can be managed, and research continues to be conducted on the most effective treatments. While medication is extremely effective for many children, some experience unfavorable side effects such as a loss of appetite or problems sleeping. Because of these factors, it is important to evaluate alternative treatments for ADHD, such as exercise. One recent study attempted to determine which exercise conditions improve mental health the most in children with ADHD.
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Potential Long-Term Impacts of Early-Life Western DietAnnie Liang, April 25 2022
Children are often taught to eat healthy food to maintain good health, development, and growth. However, the poor diet and lifestyles that have become common in America are persisting despite the known health risks: obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, to name a few. A new study conducted at the University of California, Riverside provides evidence that further highlights the importance of a balanced diet, especially during one’s childhood. The researchers fed juvenile mice a diet filled with fat and sugar and found that there were long-term impacts on their microbiome as mature mice—even despite the mice switching to a healthy diet when they were older.
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Medical Cannabis: Heightened Withdrawal SymptomsAngelina Yuan, April 25 2022
Both medical and recreational use of cannabis, or marijuana, have seen an increase in popularity due to the legalization of medical marijuanna in multiple US states. However, although doctors have been prescribing medical cannabis to patients, some of the effects of using it are not widely known. A study conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Michigan has provided new insights on the withdrawal symptoms of medical cannabis being used for pain control. The researchers recruited participants reporting chronic or severe pain from three Michigan medical cannabis clinic waiting rooms, resulting in 527 final participants.
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New Insights on the Tau Protein in Treating Alzheimer's DiseaseZoe Staggs, April 25 2022
Between 60% and 80% of dementia cases are attributed to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurological condition that progressively destroys memory, cognition, and eventually the ability to carry out everyday tasks. Currently, there is no monotherapeutic cure for the condition, and the number of adults over 65 (the group most at risk for AD) is expected to double within the next 40 years, calling for more effective, accessible, and affordable treatment. A novel study from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) pinpointed the key difference in brain composition between people who developed Alzheimer’s and those who didn’t. Researchers studied different forms of a protein called tau, found abundantly in neurons in the brain.
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A Golden Ticket to Treating Antibiotic ResistanceZoe Staggs, January 18 2022
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 47 million people in the United States are prescribed antibiotics for infections that don’t need to be treated with antibiotics every year. This overuse has allowed bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites to evolve over time, developing the ability to counteract the drugs designed to kill them. As a result, antibiotic resistance has become a burgeoning public health concern worldwide. In the United States alone, at least 2.8 million people acquire antibiotic-resistant infections annually, resulting in over 35,000 deaths each year. A novel study by a joint team of researchers from the University of Leeds, Southern University of Science and Technology, and Fudan University utilizes nanotechnology, specifically gold nanoclusters, to target resistant bacteria.
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An Optimal Amount of Sleep May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer'sSabrina Ghalambor, January 18 2022
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects over 6 million people in the United States. The disease is associated with the progressive degeneration of connections between neurons in the brain, which weakens cognition, often leading to cognitive decline. Previous research has suggested that there are links between Alzheimer’s and a lack of good quality sleep as well as other sleep disturbances. Another study determined that both a lack of sleep or an excess amount of sleep can contribute to cognitive decline. Recently, neurologists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis decided to study how biomarkers in a person’s DNA combined with poor quality and too much or not enough sleep can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
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Congenital Heart Disease: Potential Causes and DisparitiesMelody Zaki, January 18 2022
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) include a variety of birth defects that affect the structure and function of a baby’s heart. These defects may affect blood flow through the heart and throughout the rest of the body. The severity of CHDs can range from mild to very severe cases that require immediate intervention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in four babies born with a heart defect have a critical CHD that requires surgery or other interventional procedures within the baby’s first year of life. Unfortunately, the causes of CHDs in most babies are still unknown. Recently, a team of researchers in Denmark found an association between maternal metabolic disorders and higher risk of CHDs in offspring.
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An Emerging New Treatment for Chronic Back PainMahima Kunani, January 18 2022
Chronic back pain affects 16 million adults in the United States, and is one of the most frequent complaints that doctors receive from their patients. In fact, chronic back pain is a leading cause of work-loss days due to disability, and treatment for its symptoms is often ineffective. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study investigating a new four-week psychological treatment for chronic back pain. Evidence from the study supports the idea that a non-drug treatment can provide effective and long-standing relief from chronic back pain. The study found that two-thirds of chronic back pain patients who underwent pain reprocessing therapy (PRT), a four-week psychological treatment, were either pain-free or nearly pain-free after the treatment. Through follow-up appointments, researchers concluded that the relief felt by patients continued for one whole year after PRT.
