Category Archives: Uncategorized

Practice Testing: Prevent Stress from Affecting Your Memory

Posted on February 26, 2018 by | 2 comments

Figure 1. Studying student. Image courtesy of: Skokie Public Library on Flickr

Round two of midterm exams is approaching fast and before you know it, it is final exam season. This can cause a lot of stress for students, so how can you increase your marks before the end of the school year? Researchers have found that practice testing as a learning strategy can protect your memory from the negative effects of stress.

No matter how many exams a student has written in their life, they can still get stressed hours before writing an exam. When you are stressed, it is difficult to retrieve information from your memory because your body is preparing for a flight or fight response. The best way to prevent stress from affecting your memory is to study effectively.

Most students tend to study by re-reading the textbook and re-writing notes; this is known as study practice. Another method of studying involves taking practice tests to study for an exam; this is known as retrieval practice.

In 2016, researchers at Tuft University conducted an experiment with 120 students comparing the learning strategies of retrieval practice versus study practice. Participants were asked to learn 30 nouns presented as words and 30 nouns presented as images. This was done using a computer program which displayed an item for a few seconds. Then participants typed a sentence including the item displayed to simulate note taking.

Half of the participants were put into the study practice group and the other half in the retrieval study group. The participants learning by study practice had the items re-displayed multiple times on the computer. The participants learning by retrieval practice took timed practice tests where they had to recall as many items as possible.

For both learning strategies there were non-stressed and stressed participants. Half of the participants from each learning strategy were put under stress conditions and the other half in non-stress conditions. Stress conditions were created by having participants give a speech or solve difficult math problems in front of a group 24 hours after studying.

The memory test for stressed participants was taken during the stressful task to accurately represent the feelings of most students before a test. The non-stressed group took the memory test during a non-stressful task. The participants were asked to accurately recall as many items possible.

Figure 2. Average number of words and images accurately recalled immediately after stress.

As seen in Fig. 2, retrieval practice is the best way of studying because participants in stressful situations recalled the same number of items as participants in non-stressful situations. With this learning strategy, stress had little to no effect on the number of items recalled. The stressed retrieval practice group also recalled more items than the non-stressed study practice group.

Why is retrieval practice effective? The learning strategy forces you to recall information repeatedly and this helps strengthen long-term memory retention. So, for your upcoming exam, try studying through retrieval practice to handle the stress and ace your exam!

Want to know more about retrieval practice? Check out the video above!

– Sara Djondovic

References

  1. Agarwal, P. K. [Retrieval Practice]. (2017). Retrieval Practice Overview. Retrieved February 25, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO8abw3DHxs&feature=youtu.be.
  2. Agarwal, P. K. Retrieve!. Retrieval Practice. Retrieved February 25, 2018 from https://www.retrievalpractice.org.
  3. McLeod, S. A. (2010). Long-term memory. Retrieved February 25, 2018 from www.simplypsychology.org/long-term-memory.html.
  4. N.A. (n.d.). The fight or flight response: Our body’s response to stress. Young Diggers. Retrieved February 25, 2018 from http://www.youngdiggers.com.au/fight-or-flight.
  5. Segal, J., Smith, M., Segal, R., Robinson, L. (2018). Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes. HELPGUIDE.ORG. Retrieved February 25, 2018 from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm.
  6. Smith, A. M., Floerke, V. A., Thomas, A. K. (2016). Retrieval practice protects memory against acute stress. Science, 354(6315), 1046-1048. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6315/1046.
  7. Tufts University. (2016). Practice testing protects memory against stress. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 24, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161124160426.htm.

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Rise of the Anti-Vaccinations: The European Outbreak of the Measles Virus

Posted on February 25, 2018 by | 2 comments

With over 20,000 cases and 35 deaths, measles is on the rise again in Europe. Could the “anti-vax” movement be to blame?

