Tag Archives: health

Cocaine addiction: Not so cut and dry

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Ryan Berg | Leave a comment

Drug addiction in our society has long been associated with a lack of willpower. I am here to tell you that there is more to the story. There is an abundance of research detailing the plausibility of genetic predisposition to addiction in humans.

Photo credit: Mycroyance on Flickr creative commons. Available: http://bit.ly/15umG2O

Under the supervision of Dr. Bamji, Dr. Andrea Globa and her colleagues conducted a research experiment to determine the effects of how a sticky glue-like protein called cadherin was able to reduce the effects of addiction – in mice. In this experiment, cocaine was administered to the mice when they entered a specific chamber during the experiment to evoke a potential addiction to the drug. Cocaine was chosen as there has been extensive work done in similar fields with the same drug. Cadherin is this sticky glue-like protein that is present at connections between cells in the brain called synapses. These synapses act as the gap between nerve cells that allow electrical impulses from the brain to pass through to the body. Dr. Globa was conducting her experiment to see how these proteins would affect the mice exposed to cocaine versus those that were not. The results of Dr. Globa’s experiment were unexpected. The results showed that mice with higher levels of this protein in their brain would not allow for the connections to strengthen. This meant that the “drug memory” could not be formed and was, therefore, preventing the addiction from developing.

Photo credit: UBC – The effects of cadherin on developing cocaine addictions in mice.

We conducted our own interview with Dr. Globa and discussed her research. We developed a podcast and video to accompany this blog post in hopes that it will help better explain the importance of this research. The podcast elicits the importance of Dr. Globa’s research and how humans may benefit from further research in this field.

The following video depicts how mice with increased protein levels are impartial to which chamber they visit because the protein has not allowed their brain to create an addiction to the administered cocaine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1fi6Iwf4TU&feature=youtu.be

Although the results of the experiment are exciting and seemingly optimistic, Dr. Globa made sure to explain that it is still too early to determine what implications this will have on humans. Dr. Globa’s research was another step forward on the long road to developing an understanding genetic predisposition to addiction.

Author: Ryan Berg, Ellen Chen, Nic Wu, Celia Dossot

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Outreach Project, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged addiction, biology, brain, cocaine, drug addiction, drugs, health, laboratory experiment, memory, mice, neuroscience, protein, Technology, UBC

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

You may have heard of the typical low carb or low fat diet, but have you heard of intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting (IF) is a relatively new diet that has been recently growing in popularity because of its powerful, life-changing benefits for the body and the brain.

There are many diets out there that are complex and intimidating to follow; however, IF keeps it simple.

What is intermittent fasting and how does it work?

IF is an eating pattern where an individual cycles between periods of eating and non-eating. There are many variations of IF that contain different fasting and non-fasting timeframes. Which variation an individual should use is based on their personal preference and their lifestyle/goals. Compared to other diets that require you to limit your calories, IF requires you to cut out the entire meal itself. With IF’s unconventional dieting approach, this makes IF easy to follow for the average person. This has contributed to the diet’s rise in popularity as well as its benefits in body composition and the brain.

Why should I try this diet? What are its benefits?

There are many benefits with intermittent fasting. Below are some of the most important ones that separate this diet apart from others.

Source: The Renegade Pharmacist

IF alters the function of cells, genes and hormones

When the body is in a fasted state, the body undergoes physiological changes such as changes in hormone levels. This allows the body to use stored fat as its main source of energy. Furthermore, insulin blood levels decrease which helps with fat burning. The human growth hormone (HGH) also gets elevated during fasting. Elevated levels of HGH further increase fat burning, muscle gain and other health benefits. As a result of decreased insulin levels and increased HGH, our cells undergo cellular repair processes and removes toxic waste from cells. This in turn can help prevent cancer.

IF benefits the brain

Previous studies have shown that IF improves certain metabolic features that are important for mental health. This involves lowering of blood sugar levels and insulin resistance which is important in fighting against certain diseases. Fasting up-regulates the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), a protein that is involved in cognitive functions, memory and overall brain health. A study that experimented with rats showed that IF can elevate the production of new nerve cells which positively impacts the brain. Secretion of BDNF also contributes to lower chances of mental disorders such as depression and other brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, a study involving animals has shown that IF prevents brain damage caused by strokes.

