Advice from a professional science writer
Talking about science is incredibly important, yet sometimes risky business. Take the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo (1564–1642), for example. In 1633, Galileo was put on trial for publishing an idea that, at the time, was considered highly controversial: The Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo’s writing ticked off the Catholic Church, who clung to their belief that the Earth lay at the center of the universe. Galileo was charged with heresy, sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest, and had his publications banned from the public.
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Postage stamp-sized monitor signals that a stroke is on the way
The cardiovascular system is like a network of highways, filled with an estimated 25 trillion red blood cells that continuously cruise through the body’s countless blood vessels. However, this ‘traffic’ can sometimes come to a standstill with severe, often life-threatening medical consequences.
Take strokes, for instance. Strokes are a major killer, responsible for around 1 in every 19 deaths in the United States annually. Here, underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can block arteries, temporarily disrupting blood flow to the brain.
Those with mild symptoms manage to keep the coronavirus out of the lower airways
Talking, singing, coughing-all of these can spread COVID-19 from an infected person via respiratory aerosols. These tiny droplets, once inhaled, enter the respiratory system, where the SARS-CoV-2 virus latches onto cell surface receptors and begins to wreak havoc. Many COVID-19 patients present with symptoms that are restricted to the upper respiratory tract. However, those with more severe, life-threatening infections often end up with lasting damage to the lungs.
This phenomenon led researchers to hypothesize that immune events occurring in the nasal passageway may influence the severity…
Important implications for using antibodies as COVID therapeutics
Antibodies are specialized proteins produced as part of the body’s immune response. Neutralizing antibodies bind to pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, stopping it from infecting host cells. Neutralizing antibodies have shown immense promise as COVID-19 treatments. These Y-shaped proteins block the coronavirus from slipping into human cells, obstructing interactions between the virus’ spike protein and ACE2 cell-surface receptors.
Several clinical trials have shown that these antibodies when administered early after a diagnosis, may prevent hospitalization in patients at high risk for severe complications from the disease.
The immune system produces such a vast…
Early interventions could help improve their quality of life
A new study suggests the intense dislike of pungent smells and odors could be a diagnostic marker for migraines among children and young adults. Migraines are recurring headaches that last anywhere from hours to days. Around 8–15 percent of high-school-aged children experience migraines, although diagnosing migraines in young children and adolescents remains challenging for physicians.
Researchers found that osmophobia (the fear of odors) could help neurologists differentiate between migraines and headaches in youth. …
New technique can pick up even trace amounts of coronavirus variants in poop
Since the dawn of the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges has been monitoring the crowned enemy as it spread through communities. Relying solely on diagnostic reports from hospitals and health care facilities for public health tracing isn’t ideal. There’s usually a lag time before these data are shared, plus those with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 may not even end up getting tested.
To bypass these hurdles, scientists have identified a valuable source of infection data: sewage. Analyzing wastewater for trace amounts of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material can…
They help prepare the immune system for life outside the womb
A developing fetus in its second trimester of life is changing at an extraordinarily rapid pace — bones are beginning to form, it’s slowly able to hear and swallow, and a functional gastrointestinal tract is taking shape. Around this time, the fetus is also preparing for its ultimate challenge: surviving life outside the womb.
Classically, it’s believed that newborns only have protective barriers (skin and mucosal linings), their innate immune systems, and a smattering of antibodies passed on from their mothers to protect them from the barrage of environmental…
Bad breath could point towards serious health issues
People generally can’t smell their own breath. So, for individuals with halitosis-or bad breath-friends giving them a wide berth may be the first red flag that something’s wrong. Funky breath isn’t just a deal-breaker on dates and interviews. Halitosis can also be a warning sign of potentially problematic dental issues, metabolic conditions, or even cancer.
Now, instead of breathing into the palms to gauge odor levels, a small, real-time breath analyzing device could do it for you. Researchers have devised a sophisticated hand-held platform powered by nanotechnology that detects the presence of…
The textbooks got it wrong
A study by immunologists at the University of Copenhagen has revealed a never-before-seen immune pathway involved in contact dermatitis-an allergic condition where individuals affected break out in rashes when they touch materials they are sensitive to. These allergens could be anything from metals used in jewelry to dyes, perfumes, and chemicals in cosmetics.
Our current understanding of allergic reactions states that triggers, such as hay fever and food allergens, activate more instant symptoms and the immune system begins working in overdrive within minutes. …
The effects on the microbiome were more pronounced than eating a high-fibre diet.
Researchers at Stanford University have found that consuming fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha tea creates a rich diversity in the gut microflora, thereby diminishing inflammation. The research study was published in the journal Cell.
A team of immunologists led by Justin Sonnenburg tracked 36 healthy adult participants over the course of ten weeks. Each individual was randomly assigned to be in the fermented food group or given a high-fiber diet. …
Tara Fernandez
Cat person, PhD-qualified Cell Biologist & Science Writer. Interested in trends and emerging technologies in the biopharma industry.