Figure 1: Vaccine being drawn into a needle Source: Flickr

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent report, after a record low of 5273 cases in 2016, there were four times as many cases of the measles virus in 2017.

Of the 53 countries in the region, 21 had reported large outbreaks. A classification of a large measles outbreak includes over 100 reported cases. Some countries on this list include Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom. The countries that top this list are Romania, Italy and Ukraine, all nearing or over 5000 reported cases.

Figure 1: List of all European countries that have large outbreaks of the measles virus Source: WHO Europe

So how could Europe go from a record low to a four-fold increase in only a year?

The WHO claims that this is because of the decrease in routine vaccinations, interrupted supply of vaccines and underperforming disease surveillance systems.

In the retracted 1998 publication from the Lancet, a medical journal from the United Kingdom, an article stated that there was a correlation between the measles vaccination and autism.

Although this statement was highly discredited, the anti-vaccination (anti-vax) movements in recent years have surged from these false claims. The influence from the opinion of the “anti-vax” movement has led to an overall loss of trust in vaccinations.

Figure 3: Bumper sticker promoting the views of the anti-vax movement Source: Flickr

Some countries, such as Italy, have had government intervention where legislation requires children to get vaccinated if they plan on attending state-run schools.

The French Health Ministry has also promised to enforce mandatory vaccinations for young children by early 2018.

Unsurprisingly, this decrease in vaccinations is the largest risk in spreading the measles. Any individuals unvaccinated, regardless of age, are at risk of catching and spreading the virus to others who are not protected.

For now, the WHO intends to increase vaccination rates in Europe by improving the supply chain of vaccines and informing the public with awareness campaigns.

-Brandon Kato

References:

Europe observes a 4-fold increase in measles cases in 2017 compared to previous year http://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/sections/press-releases/2018/europe-observes-a-4-fold-increase-in-measles-cases-in-2017-compared-to-previous-year (accessed Feb 25, 2018).

Wakefield, A. J. The Lancet. 1998, 351(9103), 637–641.

Italy makes 12 vaccinations compulsory for children http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39983799 (accessed Feb 25, 2018).

8 nouveaux vaccins obligatoires pour les enfants de moins de 2 ans http://www.gouvernement.fr/argumentaire/8-nouveaux-vaccins-obligatoires-pour-les-enfants-de-moins-de-2-ans (accessed Feb 25, 2018).

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Life Stress and Telomere Length

Posted on February 23, 2018 by | 2 comments

Dr. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, a biochemist at the University of California, San Francisco, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for her discovery of the process of telomere shortening. Her research revealed that telomeres and telomerase may play central roles in how we age. Telomeres are special segments of noncoding DNA at the very ends of chromosomes. 

The telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from fraying. The problem is that every time the cell divides and the DNA is copied, some of that telomere get shortened until the length would hit a critical point. She also discovered an enzyme that could replenish and restore the length of telomeres, and she named it telomerase.

The shortened telomeres play a role in aging by the erosion of the DNA over time. It means that the telomeres’ length is connected to ageing and going from healthy to diseased. She revealed that telomere attrition is also contributing to physiological changes in the body such as increasing risks of getting various types of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, some cancers, and diabetes.

The risks of the diseases of ageing cannot be reduced by telomerase since although increasing the telomerase decreases the risks of some diseases, the higher levels of it also increase the risks of certain and rather serious cancers such as brain tumours, melanoma, and lung cancers. So, she carried out experiments to discover ways to control our telomeres’ length and thus health, without taking cancer risks.

She discovered the relationship between perceived stress and telomere length, which clearly indicated that the more chronic stress you are under, the significantly shorter the telomeres. The results of the study are shown below, Figure2.

In addition, her further study discovered that negative thinkers who perceive their life events under greater stress were found to have shorter telomeres and lower telomerase activity. On the other hands, people, who experience their circumstances not as a threat, but as a challenge had been able to maintain their telomeres. 

