Scientia Issue #111 | Highlights in Health Research
HIGHLIGHTS IN HEALTH RESEARCH
Fragility and mortality are inherent traits of every lifeform on Earth, and human beings are no exception. The complexity of biological systems means there are many things that can go wrong – and they frequently do. This vulnerability has driven the healthcare revolution over the last few decades, where modern research techniques and empirical evidence have resulted in our living longer and more comfortably than ever before. In this edition of Scientia, we celebrate some of the many researchers at the forefront of this revolution.
To open the edition, we have had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Seirian Sumner and Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, co-founders of Soapbox Science – a public outreach platform to promote women scientists and their research. In this exclusive interview, the pair tell us about Soapbox Science’s work in bringing science to the public, promoting women scientists, and encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers. Immediately following is an introduction to The Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center at the University of Florida – a new organisation dedicated to tackling sepsis from biological, clinical and translational standpoints.
From here, we become immersed in the world of psychology and neuroscience, where we highlight a diverse array of research projects, ranging from improving refugees’ psychological wellbeing to mastering neuronal repair following spinal cord injury. Our next section then showcases the latest in respiratory research, where we introduce the work of four research teams, each dedicated to improving the lives of people with lung conditions. To introduce this section, we had the chance to interview four division directors of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Next up is two research projects that aim to improve lifestyle-related conditions – metabolic disease and food allergies. In this section, Dr Mario Noti and his team aim to investigate if the Western diet causes changes in our gut flora that lead to allergic disorders. From here we move on to highlight the latest in cancer research – from exploring the epigenetic pathways in paediatric cancer to developing new therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Not wanting to restrict the edition to human health, our final section features two projects dedicated to improving the health of our equine allies. Here’s to future medical breakthroughs and better health for humans, and indeed all inhabitants of our little planet.
CONTRIBUTORS FROM:
CONTACT
Published in the UK, by Science Diffusion ltd
ISSN 2059-8971 (print)
ISSN 2059-898X (online)
E: info@sciencediffusion.com
W: www.sciencediffusion.com
W: www.scientia.global
tweet us on twitter follow us on facebook
Meet The Team…
DIRECTOR
Nick Bagnall
nick@sciencediffusion.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Nelly Berg
nelly@sciencediffusion.com
PUBLICATION MANAGER
Nick Powers npowers@sciencediffusion.com
Brett Langenberg brett@sciencediffusion.com
Dion Rees
dion@sciencediffusion.com
Tom Render
tom@sciencediffusion.com
DESIGN MANAGER
Mimi Jones
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Christopher Barnard, MSc
Jessica Tilghman, PhD
Rukmani Sridharan, MSc
Chris Harrison, PhD
Alma Ionescu, BSc
Margaret Unkefer, MSc
Joseph Pastorek, MD, JD
Kate Stewart, BSc
Allan West, PhD
Anna Fagre, DVM, MSc
Richard Shrubb, BSc
Share
Scientia Issue #111 Contents
Click to read
SOAPBOX SCIENCE
An exclusive interview with Dr Erica Siebrasse of the ASBMB
Click to read
THE SEPSIS AND CRITICAL ILLNESS RESEARCH CENTER: FROM PATIENTS TO THE BENCH AND BACK
Dr Frederick A. Moore and Dr Lyle Moldawer
An introduction to SCIRC – tackling sepsis from biological, clinical and translational standpoints
Click to read
UNTANGLING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Click to read
TRANSCENDING TRAUMA: UNDERSTANDING AND HOPE FOR REFUGEES
Professor Ulrich Schnyder, Dr Naser Morina, Dr Matthis Schick, Professor Monique Pfaltz, Tobias Spiller, Professor Richard Bryant and Dr Angela Nickerson
Understanding the burdens carried by refugees, in the hope of improving their psychological wellbeing
Click to read
TAKING THE LONG VIEW ON WELLNESS
Dr Jeffry A. Simpson
Exploring how our earliest experiences shape our lives into adulthood
Click to read
INVESTIGATING HOW THE BRAIN SHAPES PERCEPTION
Dr Detlef Wegener
Understanding how cognitive processes influence the way we perceive the world
Click to read
UNITING BIOLOGY AND MATHS TO UNDERSTAND THE HUMAN BRAIN
Professor William W. Lytton
Employing computer simulation to investigate brain function and disease
Click to read
THE FUTURE OF DEMENTIA THERAPIES?
