Bone Marrow Transplant: Stemming to a Better Life

Photo Source: https://nohredcross.org/2020/12/09/be-the-lifeline-patients-need-this-holiday-season-give-blood/ This week, the topic of discussion is bone marrow transplants (specifically allogeneic transplants); including what it is involved in the process, careful considerations that must be kept in mind for both the safety of the donor and receiver, and what it takes to be a donor. Bone marrow transplants are a procedure…

Tis’ the Season of Antivirals

Photo Source: https://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010/news/safe-and-fun-ways-to-celebrate-this-holiday-season-1.14034497 As the holiday season is now upon us, many of us (well those who's hearts are not three sizes too small ) are looking forward to a time with family and holiday traditions such as preparing Thanksgiving dinner, picking out a Christmas tree, nightly lighting of the menorah, etc. One thing to…

Tuberculosis in the Age of COVID-19

Photo Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/howtbspreads.htm Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that typically affects the lungs caused by the bacterial species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other potential areas of infection include brain, spine, and kidney. (CDC, 2016). TB continues to top the charts as one of the leading infectious diseases resulting in death. On a global scale, the WHO reported…

CRISPR/Cas9… “Cut It Out”

GIF Source: https://tenor.com/uJBj.gif This week’s blog post (aside from referencing THE show of my childhood, Full House) will discuss an advancing genomic editing system and the future is holds. The CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR associated nucleases) system was originally discovered in many prokaryotes such as most bacteria and Archaea as a form…

Whats ‘Gut’ Your Mind

Photo Credit: https://itstoday.com/2019/12/04/gut-bacteria-and-mental-health/ In honor of Mental Health Day on October 10th, this weeks post will discuss the impact one's microbiome can have on mental health. Nearly one in five adults (18 years or older) live with a mental illness in the U.S (SAMHSA, 2019). Moreover, the WHO ranks depression as the leading cause of…

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, No It’s Superbug!

Photo Credit: https://thephinnewsletter.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/public-health-perspective-antibiotic-crisis/ Antibiotics, a once powerful knight in shining armor who could slay many fire breathing bacterial infections with a dagger straight through the heart are now becoming a hobbling peasant with a toothpick as a sword. Antibiotic resistance has been an ongoing and increasing threat nearly since its initial use. It was first…

Herbicide for Dinner, Delish.

Photo Credit: https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/does-glyphosate-affect-the-gut-microbiome/ In September of 2020, Microbiol published an article criticizing the herbicide, glyphosate (the active ingredient found in Round-Up), as more evidence is revealing its role in upsetting the human microbiome thus inducing dysbiosis resulting in a range of health problems. It has become an increasing global trend for the prevalence of digestive…

The Lancet 12

An 1802 engraving, The Cow Pock—or—the Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation Photo Credits: ©The Trustees of the British Museum Vaccine hesitancy has been present from the very start of its existence dating back to the 1720s when the first inoculation against small pox was administered in America. Above depicts a cartoon from 1802, displaying a…

Battle of the Vaxxes

Original Photo Credit: https://www.gettyimages.com/illustrations/boxing-glove Clear the rink and sound the alarms, this post is about to unleash two of the three's most legendary enemies of COVID-19: the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson's Jansen Vaccine (J&J). Moderna Vaccine Up first please welcome Moderna! This vaccine consists of RNA genetic material that holds the secret…

The Link Between Autism and One’s Microbiome

Photo Credit: https://isappscience.org/bugs-brain-microbiota-gut-brain-axis/ Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects one's social behavior, communication skills (both verbal and nonverbal), and characterized with stereotypical behaviors, repetitive actions (Kang et al., 2013). The CDC has reported a significant rise in diagnosis, specifically in children where in 2020, 1 in 54 children were found to…