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.
Forgot to Take Your Pills? This Medication Can Help With That.
Kruthica Dama, September 16 2023
Pills, or small capsules with a measured amount of drugs inside, have become one of the most recognizable and common forms of medication. Advances in medicine have allowed patients to live longer with a better quality of health, yet when people don’t take their medicine regularly nor at the proper times, these benefits can be limited.
Playing Video Games May Lower Depression SymptomsCrystal Ma, September 16 2023
Depression is a mood disorder that currently affects approximately one in every four American adults a year. Individuals with depression can experience symptoms such as constant feeling of sadness, suicidal thoughts and tendencies; these symptoms are felt at different intensities according to an individual’s level of depression. Subthreshold or mild depression, where individuals show some signs of depression, can quickly turn into major depression, a condition that significantly burdens one’s daily life. The National Institute of Mental Health Disorders states that the average age at onset for major depression is in one’s mid-20s.
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Pollution and Influenza Amongst Expecting MothersAndrew Camacho, September 16 2023
Vulnerable populations, such as immunocompromised people, may suffer greatly from air pollution, especially in urban areas. In a recent study, a group of researchers determined that pregnant mothers were more likely to have a more severe reaction to influenza when exposed to ultrafine particles (UFP) in the air. This study was conducted on a group of pregnant mice who were subject to UFP exposure to test if the particles led to an abnormal immune reaction which increases infection severity.
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Could an Injection be the Answer to Obesity in Children?Sabrina Ghalambor, September 16 2023
Obesity has been a rising issue in the United States over the past few decades. Not only has it affected the health of over 42% of Americans, it has also affected nearly 20% of American children. There have been many initiatives in the past to encourage more activity and healthier eating for children over the last decade, such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to make school lunches more nutritious, but the problem still looms and poses a threat to the health of children across the US. However, the public conversation surrounding obesity has shifted over the last year due to a new medication that entered the scene: semaglutide.
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Hearing Loss and DementiaMichelle Yeung, September 16 2023
Dementia is a loss of cognitive thinking such as memory, emotions, and reasoning caused by failed nerve cell function. Some forms of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia. Contrary to popular belief, dementia is not a part of normal aging. Yet, one in ten Americans age 65 and older have dementia. These people suffer from forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating or learning, mood shifts, and coordination issues. Recently, scientists have been exploring hearing loss as a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
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A New Approach for Treating EpilepsyOlivia Zhou, September 16 2023
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which sudden changes in the brain’s electrical activity cause recurrent seizures, which in turn manifest as involuntary changes in movement, sensation, or consciousness. For instance, seizures may range from a few muscle jerks to severe convulsions. While drug, diet, and surgery options exist for treating epilepsy, their use depends on restrictive criteria; for example, the diet treatment is mainly effective in children with a specific type of epilepsy. Similarly, surgery is only considered for specific types of epilepsy and would not result in major complications.
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New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes in the WorksAnnie Liang, September 16 2023
The occurrence of type 2 diabetes in America is no surprise, with more cases emerging within younger children and teens. Individuals with type 2 diabetes have issues with regulating sugar due to insulin resistance, leading to high blood sugar levels. While the disease currently has no cure, there are ways to manage the disease: exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and other medications. To add on to the current standard of care, a drug called tirzepatide was recently approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and works by targeting naturally occurring hormones responsible for controlling blood sugar levels.
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Intratumoral Microbiome and its Role in CancerOlivia Zhou, April 2 2022
The tumor microenvironment (TME)—or the environment around the tumor consisting of numerous components such as different kinds of cells, blood vessels, or extracellular matrix—plays a significant role in the development of cancer. Complex interactions between the tumor and the TME contribute to cancer progression.
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Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Parkinson’s Disease SymptomsCrystal Ma, April 2 2022
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a nervous system disorder that can cause a gradual decline in the ability to perform daily tasks. For instance, PD can cause an individual to experience slowed movements, stiffness, and dementia. This disease has become widespread over the years with 8.5 million individuals being diagnosed with PD as of 2019. Because PD is a condition that has no known causes and manifests later on in an individual’s life, there are currently no ways to prevent the disease.
