Author Archives: Juniper

One Pill To Cure Them All

Posted on November 5, 2018 | 4 comments

In this day and age, we put healthy living on a high pedestal. We exercise, we eat well, and we supplement our diets with vitamins minerals. Vitamins and minerals are molecules that help our bodies carry out day-to-day processes, like transforming food into energy. Vitamins and minerals are not made by our body, and so we must get them from our diets. We obtain our daily dose of vitamins through helpings of fruits and vegetables. But for some, eating healthy isn’t enough. To really ensure you are getting the right dosage of vitamins and minerals, look no further than the multivitamin.

Centrum multivitamins in Australasian packaging. Attribution:By Smoth 007 from Christchurch, New Zealand (Centrum multivitaminUploaded by smoth_007) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Multivitamins have been touted as the catch-all “cure” for ailments. They have been advertised to reduce the chance of chronic illnesses, improve energy, and even help reduce depressive episodes. But are multivitamins worth their hype?

Multivitamins do have the capability of being incredible for our health. Chock full of antioxidants and other essential molecules, multivitamins are essential to those who cannot eat a well-balanced meal. Vitamin deficiencies can be harmful to the body. Therefore multivitamins are vital to people who cannot commit to getting in a few servings of vegetables a day.  Further, according to an 8-year study done by the Supplémentation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxidants, multivitamins reduced the chance of men developing cancer by 31%. Similar studies have found significant reduction in the risk of developing heart disease in women. mental illness, such as chronic depression.

hand, full, pills. Attribution: Pixniohttps://pixnio.com/science/medical-science/medicines-drugs/hand-medicines-pills-health-care-vitamins-minerals-diet-supplements#

While there are many benefits of taking multivitamins, the perks may be too good to be true. A study in 2011 looked at the effect of multivitamins on overall cancer risk in Americans and found no significant difference between those who took multivitamins and those who didn’t. Further, for those who want a multivitamin on top of a balanced diet, there is too much of a good thing. In 1995, a study was published stating that pregnant women who take too much vitamin A, risk causing birth defects to their baby.

Woman Stretching on Grass. Attribution: Gratisographyhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/healthy-person-woman-sport-4077/

For me, multivitamins are essential to those who cannot commit to a diet high in fruits and vegetables. However, we must not trust that this single pill will cure cancers, heart disease, and mental illness in one fell swoop. To ensure a long, healthy life, we must supplement our lives with other healthy practices, such as self-care, exercise and, a healthy diet.

 

Tia Malloff

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ASOs: They’re Not Nonsense

Posted on October 15, 2018 | Leave a comment

Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disorder which causes loss of motor coordination (chorea), deterioration cognitive functions, and increase in psychiatric problems over time. These symptoms are caused by a repeat mutation in the protein Huntingtin. The mutant builds up in the brain and nerves over time, causing an array of symptoms. While we currently still researching how mutant Huntingtin causes this disease, we  do know that its presence directly harms the brain.

Huntington’s Disease. By National Institute of Standards and Technology (Huntington’s disease) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Currently, there is no cure for Huntington’s Disease. Physicians treat the individual symptoms in hopes of increasing the quality of life of those affected by the disease. Patient are often prescribed a cocktail of pharmaceuticals, ranging from antipsychotics to anti-chorea medications. Most of the drugs prescribed to Huntington’s patients, such as the anti-chorea medication Tetrabenazine, can unfortunately exacerbate other symptoms of the disease. Sadly, the patient is also overcome by the disease’s symptoms in time.

Praying With Patient By Ahs856 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

On October 3rd2018, an article appeared in Science Translational Medicine, showing hope for a new method of treatment. Amber Southwell et al. found that using an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) reduced the production of the mutant Huntingtin protein, alleviating the cognitive and psychiatric symptoms of the disease. The ASO reduces the mutant protein’s production by binding to the gene’s mRNA before it is transformed into a protein.

Amber Southwell and her team found that not only do ASOs reduce the amount of mutant Huntingtin, but the effects of ASO dosage are long lasting. The ASO which showed the most promising results was muHTT1.

Mutant Huntingtin Density After Dosage. By Tia Malloff. Data: Amber L. Southwell, et al.

The study used humanized mice, who expressed the dominant mutation Hu97/18. Hu97/18 is associated with Huntington’s Disease. At 6 weeks, the mice were given an injection of either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or an ASO, such as muHTT1. Mutant Huntingtin presence was quantified by western blot on protein extracted from brain samples. The samples were taken from mice at various ages to determine treatment’s longevity (figure 1).

Treatments with ASOs are giving Huntington’s Disease patients increasing hope as studies continue with non-human primates. While there is still no absolute cure to Huntington’s, there is hope for increased quality of life of those suffering.

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Its In the Water

Posted on September 17, 2018 | Leave a comment

When purchasing pharmaceuticals, there almost always is a concerningly long list of potential side effects tied to the drug. Unfortunately, according to recent studies, a very important side-effect has been neglected: the potential for drug accumulation in bodies of water, including our drinking water. While there seems to be no harm to humans yet, fish are feeling the brunt of the effects.

Brook Trout – Pixnio

A recent study has shown mutations in the reproductive system of fish due to estrogen-containing wastewater in Boulder, Co. And so, it may seem that us Canadians are off the hook. Less people, less pollution, right? Well, unfortunately that is not the case. A 2012 study carried out by the Assembly of First Nations, as well as a couple Canadian universities, looked at the water quality in Ontario and found a witch’s brew of pharmaceuticals within Canadian drinking and surface water. Amongst the cocktail of drugs were estrogen-containing contraceptives. And while the concentrations are still low enough to ease the concern of mutant fish, there is still concern as to how we are going to mitigate this issue.

Pills Tablets – Pixabay

How is it that so many drugs are in our water? Well, the answer is simple. With over 40% of Canadians ages 6-79 having prescription medications, and even more so using over the counter medications, the number of pharmaceuticals going to sewer or waste is huge. Even with proper dosing, there is still a large percentage of a drug which is filtered out of the body and into the urine. Waste water treatment is not equipped for full breakdown of the drugs, and so they return to our waters through treated sewage.  Furthermore, disposal of old or unwanted drugs usually involves going to landfill or down the drain, both causing a influx of pharmaceuticals in our waters.

While Canada is trying to mitigate the issue of drugs going to water by having the take back system, there are still concerns with the ability of present drugs being able to break down in the environment.

 

-Tia Malloff

 

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