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New Auditory Device Grants Hard of Hearing HopeAnjali Roy, January 18 2022
As one of the five senses, hearing is an essential ability that many take for granted. However, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about one in eight people ages 12 and up in the United States have suffered from some form of hearing loss in both ears. Those affected by the most common type of hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), have damaged stereocilia or damaged nerve pathways. This can be caused by a variety of different circumstances, including physical deterioration over time due to aging, illnesses, deafness since birth, etc. There are currently no cures for SNHL. But recently, researchers have sought to create a cochlear implant device that would mimic the function of normal stereocilia in humans and interpret sound.
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Exciting CRISPR-based Sickle Cell Disease TreatmentNeel Sharma, January 18 2022
In our bodies, the instructions from thousands of genes are necessary for accomplishing essential functions. Even the smallest mutations in our genetic code can disrupt these finely tuned operations, resulting in catastrophic and oftentimes irreparable damage throughout the body. Sickle cell disease (SCD), one of the most common single-gene disorders in the world, results from a point mutation in a gene that codes for a subunit of hemoglobin. This leads to the formation of disfigured red blood cells (RBCs) characteristic of SCD. Considering the large number of people affected by SCD, investigating effective treatment options has been a major priority of the scientific community for quite some time. In a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, results from a clinical trial investigating a new treatment option for SCD indicate promise in identifying a solution for these diseases.
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Reprogramming Neurons to Repair Vision Loss After StrokeDiviya Khullar, January 18 2022
Many people suffer from an ischemic brain injury, a condition where blood flow to the brain is cut off, after a stroke. Depending on where in the brain this occurs, a person could lose a number of important functions, including sight. Once an adult suffers ischemia in the visual cortex, since neurons are not very easily regenerated, they may never be able to see again. However, many studies are looking into methods that could be used to reverse this damage. One approach has been the use of gene therapy to reprogram non-neuronal cells so that they can take on the function of damaged neuronal cells. Researchers from Purdue University have been targeting glial cells, where they are aiming to turn on gene expression patterns that are similar to the neuronal cell in the visual cortex.
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Robotic Arms: The Next Step in Patient AutonomyAutumn Jackson, January 18 2022
Amputation, the loss of a limb, affects around two million people in the United States. Some of these individuals were born missing all or part of a limb. For others, amputation is the result of traumatic injury, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or malignancy. For centuries, humans have been using prostheses, artificial replacements for their limbs. Currently, people mainly use three types of arm prostheses. Patients decide which arm prosthesis best suits them, as all types have their own benefits and drawbacks. As such, researchers conduct studies to test the successes and failures of recent prosthetic technologies to help inform patients’ decisions while also providing insight for the development of new prosthetic models. One study examined the progress of “pattern control systems” in myoelectric arm prostheses.
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The Influence of Baby Formula on Future Disease PreventionCrystal Ma, January 18 2022
Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common allergies in children, affecting about 7% of babies under the age of one. Over the past 20 years, there has been a significant rise in the number of children with CMA. Research also shows that babies with CMA are more likely to develop other atopic diseases, including asthma, eczema, and chronic hives later on. Currently, babies with CMA are to avoid consuming anything containing cow’s milk proteins. As such, those who are not breastfed are fed baby formulas that do not contain cow’s milk proteins. In fact, new findings suggest that ingredients contained in baby formulas may actually help prevent the later development of atopic diseases in children born with CMA. Research recently published by researchers at the University of Naples highlights a five-year-long study that investigated the effects of different baby formulas on children with CMA from infancy.
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New Drug Delivery System: Alternative to Opioid Painkillers?Arthur Huang, January 18 2022
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, between 8% to 12% of people using an opioid pain reliever develop some form of opioid addiction. Opioid painkillers are drugs that reduce pain and provide relief while the patient remains conscious. Doctors typically prescribe opioid painkillers to patients to help them manage chronic pain. Unfortunately, the addictive properties of opioids have led to drug abuse and overdose among patients. As a result, researchers have started turning towards local anesthetics that target a specific region of the body as an alternative for chronic pain relief. Site-1 sodium channel blockers (S1SCBs), which include toxins derived from pufferfish and toxic algae, are one class of compounds with local anesthetic properties. A group of researchers from Harvard Medical School explored whether S1SCBs could be safely delivered to a localized area of the body for an extended period.
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New Approach Allows for Detailed Study of SchizophreniaJessica Lutz, July 23 2021
Schizophrenia, a disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally, affects approximately 3.2 million Americans, with 100,000 new diagnoses each year. Schizophrenia can present itself in many life-disrupting ways, including hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and delusions. The NIMH reports that individuals living with schizophrenia are at an increased risk of premature death, losing an estimated 28.5 years of potential life on average. Despite medical advances, the current understanding of the underlying causes of schizophrenia is still limited, largely due to the difficulty in examining the disorder in animal models. With these challenges in mind, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine developed an approach to detecting and manipulating schizophrenia in mice.