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REMS Triage Method Breakthrough
Anna Chassion, April 2 2022
In emergency medicine, everything is fast-paced. Responders must make pressured decisions in order to provide the best possibility of a positive outcome for the most patients. These decisions determine how serious a patient’s illness is and what kind of care they will receive, as well as how likely the patients are to die. This decision-making process is called triage and it works by a standardized formula. This formula is then tweaked to better predict patient outcomes.
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Manipulating Genetics in Mice to Explore ADHD Treatments
Anjali Roy, April 2 2022
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common neurodivergent conditions diagnosed amongst youth in the United States, and the symptoms can continue well into adulthood. Characterized by lapses in attention, restlessness, and impulsivity, ADHD was diagnosed in about 9.8% of American children ages 3-17 in 2019, and in about 4% of American adults ages 18–44.
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Mono & College Students: Implications of the Latest FindingsCatherine Lirtsman, April 2 2022
The infectious disease mononucleosis, or mono, can affect anyone, yet teenagers and young adults should beware. It is increasingly frequent between the ages of 15–24 because of how strongly the immune system reacts to the virus that causes it, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Common mono symptoms are fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, swollen liver and/or spleen, and more. These symptoms can last from two weeks to six months. One of the major complications associated with mono is an enlarged spleen.
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How Urban Areas Affect Students
Varun Chafekar, April 2 2022
The colleges and universities in major cities are melting pots for students coming from all over the globe. The places these young adults hail from can range from urban areas to rural towns, and, as such, the change in environment can have a large impact on students. Life in urban cities can be difficult to adjust to, and researchers wanted to observe how this type of environment would affect adolescent mental health.
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Concussions and an Early Return to School
Andrew Camacho, April 2 2022
Children are often susceptible to receiving concussions due to falling, contact sports, or other reasons. As a result, they are forced to miss school in order to fully recover. There is little information known on the amount of school absence a concussed child should receive, leaving it entirely up to the family’s discretion. However, a recent study has shown that children with concussions may experience a lower symptom burden (nausea, confusion, headache, dizziness, etc.) and an overall faster recovery by returning to school earlier instead of later.
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Beneath the Polish: Are Manicures Dangerous?Erin Tabornal, April 2 2022
In recent years, going to the nail salon to get your nails done has become an integral part of many individuals’ self-care regimens. While this hobby is enjoyable and seemingly harmless due to its superficial nature, the technology involved with the process has raised concerns about an increased risk in skin cancer. A recent in-vitro study demonstrated that radiation emitted by ultraviolet nail polish dryers can damage DNA and lead to mutations.
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The Father's Brain during the Transition to ParenthoodJenna Hartstein, December 28 2022
The transition to parenthood can be an exciting time, but also a time filled with many changes in sleep, physical habits, and overall stress. Because of the importance of this period, becoming a parent has been deemed a critical window for determining future health outcomes for parents. Much of the existing research focuses solely on the mother during this critical window. However, evaluating the role of fathers provides an interesting perspective as they do not directly experience pregnancy, and are generally understudied. This will allow public health officials to enact better guidelines to best support fathers during this transition.
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A New Way to Detect an Undetectable DiseaseAnnie Liang, April 2 2022
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder where the neurons in the brain gradually stop working. It results in commonly known symptoms: memory loss, difficulty thinking, and much more. The disease is usually in the form of late-onset Alzheimer's. This means there aren't any symptoms for the first 15–20 years, but the symptoms manifest after the age of 65. Due to the delayed onset, it is often difficult to detect the disease. However, With the recent discovery of a potential early marker for Alzheimer's, it may be possible to detect the disease up to 17 years before symptoms begin showing up.
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Eating Late at Night Could be a Risk Factor For ObesityYuki Duong , December 28 2022
Obesity is associated with high blood pressure, increased blood sugar, and a higher risk for heart disease and type II diabetes. But it’s not a disease with a simple cause. So many factors can influence weight gain, such as genetics, diet, and environment. For example, according to a recent research study from Northwestern University, one of the possible risk factors for obesity is the time you eat. Specifically, their study suggests that late-night snacking could lead to weight gain.
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Psychedelic Drugs as Inspiration for Safer AntidepressantsAnjali Roy, December 28 2022
Depression is one of the most common mental health illnesses in America. It is characterized by feelings of low self-esteem, unhealthy alterations in sleep or eating patterns, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, etc. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 8.4% of the U.S. population experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2020. Current treatment plans include talk-based therapy or prescribed antidepressants, such as serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which function by increasing serotonin levels in the brain—a hormone that positively regulates emotions.
