Category: Health and Medicine

Are Children Fighting The “Fat” Gene? An Analysis of Pediatric Obesity and Genetics

Posted blbahnPosted in Biology, Book Review, Genetics, Health and Medicine

By Peggy Palsgaard Author’s Note: I wrote this literature review for my UWP 104F class, and I specifically chose this topic because obesity is a very stigmatized disorder or “disease” (as the AAMC recently labeled it). I wanted to explore the link to genetics and to see how thoroughly we understand the underlying causes of obesity, specifically in children. Further, the judgement of both the children and the children’s parents has brought up a conversation about whether or not it is okay to place a child into foster care for treatment of obesity, due to lack of care by the parents. Initially, research into foster care seemed out of place in this paper. However, I think it’s an interesting way […]

New Drug “Sponge” Absorbs Chemo Side Effects

Posted blbahnPosted in Health and Medicine, News

By Brooke Bahn, Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior, ‘22 Author’s Note: I heard about this device on the news, and I was immediately intrigued by the concept. I decided to research it further, upon which I was surprised how logical and efficient the device worked with such substantial results. I wanted to share what I believe to be a huge breakthrough in cancer research.

Novel Mechanisms and Functions of Protein Kinase D in the Cardiovascular System

Posted blbahnPosted in Biology, Genetics, Health and Medicine

By Anna Kirillova, Genetics & Genomics ‘19   Author’s Note: I am currently studying the signaling of Protein Kinase D in cardiomyocytes as a part of my senior thesis research project. Writing this review helped me understand the known mechanisms and the techniques used to perform functional assessments of the molecule. I learned how to review literature to find key information and create a story from different sources. I hope that the reader will become interested in one of the major concepts of my review and will continue exploring it on their own time.

3D Organoids as Models for Human Brain Research

Posted blbahnPosted in Biology, Health and Medicine

By Rachel Hull, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ’19 Author’s Note I first became interested in this topic when I read a news article about a team of scientists that had successfully integrated what the article called “mini human brains” into mice. Although the idea seemed novel to me, after a little digging, I found that the technology that generates such mini organs — or organoids — has existed for more than a decade. This technology is nevertheless constantly evolving, and I believe it will continue to do so for years to come.

The Connection between the Human Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Posted blbahnPosted in Biology, Health and Medicine

By Emily Villarreal, Nutrition Science (Biology Emphasis), 2018 Author’s Note: This literature review was written for a UWP 104F course. I chose this topic because the gut microbiota is something that I am deeply interested in as a student researcher. The audience for this review includes medical professionals or members of academia who are interested in the microbiota and its effects on the onset of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Fat to the rescue?

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Biology, Health and Medicine

By Sabrina Lazar, Cell Biology  ‘20 Author’s note: After attending an interesting meeting on cytoskeleton dynamics in the weekly Joint Seminars in Molecular Biology series, I wanted to learn more about the subject and found Anna Franz and her colleagues’ recent paper about fat cells in Drosophila, a model organism I work with and is dear to me. This essay serves as a way for me to share fascinating research with those that are interested in Drosophila, cells, or biology in general.

A Review of Personalized Cystic Fibrosis Treatments: Genotype-Phenotype Relationships

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Genetics, Health and Medicine

By Daniel Erenstein, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, ‘20 Author’s Note: One of the major assignments in my Writing in Science (UWP 104E) course was a literature review on some current topic of scientific interest. The process involved in understanding prior research on a topic and in predicting a field’s future directions was challenging. Along the way, I often found myself lost in a world of complicated scientific jargon. In the end, it was a personal story that provided the inspiration I needed for this article. Worldwide, more than 70,000 people have cystic fibrosis, and there are over 30,000 patients in the United States alone. Mary Frey is one of them, and she chronicles her life alongside Peter, her husband, and […]

As Hot as a Davis Summer: A Review and Analysis of Ecstasy-Induced Hyperthermia

Posted rmhullPosted in Health and Medicine, News

By Ruby Nguyen, Music and Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, ‘19 Author’s note: I wrote this literature review for UWP104F, Writing for Health Professions. The assignment was to write a literature review on a health-related topic of our choosing. I decided to write this literature review on ecstasy-induced hyperthermia, the primary cause of death in ecstasy overdoses. I want to inform researchers on potential drug options or treatments that could be further explored for use in treating ecstasy-using patients. I also want to reveal areas for further consideration. My hope is that this literature review will spark greater interest on the topic and guide future research into exploring new treatment options for ecstasy-induced hyperthermia.

Skin-dwelling Staphylococcus epidermidis Defends Against Tumor Growth

Posted rmhullPosted in Health and Medicine

By Cathy Guo, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ‘18   Author’s Note: After taking Introduction to Microbiology (MIC 102), I became interested in microbes, living organisms that surround us but are largely invisible to the naked eye. One area of research that particularly fascinates me involves the use of microbes that naturally inhabit the human body to treat infections and diseases. I wanted to share the findings of a research study focused on one such microbe, Staphylococcus epidermidis, because of the significant implications and potential for further development demonstrated by the research findings.

Solving the Organ Shortage

Posted Aggie TranscriptPosted in Genetics, Health and Medicine

By Sofie Bates Author’s Note: At the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting this year, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Pablo Ross from UC Davis present in a panel discussion on gene editing to create xenogeneic organs. I wrote this article to highlight interesting research that is being done by researchers around the country and right here at UC Davis. I hope that this article will explain xenogeneic organ production—a revolutionary development in the future of medicine—and push readers to think about related bioethical issues and future directions.