March 26, 2012
It’s that time of year again. That’s right... it’s March Madness and time to follow your favorite U.S. college basketball teams during playoffs. Some of you may be baffled by how much mental energy, time, and money Americans invest in sporting events, but those who participate will expound on the [...]
March 14, 2012
Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, is diagnosed in only about 250 children and teenagers in the United States each year. The vast majority of Ewing sarcomas are caused by a specific rearrangement of the DNA within bone cells – the EWSR1 gene on chromosome 22 becomes fused to the FLI1 gene on [...]
March 5, 2012
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) have a complicated name but it’s an apt descriptor for the biology underlying this group of rare blood disorders. MPNs result from excessive production of “myeloid” blood cells that originate in the bone marrow, and come in different forms including essential [...]
March 2, 2012
Sometimes called the “itch that rashes”, atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a relatively common condition, affecting up to one in five children and one in 30 adults (many people outgrow it by early adulthood). It can be both physically painful and emotionally difficult to live with since it’s not a [...]
February 6, 2012
Many couples who would like to start a family have difficulty doing so. This disappointing and frustrating situation is more common than many people realize, affecting approximately one couple out of six worldwide. Given that female infertility issues receive so much attention, it may surprise some to learn [...]
February 2, 2012
LDL is the “bad” cholesterol that clogs arteries and is linked to coronary heart disease. Although people can do a lot to lower LDL levels and prevent heart disease — eating healthy, exercising, and taking certain medications — it’s also likely that genetics influences the relationship between LDL [...]
December 12, 2011
Oxytocin is Greek for “swift birth,” but this hormone — which helps induce labor and promote lactation — has garnered many other names in the media, from the “cuddle chemical” to the “morality molecule.” The “pro-social” effects of oxytocin on humans has become the subject of innumerable [...]
November 22, 2011
For some, eating a doughnut every morning is a recipe for heart attack. For others, the doughnut doesn’t seem to matter—it’s almost as if certain individuals can’t get heart disease even if they try. The flip side is that people who are predisposed to heart disease can make lifestyle changes, in this [...]
November 14, 2011
Bakers know that some recipes are more complicated than others; some recipes require numerous ingredients, exact measurements and careful preparation, while others, such as my favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich “recipe,” require very little. Similarly, some medical conditions are influenced by more [...]
November 11, 2011
We all know that mosquitoes can be annoying. In many parts of the world, however, mosquitoes are more than just annoying--they are killers. Most people have heard of the mosquito-transmitted disease malaria, which has recently received much publicity through the work of The Bill & Melinda Gates [...]