IF can lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes

As mentioned earlier, fasting reduces insulin. The reduction of insulin levels ultimately lowers type 2 diabetes, a lifelong disease that increases the production of insulin beyond healthy levels. A study comparing IF to calorie restriction diets showed that IF has a stronger impact on lowering insulin levels and lowering blood sugar levels in the body. Collectively, studies have shown that IF can serve as an efficient protection mechanism for people at risk of type 2 diabetes.

IF can improve heart health

Today, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. It is still not well known whether IF can improve heart health due to the limited amount of studies out there. Emerging studies on the effectiveness of IF and heart disease are slowly on the rise.

Below is a video from the Intermountain Research & Medical Foundation discussing their findings on heart disease and IF.

Source: IntermtnMedCtr/Youtube

Intermittent fasting comes with physical and many mental health benefits that sets this apart from other diets. Why diet focussing only on physical health when you can also improve mental health and focus on bettering your longevity?

Make a change where your future self will thank you.

– Aron Ha

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Posted in Science Communication

Tagged brain, cancer, diabetes, Disease, health, Lifestyle, Mental health, Physical health, Stroke

How Bad is Baby Powder?

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Ellen Chen | 2 comments

Have you ever heard that baby powder is actually bad for babies and you shouldn’t use it for a long period of time? Talc is used in the powder and talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. The issue is that talc is a small particle that is small and light enough to travel in the air which can weaken babies’ lungs. When it is inhale, talc can dry a baby’s mucous membranes can cause serious lung damage. Study have shown that talc can cause shortness of breath and blockage of the airway in babies. Some babies have developed pneumonia, and some have died as a result of respiratory failure.

Some people might think they can replace corn starch with talc, but corn starch is not ideal either. However, the particles are large enough and won’t be able to travel in the air compare to other particles such as talc. What are the other alternative? We can use over the counter ointments or petroleum jelly which can be found in any drug stores.

The most important question is that is there a link between talcum powder and lung cancer? An American cancer society stated that there is no increased risk of lung cancer if customer uses talcum powder, but it is suggested that customers should not use talcum powder too often. However, if customer decided to use baby powder, it is suggested not to sprinkle it directly on babies’ body and keep it as far away as possible. It would be ideal to apply some powder on hands away from babies before applying on babies.

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged cancer, health, lung damage, News, public concern, Science

Negative effects on the brain caused by recreational marijuana

Posted on March 19, 2018 by huanxin zhang | 2 comments

Marijuana is one of the three main forms of cannabis (a kind of drug affecting mental activity, behaviour, or perception). It is made from the cannabis plants’ leaves and dried flowers.

Quick GuideUnderstanding Medical Marijuana: Laws, Uses, Safety

cannabis / image from Quick GuideUnderstanding Medical Marijuana

In all the products of cannabis, marijuana is the least powerful. It is always smoked or even made into eatable products such as marijuana ice cream.

marijuana ice cream /image from Dr Greenlove

Therefore, some teenagers think that the marijuana can not hurt them and some of them even think that using marijuana allows them to be relaxed and settle down and improve their concentration. However, the fact is that recreational marijuana-use by youth can cause negative effects on the brain and daily performance.

The Risky Chemical in Marijuana

The delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC), a main chemical in marijuana, is risky for biological systems in the brain.

The chemical formula of THC/ image from Evidence for God from Science

THC affects the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. The cerebellum is the area of the brain which controls balance and coordination. The basal ganglia are the parts of the brain which are helpful for controlling movement. These effects impact performance in some activities, such as sports and driving.

Collegiate Times: Little scientific basis for marijuana criminalization

THC and the brain/ image from Collegiate Times

So the THC in marijuana can influences on the cerebellum and the basal ganglia in the brain. Even though THC can affect our brain, the bad thing is that THC percentage in marijuana experienced a dramatical increase from early 1990’s to 2013, which is from 3.73% t0 10%.