This study indicates that we have control over the way we age all the way down into our cells. People’s life events and the way they perceive these events can affect on the telomeres length. Physical activity as a form of meditation may also control the shortening effect on telomeres. Therefore, telomere length wasn’t just a matter of age counted in years, but it was a matter of attitude.

People who have experienced emotional neglect, exposure to violence, or bullying consistently have shorter telomeres while tight-knit communities and lifelong friendships improve telomere maintenance. Dr.Elizabeth H. Blackburn said, ” It‘s telling us that I have the power to impact my own telomeres, and I also have the power to impact yours. Telomere science has told us just how interconnected we all are.”

The video below explains the relationship between accelerated telomere shortening and life stress. See source here.

-Subi Kim

 

References:

E. S. Epel et al. Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. 2004. The National Academy of Sciences. 101:17312-17315. doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0407162101.

Roxy, P., Chris, O., Jay, D. (2011) Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis. Boston, MA: Nelson Education.

 

 

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Artificial Photosynthesis as an Energy Source – Revised

Posted on February 9, 2018 by | 2 comments

For centuries, fossil fuels have been the most common energy source in the world, and are still used extensively. However, with the growing problem of climate change due to climbing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, combined with the prospect of limited sources of fossil fuels available, interest in renewable and more environmentally friendly sources of energy is growing.

Sunlight is a well-known source of natural energy, and can be converted into usable energy sources. Probably the most well-known method is the use of solar cells to produce electricity from sunlight, as cells have been in use for decades, in applications ranging from satellites to calculators. Today, research in renewable energy continues, as scientists investigate the possibilities of using sunlight to produce other usable energy sources besides electricity.

In photosynthesis, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen, which are combined with carbon dioxide to build biochemical molecules. Within the last half a century, laboratory processes have replicated the splitting, imitating photosynthesis in plants. The hydrogen can be collected and used immediately as a fuel, e.g. in rocket engines, or used to make other fuels. The most basic of such methods involves using electricity passed between two electrodes in water, producing hydrogen and oxygen gas at the electrodes, as shown below(1). This method does not use sunlight directly, but the electricity could be supplied from solar cells. An alternative method of water splitting uses a solar cell containing a Titanium Oxide (TiO2) electrode to absorb sunlight and produce hydrogen and oxygen on the cell surface. However, the energy conversion of this method is highly inefficient, and is therefore not widely used (2).

Another approach to artificial photosynthesis involves a closer imitation of its biological analogue, using both water and carbon dioxide to produce fuels. One known method, also using a TiO2 catalyst, converts water and CO2 to oxygen and small hydrocarbon molecules including methane and methanol. Both of these are common fuels. The Titanium catalyst can be modified with elements such as copper, platinum or silicon to make the production of hydrocarbons more selective. For example, adding platinum to the catalyst increases the preference of methane over methanol eight times higher than before (3). Despite the useful carbon compounds produced in these process, carbon monoxide (CO), a toxic gas, is also produced. However, the amount of CO produced can be decreased by further catalyst modification, but not entirely eliminated.

These catalytic methods are beneficial in producing useful fuels from clean and renewable energy sources and consume a greenhouse gas (CO2) in the process. This provides a favourable solution to both climate change as well as an energy crisis. The downsides of these methods are the expense and inefficiency, and thus are not yet used in mass production of fuels.

References:

  1. https://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-electrolysis. (Accessed 08/02/2018.)
  2. Bard, Allen J., and Marye Anne Fox. “Artificial photosynthesis: solar splitting of water to hydrogen and oxygen.” Accounts of Chemical Research 28.3 (1995): 141-145.
  3. Mul, Guido et al. “Artificial photosynthesis over crystalline TiO2-based catalysts: fact or fiction?.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 132.24 (2010): 8398-8406.

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Males Outnumbered: Why 99% of Sea Turtles are Turning Female.