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Signaling the Immune System to Eat Tumor CellsOlivia Zhou, December 28 2022
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of immature nerve cells, and most commonly affects infants and children. In general, it has one of the lowest survival rates for pediatric cancers, as the five-year survival rate is 50% for high-risk neuroblastoma patients. Furthermore, 60% of the high-risk group will relapse, and their five-year survival rate drops down to less than 5%. Current treatments include chemotherapy combined with anti-GD2 antibodies that target GD2, a molecule overexpressed (present at high levels) in neuroblastoma. Antibodies can target molecules and block them from binding to whatever they normally bind to, thus inhibit their normal effect.
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How Much Sleep is Best?Varun Chefkar, December 28 2022
Sleep is one of the most important needs of the human body. To stay healthy, good sleeping habits are a must. However, how much sleep should the average person be getting per day, and how exactly does the amount of sleep one gets affect the body? A research group decided to tackle these questions. The study shows that a lack of sleep is much more detrimental to the body than just feeling groggy when waking up early. It physically affects the brain, an essential organ for most actions.
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How a Tiny Machine Creates Inequality in HealthcareKruthica Dama , December 28 2022
Hemoglobin proteins work as tiny delivery trucks in the bloodstream to make sure that oxygen is delivered from the respiratory system to the rest of the body. If hemoglobin proteins don’t carry enough oxygen in the blood, a state known as hypoxemia, the rest of the body may not work properly. To easily check blood oxygen levels at home without drawing blood, a device called a pulse oximeter was created. Pulse oximeters use lasers to estimate oxygen saturation, the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. Because they use light as a sensor, changes to surface color, such as adding nail polish or having a darker skin color, affect the way that they read the oxygen values.
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The Potential Effects of Light Exposure at NightMichael Lee, December 28 2022
In the growing digital age, it’s hard to go about our day normally without being exposed to the light constantly emitted from the screens all around us. Exposure to light, including the light that comes from our everyday phones or computers, greatly affects the body’s circadian rhythm, or “biological clock.” Essentially, the circadian rhythm’s job is to regulate how we act and behave depending on the time of day. For example, it tells us when we want to go to sleep in response to the darkness of night, and also helps us wake up in response to the morning light.
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Early Bird Gets the Worm...But not Diabetes or Heart Disease?Erin Tabornal, December 28 2022
For centuries, the phrases “early bird” and “night owl” have often been used to describe an individual’s preferred duration of wakefulness and productivity. It is a common recommendation that the average human adult should get about seven to nine hours of sleep each day in order to function their best, regardless of when they wake up. However, a recent study from researchers at Rutgers University highlights that early risers may have a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease than late risers.
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Social Camouflaging and its Impacts on Autistic AdultsWayne Chiang, December 28 2022
Autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD, is a condition that changes how a person interacts with other people and their environment. This includes struggling in several social situations, from being unable to distinguish social cues to having difficulty communicating with others. Under such circumstances, individuals diagnosed with autism face immense societal pressure to try and seem “normal” through social camouflaging. Social camouflaging is the deliberate act of suppressing characteristics associated with autism in social settings.
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Hair Straighteners and Uterine CancerAndrew Camacho, December 28 2022
Although hair straighteners seem harmless and are often used for cosmetic purposes, recent findings have revealed a possible risk associated with their use. Researchers found a connection between using hair straighteners and the occurrence of uterine cancer. This eleven-year study consisted of 33,437 women ranging from ages 35–74. Participants were initially evaluated using a questionnaire that asked if the women had used hair products such as hair dye, straighteners, relaxers, pressing products, and perms. Other factors such as race, ethnicity, weight, physical activity, and alcohol consumption were taken into account with the questionnaire.
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Physical Exercise Aids Treatment of Depression and AnxietyCrystal Ma, December 28 2022
Depression and anxiety are common disorders today with depression affecting 17% and anxiety disorders affecting 31.9% of adolescents in the United States. Adolescents with depression are also extremely likely to have anxiety, with three-quarters of children experiencing both. These mental health illnesses affect the lives of adolescents drastically, causing negative interferences with their education, as well as their daily life and function.