The Influence on Memory

In teens, the part of the brain for emotion is developed well, while the part of the brain for judgment still not mature. Smith with other researches found in 2001 that in people who use marijuana everyday for about three years, the hippocampus (a region in brain, is related to long-term memory) looked strange.

image from SlidePlayer

The greater differences in shape of the hippocampus, the poorer performance on memory assessment. In a long-term memory test, young adults who have never used marijuana scored 18% better compared to heavy marijuana-use youths. So if young people use marijuana, their memory would be affected negatively because of the brain chemistry and brain structure impairment.

In conclusion, recreational marijuana is harmful to the brain if youth uses it, especially when marijuana-use is high potency and long-term.

image from Depositphotos

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Posted in Biological Sciences

Tagged biology, health, marijuana, memory, Physical health, Science

Animal companions and how they help our mental health

Posted on March 16, 2018 by celia dossot | 4 comments

With all the love and joy that pets bring us, it is no surprise that they can also help us manage our mental health. For many pet owners, the presence of their little companion is not only a great source of joy but also a comforting presence.

Picture by Ed Yourdon on Flickr

In fact, it has been shown that therapy-dog visits alleviate stress and improve well-being. Our very own UBC even hosted therapy dogs to help students de-stress! (See video below, from UBC public affairs channel)

Additionally, a recent study done on people struggling with long-term mental health conditions found that “pets should be considered a main, rather than a marginal source of support, in the management of long-term mental health problems” – highlighting their therapeutic potential.

Public Domain on pxhere

This is especially helpful for the mentally ill who often find themselves distanced from their family and friends. Having a companion can ease the isolation and bring about feelings of acceptance without judgement.

Fun fact: cats purr at a frequency that increases bone strength and healing! (And of course, a purring kitty is very calming after a long day)

Public Domain from Karen Arnold

Owning pets can also help you keep good daily routines. For example, walking your dog everyday is a great way to get exercise. This is especially relevant since regular exercise has been found to be an effective treatment for depression, even comparable to antidepressants and therapy!

Pets can especially help with everyday tasks that become increasingly difficult when dealing with mental illness, such as getting out of bed or even remembering to eat.

All in all, whether you are struggling or not, having a little companion is an uplifting and comforting experience – why live without one?

– Celia Dossot

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4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science in News

Tagged animal, cat, de-stress, dog, healing, health, Mental health, Science, therapy, UBC, wellbeing

The Truth of Dressing to Impress

Posted on March 9, 2018 by aaron yen | 4 comments

In many aspects of the personal and professional world, visual impressions matter. Appearing to own expensive clothes, cars, or cellphones may seem shallow, but we are hardwired to express ourselves to signal status, group membership, individuality, or style. The expressions and responses to the way we showcase ourselves in public determine the two-fold relationship between our internal selves and our relationships with others.

Source: diylol.com via Pinterest

Barney Stinson was right to feel powerful when following the mantra to always wear a suit. Just as the show, How I Met Your Mother, displays Stinson’s personality shift from confident and ambitious while “suited up” to childish and insecure when dressed casually, real world situations are surprisingly similar. Researchers from Columbia University in New York and California State University have extensively proved that wearing formal clothing enhances abstract cognitive processing. All five studies within the paper show evidence that people feel more positive about themselves when wearing a suit or dress.

As we become more confident in how we look, we are able to transition more easily into roles that are unfamiliar by first dressing the part. Power roles known as powerful or wealthy in our modern society are perceived to be represented with people wearing suits or formal clothing. When we wear the clothes of people seen in power roles, we fit the mindset of what we see in them when in public. The theory here, known as Symbolic Interactionism, works on a subconscious level that matches our expectations of reality and success in the personal world we live in.

Source: AMC Opensource for Mad Men

Just as we judge ourselves, judging others aligns with our attention to expectations. When we are wearing formal clothing, we are more attentive to being in a cognitive position of power. Just as business people focus on connections and network value, we are more critical of the positions that other people fill when dressed in public. We are more open towards associating with people who are on a perceived equal level by the way they dress, regardless of the surroundings or occasion.

Source: Shutterstock Image Library

So is the solution for all of us to start wearing suits every time we leave the house to make ourselves feel better? The answer is not that simple. Psychology Today defines confidence as a belief in one’s ability to succeed. However, invoking confidence through symbolic measures, such as wearing a suit, can be an act of insecurity that masks the reality of incompetence.

