Tag Archives: health

Do you know someone with Alzheimer’s? 

Chances are you answered yes because Alzheimer’s is currently the sixth largest cause of death in the United States, and it continues to rise. Between 2000-2017, Alzheimer’s has increased by 145% and now affects about 5.8 million people in USA. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that has no cure. It often starts with loss of memory and can lead to loss of communication and even death. Such individuals can require specialized care in later stages, which can put pressure on medical systems and family. Most people see symptoms after their 65thbirthday. It is generally accepted that amyloid plaques (protein fragments that get stuck in the brain) are somehow linked to Alzheimer’s, but the exact relationship is not known. A recent study from MIT suggests brain waves could be used to get rid of such plaques and help improve memory.

Gamma Way Treatments May Be Key to Fighting Alzheimer’s

Researchers at MIT, led by senior author Li-Huei Tsai, exposed a group of mice to gamma brain waves and stimulating sounds. The brain is made up of many types of neurons, which are specialized cells, that must communicate with each other. They do this through electrical signals, and if these signals cycle about 25-80 times per second they are labelled as gamma waves. Gamma waves are thought to play an important role in memory and cognition and previous research has shown they may play a role in reducing brain amyloids.

Courtesy: Pexels | Photo Credit: Pixabay | A researcher peers into a microscope.

The MIT researchers had previously performed similar experiments with only audio or only gamma ray stimulation. Both of these experiments had shown positive results for mice memory. The mice were better able to navigate mazes and identify objects. The decided to build on those previous projects by subjecting the mice to both types of treatments. The results were resoundingly positive and resulted in a “… very dramatic reduction of amyloid,” explained Dr. Tsai. Mice were once again better able to remember and navigate mazes and recognize objects. However, even though initial results are promising, more research needs to be done to determine whether this treatment is safe and effective for humans. Also, the mice stopped showing improvement if the treatments were stopped for a week, meaning treatment may have to be recurring to provide any benefit.

Caring for Those with Alzheimer’s Is Not Easy

Courtesy: Pexels | Photo Credit: Matthias Zomer | People with Alzheimer’s need specialized care and support.

Caring for people with Alzheimer’s is no small task. Not only does it require immense resources and specialized care, but it can also weigh on family members and caregivers. In 2018 alone, $277 billion US dollars were spent on Alzheimer’s care, and this number is expected to grow as the population ages. Currently, a number for prescription drugs exist to slow down the disease in its early stages but there is no definite treatment. This research could lead the way for one of the first treatments that could actually reverse the effects of this disease. About 95% of Alzheimer’s affects those above 65, which means younger generations may still be able to reap the rewards of continued research in this field.

-Sukhman Bhuller

Help! I can’t stop eating!

A child eating pizza. Image from Wikimedia Commons

One slice of pizza turns into five boxes of pizza and twenty hours later… you’re still eating! Imagine an insatiable hunger and a love for food turned deadly. When eating becomes your worst enemy, Prader-Willi Syndrome may be the culprit.

What is Prader-Willi Syndrome?

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder in which an individual feels hungry all the time. So much to the point where they are found constantly eating, and can continue eating even after they’re full. These individuals can literally eat to the point of death.

PWS was first described in 1956 by Swiss doctors Andrea Prader, Alexis Labhart, and Heinrich Willi. Anyone can develop PWS, and it was found that this disorder affects nearly 1 in every 15,000 births. As a result, PWS is one of the leading causes of childhood obesity.

Symptoms of a Deadly Appetite

The most common symptom of PWS is chronic hunger. Other symptoms can include: poor muscle tone during infancy, early-onset obesity, limited growth, delayed motor and verbal skills, behaviour and mental disorders, and curvature of the spine.

A 15-year-old child with typical PWS facial features. Note the presence of mild truncal obesity. Image from Wikimedia Commons

How does this happen?

PWS is a genetic disorder, which means that children inherit this disorder from their parents. Specifically, from an abnormality in a chromosome that comes from the father. This abnormality arises when a part of the gene is missing or malfunctioning. When this occurs, the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls hunger and thirst and releases hormones that promote growth) stops working which results in an inability to regulate food intake.

Is there a cure?

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for PWS. In fact, most of the research to date has only been targeted towards developing treatments for the disorder. For example, doctors may prescribe a growth hormone to treat PWS that not only increases height, but also decreases body fat, increases muscle mass, improves weight distribution, increases stamina, and increases bone mineral density.