Posted on January 22, 2018 by | 1 comment

A hatchling green sea turtle on the shore of Raine Island. Source: Queensland Government

Climate change has many consequences that most people are familiar with, such as rising temperatures, melting glaciers and floods, but there is one effect that you may not be familiar with. Climate change is causing sea turtle populations to be 99% female; male sea turtles are disappearing.

The sex of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand in which the eggs are incubated. Higher temperatures tend to favour female offspring, and rising air and sea temperatures are causing sand to retain more heat. Scientists who went to Australia’s Ingram Island expected the female-to-male ratio to be slightly in favour of females. Instead, they found that the gender ratio was significantly in favour of females, 116 to 1.

This discovery highlighted the extent of climate change’s effect on sea turtle populations. Scientists find this concerning as Australia’s sea turtles primarily nest in two locations: a collection of islands near Brisbane and a remote island known as Raine Island. If these two populations are predominantly female, then their futures are at risk.

Source: Queensland Government

A map of Australia’s north eastern coast showing Raine Island and Brisbane, where turtle populations were studied. Source: Queensland Government

By making incisions to determine gonads and examining blood samples for gender specific hormones, Camryn Allen, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Michael Jensen, the lead investigator, determined that the turtle population on Raine Island has been predominantly female for the last 20 years. This is no small find; Raine Island is home to one of the biggest sea turtle rookeries on earth with more than 200,000 females nesting on the island. “It was worse than we thought”, remarks Jensen.

On the other hand, Allen and Jensen also found that turtles hatching from the south of Brisbane, where sea temperatures are fairly stable, have a healthy ratio of 2 to1, females to males.  This clearly shows the effects of climate change on sea turtle gender.

But just how consequential is this phenomenon? Because the populations’ gender coincides with sea temperatures, it is difficult to say at the moment. However, it may prove advantageous. Male sea turtles mate frequently and with more than just one female. Therefore, having more females than males can allow for more genetic diversity among populations.

Sea turtles have outlasted hunting, poaching, pollution, disease and habitat loss for hundreds of years. Why should they not outlast changing sea temperatures? Jensen believes that rapidly changing sea temperatures will make it more difficult for sea turtles to bounce back.  Adding that “evolution requires many generations for animals to adapt.” Sea turtles and other reptiles are so sensitive to changes in temperature that the slightest change could produce populations of only female offspring.

“The northern Great Barrier Reef is one of the most genetically distinct populations of sea turtles in the world. What’s really scary though is to think about applying this problem to populations where the numbers are low” says Allen on the implications of her research.

Allen and Jensen plan to continue their work at other nesting locations around the world, having already collected data from Guam, Hawaii and Saipan.

https://youtu.be/zOemoIbgx2c

From Youtube: Time lapse of turtles arriving at Raine Island by Biopixel.

– Ashlea Ahmed

References:

  1. Jensen, M. P.; Allen, C. D.; Eguchi, T.; Bell, I. P.; Lacasella, E. L.; Hilton, W. A.; Hof, C. A.; Dutton, P. H. Environmental Warming and Feminization of One of the Largest Sea Turtle Populations in the World. Current Biology [Online] 2018, 28, 154–159 (accessed Jan 22, 2018).https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/australia-green-sea-turtles-turning-female-climate-change-raine-island-sex-temperature/
  2. Welch, C. 99% of These Sea Turtles Are Turning Female-Here’s Why https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/australia-green-sea-turtles-turning-female-climate-change-raine-island-sex-temperature/ (accessed Jan 22, 2018).

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Red Meat on Heart Health

Social gatherings, guy’s night out, or just a cozy evening in the comfort of your own home, everyone likes a nice piece of grilled steak now and again. But, how much is too much? Can eating too much red meat in fact be bad for you?

Image result for grilled steak

Figure 1: Red meat, a source of dietary L-carnitine. Source

New research suggests that eating too much red meat does in fact cause heart complications. In a study published in the journal Nature by Koeth et al. (2013), complications arise in the heart when too much red meat is digested, due to the buildup of the chemical trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO).