Source: Getty Images

Especially when unsure of the ability to perform a role, appearing to be wealthy results in overcompensation that penalizes you in social situations. For instance, a trendsetting poor individual would feel the need to spend more money buying expensive accessories, where a self-confident wealthy individual would not focus on appearances and wear clothes that are more comfortable.

All in all, the clothes may make the person, but it’s the person wearing the clothes. Though there are benefits beyond how others see you, the truth of dressing to impress is that working toward your ideal role is equally important to how you appear to others. A suit and tie cannot solve all of your problems, but being honest with yourself just might.

– Aaron Yen

4 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Uncategorized

Tagged brain, fashion, health, Mental health, psychology, social psychology

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention (REVISED)

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Aron Ha | Leave a comment

Own an old pair of runners that sit around and collect dust? Science suggests – you may want to put them to use again.

Emerging studies shown that aerobic exercise can slow down the aging of the brain. It was also found that aerobic exercise can have positive effects on cognitive abilities such as memory retention. Several studies shown that individuals who regularly exercise occupy larger volumes of the brain involved in memory compared to individuals that do not exercise.

What exactly is it about physical exercise that has such an impact you might ask?
Upon light to intense levels of aerobic exercise, the body produces a spectrum of signalling chemicals. One of the chemicals that gets released yields the production of a very important protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which gets secreted in the brain and muscles. When produced in the body, BDNF maintains existing brain cells, promotes the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and encourages growth of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is associated with memory.

Figure 1. Anatomy of brain. Source: Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site

Why this should concern you.
The size of the hippocampus decreases with age which often leads to memory decline and decrease in mental efficiency. In many older adults, cognitive deficits are commonly associated with old age. Researchers estimate that by 2050, there will be more than 115 million people that will suffer dementia globally. However, evidence shows that with regular exercise, memory decline and aging of the hippocampus can be reduced and ultimately lower the chances of dementia.

Source: Harvard Health Publications/YouTube

Is one form of exercise more beneficial than the other?
As of now, researchers have not yet found an answer. The reason being is that most of the studies conducted only experimented with walking and/or running. However, it is suggested from the studies available that any type of exercise that would be able to elevate the heart rate to a certain level would produce these cognitive benefits.

As someone who enjoys being physically active and mainly weight trains, I was astonished about the benefits of aerobic exercise – all of this was new information to me. Ever since I learned further about these benefits of aerobic exercise, I have incorporated running to achieve a healthier, more cognitively efficient brain.

Figure 2. Man running. Source: Kyle Cassidy

If you are physically able to exercise and do not currently do so, I hope this post encourages you to reach for your pair of runners, go out, and “jog your memory”.

It is never too late to start exercising.

– Aron Ha

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Posted in Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged brain, exercise, health, memory

Revised: Sleep Deprived from Technology?

Posted on March 3, 2018 by nic wu | Leave a comment

Our eyes are one of the most important organs for perception, it would be a shame if we lost our vision from double tapping that instagram post or snapchatting a selfie. Human vision is only capable of seeing a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, approximately 390 to 700 nanometers. How can our vision of shorter wavelengths have such an impact on our health, particularly sleep? This is referring to artificial blue light, found mostly in electronics such as computers and cell phones.

Figure 1: Electromagnetic spectrum. Source: cyberphysics.co.uk

Wavelength analysis of your eye.

Studies have found that shorter wavelengths such as visible blue light emit more energy than longer wavelengths. The human eye is not very effective at blocking these high energy lights. Ultraviolet light sources such as the sun or lighting is easily blocked and unable to reach the retina. However, blue light which is only has a slightly longer wavelength than some ultraviolet light passes through the whole eye and reaches the retina.

Figure 2: Anatomy of a typical eye. Source: Wikimedia Commons

What blue light does and how it affects you.

Although exposure to blue light has some benefits such as an elevated mood and wakefulness, the main issue tends to be sleep issues. The average human being tends to use electronic devices before they go to sleep. It was found that blue light at night suppresses the discharge of melatonin, the hormone acting as your internal clock. A more specific studying the effects of reading paper versus a light-emitting device before bed found that those reading on an electronic device had less REM sleep (dream sleep) and a greater discomfort in the morning.

How we can save our sleep?

