Health

Colon Cancer and Inflammation

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Researchers led by Dr. Brian Iritani at The University of Washington found that mice that lack the immune inhibitory molecule Smad3 are acutely sensitive to both bacterially-induced inflammation and cancer. I actually study some of the Smad moelecues in Biology classes at University by performing Western blot plots. Absence of Smad3 inhibits inflammation and  increase susceptibility to colon cancer. To examine whether Smad3 signaling contributes to development of colon cancer, mice deficient in Smad3 were studied. It was found that these mice are acutely sensitive to bacterially-induced inflammation and cancer due to both deficient T regulatory cell function and increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines. “That the inflammatory response to microorganisms is a key event in these results reveals important ‘tumor-suppressive’ functions for Smad3 in T effector cells, T regulatory cells, and intestinal epithelial cells, all of which may normally limit … Read more

High School Senior Drug Use

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Parents have long worried whether their kids at college are drinking too much or just abusing drugs. Lately there have been a large number of young people abusing prescription opiates. It is rather common knowledge now that several years ago, attention-deficit drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall became popular among students. This was so that they could improve concentration or lose weight. Now more dangerous drugs and powerful painkillers are being used largely by such students such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. Earlier this month, several drug experts testified at a congressional hearing named Generation Rx In 2006, 2.2 million people ages 12 and older said they started abusing pain relievers within the past year. It has also been seen that young adults ages 18-25 show the greatest overall use of any age group. Even so, these drugs are still … Read more

Doctor Shortage

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Many recent studies point to the fact that in several years from now the United States will be faced with a doctor shortage. This will specifically affect primary care doctors. These are the doctors you see when you are feeling or having something wrong with you in a general sense. They help guide you towards finding a specialist and aiding in preventative measures. The American Medical Association has said it will support through financial incentives medical students who choose to go into primary care. However,  medical students feel the paperwork and charting required of primary care physicians is very tedious and difficult when the system is not built to treat chronically ill patients. President-elect Barack Obama will have a tough time charting through the teritory of making sure there are enough doctors to the people that need this. This will … Read more

Antidepressants Linked with TrkB-mediated Neural Proliferation

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Scientists have unveiled a functional link between production of new neurons and the effectiveness of antidepressants (ADs) in an animal model. The study provides exciting insight into a mechanism that might underlie a poor response to antidepressive medications for anxiety or depression. Depression is a significant public health problem due to both its high prevalence and its devastating impact on individuals and society,” says senior author Dr. Luis F. Parada from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “Despite much excitement generated by recent advances in the knowledge of brain development and function, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of depression, as well as its amelioration by AD treatment, remain poorly understood.” Animal studies have indicated that chronic treatment with ADs leads to production of new neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Exercise, such as running, which … Read more

Exercise Makes you Less Hungry

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A new study looks at the effects of exercise on reducing one’s appetite. There are several hormones that help regulate appetite, but the in a study attention was payed to ghrelin and peptide YY. Ghrelin is the only hormone known to stimulate appetite whereas, peptide YY suppresses appetite. In the study, eleven male  students did three eight-hour sessions. During one session they ran for 60 minutes on a treadmill, and then rested for seven hours. During another session they did 90 minutes of weight lifting, and then rested for six hours and 30 minutes. During another session, the participants did not exercise at all. The participants filled out surveys indicating how hungry they felt. The researchers measured ghrelin and peptide YY levels at multiple points along the way. It was found that the treadmill activity caused ghrelin levels to drop … Read more