A long-term sufferer of Crohn’s disease makes yet another visit to his doctor, desperate to alleviate the symptoms he has been plagued by for so long. The patient has already undergone several surgeries to remove the portions of his intestine which were extensively damaged as a result of the disease, and can no longer work as the painful disease-related flare-ups have been increasing in frequency and intensity. The patient tells his doctor that he is desperate for relief and willing to try anything. After hearing this, the doctor considers the patient’s plea for a moment before handing him a prescription for parasites. The patient gratefully accepts the prescription and heads to the pharmacy, hoping that this will finally be the cure that he so badly needs.
I graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, and currently work in a molecular biology lab using Drosophila Melanogaster as a model organism. My primary research interests are in molecular, cellular, and develo…
In a landmark essay published in 1872, the physician George Huntington was the first to articulately describe a condition which he referred to as 'hereditary chorea'. Of his experience with hereditary chorea, which clearly left a strong impression on him, he wrote:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for – you guessed it- stem cell research. Or more specifically, “for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent". The announcement was unsurprising, as it was widely speculated that Yamanaka’s work on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and Gurdon’s early cloning experiments would be likely candidates for the prize. The dynamic duo had already shared the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award three years ago.
An outbreak of meningitis has been reported among patients who received injection of preservative-free methylprednisone acetate, a steroid medication which is administered by injection into the spinal cavity. As of today, 47 cases of meningitis and 5 deaths as a result of the distribution of contaminated compounds have been reported.
Scientists are commonly portrayed as paragons of rationality, subsisting solely on fact-based evidence and hard data; what goes on behind laboratory doors is in large part a mystery to the general public. In the past several years, however, there have been several notable cases of scientific fraud exposed: in 2006, it was revealed that Hwang Woo Suk fabricated data in papers claiming that he had managed to extract stem cells from cloned embryos. At around the same time it was discovered that Norwegian researcher Jon Sudbo made up a study where he claimed that anti-inflammatory drugs reduced the risk of oral cancer.
The human brain is made up of billions of neurons, specialized cells which form vast, intricate networks among themselves to process and sort through the barrage of sensory and internal stimuli we are constantly bombarded with and mediate the appropriate response. Neurons are long thread-like cells with numerous branches projecting from each end to allow communication with other neurons. When excited, an electrical impulse travels through the neuron and, when it reaches the far end, chemical messengers are released into the synapse, a narrow (microscopic) space between the sending and receiving neurons. These messengers then act on the receiving end of the neighboring neuron to either excite or inhibit it.
“Anatomically modern humans” (AMH), or the first subspecies which bore the closest resemblance to modern humans, lived in Africa approximately 200,000 years ago (the exact time frame is a point of contention for most archaelogists, but we'll stick with this one). AMH inhabited a relatively small region of Africa until somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 years ago, when our ancestors suddenly became restless and began to venture out into surrounding areas, eventually reaching Europe and Asia 40,000 years ago. The rest, as they say, is history.
Having recently graduated college, I can recall on more than one occasion waking up in the morning with a pounding headache, insatiable thirst, and intensely nauseous, regretting that one-cocktail-too-many (I'm sure most of you reading this can sympathize). Most people can recognize when you've had a rough night, and all of a sudden everyone becomes the expert on curing hangovers:"Have plenty of water, it washes away the alcohol" (Somewhat true, at the very least it does prevent dehydration.)"Take a few Tylenol, and you'll be as good as new" (Bad idea. Your liver has already been through enough.)"Try really greasy and salty food s. Like french fries, or something. They help you get rid of all of the toxins from the alcohol"
The publication of the complete human genome sequence in 2007 made the genetic code readily accessible to researchers and served as a platform for the countless advances in science,medicine, and sequencing technology which were to follow. Following the completion of the human genome project, researchers set out to develop a comprehensive ‘map’ of which genes coded for which gene products, or proteins.This allowed researchers to track how a protein was affected when a gene sequence was altered and the resulting changes within the cell. Subsequently, a number of diseases and disorders were linked to changes-or mutations- within protein coding genes.