Ultimately, the inability to regulate food intake remains one of the biggest obstacles that prevent individuals with PWS from living independently. There is still no effective medication that aids in regulating appetite. Nevertheless, those with PWS can still live a long and fulfilling life with the right guidance and support, as seen with Katie in the video below. Her documentary on living life with PWS gives us a better insight into the disorder, and presents a new meaning to the saying “you are what you eat”:

Documentary of Katie, a child living with PWS. Video from Youtube.

-Christina Rayos

Can Sharks Help Us Cure Cancer?

There are very few things in this world that are more terrifying to humans than sharks are. After all, with their intelligence, size, agility and ideal anatomical features, they really are the perfect predators. They have dominated the ocean for over 400 million years, instilling fear in other animals and humans alike. But what if these fierce hunters actually hold the key to surviving some of our deadliest diseases?

A great white shark in Dyer Island. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (Olga Ernst).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_white_shark_Dyer_Island.jpg

Recently, scientists at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center characterized the full genome of a great white shark, essentially the genetic blueprint that maps the structure and function of the animal. Their studies revealed that sharks are just as resilient on the inside as they look on the outside.

Their research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, found that sharks can repair and alter their DNA, the material in our bodies that carry genetic information, in order to fight diseases and heal wounds efficiently as they age. Their built-in resistance to DNA damage increases their genetic stability and health, which is how they are able to thrive for millions of years.

A 3D-model of DNA strands.
Courtesy of Flickr Commons (Helen Carmody).
Source: https://flic.kr/p/R8JhxZ

Healing progression of a lemon shark over a three year period. Courtesy of YouTube (Ramon Llaneza Technical Diving). Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrn5AHipp8. 

Our cells, the building blocks of our body, along with our DNA, which provide the layout for the cells to function, breakdown as we age. This damage, termed genomic instability, is what makes humans so vulnerable to serious age-related diseases like cancer.

By studying the shark genome, the scientists hope to understand the mechanisms behind how these animals are able to preserve its stability, information that may potentially help us fight cancer and other serious human diseases. It may also help improve current flesh-healing treatments.

There is still so much to learn from sharks, both from a biomedical perspective and from an environmental perspective. Hopefully, this newfound research will heighten our appreciation for these evolutionary superheroes instead of feeling the need kill them.

– Justine Law

Immune Systems in Space

Humans are getting closer to reaching their goal of becoming an inter-planetary species. NASA is under presidential orders to land humans on Mars by 2033.  However, will astronauts be able to survive such a long and grueling journey?  Little is known about the long-term effects of space travel on the human body. A one-way trip would take about seven months and a round trip could take well over three years, but the longest a human has continuously been in space is just over a year. Our bodies have adapted over millions of years to survive on earth and long-term spaceflight could weaken our immune systems, according to recent research led by the University of Arizona.

NK Cells and the Immune System

The immune system helps to fight infections and protect our bodies from illnesses. It is made up of many types of cells, including white blood cells which help destroy invaders and protect against diseases that can make us sick. One of these cells, called the NK (natural killer) cell, is especially important since it is responsible for killing infected/cancerous cells. NK cells are especially important during space travel since the body may be exposed to larger amounts of radiation and there is a possibility of increased cancer risk.

Astronauts in space will not be protected from radiation by Earth’s atmosphere. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The research team tested the blood of astronauts who had been in space for at least six months and compared these test results to those of healthy individuals on earth. Results were taken before and after spaceflight, and even twice during the flight. What they found was shocking, the NK cells from blood taken during and after spaceflight were about 50% less effective than the NK cells from blood taken before spaceflight. Even blood samples taken 90 days into spaceflight contained NK cells that were much less effective. Richard Simpson, one of the authors of the study explained how NK cell activity decreased; “When we look at the function of the astronaut samples during flight compared to their own samples before they flew, it goes down. When we compare them to controls who stayed on Earth, it still goes down.”

Small Piece of the Puzzle

Safely transporting astronauts to Mars is no small task, and this highlights one of the many challenges faced by engineers and scientists. Problems that we consider small or things we take for granted have to be carefully thought out.  Engineers have to invent solutions for problems that we may not see as problems. It is amazing how many factors are at play and must be accounted for when planning a project of this magnitude. Nevertheless, countless individuals are hard at work tackling numerous problems such as this. Simpson and his team are actively working to find a solution, hoping that a combination of nutrition and fitness can be used to keep NK cells effective. If successful, their hard work will contribute to one of the finest achievements of the human race.

Render of an astronaut gazing across Mars.  Courtesy of NASA.