This occurs due to the ingestion of L-carnitine, a compound readily available in red meat. “L-Carnitine is metabolized in the stomach and produces the chemical TMAO” (Hartiala et al., 2014). In this study, conducted on both mice and humans, it was discovered that regular intake of L-carnitine led to an elevated risk of developing atherosclerosis (build up of plaque in your arteries).

Image result for atherosclerosis

Figure 2: Atherosclerosis, the build up of plaque in your arteries. Source

What precautions can we take to mitigate this? Can we just not eat red meat anymore? This study done by Koeth et al. (2013) goes on to say that vegans, or people with lower intake of dietary L-carnitine produce less TMAO in their body than fellow meat-eaters. In fact, people who had been vegans for an extended period of time produced almost no TMAO at all!

Moreover, it has been documented that ingestion of energy drinks also includes L-carnitine (Mangi et al., 2017), which again, when present in the stomach can be metabolized into TMAO, increasing your risk for atherosclerosis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBK6A5uvnDs

Dr.Stanley Hazen, preventative cardiologist, explains the risk of L-Carnitine. Source

What does this mean all mean? Ultimately, there are varied sources from which our body can intake dietary L-carnitine; red meat and commercialized energy drinks being two of the most common options. The key here is to minimize your intake of L-carnitine on all levels  to prevent formation of TMAO and subsequent risk of atherosclerosis. As this is a topic still in hot contention, one can never be too careful. Perhaps now is the time to switch to that Vegetarian diet you’ve been thinking about all winter!

-Cody Zhang

References

  1.  Hartiala, J., Bennett, B., Tang, W., Wang, Z., Stewart, A., Roberts, R., McPherson, R., Lusis, A., Hazen, S. and Allayee, H. (2014). Comparative Genome-Wide Association Studies in Mice and Humans for Trimethylamine N-Oxide, a Proatherogenic Metabolite of Choline and L-Carnitine. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 34(6), pp.1307-1313.
  2. Koeth, R., Wang, Z., Levison, B., Buffa, J., Org, E., Sheehy, B., Britt, E., Fu, X., Wu, Y., Li, L., Smith, J., DiDonato, J., Chen, J., Li, H., Wu, G., Lewis, J., Warrier, M., Brown, J., Krauss, R., Tang, W., Bushman, F., Lusis, A. and Hazen, S. (2013). Intestinal microbiota metabolism of l-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis. Nature Medicine, 19(5), pp.576-585.
  3. Mangi, M., Rehman, H., Rafique, M. and Illovsky, M. (2017). Energy Drinks and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Review of Current Literature. Cureus.
  4.  Velasquez, M., Ramezani, A., Manal, A. and Raj, D. (2016). Trimethylamine N-Oxide: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown. Toxins, 8(11), p.326.

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Posted on January 22, 2018 by in Uncategorized

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Recent study shows alarming effect of junk food on immune system

Posted on January 22, 2018 by | 1 comment

Before walking to the counter and ordering that McDonald’s combo meal you’ve been craving for, think twice on the effect that burger will have on your body. It’s no surprise that eating too much junk food is bad for our health and can cause weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. However a recent study shows its startling, irreversible effects on our immune system that are not so obvious.

Figure 1 shows a typical fast food meal. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany discovered that our immune system reacts to junk food the same way it reacts to a bacterial infection – by constantly fighting against new attack. Although the idea of rapid inflammatory response sounds like we are increasing our immunity to infection, prolonged activation of our immune system actually causes inflammation which can lead to diseases such as arteriosclerosis, clogging of the arteries.

The results were published on January 11th, 2018 in Cell and showed that after exposing mice to a “Western diet” consisting of high fat and high sugar foods for 4 weeks, the number of immune cells that help the body fight against infection increased significantly in the blood. Meanwhile, mice that were put on a healthy diet had much lower levels of immune cells.