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Child Malnutrition: New Food Prototypes and Broader IssuesJenny Forest Lee, July 23 2021
Moderate acute malnutrition, a type of undernutrition resulting from illness or insufficient amounts of food consumption, affects at least 30 million children worldwide, a number only increased by the COVID-19 pandemic. It can cause a decrease in growth and neural development, along with a decrease in the development of microorganisms in the gut. Current treatments for acute malnutrition often involve food supplements or diets that provide nutrients and energy. No current treatments have focused on targeting the gut microorganisms hurt by malnutrition, nor have any been able to fully treat the long-term effects of undernourishment. This may soon change though, thanks to recent research conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine on a newly developed food supplement.
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Phage Therapy: The Solution to Antibiotic Resistance?Catherine Beaudin, July 23 2021
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 2.8 million cases of antibiotic-resistant infections result in over 35,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Antibiotics, drugs that are designed to kill bacteria, were first discovered in 1928 and have since been used to effectively treat a variety of bacterial infections. Unfortunately, an increasing number of bacteria have naturally evolved antibiotic resistance mechanisms to avoid being killed by antibiotics. The scientific community is conducting extensive research on developing alternatives to antibiotics, such as phage therapy, in order to treat these bacteria that cannot be killed by antibiotics.
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Using Sweat Stickers to Diagnose Cystic Fibrosis in NewbornsArthur Huang, July 23 2021
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive genetic disorder that affects nearly 30,000 individuals, most of whom are of European descent, in the United States. CF results in chronic health issues from birth and a life expectancy of only 46 years. The current standard for CF detection is through a strap-on device called the Macroduct Sweat Collection System (MSCS), which stimulates and collects sweat to be analyzed for chloride concentration. However, the MSCS has difficulty collecting the required volume of sweat, an issue termed “quantity not sufficient”. Consequently, a team of researchers from Northwestern University sought to create an all-in-one device for CF detection that would be a cheaper and more efficient alternative to the MSCS.
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Studying Neural DNA Repair Gives Hope for Alzheimer’s PatientsAnjali Roy, July 23 2021
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that commonly affects those who are at least 65 years old. It is also the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. A neurodegenerative disease refers to a chronic condition in which the neurons—a type of brain cell responsible for motor function, sensory capabilities, and relaying information throughout the body—deteriorate over time. This process is detrimental to the patient, because unlike other cells, neurons have limited self-repair mechanisms. Once neurons are destroyed, they are often destroyed permanently. To better understand neural repair mechanisms, Dylan Reid and his research team at The Salk Institute developed a method they termed “Repair-seq.”
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Bioenginereed Materials to Treat Heart DiseaseDiviya Khullar, July 23 2021
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is expected to continue rising in prevalence. Many adults suffer from atherosclerosis, or a buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries, which can result in heart attacks or heart failure. Recent innovations in the bioengineering field aim to create biomaterials that can repair and restore proper cardiac function in adults suffering from heart disease. These biomaterials include vascular grafts, cardiac patches, and injectable hydrogels. These bioengineered materials have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people living with a wide range of heart problems.
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Bioengineered In Vitro Lymphatic Model May Lead to New TherapiesOlivia Zhou, July 23 2021
The lymphatic system plays important roles in maintaining health, such as fluid drainage to remove toxins and prevent tissue swelling, fat transport to facilitate metabolism, and immune cell transport to promote immune defense. As a result, health conditions including cancer, infections, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases have been associated with a malfunctioning lymphatic system. Thus, regenerating the lymphatic system can help afflicted patients recover from such diseases. However, there is a lack of a suitable in vitro model to study how lymphangiogenesis, or formation of the lymphatic network, is regulated. So, researchers at the University of Notre Dame engineered a lymphatic tubule system using hydrogels, which act as support structures, to help stimulate lymphatic endothelial cells to form their networks.
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What You Eat May Change How Your Body Wants to EatMenna Sun, July 23 2021
It is widely understood that consuming a high-calorie diet rich in fat and sugar can lead to obesity. Indeed, besides excessive body fat, obesity may also involve elevated blood pressure and increased levels of sugar, fat, and cholesterol in the blood. Moreover, obesity increases the risk of a number of other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, depression, and fatty liver disease, as well as heart attack and stroke. Although healthy eating is beneficial in preventing obesity, the physiological processes that regulate eating behaviors may be harder to control. Therefore, to understand the development of obesity, a study analyzed changes in signaling molecule levels and gut microbiota in mice, as well as whether these factors may be correlated, when obesity was induced by a high-sugar and fat diet.
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Potential Safer Administration of Insulin for DiabetesAnnie Liang, July 23 2021
With the worldwide prevalence of diabetes, advances in treatment options would have a global impact on hundreds of millions of people. Diabetes is a chronic disease that is divided into type 1 and type 2 diabetes; the former occurs when the pancreas does not create insulin, and the latter occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin. While there are many forms of insulin administration, including injection, pens, pumps, and inhaling, many of them have been met with patient reluctance. In order to address this, new research has shown potential to one day introduce a form of orally delivered insulin, allowing for more accessible treatment and eliminating the need for multiple daily self-injections.
