Drafts

Clostridium difficile is the inflammation of the colon caused by the clostridium difficile bacteria. It results from a lack of healthy bacteria in the body that causes diarrhea, stomach pain, and fever. The common way to treat this disease, likewise for several other bacterial infections, is with antibiotics, however a risk remains for the infection to come back. In recent years, researchers and scientists have consulted a different treatment approach with fecal transplant. The fecal matter from a healthy person can potentially restore the healthy bacteria in the infected colon of an affected patient and restore the bacteria killed off by the antibiotics. So far, this process has been shown to be successful, however critics are concerned about the pricing for patients and the methods are still being reviewed by the FDA. This breakthrough has helped patients feel better within hours after a single treatment. The fecal transplant can be admitted through colonoscopy or capsules contained fecal matter.

            The relationship between urban societies and its rivers have become a critical issue in many developing countries as it has placed a barrier preventing populations from enjoying the various benefits of water bodies. As urban river ecosystems degrade, the intensity of significant health problems have begun to rise and could be aggravated when it comes to flooding. Nature-based solutions are receiving increasing attention to tackle issues such as climate change adaptation, population health, food security and natural disasters. The project aims to develop and test nature-based solutions in storm water management, water quality improvement and river restorations. The project involves a wide range of interdisciplinary collaborations which allows researchers to accelerate findings and solidify experimental implementations as mass urbanization presents one of the most urgent challenges of the 21^stcentury. 

“The guardian of the genome” or p53 is essentially a gene that codes for a protein that regulates the cell cycle. One may categorize p53 as a tumor suppressor as many of the genetic mutations could lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation. The protein itself was discovered in the 1970’s and ever since has been well-studied as its key role in the pathogenesis of human cancers is fundamental. It converts incoming signals into alternate cell fate decisions by changing the expression of hundreds of target genes. With its wide range of function in activity of interacting pathways and the type of stimulus that is generated, the p53 system has the ability to generate various responses. This lab aims to explore the cellular responses of the p53 pathway given different forms of genotoxic stress. Genotoxins are destructive chemical agents that result in a negative effect on a cells genetic material. These genotoxins can be mutagens, carcinogens or teratogens, in which they all result in some type of damaged genome. 

It is crucial to note that Group 6 did not have a 50 mM NaCl brain to image and therefore could not accurately compare data with the class average for this salt concentration to draw any conclusions that may or may not have matched the prediction and supported the hypothesis. However, upon examining the system H2O and nanopure lines against the 50 mM NaCl and 100 mM NaCl lines throughout the brain for the class, there is no clear trend of the two salt lines with increased cell counts. This does not match the prediction and support the hypothesis. Although 50 mM NaCl had higher counts than the system H2O and nanopure in the hypothalamus, 100 mM NaCl had similar cell numbers to the two lines without salt. A similar result is seen in the class data of the lateral recess: 100 mM NaCl had slightly higher counts than the system H2O and nanopure lines, but 50 mM NaCl had lower counts than the two lines without salt. Perhaps this Group 6 100 mM NaCl brain is a true outlier in cell proliferation numbers due to experimental treatment, or perhaps differences may be explained through variation in cell counting and techniques. The members of Group 6 obtained this brain from a separate experimental vial given by a TA and did not dissect it themselves, which may have contributed to the variation in cell numbers seen.

The use of cannabis has become widespread, especially among young adults. It was found that the use of cannabis was associated with an increased risk of depression and suicidal ideations within young adults. An active ingredient in cannabis is THC, which affects the bring by binding to the cannabinoid receptors. When THC binds it disrupts various mental and physical functions. A natural neurotransmitter that binds to the cannabinoid receptor is anandamide, which influences pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, movement, coordination, sensory and time perception. THC acts as an agonist and binds in the cannabinoid receptor.

Although statistical analyses have not yet been performed on these data, the Group 6 100 mM NaCl brain had higher average cell counts than those of the class in most regions of the brain, most noticeably in the hypothalamus and the telencephalon. This result alone matches the prediction that by altering salt conditions, cell proliferation rates will increase. This result alone also supports the hypothesis as well. It is crucial to note that Group 6 did not have a 50 mM NaCl brain to image and therefore could not accurately compare data with the class average for this salt concentration to draw any conclusions that may or may not have matched the prediction and supported the hypothesis. The system H2O and nanopure brains of Group 6 had slightly lower average cell counts than those of the class. It is important to note that during imaging of the nanopure brain, the telencephalon was cut off, therefore no accurate cell count could be obtained. These slight differences in cell counts for the system H2O and nanopure lines could be due to variation in counting as the greatest difference throughout individual regions of the brain is approximately 20 cells, exhibited in the lateral recess. For the system and nanopure lines, there is a difference of approximately 35 cells in the hypothalamus, yet this is a summation of the posterior and lateral recesses, which have differences of approximately 15 and 20 cells between Group 6 and the class averages, respectively. With other individual regions of the brain exhibiting these slight differences in counts as well, it is likely that the system H2O and nanopure lines vary due to counting or respective techniques.

Depending on their native environment, different species of fish respond to osmotic changes in different ways. Some fish are able to live in multiple salinity concentrations and are known as euryhaline, while others are only able to survive in one and are known as stenohaline. Both stenohaline and euryhaline fish tightly regulate internal concentrations of salt and water by tending to excrete more of the substance present in their environment: marine fish excrete large amounts of salt and little amounts of water, whereas freshwater fish excrete large amounts of water and little amounts of salt (Karlstrom 2019). This ionocytic regulation itself is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in the brain, which can be further investigated through the zebrafish, a freshwater model organism. It is hypothesized that as a response to changing osmotic demands, the zebrafish hypothalamus alters its dopamine hormone output in the short-term to the pituitary (which in turn regulates prolactin and ionocytes) and in the long-term alters cell proliferation rates to establish new regulatory populations of dopaminergic neurons. If zebrafish are exposed to altered salt concentrations in their environment, cell proliferation rates of dopaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus will increase as a long-term response to this new, stressful osmotic demand.

Multiple sclerosis is an often disabling disease that affects the nervous system and disrupts the flow of information and communication between the brain and the body. Most people are diagnosed with MS a little later in their life-time and the cause of the disease is still unknown. It seems that different environmental factors that one experiences can alter the likelihood and chances of an individual from developing multiple sclerosis. One of these factors includes the migration from one geographic area to another. Gender is also another factor, as more women are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than men. Diseases like multiple sclerosis is devastating to me, as with all the research being done today, we still haven't found the specific reason for the onset. There is no cure for MS, but there are treatments that aid patients with slowing the progression of the disease.