When the mice were taken off the “Western diet”, the high levels of immune cells in the blood disappeared. The study also revealed that certain immune cells in the mice experienced permanent changes in their genes causing the immune system to be continually activated even after feeding the mice a healthy diet. These immune cells contain complexes known as “inflammasomes” which recognize any foreign substances that invade our body resulting in the constant release of inflammatory responses.

Figure 2 shows a normal artery with normal blood flow compared to the narrowing of the artery due to build-up of plaque. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Even a minor stimulus can release a strong inflammatory response which can be very harmful in the long term. Immune cells are a major contributor to the thickening of arteries – a disease known as “arteriosclerosis”. An activated immune system continuously releases immune cells that migrate to the arterial walls. Accumulation of immune cells in the arteries leads to the development of plaque, greatly limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other tissues in the body as shown in Figure 2.

Scientists have yet to study the mechanism of how inflammasomes can detect the presence of foreign substances brought by the Western diet. For now, immunologist Eicke Latz stresses the importance of educating youth about the consequences of eating unhealthy food as it is “only in this way can we immunize children at an early stage against the temptations of the food industry”.

As for the rest of us, making small changes to our diet can substantially reduce the effects of unhealthy food in the long run. Here are some tips on how to incorporate healthy food into your daily lives:

HEALTHY LUNCHES by Cyril Izarn Source: Vimeo

-Annelie Reyes

References:

  1. Christ, A.; Günther, P.; Lauterbach, M. A.; Duewell, P.; Biswas, D.; Pelka, K.; Scholz, C. J.; Oosting, M.; Haendler, K.; Baßler, K.; Klee, K.; Schulte-Schrepping, J.; Ulas, T.; Moorlag, S. J.; Kumar, V.; Park, M. H.; Joosten, L. A.; Groh, L. A.; Riksen, N. P.; Espevik, T.; Schlitzer, A.; Li, Y.; Fitzgerald, M. L.; Netea, M. G.; Schultze, J. L.; Latz, E. Cell 2018, 172 (1-2).
  2. Pietrangelo, A.; Carey, E.; Holland, K. 13 Effects of Fast Food on the Body https://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body#1 (accessed Jan 22, 2018).
  3. Fast Food Makes the Immune System More Aggressive in the Long Term http://www.selectscience.net/industry-news/fast-food-makes-the-immune-system-more-aggressive-in-the-long-term/?&artID=45630 (accessed Jan 22, 2018).
  4. Woollard, K. J.; Geissmann, F. Monocytes in atherosclerosis: subsets and functions https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2813241/ (accessed Jan 22, 2018).
  5. White Blood Cells https://www.diabetes.co.uk/body/white-blood-cells.html (accessed Jan 22, 2018).

 

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Anxiety’s effect on Alzheimer’s Disease

New studies have shown that anxiety level and the development of Alzheimer’s Disease are correlated in older adults.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a common type of dementia that inhibits cognitive ability. Although Alzheimer’s is not solely due to old age, increasing age is known to be the greatest risk factor, with majority of the population over 65 years of age diagnosed with this disease. Alzheimer’s develops from the accumulation of plaques (β-amyloid) between nerve cells in the brain and tau tangles, which are twisted fibers inside nerve cells. β-amyloid protein in a normal brain breaks down and is eliminated, but they clump together to form insoluble plaques in an Alzheimer’s Diseased brain. The protein, tau, forms the microtubule which transports nutrients from one nerve cell to another; however, the tau protein within Alzheimer’s individuals is abnormal and doesn’t transport nutrients and other essential supplies through the cell, which leads to cell death. https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/infographic/progression-alzheimers-disease

Researchers of Brigham and Women’s Hospital discovered that higher anxiety level may relate to increasing levels of β-amyloid plaques. They compared symptoms of anxiety with symptoms of depression through baseline imaging scans and assessments on the Geriatric Depression Scale on 270 cognitively normal men and women between ages of 62 and 90. Individuals with higher β-amyloid also acquired higher anxiety level, which suggests that anxiety symptoms could be a leading factor prior to the early stages of cognitive impairment and thus Alzheimer’s development in normal adults.