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The Human Microbiome and its Relationship with AutismLekha Yaramada, July 23 2021
The microbiome is the community of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, living in areas of the human body including the gut, mouth, nasal passages, and on the skin. The composition of bacteria in the microbiome can be affected by diet, environmental factors, and genetics. The vast majority of these bacteria are not harmful, and some are even beneficial to humans. Researchers are now finding that microbiome composition can strongly influence chronic disease susceptibility. A recent study done by the University of Colorado investigated the relationship between the microbiome and the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition marked by difficulty with communication and understanding social cues.
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A New Potential Drug Target to Prevent OsteoporosisJessica Lutz, April 1 2021
In the US, osteoporosis, a severe weakening of bones, is one of the most common conditions affecting the aging population. Many people think of bones as permanent and unchanging. In fact, bones are constantly being remodeled. Old bone is regularly broken down by cells called osteoclasts so that new bone can be replaced by cells called osteoblasts. When osteoclasts degrade bone faster than osteoblasts make new bone, bone density can decrease to dangerously low levels, resulting in osteoporosis. Therefore, research in these two bone cells gives important insights into how medicine may be able to prevent osteoporosis. Considering this, the Qin Lab at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine recently made a key breakthrough about a potential explanation for the progression of osteoporosis.
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A Cure for Cancer: Prevention and Early DiagnosisAnnie Liang, April 1 2021
With the current state of modern medicine, there is no cure for any forms of cancer—only treatments. However, there is compelling evidence to support that an earlier diagnosis results in a significantly lower rate of mortality, as patients with earlier stages of cancer can either undergo surgery to remove the tumor or be given milder drugs for treatment. The average survival rate after five years following diagnosis is 91% for early stages of cancer and 26% for late stages. Considering the significant difference in survival rates, early and accurate cancer detection has become imperative for the fight against cancer. As such, scientists have been developing the PanSeer assay, a non-invasive blood test for early cancer detection that focuses on cancer-specific methylation markers.
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Mitochondrial Calcium Transfer: A Potential Target for Cancer Therapy?Catherine Beaudin, April 1 2021
On a global scale, one in six people die from cancer, which remains the second leading cause of death in the world despite significant advancements in the development of cancer therapeutics. The development of cancerous cells is generally thought to be driven by genetic mutations. However, there is growing evidence that cancer can also be characterized by important changes in metabolism that differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells. As such, researchers seek to better understand the metabolic processes that are specifically used for energy production in cancer cells. Disrupting such processes could potentially result in cancer cell death, while minimally affecting healthy cells given the differences in their metabolic processes.
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Investigating Eczema: The Relationship Between Bacteria and LipidsJenny Forest Lee, April 1 2021
Atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, affects 31.6 million people in the U.S. Eczema is an inflammatory condition in which the skin becomes red, itchy, and may form dark patches and bumps on the hands, wrists, face, feet, and other areas. A gene mutation called FLG is known to be a cause of atopic dermatitis, but it only accounts for approximately ⅔ of cases. Thus, despite the prevalence of eczema, many of the exact causes are still unknown and are being researched. There are two accepted observations that eczema conditions correlate to: decreased amounts of skin lipids and greater numbers of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus on the skin. Researchers at Binghamton University proposed that there was a relationship between these two outcomes.
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Reversing the Age of Optic Neurons
Arthur Huang, April 1 2021
Aging is an unrelenting and inevitable foe for everyone. The aging body is typically characterized by decreased strength, mobility, and immunity caused by the wear and tear of everyday life breaking down the bodies’ cellular and molecular functions. Scientists believe that the reason for these symptoms of old age lies in the realm of epigenetics, which is the study of how one’s behavior and environment can affect gene functions. Recently, a team from Harvard Medical School returned the epigenome of aged or damaged neurons back to their youthful methylation pattern, thereby improving their functionality and regenerative capability and introducing a new potential avenue to treat age-related diseases in humans.
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Manipulating Cellular Communication in Cartilage to Treat OsteoarthritisAnjali Roy, April 1 2021
Osteoarthritis is a joint disease where the cartilage, the flexible tissue that protects the ends of bones, gets worn down, causing the bones to grind rather than slide against each other during movement. This results in difficulty moving and completing simple tasks, painful aches, and stiffness in several areas, especially in the knees, hips, lower back, and neck. Currently, it is the most common disorder in the United States. Although over-the-counter pain medication and surgeries may provide some relief, there is currently no specific treatment plan or cure. Scientist Yulong Wei and his team of researchers sought to solve this issue by examining an epidermal growth factor protein (EGF) cell signaling pathway in mice.
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