Health and Medicine
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Dr Zirui Huang | How the Brain’s Functional Geometry Could Encode Dimensions of the Mind
The concept of consciousness extends beyond mere philosophical pondering. Scientists are currently exploring how conscious experience emerges from electrochemical processes within the brain. Unraveling this mystery holds significant implications for brain health, encompassing phenomena such as comas, surgical anesthesia, and the altered perceptions observed in schizophrenia. Emerging research indicates that consciousness is not localized to a single brain region, but rather arises as a result of network interactions. Understanding the intricate connections between brain regions that contribute to consciousness has remained a challenging endeavor.
Professor Barrett Caldwell | Developing Effective Chronic Care for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
An estimated 69 million people worldwide are currently living with traumatic brain injury. Now recognised as a chronic condition, traumatic brain injury can lead to sleep disorders, depression, headaches and an increased risk of suicide. Unfortunately, the human factors involved in recovery remain understudied. Working to address this is Professor Barrett Caldwell, who leads the GROUPER Laboratory at Purdue University. He and his colleagues study the processes and technologies used to manage chronic conditions, to improve care systems for people living with traumatic brain injury.
Dr David Ussery | Discovering New Groups of E. Coli Bacteria
Escherichia coli – more commonly known as E. coli – is a leading cause of diarrhoea-associated hospitalisation. However, E. coli does not always cause disease. Alongside thousands of other bacterial species, E. coli lives inside and on the surface of the human body. Numerous different strains of E. coli have been identified by analysing their genomes.
PrognostX Health | A New Test to Identify Chronic Kidney Disease – A Costly and Silent Killer
Chronic kidney disease is a common but irreversible condition that involves progressive loss of kidney function. In general, there are rarely any symptoms present as the disease progresses, and over 90% of individuals have no idea they even have it. Approximately 700 million people have chronic kidney disease worldwide and most are unaware of their irreversible condition. If the disease progresses to end-stage renal disease, patients require life-sustaining dialysis treatments three times per week, which negatively impacts on quality of life. While a kidney transplant can delay major issues, most who progress to end-stage will only live an additional 5 to 10 years.
Dr Brian D. Tait | The Impact of Haplotyping on Disease Inheritance and Clinical Treatment
Humans inherit a version of each gene – an allele – from each parent. Through standard DNA analysis, it is not possible to know which allele of a given gene came from the mother and which came from the father. Understanding which allele came from which parent is known as ‘haplotyping’ or ‘genetic phasing’. This is particularly important when a gene has multiple changes in the gene sequence – called mutations.
Dr Victor Serebruany | Investigating Misreporting in a Clinical Trial
Clinical trials are the main way for scientists and doctors to test whether new treatments, such as drugs or devices, are safe and effective. Because of their pivotal importance in influencing treatment options and patient care, clinical trials must be conducted to the highest standards. For drugs, this means they are required to be proven safe and effective before they can gain government approval.
Dr Julie Karand | Exploring Factors Linked to Arterial Stiffness in Tanzanian Adults
The arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts the body. Arterial stiffness, which describes the rigidity of the arteries’ walls, has been shown to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across the globe. As such, investigating the factors linked to arterial stiffness is critical, as it could help doctors to identify those at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Professor William Richardson | What Mice in Mazes Can Teach Us About Working Memory
Our working memory can be described as a mental sticky note, where we hold bits of information for short periods of time. Working memory is an important function for everyday life, used for many tasks including following directions, holding conversations and solving problems of all kinds. Often, working memory – and problem-solving – can be improved by training.
Professor Thomas Feuerstein | Using Mathematical Modelling to Understand Acute Heart Failure Treatment
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death around the globe. Heart failure is a particular type of cardiovascular disease, which occurs when the heart is not able to pump blood around the body as well as it should. Over 26 million people in the world are currently affected by heart failure and this number is increasing every year.
Dr Matthew Hoare | Understanding Gene Mutations in Chronic Liver Disease
The liver plays a vital role in keeping us healthy, by controlling levels of sugars and fats in our blood, as well as clearing the blood of toxins. Chronic liver disease affects around 25% of the population and is reported to be the third largest cause of premature death in the UK. Liver disease can occur as the result of long-term consumption of alcohol or viral hepatitis, but the fastest growing cause is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Dr Peter Palese | Developing a Universal Flu Vaccine
The influenza virus – commonly known as flu – is a serious public health concern. There are an estimated 1 billion cases of influenza each year, causing approximately 650,000 deaths globally.
Professor Nicholas Washmuth | Professor Richard Stephens – The Power of Words: Could Swearing Be a Useful Therapeutic Tool for Physiotherapists?
Words change how people think, feel, and behave. As such, the words that medical professionals use have the potential to improve or worsen how patients feel. In physiotherapy, language may be just as important as physical interventions for achieving positive outcomes. So, what about swear words? While most of us swear sometimes and taboo words have been around since language emerged, their potential benefits are often ignored due to controversy and negative associations. Professors Nicholas Washmuth and Richard Stephens argue we should change this. In the right circumstances, they believe that swearing can significantly improve patient outcomes.
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