A healthy diet, high in leafy green vegetables may potentially increase the protective pigments in the retina and mitigate some of the damage in vision. To put it simply, the easiest solution to this would be to avoid technology 2-3 hours before bed which tells the body it is time to sleep. On the other hand, many find it difficult to resist this urge and researchers have yet to find a solution. They do suggest using the new modern technological settings like optimizing the screen for night time use so we can all have a good nights sleep and have a nice productive day! Personally, at this particular time of schooling, I use technological devices for most studies because I have a higher productivity rate. Also, I give up some my sleep to maintain some of the fun in my life, sometimes watching tv or playing video games. We do our best to balance our lifestyle between work and leisure, and like a relationship, there is give and take. With the uprise in technology, it will be difficult to avoid artificial blue light, but instead, we should find methods to lessen the effects.

Source: Science Insider Youtube Channel

-Nicholas Wu

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Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged health, light, sleep deprivation, Technology, waves

Video

Sleep Deprived from Technology?

Human vision is only capable of seeing a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, approximately 390 to 700 nanometers. How can our vision of shorter wavelengths have such an impact on our health, particularly sleep? This is referring to artificial blue light, found mostly in electronics such as computers and cell phones.

The electromagnetic spectrum, noting the visible part of the spectrum.

Wavelength analysis of your eye.

Anatomy of a typical eye.

What blue light does and how it affects you.

How we can save our sleep?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1V0rDSTC9I

-Nicholas Wu

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Posted on February 5, 2018 by nic wu in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in News

Tagged health, light, sleep deprivation, Technology, waves

Economy Class Syndrome: where you sit doesn’t matter

Posted on February 5, 2018 by yuuki shibutani | 1 comment

Too much sitting? Not getting up during a flight?

wikimedia: photo originally posted on Flickr by xlibber

This sounds like myself when I was younger. I was always told by my father to walk around or go to the bathroom even if I did not need to. But now I understand why.

Many people are not aware of the risks in sitting still for a long time, especially for flights longer than eight hours. Although it is rare, this can cause a very serious health condition. This is called pulmonary embolism, PE, or deep vein thrombosis, DVT. This most common and known name is Economy Class Syndrome, where the name came from the idea of purchasing a cheap seat on the plane with the least leg room, making it harder to move legs around and difficult to move out of the seat especially if you have a window seat.

When a person gets this health condition, the blood circulation diminishes and increases the tendency to clot and damage the blood vessel walls. If this gets worse, the clot can lead to fatal blockage in the lungs as well as in the heart. This can then cause severe impairment, organ failure as well as death in extreme cases.

Who are at risk?

Flickr: photo by Caribb

Although the name had the word “Economy” in it, it could also affect people in business class as well as first class, showing that it does not matter how much legroom you have. This is because the condition is mainly due to sitting in the same position for a long period of time. Therefore, not just on the airplane, but people going to for a long road trip or sitting in a long train ride or even if you’re studying for a long period time in one sitting could increase the risk. There are risk factors that show that people are at risk more than others depending on their health condition. However, even so, this medical condition can happen to anyone.

How do we prevent from getting Economy Class Syndrome?

To prevent this risk, researchers suggest the following:

Get up frequently (every two to three hours)
If you’re in conditions where you cannot easily get up, you can always stretch your feet/legs or give yourself a calf massage.
Stay hydrated

Credit: YouTube Channel – CBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=108&v=CiZRcZ8byMg]

These will all help maintain the blood circulation and help prevent from getting economy class syndrome.

Many people still might think that the medical condition is rare and that it will not happen to them. However, I believe that if there are possible solutions to prevent these risks, they should be done.

-Yuuki Shibutani

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement, Science in News

Tagged health, Physical health

Tag Archives: health

Cocaine addiction: Not so cut and dry

The Diet for “Fast” Physical and Mental Health Benefits: Intermittent Fasting

How Bad is Baby Powder?

Negative effects on the brain caused by recreational marijuana

Animal companions and how they help our mental health

Jogging Your Memory: Aerobic Exercise and Its Positive Implications on Memory Retention (REVISED)

Revised: Sleep Deprived from Technology?

Sleep Deprived from Technology?

Economy Class Syndrome: where you sit doesn’t matter

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