Category Archives: Health Care

By Inés Ochoa Arizu After the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, there was increased urbanization and progressive implementation of public health measures by western countries. Decontamination of the water supply, pasteurization and sterilization of food products, intensified disinfection of bodies and homes, vaccination or use of antibiotics and other medications all contribute to limitingContinue reading “Hygiene hypothesis: the dangers of not facing any danger.”

By Sophia Hu A group of activated fibroblasts called cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the major components of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in solid tumours. They are found to be associated with poor survival due to their tumour-promoting functions, hence they have been receiving an increasing appreciation in cancer therapeutics development (1). However, recent studiesContinue reading “Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) —— Friends or Foes?”

By Andres Hernandez Maduro While it is now proving to be effective for diagnosing human cancers, autoimmune diseases, and soon even neurodegeneration, the medical significance of epigenetics has only recently been acknowledged by the scientific community. By definition, the term ‘epigenetics’ refers to heritable changes in gene expression that occur without sequence alterations. Such mechanismsContinue reading “How epigenetic biomarkers are being used for medical diagnoses”

By Asia Lie Gamification is the addition of game-like features to certain tasks or processes.1,2 Due to the positive reinforcement system of games that works by rewarding certain behaviors, we tend to maintain or enjoy those behaviors more. This is especially important when it comes to health because the results are not immediate and can beContinue reading “The gamification of health and fitness”

By Xinyue Guo Due to their ability to spend more on healthcare, it is commonly thought that wealthier people tend to have longer life expectancies than the rest of the population. However, regional data has recently shown that more spending does not necessarily produce more positive health outcomes.1 This expands on a 2016 study by Chetty etContinue reading “Reviewing Modern Trends in Healthcare Spending and Life Expectancy”

By Stefanie Zhang  Every child once gazed up at the night sky and envisioned themselves that one day, like the Disney toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear, they will reach the stars. Space exploration has seen such advancement in technology and engineering over the centuries that it has allowed us to go from merely orbiting the earthContinue reading “How does Buzz Lightyear do it? The battle between microgravity and the cardiovascular system “

By Jessica Lu Respiratory infections are a major cause of mortality across the world. In 2015, lower respiratory tract infections were estimated to cause 2.74 million deaths worldwide.1 Viral respiratory tract infections are frequently linked to secondary bacterial infections that develop during or following the initial viral infection.2-4 For example, during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, at least oneContinue reading “Secondary bacterial infections following viral respiratory infection“

By Esha Kulkarni There have been various cutting edge novel technologies that are being developed to help detect various types of cancers. Indeed, detection of cancer is the first step in providing treatment to patients. Recently, scientists are making use of key “biomarkers”, i.e, molecules that are persistent in tumor populations, to help mark andContinue reading “Can dogs sniff cancer?”

By Fatemah Kassamali Note: this article deals with themes associated with depression- please speak to a trained mental health professional to seek help if you need it.           As the nights draw in and temperatures plummet, many people report feeling the “winter blues”, but is there more to this story than just feeling a little low?Continue reading “A case of the winter blues- the facts and science behind Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) “