Category Archives: Science in the News

The N.H.L. Calling For A Cloudy Forecast

Posted on March 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Hockey has been touted as a sport near the top of the totem pole in terms of inherent risk for concussion. You don’t have to look much beyond the fact that the game is played on a sheet of ice to realize why head injuries are so common. Add some body contact into the mix, slapshots that rifle a dense rubber puck over 100 miles an hour, and players with long fiberglass sticks who skate faster than a car drives on a residential street and you have a tragic recipe for head trauma, otherwise known as hockey.

Ding Dong No One’s Home

Ever since the dawn of hockey, players have been getting their “bell rung” regardless of whether they are wearing a helmet or not. The game of hockey is an intense test of determination and power and as a result of such ferocity at some point, if you play the game, it is inevitable that you will get injured.  Injuries are an all too familiar part of the game and many are only now realizing that getting your “bell rung”, or in other words receiving a concussion, can have grave consequences.

WASHINGTON, DC – February 1, 2011: Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (#8) upends and topples Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban (#76) with a check during their NHL ice hockey game at Verizon Center. Source: Flickr

Despite more information being made accessible to the general public (players included) regarding concussions and their relation to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), it seems nearly every week another player out with a concussion, some taking longer than others to return. A concussion is noted by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons as being an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal brain function, which is usually caused by a blow to the head. The brain is surrounded by spinal fluid which acts as a barrier between the soft tissue of the brain and the hard bones of the skull. Any jolt or hit to the head can cause rapid movement of the brain in the cranial cavity potentially damaging brain cells and tissue. Concussion symptoms vary depending on the intensity of impact but in general, can last for less than a day or persist for weeks – even months.

WASHINGTON, DC – March 6, 2012: Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (#8) hits Carolina Hurricanes forward Patrick Dwyer (#39) during their NHL ice hockey game at Verizon Center. Source: Flickr

Millions or Brain Damage?

To help reduce such head injuries the National Hockey League (NHL) implemented a new concussion protocol two years ago. The new procedures included off-ice education for players regarding concussions as well as mandatory removal of a player from the game for an acute evaluation if he is hit and a concussion is suspected. Contrary to recent amendments, concussion rates are as high as they’ve ever been in the history of the sport, but, despite this, players like Rick Nash are making use of the off- ice education. The six-time All-Star has called it quits at the young age of 34 due to concussion-related symptoms, passing up millions of dollars in hopes of saving his mental health. With almost anyone who laces up the skates, their dream is to make it to the big leagues but many fail to realize that the dream often comes at a price, and there is no amount of money that can reconcile for serious brain damage.

Written by: Riley Cox

 

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Posted in Issues in Science, Science in the News

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A Potential Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Posted on March 11, 2019 by | Leave a comment

The thought of not being able to recognize a family member or lifelong friend, or what you did yesterday, is a terrifying and tragic idea.  This disease is very real, affecting hundreds of thousands of Canadians each year, and it is known as Alzheimer’s disease.  It is the most common type of dementia and there is no cure.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms & Care

Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and related ideas. (Uploaded by https://emedmultispecialtygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/alzheimer-disease.jpg)

Causes  of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that progresses with increasing age and it negatively affects behavioural, thinking and social skills, as well as the ability to do simple tasks in everyday life.  It acts specifically in the brain by disrupting the work of neurons and damaging them.  In the brain, there are large proteins called amyloid proteins that can be broken down into smaller proteins called beta amyloids.  The issue with these fractured beta amyloid proteins is that they are capable of clumping together and accumulating, forming hard, insoluble substances called amyloid plaques.  These plaque deposits situate in between nerve cells, blocking their signals and transmissions.  In addition to plaques are something called neurofibrillary tangles.  Tangles are composed of proteins called tau proteins which change shape and form bundles of twisted fibers inside brain cells.  They act similar to plaques in the brain, to kill neurons.

illustration of healthy brain and one with Alzheimer's

Illustration of a healthy brain and one with Alzheimer’s. (Uploaded by https://cdn.prod-carehubs.net/n1/802899ec472ea3d8/uploads/2015/01/Alzheimers-001-1-1024×847.jpg)

A Possible Cure?

A recent study by researchers at the University of Southern California found certain compounds that were able to reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s in mice that were genetically modified to develop the disease.  These compounds were specifically epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG for short, and ferulic acid, or FA.  The most convenient thing about these compounds is that they are probably more obtainable than most people are aware of, as EGCG is a main component of green tea, and FA is found in foods such as carrots, tomatoes, rice, wheat, and oats.  These compounds are thought to prevent the breakdown of amyloid proteins into fragments that may result in amyloid plaques.  In the study, the researchers placed mice into one of four experimental groups for the duration of the study.  The first group was restricted to a diet containing both EGCG and FA, the second and third group was restricted to either EGCG or FA, and a placebo for the fourth group.  After three months, the mice were tested for Alzheimer’s symptoms by being placed into a maze with numerous pathways.  Healthy mice instinctively explored each and every pathway of the maze whereas impaired mice were more likely to continuously move down pathways they had already explored, indicating impaired memory and behaviour.

The findings of this research could potentially lead to promising therapeutic treatments for Alzheimer’s disease using readily available plant-based supplements.  It’s still too early to say whether or not EGCG and FA will have a significant effect when treating humans. Nonetheless, it’s a step in the right direction towards beating this tragic disease.

David Infanti

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

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A Shot a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?