An example of nerve cells within a normal individual versus an individual with Alzheimer’s Disease. Plaques accumulate around the cells and tau tangles form inside the cells. Image credit: https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/infographic/amyloid-plaques-and-neurofibrillary-tangles

The development of Alzheimer’s Disease can occur over a number of years before cognitive symptoms show; the stages of Alzheimer’s is known from healthy aging, to preclinical Alzheimer’s, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and finally dementia. It may be difficult to distinguish between a decline in cognitive ability due to an increase in age and signs that represent early stage dementia.

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s worsen over the years for an individual, from mild memory loss to the inability of carrying out daily tasks and becoming unresponsive to their environment. With no cure available yet, the discovery of a correlation between anxiety and an increasing plaque growth within nerve cells could be important in slowing down the onset of the disease and treating the symptoms to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.

 

-Anita Wang

 

References:

Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Anxiety: An early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180112091206.htm (accessed Jan 18, 2018).

Alzheimer’s Association. https://www.alz.org/braintour/plaques.asp (accessed Jan 20, 2018).

DeFina, P. A., Moser, R. S., M. G., Lichtenstein, J. D., & Fellus, J. (2013). Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical and Research Update for Health Care Practitioners. Journal of Aging Research. Accessed Jan 21, 2018, from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2013/207178/.

Alzheimer’s Association. What is Alzheimer’s? https://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp (accessed Jan 20, 2018).

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Posted on January 22, 2018 by in Uncategorized

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Could there be a new cure for breast cancer?

Posted on January 16, 2018 by | 1 comment

Results from a recent study provide a new hope in the fight against breast cancer. At the frontlines of this battle against mutating cells, research teams are investigating more effective and efficient treatments. Five new chemical compounds were found to be more active in destroying breast cancer cells than current leading therapeutics.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, affecting those aged 20-59 years old worldwide.  Although classes of compounds have been recognized and applied in chemotherapy, the search for more effective treatments is on-going.

Previous therapies have targeted the mitochondria of cancer cells as the disruption of this cell component releases proteins that activate a process called apoptosis. The favourable result of this process is the death of target cells and many anticancer drugs aim to induce this activation.

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Apoptotic Pathways (Genentech)

Non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are a group of compounds causing mitochondrial dysfunction that results in apoptosis.

Formula of the NSAID’s and triphenylarsine used (European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry)

Researchers of this study modified five of these activating NSAIDs to contain silver. The five modified compounds were tested in vitro to determine their ability to target genetic material and inhibit proliferation of the cancer cells. The compounds were compared to the leading chemical therapeutic, cisplatin.

The compounds were also analyzed to characterize other chemical and physical properties, detailed in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. All five compounds are more efficient than cisplatin in damaging cancer cell DNA. One compound was three times more able to inhibit the proliferation of the cancers cells than cisplatin.

Canadian Cancer Society and Statistics Canada estimated that 26,300 women and 230 men would be diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada during 2017.  The contribution from the University of Ioannina has introduced five new compounds that could direct a new area of chemotherapy research; a field that affects a significant number of people in Canada and the world.