 

-Sukhman Bhuller

No Snow On Date Night

A speck of white twinkled as it fell across the night sky, silent as it danced in the cold wind. She smiled in willful ignorance, praying what she had seen was impossible. Her head tilted, shoulders twitching in anxiety, hoping the one across from her had not noticed. Meanwhile, he felt the itch too, terrified as he glanced at the light fluff drifting onto the table before returning an anxious gaze. The winter was cold, snow was inevitable, but alas… no snow was forecasted for the next week. This is the tragedy of two consenting more than friends trying to figure it out, and their mutual but private battle with an affliction affecting 50 percent of all humans. This is dandruff.

What is Dandruff

Although these white flakes are most noticeable in your hair and on your clothes, dandruff isn’t really a hair condition but is actually due to your scalp. Naturally, your body produces skin cells constantly, and as they travel to the surface of the skin, the epidermis, the old cells fall off. For most, these cells are too small to be noticeable, but for others, when these cells clump together they can be rather large. These larger clumps of dead skin cells are commonly referred to as dandruff.

A woman struggling with dandruff @artem_goncharov

What Causes Dandruff

Dandruff affects about 50% of the population and the exact cause of it is actually unknown. Although, in recent studies, the yeast, Malassezia, is found to play a role in producing dandruff. When reducing the population of Malassezia in the scalp, amounts of flakes have been found to improve. But what is Malassezia and what does it do? Malassezia is a fungus that lives on the scalp where it, unfortunately, happens to be an ideal environment for it to survive. Here it releases enzymes that metabolize fat molecules, this produces oleic acids that are found to irritate the scalp. As a defense mechanism, your scalp can increase the rate it produces skin cells, sometimes causing a months worth of skin cells to appear on the surface in time frames as short as seven days.

Treatments for Dandruff

Many shampoos advertise being good treatments for dandruff but the ideal shampoo should contain anti-fungal or anti-yeast ingredients. A few common examples, found in Selsun and many other anti-dandruff shampoos, are zinc pyrithione and selenium sulfide which have the property of slowing down the growth of yeasts. When used in shampoo’s these ingredients are found to aid in reducing the increased production of skin cells by slowing down the metabolism of Malassezia for people that are dandruff-prone. 

The video, “Dandruff | How To Get Rid Of Dandruff (2018)” by AbrahamThePharmacist, below basically sums up everything I’ve gone over with the exception of stating that Malassezia is the main cause of shampoo as literature states that there is limited research stating such. 

 

Conclusion

Although we don’t have either confident cause or a concrete solution to dandruff, in using shampoos with anti-fungal ingredients this embarrassing condition can be minimized.

-Nelson Bulaun

Wearable Stickers: The New Life-Saving Medical Device

What if a sticker could save your life? Sometimes, the scariest part about being sick is not knowing whether you are taking all the correct measures to monitor and treat your illness, even after the doctor prescribes medication. A number of wearable devices such as wristbands have been created to monitor our physical activity and ensure that our health is on the right track. However, these devices are typically very expensive.

Recently, a team from Purdue University in Indiana published their research in ACS Advanced Materials and Interfaces on an electronic wearable sticker. These smart stickers are a simpler and more cost- efficient version of existing electronic wearable devices available for personalized medicine.

University Hall at Purdue University. Courtesy of Flickr Commons (Bill Badzo)
Source: https://flic.kr/p/suXmh8

 

Both the electronic devices and the stickers can alert users of any health risks or warning signs in real time. They contain sensors that record electrocardiograms, electromyograms and electrooculograms, which measure the electrical activity produced by the heart, the skeletal muscles, and the corneas respectively. They can also provide thermotherapeutic treatments, or heat therapy, to joints.

EPEDs demonstration video. Courtesy of YouTube. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKbx3xyPIk

Purdue’s new epidermal, paper-based electronic device (EPED) can also be used as implantable sensors that monitor sleep, as they can adapt to internal organs without any serious effects. They are inexpensively paper-based and made out of cellulose. Lined with serpentine shapes, which make them more flexible and stretchable, they are coated with molecules that protect them from sweat, oil, water and bacteria as well. Each sticker costs about 5 cents to produce, and only require cheaper printers likened to those used to print books quickly and efficiently.

EPED Stickers designed by Purdue University. Courtesy of Youtube.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKbx3xyPIk

Book Printer. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.  Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_demand_book_printer_2.jpg

As wearable devices become increasingly popular in this technological era, these stickers are a cheap and effective solution that makes personal health monitoring more accessible to all. Since they are so easy to implement and test, with growing research, they can be developed to accommodate a range of other healthcare needs in the very near future.

– Justine Law