Posted on March 11, 2019 by | 2 comments

Let’s face it, you’ve probably never heard that saying before. Apart from having a good time and feeling great in the moment, alcohol consumption is generally associated with a negative connotation. Recent studies have shown that moderate drinking can increase a person’s life by dropping their risk of early death by 18%. Although studies have associated drinking with some health benefits, it is more commonly known as being addictive and highly toxic. Even with this common knowledge, millions of people globally continue to consume alcohol on a daily basis, and thousands of alcohol-related deaths occur annually in the United States.

Shots of hard alcohol. Source: Flickr Credit: Kirti Poddar

BUT THEY SAID IT WAS GOOD FOR YOU…

Pouring a glass of red wine. Source: Flickr Credit: Rawpixel Ltd

New research has found that moderate levels of drinking, defined as one or two glasses of wine or beer per day, can be linked to a longer lifetime. People who consumed alcohol were less likely to die due to cardiovascular disease than those who did not. Red wine was also found to have some anti-aging benefits associated with it, due to the presence of antioxidants. A 2017 study that excluded non-drinking participants with other health issues and addiction once again found a correlation between those who consumed alcohol and a lowered risk of heart attacks, chest pains, strokes, and fatal heart disease. In addition, it has been found that moderate drinking can reduce insulin resistance, which is the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. Although these findings may seem promising to many, no direct cause and effect has been found between moderate alcohol consumption and longevity.

WHAT’S IN IT?

Line-bond structure of ethanol (CH3CH2OH). Source: Wikimedia Commons Credit: Sevela.p

The main ingredient in alcohol that is responsible for getting people “drunk” is ethanol, a psychoactive molecule that impacts the central nervous system, altering brain function and hence causing visible changes in mood, behaviour, perception, and consciousness. It is produced by the yeasts that digest sugars in foods such as grapes and grains that are used to make wine and beer, respectively. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, “pleasure hormones”, known as endorphins, are released and transported to the brain where, over time, they are able to shrink the part of the brain that is responsible for memory and reasoning. In red wine specifically, the presence of the compound resveratrol contributes to the antioxidant-like benefits of drinking.

FAKE NEWS

Ambulances parked at the emergency entrance of a hospital. Source: Flickr Credit: Can Pac Swire

Data from 2006 to 2010 taken from the Centre for Disease Control’s (CDC) Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) online application shows that 88,668 alcohol related deaths occurred in the United States within those four years. Of those deaths, 44% of them were due to chronic causes, primarily liver disease, and the remaining 56% were from acute causes, including motor-vehicle accidents and suicide. Overall, it was found that males accounted for 71% of alcohol-related deaths. People in the 50 to 64 age cohort contributed the greatest quantity of alcohol-related deaths. These statistics show that although there are indeed some health benefits to alcohol consumption, alcohol should continue to be consumed only when safe, and most importantly in moderation.

Written by Kelsey Wong

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science in the News

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Do We Have to Sleep This Much?

Posted on March 10, 2019 by | 2 comments

Sleep is a universal behavior for many species on earth. Almost all mammals spend a fair amount of time sleeping every day. Adult humans, specifically, normally spend eight hours per day sleeping, and most of us will sleep over 175,000 hours in our lifetimes. Imagine how much more we could have achieved if we don’t have to sleep. Therefore, it is pretty intuitive to ask the question, do we need this much sleep? This famous study of sleep reduction may give the answer.

howstuffworks.com

Average Daily Sleep Totals of Different Animals (credit: @HowStuffWorks)

 

In 1977, Freidman et al. conducted a long experiment based on a gradual sleep reduction. During the study, participants were asked to gradually reduce their nightly sleep until they reached 6.5 hours per night. Then, the participants were asked to reduce their nightly sleep further until they no longer desired to reduce their sleep. The shortest duration of sleep was maintained by the participants for one month, and for the following two months, a sleep duration of 30 more minutes was allowed for each participant. The health of participants were recorded throughout the experiment.

Sleep Reduction/Deprivation (credit: smallbusiness.uk)

 

After sleep reduction for such a long period of time, we would expect to see a reduction in participants’ physical and psychological health. However, contradict to our common sense, although all of the participants display an increase in daytime sleepiness after they have reduced their sleep below 6 hours per night, there was actually no change in their mood, physical healthy or performance on tasks of vigilance or memory. Overall, their daytime activities were not influenced by the long-term sleep reduction.

 

The most interesting part of this study is probably that multiple participants reported daytime discomforts and reduced performances at work or school, although their performance was not actually influenced based on objective/physical measures. For example, some participants felt more distracted, depressed and sick (symptoms like having a cold) during sleep reduction, but when they were asked to perform tasks that require attention and efficiency, there was no noticeable change.

https://www.123rf.com/photo_82257239_stock-vector-sick-woman-sitting-at-home-and-big-set-of-cold-influenza-treatment-elements-flat-vector-illustration.html

Feeling Sick (credit: Aleksandra Sabelskaia)

 

Return to our original doubt, do we have to sleep as much as we do now? Based on this famous example, if subjective feelings were set aside, the answer is probably no. Sleep reduction only has a minimal impact on one’s performance during daytime, probably because that sleep deprivation increases the efficiency of sleep as recent researches have shown. However, more profound influences of sleep reduction and the physiological basis behind may need more studies for us to safely reduce the amount of sleep.

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Science in the News, Uncategorized

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