By Savannah Marshall Every laboratory researcher produces nearly 15 times the amount of plastic waste as the average individual.1 The sturdiness of plastic that makes it so desirable for use in laboratories creates a large problem when it comes to disposal. A plastic bottle takes about 450 years to decompose, and it leeches toxins into … Continue reading Research Laboratories Brought Plastic Into This World; Now Can They Do Their Part to Take it Out?
Endometriosis: The Excruciating Invisible Disease
By Victoria Silvis May 8th-14th, 2022 is National Women’s Health Week, a time where women are reminded to put themselves first and ensure they are looking out for their own health and wellbeing. So, let’s shed light on an invisible, chronic, and debilitating disease that affects an estimated 2-10% of women across the nation (Figure … Continue reading Endometriosis: The Excruciating Invisible Disease
Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis: How a Ubiquitous Pathogen Leads to Rare Disease
By Cole Burgess Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that involves auto-reactive lymphocytes (simplified to B cells). MS affects 400,000 people in the United States and nearly 2 million people worldwide, according to a study published in 20181. MS occurs more commonly in women than men at a … Continue reading Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis: How a Ubiquitous Pathogen Leads to Rare Disease
Winner of Spring 2022 Best LTS Blog Post
Thank you to everyone who voted for Lions Talk Science’s Best Blog Post of Spring 2022! The results are all in, and your favorite LTS article was "Stuff to Tick You Off" written by Greg Kincheloe! For his winning article, Greg will receive a $25 gift card! Additionally, our randomly chosen voter to win a $10 gift card is Lindsey Jackson! Congrats to … Continue reading Winner of Spring 2022 Best LTS Blog Post
How Aggressive and Costly is End-of-Life Care for Cancer Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias?
By Xingran Weng, DrPH Let’s think about a tough situation Imagine an older individual has been diagnosed with cancer and moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (roughly 20% older persons with cancer diagnosed with dementia).1,2 The cancer prognosis is not optimal. Also, this individual has not yet discussed any treatment plans/goals with family members while … Continue reading How Aggressive and Costly is End-of-Life Care for Cancer Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias?
Mental March Madness: How To Train Your Brain
By Victoria Vernail What is the difference between a graduate student and Michael Jordan? MJ likely has superior physical features – he’s bigger, stronger, and faster. But what you are not be able to see is that his brain, and the brains of many competitive athletes, exhibit unique features. Changes in the brain such as … Continue reading Mental March Madness: How To Train Your Brain
Predicting Alzheimer’s Disease: The Rise of Novel Biomarkers
By Rebecca Fleeman Why are some diseases easy to diagnose and others aren’t? For instance, we can get a COVID rapid test and have a result in hours, whereas a disease like Alzheimer’s requires numerous tests over several months to make a diagnosis. Simply put, COVID is an infectious disease, caused by one single known … Continue reading Predicting Alzheimer’s Disease: The Rise of Novel Biomarkers
Is Your Research Killing The Planet While Saving Human Lives?
By Savannah Marshall As researchers, we set out to improve human health. However, laboratory research in the US emits over 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.1,2 The relationship between carbon emissions and harm to humanity is difficult to quantify, however, researchers at Columbia University reported in Nature Communications that every million metric … Continue reading Is Your Research Killing The Planet While Saving Human Lives?
COVID-19 Causes Lingering Brain Fog: How Can We Combat The Effects?
By Laura Budurlean Are you a victim of “brain fog”? You can blame the pandemic. Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, resulting in COVID-19, sometimes experience lingering brain fog, one of the symptoms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS or “long-COVID”). Brain fog is characterized by a general confusion, an inability to focus, and decreased mental clarity … Continue reading COVID-19 Causes Lingering Brain Fog: How Can We Combat The Effects?
Stuff To Tick You Off
By Greg Kincheloe As the winter finally draws to an end (albeit a long and drawn-out end), it is time to start looking forward to warmer weather, sunshine, and leaves on the trees once again. Accompanying this warmer weather are more opportunities to reconnect with nature and the great outdoors. Soon, trails and parks will … Continue reading Stuff To Tick You Off