References:

  1. Banti, C.N.; Papatriantafyllopoulou, C.; Tasiopoulos, J.T.; Hadjikakpou, S.K.; Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2018, 143 (1), 1687-1701
  2. Breast cancer statistics https://www.wcrf.org/int/cancer-facts-figures/data-specific-cancers/breast-cancer-statistics (accessed Feb 8, 2018).
  3. Elmore, S.; Toxicologic Pathway, 2007,  35 (4), 495-516
  4. Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs https://www.medicinenet.com/nonsteroidal_antiinflammatory_drugs/article.htm (accessed Feb 08, 2018)
  5. Canadian Cancer Society’s Advisory Committee on Cancer
    Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017. Toronto, ON: Canadian
    Cancer Society; 2017. Available at: cancer.ca/Canadian-CancerStatistics-2017-EN.pdf
    (accessed Feb 08, 2018)

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Gravitational Waves: Where Are We Now, and Why Do They Matter?

Posted on January 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

In the recent past, a groundbreaking discovery was made in physics, making headlines around the world. Regardless of whether you are a scientist or not, it is likely that you have heard about it: the discovery of evidence for gravitational waves. But what are gravitational waves, and why are they a big deal?

If I were to ask you to name some forces, you might think of, for example, gravity, friction, or magnetism, which come from us observing everyday interactions, like apples falling, rubbing an eraser, or paperclips sticking to magnets. In actuality, there are fundamentally only four types of forces in the universe (although scientists are now potentially suspecting a fifth one), with gravity being one of them.

To better understand gravity, we first need to look at one idea that Einstein is famous for: his idea of a space time continuum—that our universe is a 4-dimensional object formed by the 3 dimensions of space and 1 dimension of time (Figure 1). Gravitational waves are disturbances in this continuum resulting from the gravity between objects. Their existence was predicted by Einstein under his theory of relativity a century before their discovery.

Figure 1:An artist’s depiction of a probe measuring the curvature of spacetime around Earth. Source: NASA.

But despite us being held down by it, gravity is actually a very weak force (compared to the other forces), and this is what has made detecting gravitational waves so challenging. The strongest gravitational waves, for example, would result from something like the colliding of two massive black holes in the video below.

The discovery of gravitational waves was finally made by renowned physicists Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne (for which they won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics) at LIGO: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Figure 2 illustrates how they made the discovery.

Figure 2: How LIGO and Virgo’s Detectors Work. Source: The Guardian (originally sourced from Scientific American).

For a more detailed explanation, along with challenges encountered, Derek Muller of Veritasium explains nicely in this video:

A year later, gravitational waves were detected for the fourth time. This time, it was done with three detectors: LIGO’s two detectors and the Advanced Virgo detector in Italy. This increased the accuracy of the location which astronomers can calculate the source of the waves roughly tenfold.

So why does any of this matter?

In the universe, there are phenomena which emit little to no light, such as black holes and neutron stars—the results of the core of a large star collapsing into itself after it explodes at the end of its life, i.e. a dead star. Because of this lack of light, they are very difficult to study, and we know little about them. But even though neutron stars are “dead”, they have fascinating properties, like magnetic fields a quadrillion times stronger than Earth’s. Scientists are hoping that we can use gravitational waves to study phenomena like them, and perhaps other similar objects we do not even know about. The universe is a vast place, with much to explore, and the discovery of gravitational waves has given us a powerful new tool to study this beautiful world.

-Cliff Ng

References

Drake, N.; Greshko, M. What Are Gravitational Waves, and Why Do They Matter? https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/what-are-gravitational-waves-ligo-astronomy-science/ (accessed Jan 13, 2018).

Macdonald, F. IT’S OFFICIAL: Gravitational Waves Were Just Detected With The Greatest Precision Ever https://www.sciencealert.com/new-ligo-virgo-gravitational-waves-neutron-stars-space-news-sept-2017 (accessed Jan 13, 2018).

Odenwald, S. What is a space time continuum? https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/relativity/q411.html (accessed Jan 13, 2018).

UCI physicists confirm possible discovery of fifth force of nature https://news.uci.edu/2016/08/15/uci-physicists-confirm-possible-discovery-of-fifth-force-of-nature/ (accessed Jan 13, 2018).

What are Gravitational Waves? https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/what-are-gw (accessed Jan 13, 2018).

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