Professor Hiroaki Oguro
Probing the effect of Ferulic Acid on cognitive and behavioural symptoms of dementia
Click to read
IMAGING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: SEARCHING FOR PATTERNS IN THE BRAIN
Professor Matilde Inglese
Using sodium MRI as a means to better monitor and understand MS
Click to read
DEFINING ACUPUNCTURE’S PLACE IN WESTERN MEDICINE
Dr John Longhurst, Dr Stephanie Chee-Yee Tjen-A-Looi and Dr Peng Li
Uncovering the central neural mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s cardiovascular action
Click to read
A CHORDATE WITH DESTINY
Dr Florence Bareyre
Understanding and mastering neuronal repair in the central nervous system
Click to read
BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO LUNG RESEARCH
Click to read
THE NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
An exclusive interview with four division directors of NHLBI
Click to read
SPIROMETRY 360: ASTHMA MANAGEMENT GETS AN UPGRADE
Dr Jim Stout, Dennis Burges, Ben Hedrick, Sharon Kiche, Drew Martenson, Bonnie Rains, Louise Warren and Maria Hamilton
Reducing undertreatment and morbidity associated with asthma and lung obstruction
Click to read
UNCOVERING NEW PATHOLOGIC MECHANISMS OF ASTHMA
Professor Michael Roth
Investigating the causative mechanisms behind asthma and COPD, with the aim of developing new treatments
Click to read
BREATHING SO YOU CAN MOVE AND MOVING SO YOU CAN BREATHE
Dr Yoshiaki Minakata
Examining the relationship between COPD and physical activity
Click to read
COPD WORLDWIDE
Click to read
THE AUDIBLE HUMAN PROJECT: HEARING WHAT THE BODY HAS TO SAY
Professor Tom Royston
Using sound to detect disease and injury within the lungs
Click to read
UNDOING THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY MODERN LIVING
Click to read
A NEAT WAY TO PREVENT AND FIGHT DIABETES
Dr Hidetaka Hamasaki
A valuable lifestyle tweak that allows diabetes patients to improve their outcomes
Click to read
DO MODERN LIFESTYLES CAUSE FOOD ALLERGIES?
Dr Mario Noti
Investigating if the Western diet is a leading cause of the food allergy epidemic
Click to read
TREES FOR CITIES: BOOSTING PUBLIC HEALTH
An exclusive interview with our charity partner, discussing the health benefits of having more trees in urban environments
Click to read
LEADING THE CHARGE IN COMBATTING CANCER
Click to read
SHINING LIGHT ON PAEDIATRIC CANCERS
Dr Nicolo Riggi and Dr Ivan Stamenkovic
Unravelling the mysteries of paediatric cancer by illuminating the epigenetic pathways that cause them
Click to read
FIGHTING TOWARDS A CURE FOR CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKAEMIA (CLL)
Dr Spencer Gibson, Dr Aaron Marshall, Dr James Johnston, Dr Sachin Katyal, Dr Versha Banerji, Dr Francis Lin, Dr Salah Mahmud, Ms Erin Streu, Dr Rajat Kumar, Mr Marc Geirnaert, Dr Mark Kristjanson and Dr Pamela Skrabek
Meet the CLL research cluster – leading the charge in the fight against the most common leukaemia
Click to read
FROM HUMAN TO HORSE HEALTH
Click to read
THE HORSE AS A MODEL FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN WOUND HEALING DISORDERS
Professor Christine Theoret
Studying dermal fibroproliferative disorders in horses, to reduce welfare issues in the equine industry
Click to read
ANTIBODIES, EPIGENETICS, AND A BIT OF HAY
Dr Rebecca Tallmadge and Dr Maria Julia Bevilaqua Felippe
Understanding the complex world of the equine immune system