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Artificial Human Microbiome and Research in Gut HealthJuliette Williamson, December 28 2022
As the interconnected relationship between the human gut microbiome and both physical and mental well-being becomes increasingly apparent in recent studies, the limitations of currently available research methods have become glaringly obvious. In order to address this issue, a team of researchers led by Dr. Alice Cheng, a Stanford University gastroenterologist, a specialist in treating illnesses relating to our gastrointestinal tract, has built the very first complex synthetic microbiome.
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Specifically Targeted Cancer Therapy Activated by LightAnnie Liang, December 28 2022
As cancer becomes more common, cancer research has become the forefront of biological and chemical research. A new study that has been published within the last few months has found success in using a cancer-killing molecule activated by light to destroy cancer cells that would otherwise be resistant to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment used to kill cells that are growing rapidly, which is why it is sometimes able to target rapidly growing cancer cells to treat cancer. This treatment is often given into a vein through a needle, whereby the drugs flow throughout your body to kill cancer cells—especially cells that are rapidly dividing. However, this cancer treatment doesn’t always work when cancer cells change or have properties that do not allow for the drug to interact with the cell, thus rendering the treatment ineffective.
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Saving the Brain After a StrokeArthur Huang, September 26 2022
With one person dying from stroke every 3.5 minutes in the United States, strokes are one of the leading causes of death. Approximately 87% of strokes are ischemic strokes, which are due to a blood clot blocking a blood vessel that supplies parts of the brain, preventing cells from receiving the oxygen and nutrients that they need. In an ischemic stroke, the damaged brain region is composed of an ischemic core, where there is a dramatic decrease in blood flow, and the ischemic penumbra, a region surrounding the core that is at risk of damage but still salvageable and fully functional if properly treated. Based on previous research, one of the main roadblocks in rescuing the penumbra is excitotoxic cell death, resulting from the neuronal release of an excessive amount of the neurotransmitter glutamate. A recent study from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz sought to find a new therapeutic method for saving the penumbra.
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Could Light in Your Bedroom Impact Your Metabolism?Diviya Khullar, September 26 2022
Many people underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep. While a good night’s sleep is known to have a significant impact on one’s mood and energy, studies have shown that it also greatly improves one’s metabolism. Exposure to artificial light has been linked to decreased quality of sleep and even obesity. There has been a lot of interest in studying the effect of ambient light during sleep on metabolic function, and there have been a few proposed explanations as to why they are so closely linked. One explanation is that since light inherently impact’s the duration and quality of one’s sleep, this disturbance results in decreased metabolic function. Another theory is that metabolism is linked to one’s circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that times essential processes.
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Saffron Extract in Improving Sleep QualityCrystal Ma, September 26 2022
Sleep disorders such as insomnia have become an increased health issue in the world, with 50-70 million adults in the US alone suffering from a sleep disorder. In people with insomnia, sleeping pills may be used as a form of treatment, but the user may build up a tolerance to the drug, causing it to be less effective. Due to these issues, there is an ongoing search for a safer, more efficient form of treatment. Research recently published by researchers at the Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition of the Université catholique de Louvain suggests that saffron may be beneficial in improving sleep quality and sleep duration
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alzheimer’s and Your DNAEleanor Gorham, September 26 2022
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a condition that afflicts millions of people around the world, involving progressively worsening memory loss. Alzheimer’s also affects aspects of thought and language, although the specific mechanisms can be complicated and mysterious. As AD progresses, neurodegeneration, or the slow decline of function in the brain, also progresses. However, the relationship between these two events is still unknown. A recent study examined the relationship between these two biological events by looking at the DNA genome of individual cells. Through investigating the DNA of a single cell, researchers were able to find patterns in DNA mutations in relation to neurodegeneration.
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Trapping Sperm in Gel Could Lead to New Male ContraceptiveAnjali Roy, September 26 2022
Contraceptives refer to methods or medical devices used to prevent pregnancy and allow for safer, healthier intercourse. Effective contraceptive methods play a significant role in decreasing pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality rates and preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Current forms of medical contraception, however, are typically targeted towards females, such as birth control pills—hormonal medications designed to stop ovulation (the release of an egg)—or intrauterine devices (IUDs)—technology inserted into the uterus to prevent sperm from traveling effectively. However, besides condoms or spermicides, there are not as many options available for men.
