General biology
Category archives for General biology
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a Legitimate Excuse for Missing Work
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 26, 2010 Student guest post by Jay Watson Tired again? Perhaps it’s the crappy weather, because you’re sure that you’ve been getting enough sleep. After all, you can’t remember the last time you spent less than ten hours in bed per night. Hopefully it’s not mono; one of your friends had it a few months ago and…
Aspirin for Heart Attack: What’s Next, Tylenol for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 22, 2010 Student guest post by Ron Bedford The NYT (Kolata, 2010) recently published a story we’d all like to believe in. After their “lab’s usual end-of-the-week beer hour,” two Harvard neurology researchers noticed similarities between not only genes associated with both the innate immune system and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but structures, characteristics, and actions of selected…
What’s in Your Genes?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 22, 2010 Student guest post by Liz Stepniak In the field of chronic disease, genetics has long been determined as a component of disease susceptibility. Infectious disease was believed to be caused by an agent of infection, such as a virus or bacteria which comprises a large environmental factor. In the past decade or so, this view…
Campylobacter jejuni-Associated Guillain-Barré Syndrome: It’s No Picnic
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 20, 2010 Student guest post by D.F. Johnston As the year marches forward, ever closer to that summer sun we missed so much during dreary winter days, we also get closer to the traditional summer picnics and barbecues. Sometimes, in our hurry to enjoy quality time with friends and family, we get distracted from our usual practices…
Psychological Disorders Associated with Cerebral Malaria
Posted by Tara C. Smith on April 20, 2010 Student guest post by Laura Vonnahme As a part of traveling to a developing nation, we are often required to take medical precautions. This generally includes a line-up of shots for various diseases, a few other tests, and various regimens of prophylaxis for possible diseases. I have often left these doctors appointments with a line…
Reviewing the big P…Prions!
Posted by Tara C. Smith on February 25, 2010 Student guest post by Rajeshwari Nair Discussion on consumption of meat products is a common occurrence in my household. Hailing from India, I have always relished meat dishes that my mom cooks up, hot and spicy! However, there is always a nagging guilt on eating animals. People have tried convincing me that we are all…
Getting the whole story- attempting to make sense of disease through evolutionary medicine
Posted by Tara C. Smith on February 24, 2010 Student guest post by Anne Dressler The idea of evolutionary medicine is new to me and my understanding is quite shallow but it has piqued my interest. Currently, the book “Why We Get Sick” by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams has been satisfying my curiosity during the 15 minutes of intellectual thought I…
What is the Hygiene Hypothesis?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on February 22, 2010 Guest post by Zainab Khan In most western countries, germs have become synonymous with the idea of something bad that needs to be killed as quickly as possible. However, people have long been questioning the validity of these ideas; a few decades ago it was hypothesized that not enough exposure to germ can and does…
Why are the schools closing and other good H1N1 links…
Posted by Tara C. Smith on May 3, 2009 Over at DailyKos, DemfromCT has an excellent post explaining why it may be beneficial for schools to close temporarily, even if they only have one confirmed case of swine influenza: H1N1: Why Do Schools Close, And When Do They Open? DarkSyde also has one up on the basic biology and evolution of the flu. Nick…
Adamantane resistance in flu explained
Posted by Tara C. Smith on May 1, 2009 Nick Anthis has a very nice (and very readable!) overview of why flu viruses (including the new A/H1N1 strain) are resistant to adamantane, one of the antiviral drugs that can be used to treat influenza infections.