Worldwide obesity tripled in just the last half century, and more people live in countries where there are greater overweight-related deaths than underweight-related deaths, WHO reports [1]. Obesity is an excess of body fat. As body fat increases, adipose tissues reach their capacity to store fat. This results in more
In October of 2018, the scientific world as we knew it completely changed with the birth of two little girls named Lulu and Nana1. These twins were revolutionary “designer babies” – the first human beings to have each cell of their body genetically modified for certain characteristics [1]. Before we
How accurate is medicine in medical dramas and literary fiction? As you can assume, probably not too accurate since medical details can often be added for drama in literary fiction, but sometimes they do exist. In Won-Pyung Sohn’s novel, Almond, the main character has a medical condition called “alexithymia”, and
Dyslexia is a common neurobiological learning disorder that is characterized by difficulty reading with accurate/fluent word recognition and spelling [1]. These difficulties, such as mispronouncing words, hesitant/punctuated speech disfluencies, difficulty reading new/unfamiliar words, and spelling errors, result from deficits in the phonological component of language (see Figure 1) [2]. Existing
What baffles me most about health-related conversations in the United States is that human longevity is rarely talked about outside scientific circles. Think about it—from prescription medications and dietary protocols to moms oxygenating their kids in sunscreen—every recommendation under the vast health umbrella is tailored to living healthier, longer lives.
What does life look like when you become rich and famous? Well, for Malcolm Gladwell, author of the New York Times Bestseller Outliers: The Story of Success, among many others, it might look like being the inspiration for a Macklemore song. The song, titled Ten Thousand Hours, was part of
In 2011, social psychologist Daryl Bem published a study consisting of nine experiments and over 1,000 participants. The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, used similar procedures and statistical methods as his contemporaries[1]. The results of these experiments led to a massive re-examination of psychology’s experimentation
Birth represents a time of celebration, beginnings, and, for 10 to 15% of new mothers, the onset of postpartum depression (PPD) [1,2,3]. PPD is considered a subset of major depressive disorder (MDD). It creeps up on the postpartum mother in waves of sudden sadness or disinterest. As if recovering from
Everything that makes you special can be found in a few simple molecules stacked three billion times. Intrinsic to all organisms, the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) accounts for the diversity of life, undoubtedly due to its unique structure and various chemo-physical interactions. DNA’s structure ensures the smooth integration of gene
Each country has an established blood donation system. The system provides the structure and foundation to support a nation’s lifeline. Despite the importance these initiatives hold, people around the world still refuse to donate. A lack of donors has been observed over time for American citizens, demanding an urgent call
View More