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Impact of COVID-19 Virus on Kidney CellsAnnie Liang, September 26 2022
With surges in SARS-CoV-2 virus infection globally, it is important to understand the long-term implications that this virus may have on one’s health. During the pandemic, there has been a surge in reports of patients experiencing acute kidney injury in severe COVID-19 cases. This was not only limited to patients with a past history of kidney complications; even infected patients who had never experienced kidney-related issues were developing kidney disease. As such, a recent study conducted by Duke researchers sought to further investigate this by better understanding how the virus can affect human kidney cells.
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Maintaining or Discontinuing Antidepressants in Primary CareIra Kadet, September 26 2022
Depression is a common mental disorder that causes a person to experience a depressed mood, loss of interest and pleasure, and feelings of helplessness that can persist for very long periods of time. Strikingly, depression among adults in the United States has nearly tripled since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 and rates of depression continue to remain at the same elevated level. Of the many avenues for treating depression, the prescription of antidepressants is one of the most prevailing methods used today due to its accessibility and mainstream acceptance. An abundance of research is being performed on the consequences of using and discontinuing antidepressants. One study in particular examined the effects of coming off antidepressants during the maintenance phase of treatment.
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Mutations Across the Animal Kingdom: Secrets of Human AgingZoe Staggs, September 26 2022
Evidence suggests that the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage, such as somatic mutations, ultimately determine lifespan beyond age 65. Environmental stressors such as air pollution, ultraviolet light, and alcohol consumption can be potent enough to directly damage tissues and cells; with enough cell damage, carefully-regulated processes can be altered and cause uncontrolled cellular division known as cancer. By this logic, it should follow that the more cells there are in the body, the more opportunities there are for cancerous mutations to arise in the body. However, insight into the animal kingdom tells a very different story.
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Could Your Poop Help Solve Psychiatric Problems?Sabrina Ghalambor, September 26 2022
In recent years, scientists have begun researching the possibility of improving gut health using fecal microbiota transplants (FMT). This process requires implanting the feces of a person with a healthy digestive tract into a recipient. The purpose of this transfer is usually to restore crucial bacteria to the gut after a course of antibiotics, which are drugs used to treat certain bacterial infections and can be taken for a variety of illnesses. Antibiotics kill the harmful bacteria causing illnesses, but the process of taking an antibiotic course can also kill beneficial bacteria in the gut; FMT can help restore these bacteria, and has also been used to treat Clostridium difficile and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the procedure is still a highly experimental procedure, meaning that it has not been studied extensively and needs more testing before it can become a widely available treatment.
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Can Radiation Therapy Boost the Immune System's Fight Against Cancer?Olivia Zhou, September 26 2022
Radiation therapy is a potent cancer treatment that involves firing high doses of radiation to kill tumor cells or hinder their growth. This therapy is successful because it utilizes ionizing radiation, which has enough energy to damage the DNA present in cells. However, there is DNA in all cells, whether it’s a cancerous or healthy cell; thus, radiation doses may also indiscriminately affect healthy tissue, resulting in toxic side effects. Therefore, it is important to investigate the impact of radiation therapy on healthy tissue in order to evaluate the success and effectiveness of the treatment. In a study in the Journal of General Physiology, Tandl et. al. investigated how X-ray radiation affects the properties of T cells, one of the major components of the adaptive immune system that specifically target pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells for elimination.
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Identifying the Biological Basis of AutismMarissa Pennino, September 26 2022
The biological basis of autism — a developmental disorder that poses challenges to an individual’s ability to communicate and interact — has long been disputed amongst medical professionals. This misunderstanding was particularly sensationalized following the release of Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s since-retracted 1998 paper, which concluded that childhood vaccinations, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, could lead to autism. However, researchers have recently made a breakthrough in the quest for finding the cause of autism, finding that cells called astrocytes play a key role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) development through abnormal calcium signaling in the brain.
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Vitamin D Deficiency and PCOS: Association and RisksMia Kim, September 26 2022
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common disorders of the endocrine system, affecting between 6% and 12% of people with ovaries. PCOS is often characterized by irregular periods, elevated androgen levels, and/or |